Mediagazer: Underscoring Success of Live TV, Music Specials Will Make a Return (Stuart Elliott/New York Times)

12:25 PM ET, May 31, 2014

Top News:

Hamilton Nolan / Gawker:

Vice Media employees complain of low salaries and influence of sponsors on editorial content — Working at Vice Media Is Not As Cool As It Seems — 21,132g — Vice Media is one of the hottest media properties in America. It's the counterculture empire that even Rupert Murdoch could love.

Discussion: PandoDaily, @sarahcuda, @sarahkendzior, @zaffi, @jjsimonwp, @catekustanczy, @mjenkins, @natrobe, @mathewi, @dangillmor, The Wrap, FishbowlNY, @derekevers, @kristinesgut, @pamengel12, @soalexgoes, @bendepear, @ryanchittum and @holmesdm

VICE:
VICE responds to Gawker with a literal “F**k You” and a list of employee benefits; doesn't refute brand influence on editorial

Discussion: @skidder, @hamiltonnolan, @pamengel12, @mcdermott, @erikwemple, @adamweinstein, @commiegirl1 and Capital New York

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

People magazine to launch “People Picks”, culture reviews to move online, music critic leaving — Changes coming to the pages of People — The pages of People are about to get their first significant overhaul since Jess Cagle took the reins of the Time Inc. celebrity title five months ago.

Discussion: The Wrap and @mathewi

Keach Hagey / Wall Street Journal:

AMC Bets on Payoff From New Original Shows Like ‘Halt and Catch Fire’ — Ownership Can Lead to Lucrative Streaming Deals, But Also Carries More Risks — This Sunday evening, AMC network will air a dark period drama featuring a handsome antihero with a mysterious past and a singular understanding of his rapidly changing business.

Discussion: FierceCable and Los Angeles Times

Michael D. Shear / New York Times:

White House Press Secretary Resigns — WASHINGTON — Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, is leaving his post as the public face of the administration, stepping down after shifting from two decades of reporting to politics at the highest levels, President Obama said on Friday.

Discussion: TVNewser, Washington Post, The Wrap, Guardian, @erikwemple, New York Magazine, The Wire, Mashable, Business Insider, CNN, NPR, @feardept, NBC News and Digiday

Kate Aurthur / BuzzFeed:

Nikki Finke promises website launch on Monday but contract with Penske lasts through 2016 — No One Really Wants a Nikki Finke Comeback — Except Nikki Finke. Updated with Finke's subtweet calling me an “a**hole.” — NikkiFinke.com — After being in purgatory for seven months since …

Discussion: The Awl

Stuart Elliott / New York Times:

Underscoring Success of Live TV, Music Specials Will Make a Return — A MEDIA executive who has had a high profile on Madison Avenue is returning to the spotlight by reviving a pair of music-centered television specials he developed, signing sponsors and partners like AOL, Cumulus, L'Oréal, Macy's, Mazda, Time Inc. and Verizon.

Jeff Bercovici / Forbes:

Twitter Trumps Facebook For Driving Book Sales — Promoting a new book used to be simple: You'd have a big launch party, go on tour and make sure it got as many reviews as possible. But most newspapers have downsized or dropped their book review sections and publishers can't afford to spend on tours and parties like they used to.

Zac Hall / 9to5Mac:

Report: Apple planning to introduce locally targeted ads, additional non-music content to iTunes Radio — According to a new report from The Information, Apple is planning to offer “locally targeted advertising” to users through its iTunes Radio platform sometime this year.

Discussion: Engadget, MacRumors, AppleInsider and The Information

Paul Bond / Hollywood Reporter:

Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes says he's not worried about cord cutters or cable TV consolidation — Jeff Bewkes Isn't Worried About Cord-Cutters — Consumers shunning cable and satellite TV for Netflix is “more of a notion than a reality,” says the Time Warner CEO.

Discussion: Deadline.com, Multichannel News, @thr and MediaPost

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Apple's Jimmy Iovine and Eddy Cue Explain the Beats Deal and Hint at the Future (Video) — A few hours after announcing their $3 billion deal, Apple SVP Eddy Cue and Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine came to the Code Conference to talk about what brought them together, and what they want to do next.

Discussion: 9to5Mac, Cult of Mac, App Advice, MacStories and @recode

Brian Fung / Washington Post:

FCC to consider changing the definition of “broadband” to as much as 25Mbps, up from the current 4Mbps — The FCC may consider a stricter definition of broadband in the Netflix age — What is high-speed Internet? Believe it or not, there is a technical definition.

Discussion: Forbes, Mashable, Engadget, Ars Technica, VentureBeat, PandoDaily and The Hill

Jeremy Barr / Capital New York:

Coming soon from Andrew Golis and Atlantic Media: ‘This.’ — Atlantic Media is preparing to launch “This.,” a new digital project spearheaded by Andrew Golis, who serves as general manager of The Wire, a source with knowledge of the venture told Capital. — The goal of the vertical …

Discussion: @maura, @bigmeaninternet, @mathewi and the npr social media desk

Alexis Sobel Fitts / Columbia Journalism Review:
Despite earlier promises of investment in staff, The Wire continues drifting without an editor

Discussion: @mathewi

Ricardo Bilton / Digiday:

WhatsApp emerges as big share driver for publishers — Publishers tend to focus their social media strategies around the twin titans of Facebook and Twitter. But perhaps they are ignoring WhatsApp at their own peril. — FTW, USA Today's viral sports site, offers a good case study for the platform's potential for publishers.

Discussion: @axelletess and @paulgreenberg