Mediagazer: Wirecutter creating custom product guides for other sites to raise its profile and build its audience beyond tech (Ricardo Bilton/Digiday)

6:30 AM ET, December 17, 2015

Top News:

Sources: Adelson's son-in-law Patrick Dumont arranged $140M purchase of Las Vegas Review-Journal on Adelson's behalf — Adelson son-in-law orchestrated family's purchase of Las Vegas Review-Journal — The son-in-law of billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson arranged the $140 million purchase …

Discussion: @ralstonreports, The Huffington Post, @stephgrimes, @ralstonreports, @betsbarnes, @mollyesque, @nickriccardi, @tripgabriel, @edmundlee, @nealtmorton, @refriedbrean, @ravisomaiya, @tripgabriel, @carolscling and @jpodhoretz

Dan Primack / Fortune:

Sources: casino operator Sheldon Adelson is mystery buyer of The Las Vegas Review-Journal — Yes, Sheldon Adelson Bought The Las Vegas Review-Journal — For nearly a week, the media and political worlds have been wondering who paid $140 million to purchase Nevada's largest daily newspaper, The Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

Adelson responded Tuesday to speculation he bought LVRJ with a not-quite-definitive “I have no personal interest” — Sheldon Adelson responds to speculation he bought Las Vegas paper — “I have no personal interest” in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson …

Discussion: Las Vegas Review-Journal, @ralstonreports, Columbia Journalism Review, @ndhapple, @keachhagey, @weeddude, @ralstonreports, @danprimack, Mediaite, @davidfolkenflik, Poynter, @davidfolkenflik and New York Times

Joe Mullin / Ars Technica:

Pandora to pay royalty of 17 cents per 100 songs, up from 14 cents, after copyright board decision, with rates rising with inflation through 2020 — Copyright tribunal slaps Pandora with 20 percent rate increase — A little-known panel of judges determines what Internet radio must pay.

Discussion: The Wrap, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Re/code, New York Times, Talking New Media, Variety, Tennessean.com and Tech Trader Daily

Michael Reckhow / Facebook Media:

Instant Articles Launches to Everyone on Android, with More Than 350 Publications Globally — We're excited to announce that everyone who uses the Facebook for Android app can now read thousands of Instant Articles every day in News Feed from publishers worldwide.

Discussion: Fortune, SlashGear, Mashable, SocialTimes, The Verge, Engadget, MobileSyrup.com, The Next Web, BuzzFeed and StreetInsider.com

Hayes Brown / BuzzFeed:

Brazil imposes 48-hour block on WhatsApp for failing to cooperate in criminal investigation; rival app Telegram says it gained 1.5M+ users there in a day — Brazil Just Blocked WhatsApp Despite Almost Everyone In Brazil Using It — A court has blocked the app that 93% of Brazil's internet users depend …

Discussion: Gizmodo, @telegram, Ubergizmo, VatorNews, Jan Koum, @hayesbrown, CNET, Reuters, @jakelaperruque, VentureBeat, The Next Web, TechCrunch, The Verge and Re/code

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

FBI Director James Comey calls media reports that San Bernardino shooters posted publicly on social media about jihad a “garble” — The FBI just blasted reporting on the San Bernardino killings — A whoa moment here: FBI Director James B. Comey today told the media …

Discussion: @erikwemple, Slate, @marciahofmann, @erikwemple, Guardian, Mother Jones, @jayrosen_nyu, @jayrosen_nyu, @getnickwright, @reporterfaith, @tchop_stl, @dangillmor, The Verge and BuzzFeed

Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:

Atavist cuts half its staff and searches for a sustainable path as funding dries up — The past couple of years have not been kind to publishing-related startups. Byliner publicly fell apart before being acquired. Social reading platform Readmill was acquired by Dropbox and shut down.

Discussion: FishbowlNY, TeleRead, @justinnxt, @marklotto, @sarahw, @laurahazardowen and @rafat

Lance Whitney / CNET:

Spotify adds curated party playlists and a “mood tuner”, available now for Android and iOS — Spotify can play DJ at your next party — A new feature called Spotify Party plays a lineup of professionally picked tunes and lets you choose your music based on the mood you're hoping to set.

