Mediagazer: BBC World Service boss Peter Horrocks to step down (BBC)

8:10 AM ET, September 1, 2014

Top News:

Amazon Bets on Content in Deal for Twitch — On Wednesday night, I spent time on Twitch.tv watching people watch people play StarCraft II, Call of Duty and League of Legends. — When you cover media, you get used to meta activities, but staring at my computer watching …

Discussion: @carr2n and Engadget

Brooks Barnes / New York Times:

Hollywood has worst summer since 1997 as US summer ticket sales decline 15% from 2013 — Movies Have Worst Summer Since 1997 — LOS ANGELES — American moviegoers sent a clear message to Hollywood over the summer: We are tired of more of the same. — But don't entirely blame the sequels and superheroes.

Discussion: @mattriviera, @rjurikdavidson, @dangillmor, Vox, blogs.indiewire.com, USA Today, BREITBART.COM, International Business Times, Telegraph and Guardian

Nate Hoffelder / The Digital Reader:

Some Japanese publishers call Amazon's linking book promotion to commission fees “blackmail” — Amazon is Facing Boycotts, Cries of Blackmail from Japanese Publishers — Never one to fight a single battle at a time, Amazon is in conflict with publishers in multiple countries …

Discussion: Agence France-Presse

Aaron Gell / Business Insider:
Book distributor EDC's sales rebounded even after pulling all its books from Amazon in 2012

Discussion: TechCrunch, @john_self and @ryanchittum

BBC:

BBC World Service boss Peter Horrocks to step down — The director of the BBC World Service, Peter Horrocks, is to leave the corporation in the New Year, it has been announced. — Horrocks, who has worked for the BBC for 33 years, has held the position since 2009.

Discussion: Guardian, bbc.co.uk and @peterhorrocks1

Alexis Sobel Fitts / Columbia Journalism Review:

Michael Brown shooting and the crimes journalists choose as newsworthy — Examining why black suspects are covered at a greater proportion than they commit crimes — Since Michael Brown's fatal shooting on August 9, news coverage of the event and its aftermath has been followed by a second wave …

Discussion: Guardian

Ethan Zuckerman / My heart's in Accra:
Self-segregation on social networks and the implications for the Ferguson, MO story

Discussion: New York Times, @jayrosen_nyu, @jesseholcomb, @davelafontaine, @infotweets, @stevesunypi, @fgoldsmith and @dangillmor

Salman Masood / New York Times:

Pakistani Protesters Briefly Take Over State TV Station — ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistani troops took control of security at the headquarters for the state-run television system on Monday after about 1,000 demonstrators stormed the building and forced it to temporarily halt broadcasting.

Discussion: The Independent, @jon_boone, @tahassiddiqui, @saimamohsin, @saimamohsin, @paksalah, @imrankhanpti and Reuters

New York Times:

The evolution of propaganda: how ISIS uses Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, SoundCloud, and more — ISIS Displaying a Deft Command of Varied Media — The extremists who have seized large parts of Syria and Iraq have riveted the world's attention with their military prowess and unrestrained brutality.

Discussion: @andrewparker, @abumuqawama, @corbettreport, @morningmoneyben and @philipmcclellan

Angèle Christin / Nieman Lab:

Metrics a key factor in editorial and management decisions; journalists respond inconsistently — When it comes to chasing clicks, journalists say one thing but feel pressure to do another — Online media is made of clicks. — Readers click from one article to the next.

Discussion: @brizzyc, @abigailking, Gigaom and @lauraelizdavis

Miranda Prynne / Telegraph:

Businesswoman Rona Fairhead the preferred choice for next BBC Trust chairman — Former Financial Times Group chief executive Rona Fairhead is named as the government's favoured candidate to take over as BBC Trust chairman — A leading British businesswoman has been named …

Discussion: Guardian, BBC, BBC, The Sunday Times, Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, The Hindu, The Drum, Deadline, Daily Mail and The Times

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Vice set to raise another $250M from TCV for 10% stake; will end up with one of A&E's channels — Big Moves for Shane Smith: Vice Media Is Set to Raise $500 Million and Get Its Own Cable Channel — Cable TV viewers have had a chance to watch Shane Smith and his Vice Media reporters …

Discussion: Beet.TV, @joshsternberg, @pkafka, @pkafka, Gigaom and Mashable

Paul Bond / Hollywood Reporter:
A&E Networks agrees to pay $250M for a 10% share of Vice Media, valuing it at $2.5B

Discussion: @tomgara, @pkafka, @evelynrusli, @mlcalderone, @jboorstin, TVNewser, Financial Times, Variety, Broadcasting & Cable, Bloomberg, AdAge, Mashable, New York Times, Multichannel News, Guardian and Poynter

Global Voices:

In Serbia, press oppression takes the form of cyber attacks on news sites — Two Months After Flooding, Digital Freedoms in Serbia Are Still in Trouble — There's a worrying trend in Serbia's digital world. Media websites are increasingly the target of mysterious technical attacks …

Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:

Yep, BuzzFeed Is Building A Games Team — If you like BuzzFeed's quizzes and interactive projects like its Game Of Thrones name generator, congratulations, you're probably going to be seeing more of them. If you think they're all annoying gimmicks, well, uh, you're going to be seeing more of them anyway.

Discussion: Kotaku Australia and VentureBeat

Natalie Jarvey / Hollywood Reporter:

OWN's YouTube Partnership Pays Off With Digital Series (Exclusive) — Celebrity guests will ask the question “Who am I?” — The Oprah Winfrey Network has been working out of YouTube Space LA for more than six months to experiment with digital formats and online talent.

Discussion: @owntv, @amirawaldesai, Variety and Multichannel News