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:
Slate, Vox, SI.com, Rolling Stone, The Wrap, Washington Post, TVNewser, Deadspin, The Big Lead, Mediashift, FishbowlNY, Deadspin, Poynter, @shanesmith30, @richsandomir, The Big Lead, @eriqgardner, USA Today, New York Post, Washington Post, Awful Announcing, Poynter, @ezraklein, @aaronmesh, @cwarzel, Bloomberg View, @justinnxt, @gabrielsnyder, @mathewi, @pkafka, The Wrap, Deadspin, Newsweek, Boston Globe, Newsweek, Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Media & Entertainment, al.com, Fox Sports, @nytsports, @hunterw, The Big Lead, @clintboulton, Quartz, Wall Street Journal, Gawker, Yahoo Sports, NY Daily News, New Jersey Online, CBS New York, The Huffington Post, New York Post, SBNation.com, Mashable, Bloomberg Business, Variety, Business Insider, John Clay's Sidelines, Business Insider, @danpfleegor, @niket, @mariekshan, @jamesabloom, Mediaite, Washington Post, @benparr, @justinryoung, @rachel__nichols, Politico, International Business Times and Multichannel News
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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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Asia Credit Reporter, Seoul — 
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