Mediagazer: Future of TV coalition, made up of MPAA, cable, and satellite firms, takes aim at Google demo for Congressional staffers showing “competitive video solution” (Eriq Gardner/Hollywood Reporter)

10:15 AM ET, January 31, 2016

Top News:

Ravi Somaiya / New York Times:

Politico leaders dismiss reports that internal tensions led to departures — Leaders Deny Strife Caused Departures From Politico — In recent weeks, the staff at Politico noticed nearly all of its bosses — including the political publication's founders, Jim VandeHei and John F. Harris …

Discussion: Gawker, @rachelsb, Nieman Lab, @edmorrissey, @benmullin, @nytanon, @scranecolt, Folio, Washington Post, Washington Post, Fortune, MinOnline, Newser and Talking Points Memo

Lloyd Grove / The Daily Beast:

Kraig Kitchin steps down as CEO of TheBlaze, replaced by Stewart Padveen; ad sales and marketing execs also resign — Head of Glenn Beck's Media Empire Quits as The Blaze Burns Down — Kitchin will stay with the company, but resigned from the top job after friction with fellow Beck executive Jonathan Schreiber.

Discussion: @gabrielsherman, Breitbart and @ggreeneva

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg Business:

Amazon ramps up investment in podcasts, other radio-style shows to expand Audible offering — Amazon Hiring Comedians, Engineers for Growing Audio Service — Audible expands to offer radio-style programming, podcasts — Division is advertising for almost 100 positions worldwide

Discussion: Engadget and GeekWire

Guardian:

How Facebook tracks voters' political habits and contact information for targeted campaign ads across devices — How Facebook tracks and profits from voters in a $10bn US election — Social network lets campaigns match profiles with political habits and contact info …

Discussion: @ognyanova and RedState

Madeline Welsh / Nieman Lab:

The Programming Corporation of America to create local, online videos and partner with local outlets to capture digital political ad dollars — The Programming Corporation of America has a plan to keep those digital political ad dollars local — Political ad dollars have been a boon for local TV stations for decades.

Discussion: Street Fight and WMUR

Kathy Kiely / Washington Post:

Media organizations need credibility, so covering Michael Bloomberg's potential presidential run differently than others was wrong — Michael Bloomberg's news outlet couldn't cover him fairly. So I quit. — What happens to journalism if journalists can't bite the hands that feed them?

Discussion: Politico, @rafat, @uwjournethics, @nycjim, @mikemadden, @benmullin, FishbowlNY and iMediaEthics

Tim Gray / Variety:

After Oscar Piracy, Studios Step Up Push for Digital Screeners — Hollywood and Oscar have many ongoing issues aside from diversity, and high on that list is piracy. Earlier this month, the pirate-tracking firm Excipio said that all eight best-picture contenders are available on file-sharing sites, up 59% from last year.

Discussion: The Wrap

Betsy Reed / The Intercept:

Robert Mackey joins The Intercept to report and analyze news about human-rights abuses, leaving The New York Times, where he wrote the Open Source column — The Intercept Welcomes Robert Mackey to Its Staff — We are delighted to announce that Robert Mackey is joining The Intercept …

Discussion: @nycjim, @robertmackey, @ggreenwald and Talking New Media

Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:

Future of TV coalition, made up of MPAA, cable, and satellite firms, takes aim at Google demo for Congressional staffers showing “competitive video solution” — TV Industry Group Hints Google Has Inside Access at the FCC — A coalition formed by the MPAA and telecoms speaks of …

Discussion: The Hill, FierceCable, Politico, Tech Insider, Fast Company and The Hill

James Vincent / The Verge:

Stanford law professor Barbara van Schewick releases 51-page brief concluding T-Mobile's Binge On violates FCC's Open Internet Rules — Stanford study: T-Mobile's Binge On is ‘likely illegal’ — The debate over the potential harm of T-Mobile's Binge On continues, with a new study …

Discussion: BGR, cyberlaw.stanford.edu, Techdirt, @stanfordcis, TmoNews, @tonyromm, The Hill, @dangillmor, PhoneDog.com, Gizmodo and The Next Web

Timothy Pratt / Columbia Journalism Review:

Las Vegas Review-Journal backtracks on ownership disclosure — Just last week, Glenn Cook, the interim editor of the embattled Las Vegas Review-Journal, told me, with some pride, that “there is no daily newspaper in America more transparent about ownership and potential conflicts than the Review-Journal.”

Discussion: Las Vegas Review-Journal, Ed Graney, Fortune, LasVegasSun.com and @jayrosen_nyu

D.B. Hebbard / Talking New Media:

Weather Channel becomes independent as IBM closes deal for parent The Weather Company, TV channel has long-term contract for data from IBM — IBM closes its acquisition of The Weather Company's B2B and web properties; cable TV channel starts life as independent entity

Discussion: TechCrunch, Broadcasting & Cable, @jeffweiner and Fortune

Kamal Ahmed / BBC:

James Murdoch named Sky chairman, four years after he stepped down as BSkyB chairman — James Murdoch takes over at Sky — James Murdoch is to become one of the most powerful figures in European television, becoming the chairman of Sky, Britain's subscription broadcaster.

Mark Sweney / Guardian:
Sky investor: James Murdoch's appointment as chairman is a conflict of interest because of his position at 21st Century Fox

Discussion: @bellacaledonia and News.Markets