Mediagazer: The Weather Channel's Secret: Less Weather, More Clickbait (Claire Suddath/Businessweek)

4:30 PM ET, October 9, 2014

Top News:

Claire Suddath / Businessweek:

The Weather Channel's Secret: Less Weather, More Clickbait — The writers and editors at the Weather Channel's weather.com don't often talk about the weather. They're not meteorologists. They don't mention the forecast or debate whether New York's overcast sky means it's going to rain.

Discussion: TVNewser, @tyrangiel, @ryanchittum, @jyarow and The Huffington Post

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

At National Press Club, the press is shut out — I'd like to tell you what Robert Ford, former U.S. ambassador to Syria, said at the National Press Club on Wednesday about recent developments in the war against the Islamic State. The diplomat, who resigned in protest earlier this year because he found it …

Discussion: Politico, @miriamelder, @vipalmonga, @peterwsinger and @mlcalderone

James Poniewozik / TIME:

Could Jon Stewart Have Put Sunday Morning Shows Out of Their Misery? — He reportedly turned down an offer to host Meet the Press. If so, too bad for NBC—but probably best for him — According to New York Magazine, before NBC hired Chuck Todd to take over Meet the Press …

Discussion: New York Magazine, @antderosa, @jayrosen_nyu and The Week

Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:
NBC Wanted to Hire Jon Stewart As Host of Meet the Press

Wall Street Journal:

Amazon opening first physical store this year in Manhattan, will handle pickups and returns — Amazon to Open First Brick-and-Mortar Location — The New York City Site to Handle Same-Day-Delivery Inventory, Product Returns — Online retail giant Amazon.com Inc. plans to open its first brick …

Discussion: Gigaom, VentureBeat, AppleInsider, The Verge, @claireatki, @tomgara, @pkafka and The Next Web

Nicole Levy / Capital New York:

At Condé Nast Entertainment, marketing digital video costs as much as making it — Every fall, when broadcast and cable networks premiere a new lineup of television shows, they aren't just investing in the production of pilot episodes—they're also spending millions to market …

Ben Sisario / New York Times:

Music Industry Pushes for New York Tax Credits Like Film Industry's — Can a tax subsidy revive New York's music business? — A group of music industry figures, worried about the flight of music production and related jobs from New York to states like Texas and Tennessee …

Discussion: FDRMX, NCPR Daily News and Billboard

memeburn:

Deezer partners with Vodacom in South Africa: one-month free Premium+ service, bundled billing — Vodacom, Deezer tie the music-streaming knot for South Africans — In March this year we reported that South African telecom giant Vodacom is looking to introduce a new music streaming service, Spotify.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Billboard and TechCentral

Mathew Ingram / Gigaom:

A tip for media companies: Facebook isn't your enemy, but it's not your friend either — Facebook seems to produce a kind of existential dread in news organizations and journalists, since it plays an increasingly large role in whether anyone sees their content.

Discussion: The Awl, @stevebuttry, Strange Attractor and Mashable

Kristen Hare / Poynter:

Christian Science Monitor plans Passcode, a cybersecurity vertical — Coming soon (-ish, by January of next year at the latest) The Christian Science Monitor will launch its first vertical, Passcode a “modern field guide to security and privacy.” — “The Monitor saw a real opportunity …

Sumit Galhotra / Committee to Protect Journalists:

Big businesses attempt to muzzle critical reporting in India — This month Keya Acharya responded to a nine-page legal notice demanding she pay 1 billion rupees ($16.3 million) over her article on India's rose industry. Her legal troubles are a window on to a pattern of how big businesses …

Discussion: @mahazm and @joelcpj

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Amazon Studios Wants Big Comedies, Ready to Pay $4 Million for Pilots: Sources — Amazon Studios, its appetite whetted for half-hour comedies, is now looking to fund a big-budget, high-profile laffer to anchor its next wave of original series — and rival Netflix for attention-grabbing properties.

Discussion: Digital Spy

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

The New York Times Keeps Cutting Newsroom Jobs, But Headcount Doesn't Budge — NEW YORK — New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet recently announced plans to eliminate 100 jobs through voluntary buyouts or layoffs, marking another grim occasion for the beleaguered newspaper industry.

Discussion: Capital New York, @jayrosen_nyu, @stuartathompson, @sulliview, @abeaujon and @mlcalderone

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Hispanic Digital-Media Company ‘Latin Everywhere’ Formed via GoTV, Latin Anywhere Merger — GoTV, the Spanish-language digital entertainment company headed by Jorge Granier, has merged with Rich Hull's Latin Anywhere to form Latin Everywhere, which brings together digital rights …

Discussion: ScreenDaily and Hollywood Reporter