Discussion: Spotify News, Phandroid, Wired, Engadget, VentureBeat, The Verge and TechCrunch

Jill Goldsmith / The Wrap:

Judge approves Relativity Media's bankruptcy reorganization plan but postphones final hearing to February — Relativity Bankruptcy: Judge Delays Reorganization Approval, Movie Releases Hang in Balance — U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Wiles approved the terms of Relativity Media's Chapter …

Discussion: Law360, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Deadline and Variety

Mark Sweney / Guardian:

Evgeny Lebedev sounds out interest in cut-price national the i — Market rumours suggest News UK and Trinity Mirror could be potential buyers of the successful title launched in 2010 — The publisher of the i is understood to have sounded out media groups about a potential sale …

Henry Mance / Financial Times:
Daily Mirror looks at launching cheaper tabloid newspaper

Discussion: Press Gazette

Ricardo Bilton / Digiday:

Wirecutter creating custom product guides for other sites to raise its profile and build its audience beyond tech — Why The Wirecutter lets other publishers run its product reviews — The Wirecutter has made a business out of obsessively reviewing the minutiae of gadgets.

Discussion: @alexcrabb and @rbilton

Harry Tucker / Business Insider Australia:

Australian court blocks Voltage Pictures' efforts to access details of people it says illegally downloaded Dallas Buyers Club — Court throws out Dallas Buyers Club piracy case — A scene from the Oscar-winning film Dallas Buyers Club Photo Credit: Anne Marie Fox / Focus Features

Discussion: iTnews, CNET, Plagiarism Today, Crikey, Wall Street Journal, Gizmodo Australia, Lifehacker Australia, NEWS.com.au, TorrentFreak and Guardian

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 6:30 AM ET, December 17, 2015.

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Who's Hiring in Media?

Commissioning Editor - Practical Law — Reuters

Energy Markets Reporter, London — WSJ

Oil Reporter, Singapore — Bloomberg

Newsperson - State Govt. & Politics, CA — AP

Business Reporter, SC — Post & Courier

State Government Reporter, WA — Seattle Times

Climate Crisis Columnist — Prospect UK

Multimedia Journalist, CA — Paramount

Community Engagement Mgr., DC — Freedom Forum

Staff Writer - Business, NY — WIRED

Editor, MA — Nieman Reports

Team Editor - Breaking News, ON — Toronto Star

Senior Reporter & Event Host, NY/CA — Newcomer

Climate & Weather Reporter, MN — Star Tribune

Senior Tech Editor, Remote US — The Verge

News Reporter, MA — Berkshire Eagle

Multimedia Journalist, PA — Observer-Reporter

Managing Editor, WA — Everett Herald

Private Credit Reporter, NY — Debtwire

Legislative Reporter, CA — Sacramento Bee

Reporter, PA — Tribune-Review

Visual Editor, Remote — Rest of World

Staff Writer, MI — Watershed Voice

California Playbook Writer, CA — Politico

Senior Media Editor — Digiday

National Investigative Reporter, NY — HuffPost

Business & Gaming Reporter, NV — Las Vegas Sun

Coastal Climate Reporter, SC — Island Packet

Environment & Energy Reporter, CT — CT Mirror

Coordinating Editor, OR — OPB

Staff Reporter, CA — Daily Kos

Data Editor, NY — ProPublica

Editor-in-Chief, AZ — Phoenix New Times

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Adam Minter / Bloomberg View:
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Lori Hinnant / Associated Press:
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Jeremy Barr / Ad Age:
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Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
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Brady Dale / The New York Observer:
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Joe Pompeo / Politico:
New York Times video founder Ann Derry to depart

Discussion: Nieman Lab and Poynter

R.L. Bynum / Raleigh & Company:
Interview with the publisher of the North State Journal, a statewide newspaper for North Carolina to launch in spring

Oliver Ellrodt / Reuters:
German justice minister announces deal with Facebook, Twitter, and Google to remove hate speech within 24 hours of it being reported

Discussion: BBC, Quartz, Fortune, Digital Trends, SocialTimes, Fast Company, CNET, The Local, The Stack, Wired.co.uk, TechCrunch, The Verge, Associated Press, Re/code, The Next Web, Engadget and TIME

From Techmeme:

Michael Kan / PCMag:
OpenAI makes the ChatGPT desktop app for Windows available to all users, following an October release limited to paying ChatGPT subscribers

Decrypt:
Eighteen GOP state AGs sue the SEC and its commissioners, including Gary Gensler, alleging crypto regulatory overreach without Congressional authorization

Financial Times:
Sources: the US FTC plans to investigate allegations that Microsoft is abusing its market power in productivity software to prevent customers from leaving Azure

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