Top News:
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:
Forbes, The Wrap, Quartz, The Huffington Post, PRNewser, Business Insider, Adweek, Mediaite, AdExchanger, Washington Post, @johncolucci, Variety, The Verge, TIME, @fishbowlny, @pkafka, @emilybell, Gizmodo, @joepompeo, @edgecliffe, Refinery29, @neil_irwin, @melissaleecnbc, ThinkProgress, @digiphile, @lheron, @rmantri, The Week, @thestalwart and FishbowlNY
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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:
Quartz, The New York Observer, Radio & Television …, Forbes, Reuters, Home Media Magazine, TVNewser, Adweek, CNBC, AdExchanger, @readdanwrite, Top Digital Journal News, @pkafka, Business Insider, Variety, Wall Street Journal, Media Wire Daily, TIME, @ingridlunden, @tkawaja, Fusion, Telegraph, @palafo, @benthompson, @alex, AppleInsider, @jeffjarvis, Poynter, FierceOnlineVideo News, @antderosa, @jeffjarvis, @simonkhalaf, VentureBeat, Broadcasting & Cable, @bmkatz, @digiphile, @mathewi, @lukedecock, FishbowlNY, @tvnewslab, @davidramli, @mims, @anildash, @felixsalmon, @anthonyha, @mikebutcher, The Next Web and The Awl
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, New York Times, Bloomberg Business, Re/code, Adweek, Wired, Business Insider, The Verge, Guardian, VideoNuze Analysis, Mashable, Vox, CNBC NOW, AdExchanger, Variety, The Huffington Post, @nichcarlson, Associated Press, Techdirt, Fusion, @alansmurray, @cnbcnow, Hollywood Reporter, @fmanjoo, GeekWire, @karaswisher, ZDNet, @froomkin, @alansmurray, Forbes, PandoDaily, @emilybell, Bloomberg View, @ezraklein, CNET, Gothamist, TIME, LostRemote, @buzzfeednews, @woodyleonhard, www.wnyc.org, @robpegoraro, The Next Web, @jeffjarvis, @bbcrorycj, Reuters and Electronista
Alex Kantrowitz / AdAge:
Ad-Tech, not Content, Is King in the Verizon-AOL Deal — Takeaways From This Morning's Announcement — The deal of the year may be upon us. — Today, Verizon announced it has reached an agreement to buy AOL for $4.4 billion. The move, expected to be completed this summer …
Discussion:
WWD, The Verge, The Atlantic, TheStreet.com, @eringriffith, @fmanjoo, @jyarow, @mhbergen, Forbes and Adweek
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:
Gizmodo, Digiday, Business Insider, @joannastern and @samsteinhp
BuzzFeed:
Sources say Verizon has no plans to spin off AOL's editorial properties including TechCrunch and Engadget, with Huffington Post's future less certain — Verizon Likely To Retain TechCrunch And Engadget — Sources say Verizon has no plans to spin off the tech blogs once the $4.4 billon acquisition is approved.
Discussion:
Business Insider
Brent Lang / Variety:
AOL Shares Surge 18% After Verizon Deal
Discussion:
Forbes, VatorNews and VentureBeat
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:
The Awl, @coreyford, @chanders, @justinnxt, @heychrisbarr, Poynter, @andybowers, @garethstack, @niemanlab, @stan_alcorn, @mlieber and @jmooallem
Marisa Guthrie / Hollywood Reporter:
ESPN President John Skipper on Bill Simmons: “It Was Business” — The chatter at ESPN's upfront presentation Tuesday morning centered on Bill Simmons, conspicuously absent since ESPN president John Skipper abruptly announced Friday that he would not renew Simmons' contract.
Discussion:
Poynter, New York Times, Mediaite, UPROXX, Mediaite, Business Insider, @erikmal and @lahlahlindsey
RELATED:
T. Rees Shapiro / Washington Post:
University of Virginia associate dean Nicole Eramo files defamation suit against Rolling Stone, seeks $7.5M in damages over retracted rape story — U-Va. dean sues Rolling Stone for ‘false’ portrayal in retracted rape story — WUVA online, a student-run media outlet, interviewed Nicole Eramo …
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, @tvnewslab, @thelloydgrove and The Wrap
RELATED:
Nic Christensen / mUmBRELLA:
Wall Street Journal's head of global media sales, Trevor Fellows, downplays revenue potential of branded content, citing its difficulty to produce at scale — Wall Street Journal sales boss: Branded content will never be a dominant revenue source — Fellows speaking at the INMA World Congress
Elizabeth Spayd / CJR:
Columbia J-School asks students to produce May/June issue of CJR on experimental journalism — I've often been puzzled by why young people just starting out would willingly veer toward the profession of journalism. Decent jobs are hard to come by, and for those who land one, the first paycheck will surely be a disappointment.
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Authorities Near End of AT&T-DirecTV Review, Unlikely to Block Deal — Regulators could still impose conditions on the deal, but don't appear to have serious concerns — The Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission have nearly wrapped up their reviews …
Discussion:
Reuters
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:
Business Insider, FishbowlDC, Bloomberg Business, Politico, Slate, bookforum.com, The Week, Wall Street Journal, @cashut, @dlboardman and @erikwemple
RELATED:
Jason Abbruzzese / Mashable:
New report by veteran journalist Seymour Hersh on Osama Bin Laden's death prompts doubt, conflicting reports, and a partial NBC confirmation
Discussion:
NBC News, The Intercept, Vox, New York Magazine, Politico, New York Times, Politico, Corey Pein, Techdirt, London Review of Books, Salon, CNN, The Spy Who BIlled Me, @ronrosenbaum1, @mlcalderone, @sarahw, Business Insider, @declanwalsh, The Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine and Poynter
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