Top News:
Richard Sandomir / New York Times:
Bill Simmons' ESPN contract will not be renewed, Grantland said to be unaffected by departure — Bill Simmons and ESPN Are Parting Ways — Bill Simmons, who built a personal empire at ESPN and is one of America's most influential sports personalities, will leave the media giant when his contract expires in the fall.
Discussion:
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Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Grantland Publisher David Cho Is Leaving, Too — Bill Simmons isn't the only one leaving Grantland and ESPN. — David Cho, who has been publisher of the sports + pop culture site since Simmons started it in 2011, gave his notice to ESPN last week, according to a person familiar with the site.
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, The Big Lead and E! Online
Caitlin Petre / Tow Center for Digital Journalism:
The Traffic Factories: Metrics at Chartbeat, Gawker Media, and The New York Times — A report by Tow Fellow Caitlin Petre. — PROJECT LEADER: — Acknowledgements — I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to those employees of Chartbeat, The New York Times, and Gawker Media who shared their time, insights, and experiences with me.
Discussion:
JIMROMENESKO.COM, Journalism.co.uk, @sarahnemerson, TOWCenter, TOWCenter and @antderosa
Jim Romenesko:
MediaShift breaks away from PBS.org … Glaser answers some questions after the jump. — Did PBS.org cover all of your expenses and pay your salary? — PBS funded us partially from 2006 until 2014, then cut off funding, but gave us the option of selling, spinning off, or staying put.
Discussion:
Poynter
Cora Currier / The Intercept:
U.S. Government Designated Prominent Al Jazeera Journalist as “Member of Al Qaeda” — The U.S. government labeled a prominent journalist as a member of Al Qaeda and placed him on a watch list of suspected terrorists, according to a top-secret document that details U.S. intelligence efforts …
Discussion:
Engadget, Gizmodo, The Next Web, Mediaite, @ararmaher, Broadcasting & Cable, WebProNews and Committee to Protect …
Re/code:
Apple's new music service to push subscriptions, but could also offer a free trial and samples — Apple's New Music Service Will Push Paid Subscriptions, With Free Samples — Apple wants people to pay for its streaming music service. But that doesn't mean it won't let people listen for free, too.
Discussion:
AppleInsider, Engadget, TechCrunch, App Advice, The Next Web, @caseynewton, SlashGear, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, AppleInsider, BGR and VentureBeat
Natalie Jarvey / Hollywood Reporter:
Vice Media Taps Publishing Veteran Richard Beckman as Chief Revenue Officer (Exclusive) — In a move to double down on its business, Vice Media has appointed publishing veteran Richard Beckman as its first chief revenue officer. — The former Conde Nast executive started on Thursday and reports to Vice co-president Andrew Creighton.
Discussion:
FishbowlNY, Variety, AdAge and WWD
Robert Channick / Chicago Tribune:
Tribune Publishing to buy U-T San Diego for $85 million — Tribune Publishing has entered into an agreement to buy San Diego's flagship newspaper for $85 million. The deal, confirmed Thursday evening, includes $73 million in cash and $12 million in Tribune Publishing common stock …
Joel Rosenblatt / Bloomberg Business:
Yahoo sues former employee Cecile Lal, saying she broke a confidentiality agreement by leaking proprietary information to author Nicholas Carlson — Yahoo Sues Ex-Staffer Claiming She Gave Secrets to Writer — Yahoo! Inc. sued a former employee over claims she “brazenly” …
Discussion:
@kevinroose, @sarahfrier and @nichcarlson
David Gauthier-Villars / Wall Street Journal:
Spotify's 2014 revenue rose 45% from previous year to €1.08B, but losses widened to €162M — Spotify Revenue Rises in 2014 but Still in Red on Heavy Investments — STOCKHOLM—Spotify AB, the Swedish online music streaming company, recorded a sharp rise in revenue last year …
Discussion:
Reuters, New York Times, International Business Times, eWeek, TrustedReviews, App Advice, TIME and Forbes
Tim Peterson / AdAge:
Google Says 46% of Web Video Ads Are Never Viewed — Of Unseen Ads, 76% Did Not Even Appear On Screen — Google says YouTube has a much higher viewability rate than the wider web. — 2015 Programming Roundup — Digital was supposed to fix that old adage about an advertiser knowing …
Discussion:
FishbowlNY
Michael Lewis / Toronto Star:
Omni drops multi-language newscasts Monday as Rogers cuts 110 jobs from TV operations; will replace news with half hour interactive current affairs programs — Omni drops multi-language newscasts as impact of streaming services is felt — Rogers Media Inc. cuts 110 jobs from its television operations …
Discussion:
Globe and Mail, British Columbia, The Huffington Post, CBC News and Rehak/Stuebing Mostly Media
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