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:
USA Today, Guardian, FishbowlNY, Business Insider, The Verge, Forbes, @fishbowlny, @pkafka, The Huffington Post, The Wrap, Gizmodo, Refinery29, AdExchanger, Variety, @johncolucci, The Week, Washington Post, ThinkProgress, Mediaite, National Journal, TIME, Adweek, @emilybell, @joepompeo, @edgecliffe, @neil_irwin, @melissaleecnbc, @digiphile, @lheron, @rmantri, @thestalwart and Talking Biz News
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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:
Adweek, Reuters, PRNewser, Mashable, Quartz, @pkafka, Forbes, Radio & Television …, Wall Street Journal, @ingridlunden, @tkawaja, @palafo, @benthompson, @alex, @jeffjarvis, @readdanwrite, The New York Observer, Variety, @antderosa, TIME, @jeffjarvis, Fusion, AdExchanger, FierceOnlineVideo News, Business Insider, Top Digital Journal News, TVNewser, Media Wire Daily, Telegraph, CNBC, AppleInsider, The Awl, Broadcasting & Cable, VentureBeat, @simonkhalaf, @bmkatz, @digiphile, FishbowlNY, @mathewi, @lukedecock, @tvnewslab, @davidramli, @mims, @anildash, @felixsalmon, @anthonyha, @mikebutcher and The Next Web
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:
Bloomberg Business, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Wired, VideoNuze Analysis, AdAge, Mashable, The Verge, Business Insider, Beet.TV, New York Times, Vox, AdExchanger, @nichcarlson, @alansmurray, @cnbcnow, @fmanjoo, GeekWire, @karaswisher, @froomkin, Adweek, @pmarca, @alansmurray, PandoDaily, @emilybell, Bloomberg View, Guardian, LostRemote, CNET, Hollywood Reporter, Fusion, ZDNet, TIME, Associated Press, CNBC NOW, Forbes, Techdirt, www.wnyc.org, @ezraklein, Variety, Gothamist, VentureBeat, @buzzfeednews, @woodyleonhard, Electronista, @robpegoraro, The Next Web, @jeffjarvis and @bbcrorycj
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:
The Huffington Post, The Wrap, @pkafka, Business Insider and FishbowlNY
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Tim Armstrong says AOL to remain in content business, denies spin-off of Huffington Post, says TechCrunch won't be sold and will retain editorial independence — CEO Tim Armstrong Says AOL Is Staying In The Content Business (And He's Not Selling TechCrunch) — It was an interesting day at AOL.
Discussion:
PandoDaily, Business Insider, @zseward, @alexjamesfitz, @mathewi, @mathewi, The Huffington Post, Poynter, Adweek and @benthompson
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:
Adweek, The Verge, Wired, USA Today, @eringriffith, @fmanjoo, The Atlantic, @jyarow, Forbes, TheStreet.com, @mhbergen and WWD
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's AOL acquisition suggests its telecom carrier empire is crumbling more than it shows the power of the physical network
Discussion:
The Awl, Quartz, Gizmodo, Digiday, Business Insider, GeekWire, 9to5Mac, Newser, Los Angeles Times, Boing Boing, @joannastern, @johndstoll, @sub8u, The Week, www.wnyc.org and The Loop
Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:
Sources: Facebook deal to publish NYT stories directly to Facebook to be announced Wednesday; rollout includes Buzzfeed, NBC News, National Geographic, others — The New York Times-Facebook Deal Is Here — It could represent a seismic change for both the publishing industry and for the media company itself.
Discussion:
USA Today, Engadget, @sippey, @nitashatiku, @jayrosen_nyu, @pogue, Poynter, @markberman, @jaspjackson, The Huffington Post and mUmBRELLA
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 …
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, @garethstack, @coreyford, Poynter, @justinnxt, @andybowers, @jmooallem, @niemanlab, @heychrisbarr, @mlieber, @stan_alcorn and @chanders
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, UPROXX, Mediaite, Business Insider, @lahlahlindsey and @erikmal
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Jordan Chariton / The Wrap:
Tom Brokaw Says Media Is ‘Completely Wrong’ About His Feelings on Brian Williams Controversy — Appearing on Fox News to discuss his memoir Monday, Tom Brokaw said the media has been swimming in speculation over his take on the Brian Williams controversy. — “There's been way too much speculation,” he told Sean Hannity.
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Lloyd Grove / The Daily Beast:
In first public comments on Brian Williams. NBC News Chief Andy Lack promises resolution “soon”
In first public comments on Brian Williams. NBC News Chief Andy Lack promises resolution “soon”
Discussion:
TVNewser, The Wrap, @thelloydgrove and @tvnewslab
Kevin Roderick / LA Observed:
LA Times Pulitzer winner Jeff Gottlieb's farewell memo to colleagues hints at dissatisfaction amongst newsroom staff — LA Times Pulitzer winner exits an unhappy camper — Jeff Gottlieb, center, with LA Times reporters Paloma Esquivel and Ruben Vives in 2011. Photo: Knight Fellowships
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
Liana B. Baker / Reuters:
Exclusive: Cablevision to drop $1 bid for NY Daily News - source — It was one dollar too much for Cablevision Systems Corp (CVC.N). The cable company is planning to pull out of the auction process for the New York Daily News after spending hundreds of hours analyzing a potential deal, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
Gawker, New York Times and @petersterne
Douglas Martin / New York Times:
William Zinsser, Author of ‘On Writing Well,’ Dies at 92 — William Zinsser, a writer, editor and teacher whose book “On Writing Well” sold more than 1.5 million copies by employing his own literary craftsmanship to urge clarity, simplicity, brevity and humanity, died on Tuesday at his home in Manhattan.
Discussion:
@danielpink, @katiewoodray, @clydehaberman, Gawker, @tvnewslab and Yale Alumni Magazine