Top News:
Ravi Somaiya / New York Times:
Gawker sells minority stake to Columbus Nova Tech Partners to fund video and e-commerce growth, lawsuit defense; Columbus Nova's Jason Epstein to join board — Gawker Media Plans to Sell Minority Stake to Investment Company — Gawker Media plans to sell a minority stake …
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Jayne Mountford / Fashion Times:
Vogue magazine's Creative Director Grace Coddington steps down after 28 years, will become Creative Director at large — Grace Coddington Is Leaving Vogue: Legendary Creative Director Steps Down After 28 Years — It has been announced this morning that Grace Coddington …
Wall Street Journal:
Q&A with ESPN president John Skipper on cord-cutting, streaming TV, and niche sites like The Undefeated and FiveThirtyEight — ESPN's John Skipper Plays Offense on Cord-Cutting — President of sports network says no reason to abandon cable, even as it tests “over the top” options
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Fast Company, TechHive, App Advice, Multichannel News, Forbes, GeekWire, @mgsiegler, DSLreports, MacRumors, Business Insider, The Verge, BGR, TIME and 9to5Mac
Washpostpr / Washington Post:
In new statement, Jason Rezaian says he hopes to write again about Iran and the US — New statement from Jason Rezaian — Below is a written statement from Jason Rezaian, issued today from Landstuhl, Germany:
Discussion:
Guardian, Mashable, ABC News, @rezamarashi, CBS San FranciscoCBS …, Mediaite and Business Insider
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Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:
UN body says Iran's detention of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian violated international law
UN body says Iran's detention of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian violated international law
Discussion:
City Desk
Roger Yu / USA Today:
Penthouse refutes reports of imminent closure of print magazine, citing “gravitas” of print — Penthouse plans to retain magazine, launch overhauled site — Penthouse, the adult magazine founded by Bob Guccione, said Tuesday it has no plans to shut down print publishing …
Discussion:
FishbowlNY, New York Post, CNNMoney, MinOnline, Consumerist, Talking New Media and Jezebel
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
Verizon Wireless to begin selling data cap exemptions to content providers January 25 with beta trial of its new FreeBee Data 360 service — Verizon Wireless selling data cap exemptions to content providers — Video, music, app downloads, and ads can be exempted from caps for a fee.
Discussion:
Digiday, Tech Times, Fortune, Digital Trends, @hhorsley, Techdirt, Engadget, PR Newswire, Fast Company, Digital Trends, App Advice, Variety, DSLreports, Consumerist, AppleInsider, Techaeris, The Next Web, ThinkProgress, Multichannel News, SlashGear and The Verge
Journalism.org:
Pew: Over 6+ years, 658 journalism-related Kickstarter projects raised nearly $6.3M, 71% produced by individuals not tied to any news outlet — Crowdfunded Journalism: A Small but Growing Addition to Publicly Driven Journalism — Projects funded through Kickstarter cut across more than 60 countries
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Crowdfund Insider, @katmatsa and @asmitch
Richard Tofel:
Print newspaper circulation numbers for weekdays fell dramatically between 2013 and 2015 — The sky is falling on print newspapers faster than you think — Last October, a McKinsey report declared, “We believe that many of the people likely to abandon print newspapers and print consumer magazines …
Discussion:
@cmcloutier, @meghanwesley, Chris O'Brien, @jimbrady, @tcarmody, @digiphile, @kelseyproud and @sulliview
TechCrunch:
Spotify Buys Cord Project And Soundwave To Expand Messaging And Social Features — On the same day that streaming rival Deezer announced a new cash injection of €100 million, Spotify has confirmed two new acquisitions, Cord Project and Soundwave. The startups are based respectively …
Discussion:
Press, Bloomberg Business, Tech Times, RAIN News, The Verge, Fortune, Tech News Today, MobileSyrup.com, Aidan Sliney, Digital Trends, VatorNews, Cord Project, Variety, The Next Web, Mashable and VentureBeat
Mark Sweney / Guardian:
The Guardian appoints AOL UK's Hamish Nicklin as chief revenue officer — Former Google executive to be responsible for Guardian News & Media's advertising revenues, its jobs operation and its branded content division — The Guardian has appointed Hamish Nicklin, the managing director …
Discussion:
FishbowlNY
Dan Primack / Fortune:
Sources: IBM is in advanced talks to acquire UStream in deal worth around $130M cash plus possible earn-outs and employee retention packages — Exclusive: IBM In Talks to Buy UStream — IBM is in advanced talks to acquire live video platform UStream, according to multiple sources familiar with the deal.
Discussion:
Business Insider
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
After Cancelling Its IPO, Deezer Raises Another $109M From Access And Orange — Deezer, the Paris-based music and other audio streaming service with 6.3 million users that planned but ultimately cancelled an IPO last year, has now tapped existing investors for more funding …