Top News:
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Internal memo from AOL CEO Tim Armstrong on Verizon takeover — In Big Media Push, Verizon Buys AOL For $4.4B [Memo From AOL CEO Tim Armstrong] — So this just happened. AOL, owner of TechCrunch, is getting acquired: U.S. carrier Verizon said in a statement that it is buying the company for $4.4 billion, or $50 per share.
Discussion:
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Verizon:
Verizon to acquire AOL at $50 per share at an estimated total value of $4.4B, Tim Armstrong to continue leading AOL operations — Verizon to Acquire AOL — Deal Creates Unique and Scaled Digital Media Platforms for Consumers, Advertisers and Partners — NEW YORK - Taking another significant step …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Re/code, Wired, Bloomberg Business, New York Times, AdAge, Guardian, LostRemote, Forbes, CNBC NOW, Mashable, VentureBeat, Business Insider, TIME, ZDNet, Associated Press, VideoNuze Analysis, GeekWire, Variety, Gothamist, AdExchanger, @woodyleonhard, The Next Web, Hollywood Reporter, CNET, @nichcarlson, @fmanjoo, @robpegoraro, @jeffjarvis, @froomkin, @alansmurray, @alansmurray, @cnbcnow, @buzzfeednews, @emilybell, @bbcrorycj, Electronista and www.wnyc.org
Kara Swisher / Re/code:
Sources: AOL in talks to spin off HuffPost, primarily with Axel Springer, at a valuation over $1B — AOL Has Been in Talks to Spin Off HuffPost as Part of Verizon Acquisition Deal — According to numerous sources, while it has been negotiating its deal to sell to Verizon …
Discussion:
@neil_irwin, @digiphile, @joepompeo and The Verge
Dennis K. Berman / Wall Street Journal:
Verizon's AOL acquisition suggests its telecom carrier empire is crumbling more than it shows the power of the physical network — Verizon-AOL: A War of All Against All — Surprising deal suggests a crumbling empire more than it shows the power of the network
Discussion:
Business Insider, Newser, Boing Boing and 9to5Mac
Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
Through AOL acquisition, Verizon can deliver video content to subscribers, extract extra value from customers through advertising — Verizon is buying AOL for its video content and ad technology — Verizon will buy AOL for $4.4 billion, or $50 a share the company announced Tuesday morning.
Discussion:
The Verge, Guardian, @ezraklein, Business Insider, @elitereporter and TIME
Brent Lang / Variety:
AOL Shares Surge 18% After Verizon Deal — Shares of AOL surged more than 18% in pre-market trading Tuesday after news broke that Verizon Communications is buying the digital player for $4.4 billion in cash. — AOL's stock was trading at $50.26, which is above the $50 a share that Verizon …
Discussion:
Forbes, Broadcasting & Cable and Media & Entertainment
Justin Ellis / Nieman Lab:
Knight Foundation invests $1 million in creator-driven podcast collective Radiotopia — A little over a year ago, a group of public radio-minded podcast producers banded together with an idea: to combine their powers to grow a shared audience and develop a better business model for fledgling audio entrepreneurs.
Discussion:
@andybowers, @jmooallem, @niemanlab, @mlieber, @heychrisbarr, @stan_alcorn, @chanders and Poynter
BBC:
Secular blogger Ananta Bijoy Das hacked to death in Bangladesh, in third such attack this year — Bangladesh blogger Ananta Bijoy Das hacked to death — A secular blogger in Bangladesh has been hacked to death in north-eastern Bangladesh in the third such deadly attack since the start of the year, police say.
Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
New questions about bin Laden's death and burial highlight lack of attribution in earlier Vanity Fair reporting — Why didn't Vanity Fair tell readers it hadn't seen bin Laden burial photos? — Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh has shaken Washington with a massive piece, titled …
Discussion:
CNN, bookforum.com, The Week, Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, @dlboardman, @cashut, @erikwemple, Politico, The Huffington Post and Slate
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Lloyd Grove / The Daily Beast:
In first public comments on Brian Williams. NBC News Chief Andy Lack promises resolution “soon” — NBC News Chief Andy Lack: 'We're Playing Hurt' Over Brian Williams — In his first public comments about the saga, NBC News chief Andy Lack acknowledged the damage done to the network by the Brian Williams scandal.
Discussion:
TVNewser, The Wrap and @tvnewslab
Brian Flood / Adweek:
ESPN to announce deal with Cablevision that lets advertisers access multiscreen audience data — ESPN and Cablevision Are Set to Announce a Game-Changing Data Deal — ESPN will announce a first-of-its-kind data deal with a cable TV provider at its upfront presentation tomorrow.
Discussion:
FierceCable
Kristen Hare / Poynter:
Associated Press curates stories in book form, including current and historical news, has published 18 paperbacks and e-books since March — AP brings a new audience to stories of the distant (and not-so-distant) news — Last week for the 70th anniversary of VE Day …
Nathalie Tadena / Wall Street Journal:
Report finds Google is still the largest media owner; 136% bigger than the second-largest, Disney, up from 115% last year — Google Expands Lead as World's Largest Media Owner — It's getting harder for major media owners to catch up in size to Google , according to a new report from ZenithOptimedia.