Mediagazer: Omnicom, Publicis Merger Threatened by Power Struggle (Wall Street Journal)

11:20 PM ET, April 26, 2014

Top News:

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Justice Department urges Supreme Court to pass up James Risen's case on confidential sources — Justice Department urges SCOTUS to pass up reporter's privilege case — The Obama Administration is urging the Supreme Court not to take up New York Times reporter James Risen's plea …

Discussion: Guardian, @colmorrisdavis, @freedomofpress, Techdirt, @trevortimm and @walmsleyglobe

Trevor Timm / Freedom of the Press Foundation:

State Dept Launches ‘Free the Press’ Campaign While DOJ Asks Supreme Court to Force Reporter James Risen Into Jail — The US State Department announced the launch of its third annual “Free the Press” campaign today, which will purportedly highlight “journalists or media outlets that are censored …

Discussion: US Department of State

Steven Waldman / Columbia Journalism Review:

As “open internet” is threatened, policymakers could consider solutions like public spectrum — 5 ideas for a modern internet policy — As the ‘Open Internet’ becomes vulnerable, it's time to look at other public interest solutions — It's been a bad few months for the principle …

Discussion: Center for Internet …, The Atlantic Online, Economist, VICE, Network World and Boing Boing

Brian Fung / Washington Post:
The FCC's new net neutrality rules will kill Aereo, even if the Supreme Court doesn't

Discussion: USA Today, hypebot and @jeffjohnroberts

Sarah Lyall / New York Times:

Raleigh News & Observer reporter's investigations of scandals at UNC spark reform and outrage — University of North Carolina Is at Odds With a Raleigh Newspaper — RALEIGH, N.C. — There have been violent threats, angry screeds, Twitter flame campaigns and an entire website predicated …

Discussion: @davidfolkenflik

Lucia Moses / Digiday:

Ladies' Home Journal tries to survive as a digital brand — Print is struggling. That truth holds even more so if you're a women's service magazine, and still more if you serve the older end of the market and have relevancy issues. And so it is that Meredith Corp. said today …

Discussion: USA Today, MarketingVox News & Trends and New York Magazine

Wall Street Journal:

Omnicom, Publicis Merger Threatened by Power Struggle — Ad Company Executives Said to Disagree on Future Roles, Who Is the Buyer — Personal battles over position and power are upending the slated $35 billion “merger of equals” between advertising firms Omnicom Group Inc. and Publicis Groupe SA.

Discussion: @mermarr

Capital New York:

The 60-second interview: Adrian Chen, freelance reporter and New Inquiry editor — CAPITAL: In November, after spending four years there and breaking some big stories, you left Gawker to be a freelancer. Do you miss it? And, do you expect Max Read to pick up where John Cook left off as editor-in-chief?

Discussion: @katienotopoulos, @katierogers, @silvermanjacob and @mims

Dean Starkman / Columbia Journalism Review:

DOJ reopens review of deal between Digital First Media's Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News — A newspaper deal threatens Utah's main non-Mormon-owned daily, critics say — And the Justice Department is looking into it — A deal reached last fall between Salt Lake City's two main newspapers …

Discussion: The Newspaper Guild

Ken Doctor / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Newspapers still lag in digital advertising, highest growth areas remain mobile, video, search — The newsonomics of newspapers' slipping digital performance — As we approach the middle of the 2010s, where do newspapers fit in the battle for America's largest ad sector — digital?

Discussion: @niemanlab

Kenneth Olmstead / Pew Research Center:
As digital ad sales grow, news outlets get a smaller share

Discussion: @giner, @convergencetr, @sarakgoo and @facttank

Samantha Shankman / Skift:

The Boutique Publishers Crafting Content for Big Travel Brands — Fathom Away creates stylish city guides for Kate Spade. / Kate Spade — Where do brands turn when they need creative custom content that speaks to a specific set of travelers? — The answer is often large creative agencies …

Ellen Cushing / San Francisco magazine:

Swisher: AllThingsD was profitable, but Re/code will probably lose money this year — Kara Swisher, outspoken tech journalist, has a lot on her mind. — Kara Swisher, outspoken tech journalist, has a lot on her mind. … San Francisco: You recently split from the Wall Street Journal-affiliated AllThingsD to start Re/code.

Discussion: VentureBeat, @ebekiel, @laureni, @qhardy, @periqueblend, @nitashatiku, @antderosa, @caseyjohnston and @ceonyc

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Judge orders Philadelphia Inquirer's ownership dissolved, sold by auction — Vice Chancellor Donald F. Parsons Friday ordered that Interstate General Media, the partnership that owns The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News and Philly.com, be dissolved and its properties be sold by an “English-style” auction.

Discussion: @scottbpruden, @abeaujon and Associated Press

BBC:

Coulson ‘may not have read’ all of Milly Dowler story — Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson has told the phone-hacking trial he may not have read all of a key story about missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler published in April 2002. — Under cross-examination, he said he thought the story …

Discussion: Hacked Off, Reuters, ABC, Guardian, Guardian and @robindbrant

ITV:
Coulson ‘received £600,000 pay-off’ on quitting NotW

Discussion: Financial Times

Neil Midgley / Guardian:

Local TV plan on the rocks as funding frozen, while London Live head quits — Jeremy Hunt's scheme unravelling as BBC delays £25m payment; Stefano Hatfield out after disastrous ratings — Local TV station London Live's viewing figures average 2,400 for its breakfast show.

Discussion: @neilmidgley, @daveharte, @rileyorionradio, @davidhepworth and @stuartthomas