Mediagazer: Halperin/Heilemann's new show lacks focus, covers everything; Monday premiere is a flop (Dylan Byers/Politico)

1:05 PM ET, October 7, 2014

Top News:

Jennifer Preston will join Knight Foundation as vice president for journalism — New York Times digital and print veteran will lead team supporting adoption of innovative digital practices — Jennifer Preston, an award-winning New York Times journalist and digital innovator …

Discussion: Poynter, Capital New York, @aadamglenn, @vivian, @sdkstl, @sulliview, @nycjim, @dangillmor, @jenniferpreston, @jeffjarvis, @craigsilverman, @jcstearns, @louiegilot, @ibarguen and @digiphile

Mark Sweney / Guardian:

UK's Daily Telegraph moves towards becoming a digital first newsroom — Telegraph to use digital content as backbone of paper — Editor-in-chief Jason Seiken unveils plan to mostly treat online content as a ‘buffet’ to fill the paper — TMG executives have ‘cherry picked’ ideas from newspapers in North America and Europe

Discussion: @johngapper, @gavinhjackson, @fcage, @littleatoms, @mlcalderone, @julesmattsson, @clairemilleruk, @sarahmarshall, @buzzfeedben, @charliebeckett, @index_magazine and American Press Institute

Steve Buttry / The Buttry Diary:

NYT Executive Editor Dean Baquet responds to criticism that he doesn't tweet enough, says new “journalism priesthood” being created — Dean Baquet's response: Beware creating a new journalism ‘priesthood’ — New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet has responded …

Discussion: FishbowlNY, @fmanjoo, @lpolgreen, @nytnickc, @mathewi, @chrisottolnp, @sulliview, @moneyries and @jeffjarvis

Gustavo Arellano / OC Weekly:

LA Times: OC Register Owner Aaron Kushner Owes Us $3.5 Million, And We Want it NOW — BOOM! — The gloves are off between the Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register owner Aaron Kushner over him owing them millions of dollars for distributing his paper—and it looks like it just might end up in court.

Discussion: Nieman Lab, @palewire, @jadande, @rdotinga, Navel Gazing and @dannysullivan

John Tamny / Forbes:
Even If His Newspaper Investments Don't Work Out, Aaron Kushner Is A Hero For Trying

Discussion: @romenesko

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

Turner to reduce headcount by 10% — Turner Broadcasting, the parent company of CNN, will cut its total workforce by about 10 percent in the coming weeks through a mix of buyouts, layoffs and other measures, the company said Monday. — The reductions are part of a broader effort to save money …

Danny Sullivan / Search Engine Land:

In addition to news sites, Google's “In The News” box now includes Reddit, blog posts, social media, etc. — Google's “In The News” Box Now Lists More Than Traditional News Sites — Google has confirmed that new “In The News” box appearing in some of its search results …

Discussion: @carolinecox, @mims, @dr_pete, @dannysullivan, Engadget, The Next Web and @baekdal

Derek Thompson / The Atlantic Online:

How TV's Sports Addiction Could Destroy Its Business — Over the weekend, the NBA struck a massive deal with ESPN and TNT worth $24 billion between 2016 and the 2024-25 season. On its face, it's a good and obvious move—good for the NBA, good for fans, and obvious for the networks.

Discussion: @theatlantic, @dkthomp, @benliebmann, @bcappelbaum and @richbtig

Todd Spangler / Variety:

AOL Hires Viacom's Dermot McCormack as Head of Video, as Ran Harnevo Steps Aside (Exclusive) — AOL has tapped Viacom exec Dermot McCormack as president of its video division, replacing Ran Harnevo, who is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. — Harnevo has been with AOL since …

Natasha Singer / New York Times:

Companies like NewsBios are selling intelligence dossiers on reporters to PR agencies — Just the Facts? This Dossier Goes Further — It was my birthday the other day, and, along with the usual private greetings from family and friends, I noticed a couple of public salutations about it on Twitter from entities I didn't recognize.

Discussion: @lizdday and @carlbialik

Claire Atkinson / New York Post:

Sony's new Internet pay-TV service to have 100 channels, may cost between $60-80/month — Sony sets high price bar for Web TV — Sony's upcoming Internet-delivered TV service will carry 100 channels and a surprisingly high price tag of as much as $80 a month, The Post has learned.

Discussion: Multichannel News and Gigaom

Yasser Allawi / Syria Deeply:

Journalists in Deir Ezzor province forced to abide by draconian set of rules dictated by ISIS — ISIS Issues 11 Rules for Journalists in Deir Ezzor — Many local journalists fled Deir Ezzor when ISIS arrived - and the ones who stayed behind are forced to abide by the extremist group's draconian rules …

Discussion: @khinman, @benweinthal, @alexiseast, @stigabell, @fleetstreetfox and The Huffington Post

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Halperin/Heilemann's new show lacks focus, covers everything; Monday premiere is a flop — Why the Halperin/Heilemann show flopped — Two decades ago, someone at the Fox Broadcasting Company hit upon the bright idea of giving Chevy Chase his own late-night television show.

Discussion: New York Magazine and Mediaite