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 …
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:
CNNMoney, FishbowlNY, New York Post, Talking New Media, Consumerist, Jezebel and MinOnline
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, Fast Company, TechHive, Multichannel News, Fortune, GeekWire, App Advice, Forbes, @mgsiegler, MacRumors, Business Insider, DSLreports, The Verge, BGR, TIME and 9to5Mac
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:
@kelseyproud, @meghanwesley, @sulliview, Chris O'Brien, @cmcloutier, @jimbrady, @tcarmody and @digiphile
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:
Mashable, Guardian, ABC News, CBS San FranciscoCBS …, @rezamarashi, 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
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, @katmatsa, Crowdfund Insider and @asmitch
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:
GeekWire, Digital Trends, Fortune, Tech Times, @hhorsley, Digiday, Techdirt, PR Newswire, Engadget, Fast Company, Digital Trends, App Advice, Variety, DSLreports, Consumerist, AppleInsider, Techaeris, The Next Web, ThinkProgress, SlashGear, Multichannel News and The Verge
Mike Farrell / Multichannel News:
Activist shareholder SpringOwl releases 99-page report calling for Viacom chairman and management team ouster — Viacom Shares Rise on Activist Report — SpringOwl Calls For Management Ouster, AMC Pairing — Viacom shares were up more than 5% each Tuesday after an activist shareholder released …
Discussion:
The Wrap, The Wrap, Guardian, Broadcasting & Cable, Fortune, Wall Street Journal and Variety
Kurt Wagner / Re/code:
News Corp denies rumors stemming from CNBC segment that it's interested in buying Twitter — Twitter's Stock Surged, Then Slipped on Takeover Speculation — Twitter's stock received a healthy boost Wednesday afternoon thanks to market speculation that the media giant News Corp may be interested …
Discussion:
Forbes, @jimkennedy250, TechCrunch, @alexbarinka, International Business Times, Reuters, @edmundlee and Business Insider
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
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, Tech News Today, Digital Trends, VatorNews, Aidan Sliney, Cord Project, RAIN News, Tech Times, Bloomberg Business, Mashable, Fortune, MobileSyrup.com, Variety, The Verge, The Next Web and VentureBeat
Erin Griffith / Fortune:
How Buzzfeed's fastest-growing Facebook page, Proper Tasty, amassed 3.7M followers and 190M video views in one month: niche content tailor-made for the platform — BuzzFeed's Foodie Channels Are Blowing Up on Facebook — The Internet has an insatiable appetite for food content, and BuzzFeed is going big in the category.
Thanks:@steverubel