Mediagazer: BBC head defends licence fee as critical for quality (Reuters)

3:19 AM ET, February 25, 2014

Top News:

Andrew Ross Sorkin / DealBook:

Owner of Twitter parody account @GSElevator is John Lefevre, a former bond executive who has never worked at Goldman Sachs — @GSElevator Tattletale Exposed (He Was Not in the Goldman Elevator) — A three-year parlor game has been taking place on Wall Street to identify …

Jeff Morganteen / cnbc.com:

Verizon CEO: We expect a deal with Netflix — Verizon CEO: I would expect deal with Netflix — Netflix has agreed to pay Comcast for faster broadband service. Lowell McAdam, Verizon Communications President & CEO, weighs in on the deal and discusses Google's fiber plans.

Discussion: Featured stories, @lessien, Engadget, Radio & Television …, Mashable, @kateaurthur, Re/code, @pkafka and The Verge

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Why Netflix Is Actually the Big Winner in the Comcast Bandwidth Deal — Despite the spin you may have read, Netflix is not getting screwed by Comcast, the biggest broadband provider in the U.S. — In fact, through the interconnection deal with Comcast, Netflix will cost-effectively reinforce …

Discussion: Nieman Journalism Lab, Gigaom, Guardian, Home Media Magazine, Deadline.com and @xpangler

Dan Rayburn / StreamingMediaBlog.com:
Inside The Netflix/Comcast Deal and What The Media Is Getting Very Wrong

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Josh Barro to join The New York Times — Josh Barro, the outgoing Business Insider political editor, is joining The New York Times to take part in David Leonhardt's new policy venture, sources familiar with his plans told POLITICO on Monday. — Barro, a former Bloomberg View blogger …

Discussion: @mccanner, @mattyglesias, @benjysarlin, @jeffjarvis and @buzzfeedandrew

Alex Weprin / Capital New York:

If Aereo wins, broadcasters could be forced to end free TV, networks tell Supreme Court in new brief — Broadcasters file brief to SCOTUS on Aereo's ‘direct assault’ — The broadcast networks have filed a 65-page brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, outlining their case against streaming startup Aereo.

Discussion: Variety, Broadcasting & Cable, Hollywood Reporter, Wall Street Journal, Deadline.com and Re/code

Jeff John Roberts / Gigaom:
Aereo will launch its internet TV service in Austin next week as Supreme Court date looms

Discussion: Radio & Television …, TheHill, Austin American-Statesman, Multichannel, Top - Digital Journal and CNET

Andrew Wallenstein / Variety:

Facebook Hires Ryan Seacrest's Digital Chief as Head of Entertainment Partnerships (Exclusive) — Sibyl Goldman tapped to lead Hollywood outreach efforts — Facebook has recruited Ryan Seacrest's digital guru for a new role leading an expanded effort to court Hollywood.

Discussion: @mikeisaac and Tubefilter

Nicola Pring / Columbia Journalism Review:

A new ‘micro-publication’ for deep environmental and tech reporting — Climate Confidential needs 800 subscribers by March 6 to come to fruition — A group of freelance reporters are on a mission to produce a new kind of science journalism. Called Climate Confidential …

Discussion: @arnoharris, @mathewi, @aahearn and @carlzimmer

Thomas Rose / J-Source:

Journalists As Agents of State Surveillance — They're called ‘production orders’ and they signal what may be a growing trend among law enforcement agencies to co-opt journalists into becoming agents of state surveillance. — Production orders occur when a judge agrees to a police request …

Discussion: CAJ

Frédéric Filloux / Monday Note:

News Media Revenue Matrix: The Bird's Eye View — Publishers struggle with newer and more complex business models. Some appear stronger than others but, above all, a broad palette is a must. It is a means to capture emerging opportunities and to compensate for the drying up of older revenue sources.

Discussion: @el_startupero, @bthewirz and @stephenoleary

Joshua Rothman / New Yorker:

Why Is Academic Writing So Academic? — A few years ago, when I was a graduate student in English, I presented a paper at my department's American Literature Colloquium. (A colloquium is a sort of writing workshop for graduate students.) The essay was about Thomas Kuhn, the science historian.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, @damonayoung, @alimattu, @stanfordpress, @aldaily, @deandad, @davewiner, @chanders and @bloomsburypress

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

Conde Nast brings a glossier feel to lower Manhattan as it relocates to 1 World Trade Center — Downtown goes glossy — In New York, it's hard to find sights as breathtaking as the ones you can enjoy from the vertiginous heights of 1 World Trade Center, the tallest building in America.

Discussion: Bloomberg, @tmcgev and @joepompeo

Reuters:

BBC head defends licence fee as critical for quality — The head of the BBC, Tony Hall, will defend the British broadcaster's use of a licence fee paid by the public this week as a debate over funding escalates following a spate of scandals over mismanagement and waste at the corporation.

Discussion: The Independent, BBC, Guardian, C21Media and The Independent

Craig Silverman / Poynter:

Upworthy details why it fact-checks every post (and why it used GIFs in a correction) — In the battle for viral shares and views, Upworthy believes it has an advantage over other sites such as ViralNova: a team of fact-checkers. — Ironically, this group's existence is today better known …

Discussion: Upworthy Insider, @poynter, @craigsilverman, @abeaujon and Upworthy

Bill Mickey / Folio:

Forbes Licenses Brand Name to Mobile Payment Provider — Deal could turn into an investment down the road. — In a licensing agreement, Forbes has lent its name to a new group managed by payment solutions provider Lotaris. Called Forbes Digital Commerce, the entity will enable payment solutions for the mobile platform.

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest and Forbes

Rob Evans / Guardian:

Guardian challenges ban on publication of Prince Charles's letters to ministers — Two-day appeal follows ruling in favour of attorney general, who said letters could harm future king's position of political neutrality — A fresh legal attempt to sweep away the secrecy surrounding Prince Charles's behind …

Discussion: @robevansgdn, @arusbridger and BBC

John Eggerton / Broadcasting & Cable:

Report: Broadcasting Fuels $1 Trillion-Plus in GDP — Local station reps will take info to Hill to make case for value of industry — The 500 or so broadcasters in town for the National Association of Broadcasters annual State Leadership Conference will come armed with some new stats on the value of local broadcasting.

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest and Radio & Television …

Soraya Chemaly / Guardian:

Surprise: men still greatly outnumber women in US and UK arts publications — Sexism is real and it spills over to our most influential cultural publications. How many times do we have to call for change? — Today, as they have every year since 2009, VIDA: Women in The Literary Arts …

Discussion: VIDA, @guardianus, @schemaly and Poynter

Tim Molloy / The Wrap:

Tamron Hall Named Co-Host of 9 a.m. Hour of ‘Today’ — Tamron Hall has been named a co-host of “TODAY's Take,” the 9 a.m. hour of the “Today” show, joining Al Roker, Natalie Morales and Willie Geist. The announcement came on this morning's show. — “We're really excited to officially welcome Tamron …