Mediagazer: CNN refocuses on digital: site redesign in January, standalone CNNMoney site, revamped politics coverage (Alex Weprin/Capital New York)

2:57 AM ET, December 4, 2014

Top News:

Dish, Writers Guild, Glenn Beck's The Blaze, consumer groups and more launch Stop Mega Comcast coalition to fight $45B TWC merger — Coalition Opposes Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger — A group of companies, public interest groups and labor unions have joined forces to urge regulators …

Discussion: Consumerist, The Wrap, FierceCable, Multichannel News and Variety

Ted Johnson / Variety:
FCC Restarts Clocks on Comcast-TW Cable, AT&T-DirecTV Merger Reviews

Discussion: corporate.comcast.com, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Reuters, Gigaom, Home Media Magazine and Broadcasting & Cable

Kara Swisher / Re/code:

BuzzFeed expanding San Francisco bureau to 20 staffers, hires Mat Honan from Wired as bureau chief — Wired's Mat Honan Hired to Run New Buzzfeed Silicon Valley Bureau — Matt Honan, the high-profile Wired writer and editor, has been hired by Buzzfeed to be its new Silicon Valley bureau chief.

Discussion: @rafat, @strngwys, @emilydreyfuss, @jguynn, @peretti, @blam, @mat, @jessmisener, @buzzfeedben, @jmbooyah, @digiphile, @davidbauer, @antderosa, @mikeisaac, @mattbuchanan, @zpower and @walldo

Jim Romenesko:

TheStreet.com investor urges Jim Cramer to take a 70% pay cut or sell the company — The head of Cannell Capital hedge fund wants Jim Cramer to consider two options: quit CNBC and focus on TheStreet.com at significantly reduced pay; or sell the 18-year-old financial news website. — J. Carlo Cannell writes:

Discussion: @aaronlucchetti, @romenesko and @pkedrosky

Mike Shields / Wall Street Journal:

AOL CEO Tim Armstrong Dismisses Yahoo Rumors, Talks Up HuffPo — To hear AOL CEO Tim Armstrong tell it, a merger with Yahoo might slow down his ongoing plans for an AOL turnaround. — Speaking during a keynote interview at Business Insider's Ignition conference in New York …

Discussion: TechCrunch, Capital New York, Mashable and Business Insider

Gustavo Arellano / Navel Gazing:

Layoffs at Freedom's OC Register, Riverside Press-Enterprise, affecting 100, mostly in sales — 100 Layoffs Happening at OC Register, Riverside P-E TODAY: UPDATE — 1ST UPDATE, 11:40 A.M.: Here's a note from new Orange County Register publisher Rich Mirman explaining the layoffs to his crew.

Discussion: Orange County Register, Associated Press, @melendezsports, @gustavoarellano, Los Angeles Times, @talkingnewmedia and LA Observed

Alex Weprin / Capital New York:

CNN refocuses on digital: site redesign in January, standalone CNNMoney site, revamped politics coverage — CNN digital's big reboot — For CNN's digital operations, the word of 2014 could be “reboot.” — In June, the company launched CNNMoney.com as a standalone financial news destination.

Discussion: @alexweprin, @aschweig and FishbowlDC

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

Founder and Editor Ann Marie Gardner steps down at Modern Farmer — Ann Marie Gardner steps down at Modern Farmer — Staff and contractors of Modern Farmer have been informed that founder and editor in chief Ann Marie Gardner has stepped down from the celebrated food-culture magazine she founded in 2013 …

Discussion: @thestalwart, @modfarm, New York Times and @joepompeo

New York Times:

Investigation continues into Sony hack, company claims news of North Korea being singled out as culprit is “not accurate” — Sony Pictures and F.B.I. Investigating Attack by Hackers — LOS ANGELES — Sony Pictures Entertainment and the F.B.I. on Wednesday were hunting …

Discussion: The Wrap, BuzzFeed, Hollywood Reporter, Bloomberg, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Verge, Associated Press, Fusion, SlashGear, Businessweek, @violetblue, Ars Technica and The Huffington Post

Mike Fleming / Deadline:
In memo to staff, Sony execs Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal confirm confidential data was stolen

Discussion: Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Vulture, Business Insider, The Wrap, Los Angeles Times and Fusion

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Barry Diller's IAC Shuts Down nRelate Content-Recommendation Network — IAC, the digital-media conglomerate headed by Barry Diller, is pulling the plug on nRelate, its native-advertising division that sold content-recommendation ad inventory distributed via thousands of web publishers.

Human Rights Watch:

Iran extends Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian's pretrial detention for two more months — Iran: Journalist's Detention Extended — Washington Post Reporter Held 4 Months, but Not Charged — (Beirut) - Iran's judiciary has extended Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian's pretrial detention for another two months.

Discussion: @cathtaibi, The Huffington Post and BuzzFeed

Chris Roush / Talking Biz News:

Top Bloomberg Pursuits editors leave abruptly amid shakeup — The two top editors at Bloomberg Pursuits, the luxury personal finance magazine from Bloomberg LP, left the company on Wednesday. — Ted Moncrieff, the editor of Bloomberg Pursuits, had joined the magazine in December 2012.

Discussion: @joepompeo and @aubernalevy

Sarah Ellison / Vanity Fair:

Behind First Look Media's inception, star hires, staff turmoil, and uncertain future — Can First Look Media Make Headlines That Aren't About Itself? — When a crusading but conflict-averse billionaire bankrolls several of journalism's most prominent mavericks to create …