Mediagazer: CBS Makes Up to 20% More Ad Revenue Online Than TV per Viewer: Research Chief (Todd Spangler/Variety)

12:45 PM ET, July 2, 2014

Top News:

Bloomberg set to launch digital multi-platform brands starting with a politics site Oct 6 — The new Bloomberg Media — Last weekend, Bloomberg L.P. held its annual company picnic, a seven-figure soirée on Randall's Island with the types of attractions you'd expect …

Discussion: FishbowlNY, @mlcalderone, @reidpillifant, @joepompeo, Talking Biz News and American Press Institute

Ravi Somaiya / New York Times:

Layoffs at Wall Street Journal as Part of Newsroom Re-evaluation — The Wall Street Journal has cut between 20 and 40 staff members in recent weeks, according to people familiar with the matter, as part of a re-evaluation of its newsroom that came at the end of its financial year.

Discussion: Capital New York, FishbowlNY and @romenesko

Ben Sisario / New York Times:

Source: Google paid more than $39M for Songza — Google in Deal for Songza, a Music Playlist Service — In a sign of growing consolidation in the digital music business, Google announced on Tuesday that it had bought Songza, a three-year-old app that competes with Pandora and others …

Discussion: Businessweek, RAIN News, AVC, The Daily Caller, CNNMoney.com, @scottahmed, VatorNews, Daily Dot, @pgib, @jherskowitz, @georgergatoudis, Guardian, FishbowlNY, Forbes, AppleInsider, Business Insider, VentureBeat, MacStories, Inc.com and WebProNews

Jordan Crook / TechCrunch:
Google acquires music streaming service Songza for undisclosed amount; product intact for now

Discussion: Songza Daily, Billboard, The Next Web, Wall Street Journal, Softpedia News, Gigaom, Electronista, Hollywood Reporter, PandoDaily, Variety, Rolling Stone, MacRumors, RAIN News, Re/code, Forbes, Light Reading, TIME, Engadget, The Week, The Verge, Deadline.com, Mashable, @alexisohanian and AdAge

James Ball / Guardian:

EU's right to be forgotten: Guardian articles have been hidden by Google — Publishers must fight back against this indirect challenge to press freedom, which allows articles to be ‘disappeared’. Editorial decisions belong with them, not Google — When you Google someone from within the EU …

Discussion: Poynter, @rcolvile, @jeffjarvis, @martinsfp, @marklittlenews, @celticrumours, @johnb78, @jamesrbuk and @chrismoranuk

Alex Sherman / Bloomberg:

World Cup Mania Shows How Sports Driving Biggest Mergers — More Americans have watched the U.S. soccer team in this World Cup than ever before. The two biggest announced acquisitions in the world this year are for U.S. pay-TV operators. Yes, there is a connection.

Discussion: @larryreibstein

Mike Farrell / Multichannel News:
DirecTV Was In Talks With Competitor Prior to AT&T Deal

Discussion: Wireless Week and Forbes

Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg / Wall Street Journal:

Senior Amazon executive defends company against criticism it bullies publishers, says fight with Hachette is for customers — Amazon Defends Its Stance Against Hachette — Executive Says Fight Is for Customers, Denies Retailer Has Too Much E-Book Clout — A senior Amazon.com Inc. executive …

Discussion: The Awl, Gigaom, @dkberman, Business Insider, @davidmwessel, @sarahw, @jackshafer and Washington Post

Jeff John Roberts / Gigaom:

Do you have a fair use right to publish World Cup goals? ESPN takedowns raise questions — Bang! A beautiful cross and a header into the top corner of the net — it's the sort of moment that's perfect for World Cup fans to share on social media. Until, that is, the video disappears.

Discussion: Variety, Forbes, @xdamman, @xdamman, @fieldproducer, @xdamman, @corybe, Techdirt and @kevinablue

Associated Press:

Newspapers: Disputed deal saving Salt Lake Tribune — SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Executives of Salt Lake City's two daily newspapers say in new court filings that changes to terms of a joint operating agreement between The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News aren't intended to put the Tribune out of business.

Caroline O'Donovan / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Gawker editor Max Read pushes internal staff chatter to a public channel at Disputations — Never go another day without knowing what Gawker's staff is eating for lunch — Once upon a time, I visited the Gawker offices in Manhattan, and I was struck first and foremost by the silence.

Discussion: @max_read, @kevinmarks, @morisy, @ceodonovan, @jackshafer, @tylercoates, @hamiltonnolan, @michelledean and @davidfolkenflik

William Turvill / Press Gazette:

Stuff magazine drops pics of scantily-dressed women from the front page after research shows they harm sales — Gadget magazine Stuff is axing scantily-dressed women from its cover 18 years after launching. — The Haymarket-owned title, which recorded a monthly circulation of 62,391 …

Discussion: Guardian, @justinnxt and @katebussmann

Paul Bond / Hollywood Reporter:

Most Major Media Conglomerates Underperforming at Half-Year Mark — Disney outperforms the broader markets, and Time Warner keeps pace. Video games are a hit while new media is a mixed bag. — At the halfway mark of 2014, the major media-entertainment conglomerates are underperforming …

Mike Masnick / Techdirt:

EFF Changes Position On Net Neutrality: Recognizes FCC Must Act, But Narrowly — For years, the EFF has pushed back against the FCC's attempts to preserve net neutrality, reasonably worrying that it might open the door to the FCC further meddling in the internet where it had no real mandate.

Claire Brownell / Financial Post:

Globe and Mail reporters appear to be preparing competing publication as possible strike looms — On the eve of a contract vote which could lead to a strike or a lockout at the Globe and Mail newspaper, unionized reporters appear to be preparing to launch a competing publication to add leverage to their standoff with management.

Discussion: @clabrow and @sladurantaye

John Plunkett / Guardian:

BBC News brings in no surprises rule after McAlpine and Savile scandals — Corporation says new regime, which aims to alert senior management to issues of concern, will not curb investigations — BBC News has instigated a “no surprises” rule in the wake of Newsnight's Lord McAlpine scandal …