Top News:
Derek Mead / Motherboard:
Vice Media's Motherboard is switching off comments, adds letters to the editor section — We're Replacing Comments with Something Better — As a kid, whenever I'd get some BMX or car magazine in the mail, I'd always dive in first to the letters to the editor.
Discussion:
@mrdoncarpenter, Medium, Techdirt, @ejpfauth, Fortune, @tha_rami, @dangillmor, @lainnafader, @mathewi and @maxmgardner
Los Angeles Times:
Lionsgate and Starz in advanced merger talks, sources say — Movie and television studio Lionsgate cemented its mini-major status in Hollywood with “The Hunger Games,” and now its appetite is being tested. — The Santa Monica studio is in advanced talks to merge with movie channel Starz …
Discussion:
Deadline, Variety, USA Today and Hollywood Reporter
Dean Baquet / New York Times:
New York Times announces it has 2.1M subscribers across print and digital; more subs now than at any other time during its 164-year history — The New York Times Reaches a Milestone, Thanks to Our Readers — When the Supreme Court issued its historic rulings this year on same-sex marriage …
Discussion:
FishbowlNY, @jswatz, @gerryfsmith, @jbenton, @driven_by_data, @stephentrask, @cliffordlevy and @sulliview
Frédéric Filloux / Monday Note:
Two-thirds of micropayments paywall startup Blendle's users are under 35 — Blendle Is Up To Something Big — The Dutch micropayment platform for articles is taking off in spectacular fashion. Its foray into the German market delivers another proof of publishers' interest in the kind of business model Blendle embodies.
Discussion:
Medium, Thanks:@alexandernl
Jay Yarow / Business Insider:
Jack Dorsey named permanent Twitter CEO, will remain as Square CEO; Adam Bain promoted to COO; Dick Costolo steps down from board; stock closes up 7% — IT'S OFFICIAL: TWITTER MAKES JACK DORSEY FULL-TIME CEO — Jack Dorsey, cofounder of Twitter and Square, has been named Twitter's permanent CEO.
Discussion:
Re/code, Re/code, @jack, Medium, TechCrunch, @jack, @jack, Fortune, @dickc, @jack, @adambain, Forbes, @jack, @dickc, New York Times, Gigaom, @zpower, @danprimack, Tech Insider, Variety, The Next Web, Bloomberg Business and TechCrunch
J.M. Porup / Motherboard:
Security experts express concern about Reporta, IWMF's new safety app for journalists, citing lack of HTTPS by default on website, other issues — This New ‘Secure’ App for Journalists May Not Be Secure At All — When I started working as a journalist in Colombia in 2006 …
Discussion:
@octal and @dangillmor
Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:
RedState Names Leon Wolf Managing Editor As Erick Erickson Prepares Exit — NEW YORK — RedState named Leon Wolf as its new managing editor Monday as longtime editor Erick Erickson transitions out of his role leading the influential conservative news and opinion site.
Discussion:
RedState, CNNMoney, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, @ewerickson, Erick on the Radio and @leonhwolf
Lyz Lenz / New York Magazine:
Some women turn to newsletters as an alternative to social media for a controlled place online that feels safe to discuss faith, sex, children, and more — Are Newsletters the Internet's New Safe Space for Women? — Whether you're Lena Dunham or an emerging writer, the format has an appealing intimacy.
Discussion:
@niemanlab, @stassaedwards, @jess_mccarthy11, @lainnafader, @imamandanelson, @brookehatfield, @sarahevonne, @onekade and @melissagira
Todd Spangler / Variety:
AwesomenessTV partners with Endemol for international expansion, will launch channels in at least five overseas markets including the UK and France — AwesomenessTV Pacts With Endemol Shine for International Expansion — Teen-focused digital media company AwesomenessTV is coming …
Discussion:
Broadcasting & Cable
Lukas I. Alpert / Wall Street Journal:
DailyMail.com North America CEO Jon Steinberg to step down at end of 2015, as company focuses on organic growth rather than acquisitions and new partnerships — DailyMail.com's North America Chief Is Out — Jon Steinberg will step down at the end of the year after 18 months on the job
Discussion:
CNNMoney, Adweek, @dylanbyers and @dylanbyers
Mike Shields / Wall Street Journal:
Publishers Worry That Native Ads Are Vulnerable to Ad Blocking — Experts say native ads can be just as susceptible to ad blocking as banners — As the digital publishing industry wrestles with the rise of ad blocking, one popular notion is that native ads will be the answer to the industry's ills.
Discussion:
@perlberg
Dylan Byers / CNNMoney:
Anticipated cuts coming to the LA Times this week, will target at least 10% of newsroom; cuts will affect other Tribune Publishing newsrooms too — Los Angeles Times newsroom to endure more cuts this week — The long-anticipated staff cuts at The Los Angeles Times will begin this week …
Discussion:
Poynter, Politico, LA Observed, The Wrap, @waxpancake, New York Times and @laobserved