Mediagazer: Google concerned by reports that MPAA is secretly working with studios to resurrect SOPA (Kent Walker/Google Public Policy Blog)

10:45 PM ET, December 18, 2014

Top News:

Kent Walker / Google Public Policy Blog:

Google concerned by reports that MPAA is secretly working with studios to resurrect SOPA — The MPAA's Attempt to Revive SOPA Through A State Attorney General — We are deeply concerned about recent reports that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) led a secret …

Discussion: TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Deadline, The Huffington Post, The Hill, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, @backlon, @brendansasso, @bluechoochoo, @xor, The Verge, @c3o, @strobist, @brendansasso, @alisternburg, @digiphile, Techdirt and New York Times

Jason Abbruzzese / Mashable:

‘Serial’ conclusion leaves podcasters cautiously optimistic about the future — As far as pop culture phenomenons go, Serial is up there. — The podcast, centered around the 1999 Baltimore murder of a high school student, came out of nowhere to become one of the most-talked about stories of the year.

Discussion: Slate, Columbia Journalism Review, @mathowie, Poynter, Business Insider and CNNMoney.com

Alex Kantrowitz / AdAge:

Inside the Business of the Serial Podcast — Signing on as “Serial's” first advertiser has turned out nicely for MailChimp. The podcast, which investigates the 1999 murder of a Baltimore high school student, quickly became a hit. But as Serial's only launch partner …

Discussion: Online Journalism Blog, Vulture, The New York Observer, Wall Street Journal, The Irish Times, WTOP, @jcstearns, @shannonpareil and @pjvogt

Brent Lang / Variety:

Sony Pictures could lose $75M on “The Interview”, which cost $44M to make, $30M to promote — Sony Could Lose $75 Million on ‘The Interview’ (EXCLUSIVE) — Sony Pictures Entertainment could lose $75 million over the cancellation of its planned Christmas release “The Interview” …

Discussion: Mediaite, Associated Press, BuzzFeed and Bloomberg

Dave McNary / Variety:
Sony Has ‘No Further Release Plans’ for ‘The Interview’

Justin Ellis / Nieman Lab:

New friends: The Washington Post and The Texas Tribune enter into a new reporting partnership — The Texas Tribune is taking its split with The New York Times pretty well. — Two months ago the Times ended its story-sharing agreement with the Austin-based news nonprofit after four years.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Texas Tribune, USA Today, The Wrap, Capital New York, Folio, @evanasmith, Poynter, @rosental, @justinnxt and @jayrosen_nyu

David S. Bernstein / Boston Magazine:

Boston.com, split from the Boston Globe editorially, stumbles in its effort to draw traffic while upholding Globe's standards — What the Hell Happened to Boston.com? — The site's best and worst moments of the year all happened because of a $4 overcharge at a Chinese restaurant.

Discussion: @iandon, @nero, @mathewi, Mediaite, @thestalwart, @bj_roche, @dbernstein, @jaredbkeller, FishbowlNY and Talking Points Memo

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Danny Zappin's Zealot Networks Buys Majority Stake in YouTube Licensing Firm AudioMicro — Zealot Networks, the digital-media studio formed by ex-Maker Studios CEO Danny Zappin, has acquired a majority stake in content-licensing company AudioMicro, whose brands include YouTube music-licensing business AdRev.

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter and Re/code

Ruth Reader / VentureBeat:

The Yahoo app gets more personalized with local news and comments on both iOS and Android — Yahoo continues its trend of building personalized content in its latest app update for both iOS and Android. — Today, Yahoo is tweaking its digital content app to provide local news regardless of where you travel to.

Discussion: Yahoo, App Advice, 9to5Mac and WebProNews

Benjamin Mullin / Poynter:

Mike Wilson, managing editor of FiveThirtyEight, named editor of Dallas Morning News, starting in February — Mike Wilson named editor of The Dallas Morning News — Mike Wilson, managing editor of ESPN's FiveThirtyEight, will be the next editor of the Dallas Morning News, the paper announced Thursday in a staff memo.

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM, NetNewsCheck Latest, @mwilstory, @mwilstory and @mwilstory

Hamilton Nolan / Gawker:

Vice video producers average $60k/year, and writers $45k, application for tax incentives shows — Here Is Vice Media's Salary Breakdown — Vice Media, now valued at two and a half billion dollars, made a ton of money this year. How much do its employees make? Here is Vice's most detailed information yet.

Discussion: @charliearchy, @sarahcassi, @jasonabbruzzese, @benpauker, @mendelsonimages and @forrest4trees

Erin Madigan White / The Definitive Source:

Associated Press expands coverage of state government and social issues with team of specialists — Doubling down on state government coverage — Building on The Associated Press' unmatched presence in all 50 U.S. statehouses, we are adding to our competitive advantage by creating a team of state government specialists.

Discussion: Washington Post, @jonathankappler, @jmsummers, @pdcolford_ap, @lclemetson, @bshelly, @erikwemple, @ckrewson, @kronayne and @jmartnyt

Daniel Wallis / Reuters:

Journalist sues over arrest at protest in Ferguson, Missouri — (Reuters) - A Washington-based journalist has sued St. Louis County and one of its police lieutenants, saying his rights were violated when he was arrested while covering protests over the killing of an unarmed black teenager …

Discussion: @alldigitocracy and @runasand