Mediagazer: Liberty Media Sets Spinoff of Charter Holdings into Separate Company (Todd Spangler/Variety)

11:30 AM ET, May 8, 2014

Top News:

Joshua Green / Businessweek:

Conservative think tank Heritage Foundation launches mobile-first news site Daily Signal aimed at younger audiences on June 3 — Daily Signal: Heritage Foundation News Site Seeks Mainstream Impact — Last year the conservative Heritage Foundation had more influence on the direction …

Mary Hui / Poynter:

As China's control grows, Hong Kong media freedoms recede — They got him as he stepped out of his car one morning in February. Wielding a meat-cleaver, Lau Chun-to's assailant hacked at his back and legs, then sped away on a motorbike with an accomplice.

Gillian Wong / Associated Press:
China detains veteran journalist for state secrets

Discussion: Guardian and Amnesty International

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

The complicated and disputed mission of the Huffington Post, 9 years after launch — The Huffington Post, nine years on — On Friday, March 7, Peter Goodman was writing an email to Arianna Huffington during the last hour of his last day as her employee, when a team of workmen showed …

Discussion: The New York Observer, @froomkin, @binarybits, @williamalden, @gideonresnick, @michaelroston, @mattbai, @erinruberry and @lmoses

Anthony Crupi / Adweek:

NBCUniversal Strikes Gold With Megawatt Olympics Deal — In a surprise development, the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday announced that NBCUniversal has secured the media rights to the Olympic Games through 2032. — The agreement, which covers broadcast rights across all media platforms …

Discussion: FishbowlNY, Reuters, Olympics, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, @crupicrupicrupi, Mashable and TVSpy

NBCSports:
IOC awards Olympic Games broadcast rights to NBCUniversal through to 2032

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Forbes, TVNewser, Deadline.com, New York Times, @fbihop, @jbflint, @jbflint, @davidfolkenflik, @friedrich_mike, @edmundlee, Reuters, Variety, Capital New York, @kimballkjar, The Verge, Inside TV, @amanda_massa and @abeaujon

Stacey Higginbotham / Gigaom:

Amazon, Netflix and tech giants defend net neutrality in letter to FCC — In a rare public stand for the internet retailer, Amazon has come out against the Federal Communications Commission's purported plan to bifurcate the internet into faster and slow lanes as part of its new network neutrality rules.

Katy Bachman / Adweek:
Two FCC Commissioners ask Wheeler to delay net neutrality proposal, but Wheeler doesn't budge

Discussion: FCC.gov, Engadget, @amy_schatz, New York Times, PC Magazine, Bloomberg, Broadcasting & Cable, The Verge, Talking New Media and The Next Web

Jack Marshall / Wall Street Journal:

Major brands inadvertently supporting sites with pirated video via automated ads — Illicit Websites Use Automated Ad-Buying Systems to Their Advantage — It's easy for websites to make a profit selling online advertising. All they have to do is avoid paying for content.

Discussion: @digitalshields, @xpangler and @vranicawsj

Associated Press:

Scripps Networks 1Q profit rises 19 pct — KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Scripps Networks Interactive Inc., which owns the cable channels HGTV, Food Network and Travel Channel, said Thursday its first-quarter profit jumped 19 percent, helped by increases in revenue from both advertising and affiliate fees.

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch and Variety

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Liberty Media Sets Spinoff of Charter Holdings into Separate Company — John Malone's Liberty Media announced plans to spin off its cable holdings, largely comprising its stake in Charter Communications, into a new publicly traded company called Liberty Broadband by the end of 2014.

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, Reuters and RTTNews

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

Some news sites cracking down on over-the-top comments — Attention, reader comment-board trolls: News sites are getting tough on your crude, your rude and your sometimes lewd postings. — Faced with the unbounded id of anonymous readers who can't resist posting nasty comments under online articles …

Discussion: @dankennedy_nu, @carlquintanilla and @farhip

Reuters:

Exclusive: Cars.com investor Gannett mulls bid for entire company: sources — (Reuters) - Gannett Co Inc (GCI.N), one of the newspaper owners of Cars.com, is exploring a bid for all of the auto sales website and has discussed teaming up with private equity firms in a deal that could reach $3 billion …

Discussion: TheStreet.com, InvestorPlace and Talking New Media

Brian Braiker / Digiday:

Andrew Sullivan on native ads: Journalism has surrendered — Journalist and blog entrepreneur Andrew Sullivan is not one to jump on bandwagons. The outspoken political blogger left the Daily Beast nearly a year and a half ago to launch The Dish, his own subscription-driven news site.

Discussion: @joshsternberg

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:

Rebekah Brooks's PA gave her a false alibi, phone-hacking trial told — Cheryl Carter accused of lying to police about News International chief's presence in office on day notebooks were removed — Rebekah Brooks's PA gave the former News International chief executive a false alibi …

Discussion: BBC, TheAustralian, Guardian and thedrum.com

Seth Fiegerman / Mashable:

Marissa Mayer: Stop Asking If Yahoo Is a Tech or Media Company — In 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs visited Yahoo's headquarters and urged employees to decide once and for all whether it wanted to be a media company or a technology company. — Yahoo's identity crisis, if you want to call it that …

Discussion: Fortune, New York Magazine, @art_policarpio, New York Times, Tech Trader Daily, TechRadar.com and TechCrunch

J.J. Colao / Forbes:

With 18 pending patents, Aereo's options in the case of a Supreme Court defeat are open — If Aereo Loses In The Supreme Court, Can It Rise Again? — Once voluble and full of irreverent talk, Chet Kanojia barely picks at his plate of cheese during lunch overlooking Dupont Circle in Washington …

Mark Sweney / Guardian:

All3Media sold to Discovery and Liberty Global in deal worth £500m — Maker of Skins and Midsomer Murders bought by US media giants after an attempt to sell in 2011 failed — Skins and Midsomer Murders maker All3Media has been sold to US media giants Discovery and Liberty Global …

Discussion: Sky News, Televisual and Prolific North

Guardian:

ABC's Australia Network faces the axe, but severing contract will incur costs — There will be costs incurred unwinding agreements and the Coalition will have to legislate if it wants to offer a new tender — The ABC will lose its Australia Network contract next week …

Discussion: afr.com, Yahoo! News, Sydney Morning Herald, @gliburtine, TV Tonight and @guardian

Casey Newton / The Verge:

Yahoo News Digest arrives on Android and launches an international edition — Four months after bringing its unconventional news app to iOS, Yahoo News Digest arrives on Android today along with international editions that bring a global perspective to currents.

Discussion: TechCrunch, Digital Spy, The Next Web, Geeky Gadgets and thedrum.com

Henry Taylor / TheMediaBriefing:

Beyond responsive: three mobile website design tricks becoming trends — The Los Angeles Times has a new-look website: a responsively designed effort from the same chaps behind sites for The Verge, Hearst and Mashable. — But apart from being mobile-friendly in its responsiveness …

Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:

Dish Network Q1 revenue rose 6.5% to $3.59B, adds subscribers amid pay TV slump — Dish Adds Subs in First Quarter, Earnings Drop — UPDATED: The satellite TV giant, led by chairman Charlie Ergen, reported higher quarterly revenue. — Dish Network on Thursday reported lower …

Discussion: Bloomberg, MarketWatch, Wall Street Journal and Reuters