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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.
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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 …
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Verizon's AOL deal reflects crumbling power of physical networks, premium value of high-quality content — Verizon-AOL: A War of All Against All — Surprising deal suggests a crumbling empire more than it shows the power of the network — When Steve Jobs released the first iPhone in June 2007 …
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Business Insider, Newser, 9to5Mac and The Week


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.
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The Verge, @ezraklein, Business Insider and @elitereporter


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 …
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Forbes, Broadcasting & Cable and Media & Entertainment


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.
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@andybowers, @jmooallem, @niemanlab, @mlieber, @heychrisbarr, @stan_alcorn, @chanders and Poynter


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.


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.
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TVNewser, The Wrap and @tvnewslab


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 …
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CNN, bookforum.com, The Week, Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, @dlboardman, @cashut, @erikwemple, Politico, The Huffington Post and Slate
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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


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 …


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.

Jack Shafer ‘let go’ from Ethicist team by New York Times Magazine — The New York Times Magazine's three-person approach to its storied Ethicist column is already showing signs of wobbliness. Politico media critic Jack Shafer, one of the experts tapped for a slightly renamed version of the column …
Discussion:
New York Times, @resnikoff, The Daily Caller and FishbowlNY