Mediagazer: Ad model doesn't work for YouTube creators, but the “just-ask” model for donations can (Hank Green/Medium)

3:30 AM ET, April 8, 2015

Top News:

Chris Thompson / Poynter:

Fortune Magazine to announce hiring of six former Gigaom reporters, a third of editorial staff — Fortune Magazine to hire roughly one-third of GigaOm's editorial staff — Fortune magazine will announce Wednesday morning that it has hired six reporters from GigaOm, according to multiple sources close to the matter.

Discussion: @rafat, @sdkstl, @ckrewson and @jonfortt

Justin Ellis / Nieman Lab:

By building partnerships with other newspapers, The Washington Post is opening up revenue opportunities — Subscribers to more than 250 newspapers around the globe now have free digital access to the Post. The next question is how the paper will use this network to make money.

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

HBO Reminds You That HBO Now Works Better When Everyone's Not Trying to Use HBO Now — As promised, HBO has rolled out HBO Now, its $15-a-month streaming service, in time for the new season of “Game of Thrones,” which debuts Sunday. — But if you use HBO Now to stream “Game of Thrones” …

Discussion: The Verge, Mediaite and GeekWire

Napier Lopez / The Next Web:
HBO Now launches in US on Apple TV, iOS, and Cablevision's Optimum Online for $14.99 per month

Discussion: Multichannel News, MacRumors, VentureBeat, SlashGear, Hollywood Reporter, USA Today, AppleInsider, Business Insider, 9to5Mac, Variety, TechCrunch and VentureBeat

Nicole LaPorte / Fast Company:
An inside look at HBO's strategy to compete with Netflix by launching HBO Now

Discussion: @fastcompany, Business Insider, 9to5Mac, @tim, AppleInsider, The Verge, @richardrushfield, @pkafka, @timsteno, @nicolelaporte1, @davidlidsky, @alexweprin, @youngrubicam, @rosepastore and @noahr

Ken Doctor / Nieman Lab:

The Economist launches Global Business Review app in Chinese and English, free through May, then $75/year or $8/month — Newsonomics: Why The Economist decided now's the time to speak Chinese — The newsonomics of The New York Times' Paywalls 2.0 — The Economist is launching …

Discussion: PR Newswire, @tomstandage, Mumbrella Asia and Quartz

Tom Risen / US News:

YouTube Kids Investigation by FTC Would Face Hurdles — A proposed investigation of the app's ads by the federal government could create a legal mess for the online video world. — The YouTube Kids app aimed at children is “unfair and deceptive,” some consumer advocacy groups say.

Discussion: USA Today and The Hill

Cecilia Kang / Washington Post:
FTC to review complaint that YouTube Kids over-advertises to children

Discussion: Guardian and New York Times

Bryan Burrough / Vanity Fair:

The Inside Story of the Civil War For the Soul of NBC News — Brian Williams's fabrication was just the latest, and worst, of the debacles that have plagued NBC News since NBCUniversal was bought by Comcast in 2011. Who is to blame? — On the afternoon of Wednesday, February 4 …

Jordan Chariton / The Wrap:
Brian Williams' Explanation to NBC News Honchos: ‘Maybe I Had a Brain Tumor’

Discussion: Mediaite, CNNMoney and TVNewser

Lauren Davidson / Telegraph:

Acast tries to join podcast boom with free app for creators and listeners supported by ads — How Serial shook up the podcasting industry — From the ubiquity of mobile to the runaway success of Serial, it's the golden age for podcasts, and the Swedish start-up Acast has some big ideas

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

YouTube's copyright system has taken Rand Paul's presidential announcement offline — If you're looking for Rand Paul's presidential announcement on YouTube, bad news. As of writing, the video has been blocked by the video streaming site, thanks to a copyright claim from Warner Music Group, as Vox's Andrew Prokop spotted.

Discussion: Billboard, The Verge, Business Insider, Techdirt, Fast Company, Hit & Run and Mother Jones

The Bold Italic:

Gannett-owned San Francisco news site The Bold Italic says it's shutting down — About The Bold Italic — Since our launch, The Bold Italic has strived to faithfully serve San Franciscans near and far, whether born and bred here or having just arrived in the city.

Benjamin Mullin / Poynter:

Ex-Gawker writer Cord Jefferson now writing for Comedy Central's “The Nightly Show” — Former newsman earns his keep on fake news show — Last January, Cord Jefferson was offered what he calls an unexpected, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Jefferson, who was then West Coast editor …

Hank Green / Medium:

Ad model doesn't work for YouTube creators, but the “just-ask” model for donations can — The $1,000 CPM — Advertising is a kinda s**tty model. It's very exciting that we're moving beyond it. — Sometime in the last year, my YouTube videos received their billionth view.

Discussion: @asymco, @hanskoning and @puntofisso

Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:

CBS' internet TV service is now available on Roku — CBS's internet TV service is arriving on Roku today. For $5.99 a month, Roku owners will be able to subscribe to CBS All Access, which gives subscribers streams of many current and past CBS TV series and allows viewers to actually watch CBS …

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, CBS Los Angeles and Broadcasting & Cable

Clay Shirky / The New Republic:

Columbia Journalism School's report on Rolling Stone was thorough, but its mere existence gives magazine excuses and rationale for not firing anyone — The Columbia Report on Rolling Stone's Rape Story Is Bad for Journalism — Last year, Rolling Stone published “A Rape on Campus,” …

Discussion: bookforum.com, @craigsilverman, New Yorker, @adamnajberg, Talking Points Memo, CNN and The Buttry Diary

Mathew Ingram / Fortune:
Rolling Stone's rape fiasco: A story too good to double-check

Discussion: @mathewi

Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:

Imgur introduces embed option for online publishers to repost and attribute photos on their own site — Image-hosting platform Imgur is making it easier for publishers and bloggers to use its content, with the launch of a new embed feature. — Similar to how you can embed videos hosted on YouTube …

Discussion: The Imgur Blog and TechCrunch

Nancy Tartaglione / Deadline:

With approval from French government a stumbling block in previous bids, Vivendi's offer for Daily Motion could be accepted — Will Vivendi's Offer To Buy Dailymotion Finally Satifsy French Government? — French conglomerate Vivendi confirmed today that it has made an offer to buy online video streaming site Dailymotion.

Discussion: New York Times and FierceOnlineVideo News

Rhonda Richford / Hollywood Reporter:
Vivendi confirms takeover bid for DailyMotion, unofficial reports put value of deal at $272M

Discussion: VentureBeat, Gulf Times, Financial Times, Reuters, City A.M., Reuters, Wall Street Journal and The Drum

James Temperton / Wired.co.uk:

Kobo won't release color screen e-reader until authors start writing novels in color, says company president Michael Tamblyn — Why Kobo isn't making a colour ereader … Kobo won't release an ereader with a colour screen until authors “start writing novels in colour” according to company president Michael Tamblyn.

Discussion: @mathewi