Mediagazer: Greece to limit nationwide TV licenses to four with auction, forcing half of Greece's stations to close, plans to set up state ad agency, taking 30% cut (Niki Kitsantonis/New York Times)

5:20 PM ET, August 30, 2016

Top News:

Tanya Dua / Digiday:

Former Facebook Trending curator: business side tried to influence editorial, and a push toward quotas stifled newsroom discussion — Barely two days after changes to its Trending Topics section, a fake article about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly began trending on Facebook — before entirely disappearing on Monday morning.

Discussion: @slawrites, @cstross, @arstechnica, Business Insider, @zeynep, @kantrowitz, @sarahcuda, @daweiner, @cunninghamjeff, @digiphile, The Verge, Press Gazette, TVNewser, Mediaite, VatorNews and MediaFile

Giulia Segreti / Reuters:

During Italy visit, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg insists the social network is not a media company and will not become a content provider — Facebook Inc. will not become a media company, its founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday, telling students the firm would remain a technology platform.

Discussion: The Wrap, Fortune, Recode, @nathanjurgenson, @dangillmor, @dannagal, @emptywheel, @pedroboucherie, @ivovic, Guardian, FishbowlNY and Reuters

Will Oremus / Slate:

Three Facebook Trending curators say system that fed them stories failed to improve, user testing feedback of bare-bones new version was overwhelmingly negative — How Facebook's foray into automated news went from messy to disastrous. — It seems Facebook's human news editors weren't quite as expendable as the company thought.

Discussion: Adweek, @wordmercenary, @jaredbkeller, @rachel_witkin, @willoremus, broadstuff, Newser, PCMag Australia, The Next Web, TechCrunch and Variety

Carrie So / Ad Age: Facebook Live's mid-roll ads resurrects a 20th century broadcast model in a 21st century social network, ignores changing viewing habits, rise of ad-blockers

Craig Silverman / BuzzFeed:
In featuring fake Megyn Kelly story, Facebook promoted an anonymously registered site, EndingTheFed.com, that republishes dubious posts from the right-wing web

Discussion: New Urban Legends, The Drum and @craigsilverman

Julia Boorstin / CNBC:

Source: Twitter expands Amplify Publisher program to individual video creators, giving them 70% of ad revenue, better than YouTube and Facebook's terms — Twitter is trying something new to boost its stagnating user base: Luring content creators to post on Twitter by giving them an easy way to earn money from their videos.

Discussion: The Twitter Blog, Ad Age, Wall Street Journal, VentureBeat, Hollywood Reporter, Tubefilter, The Next Web, @kantrowitz, @johnnyrapp, CNET, @ltszack and VideoInk

Kurt Wagner / Recode:

In a competitive market, Twitter's revenue share deal is designed to appeal to YouTube stars, does not require content exclusives — Twitter's 70/30 revenue split is better than YouTube's deal. — Twitter wants the kind of video creators YouTube has — and the massive audiences that come with them.

Discussion: SocialTimes, WWD, New York Magazine, VatorNews, Reuters, Variety, TechCrunch, Fortune and GeekWire

Dylan Byers / CNNMoney:

Anthony Weiner loses his Daily News column, put on indefinite leave from NY1, in wake of new sexting scandal — Multiple news organizations have moved to sever or suspend their ties with Anthony Weiner on Monday after new reports that the former congressman was involved in another sexting scandal.

Gerry Smith / Bloomberg:

Sources: Trump's camp has considered the candidate's options for creating a media business but there's currently no serious effort to establish one — A TV network could struggle to find distribution, advertisers — Glenn Beck's web video service could offer blueprint for Trump

Discussion: FishbowlDC, Mediaite, NetNewsCheck Latest, @mccormickjohn, TVNewser, The Wrap, New York Times and Washington Post

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

How Donald Trump might transform his campaign into an alt-right news network, with hosts including Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter and Milo Yiannopoulos — It's always wise to have a Plan B. And because Plan A — the Oval Office — is looking less and less likely, Donald Trump surely has something else in mind.

Discussion: Common Dreams, @jysexton, @drewharwell and @sulliview

Robert Capps / Wired:

President Obama to become first commander-in-chief to edit a magazine when he guest-edits Wired's November issue — WIRED has had some amazing guest editors over the years. J.J. Abrams on magic, mysteries, and puzzles; Bill Gates on solving the world's biggest problems; Christopher Nolan on space …

Discussion: Mediaite, FishbowlNY, WhiteHouse.gov, The Hill, @rafat, FishbowlDC, @sarahjeong, CNNMoney, @sethamandel, @wired, @km, @brettlogiurato, @christinawilkie, @tyrangiel, @sdadich, @waterslicer, @alexanderemmons, @jeneps and Broadcasting & Cable

Niki Kitsantonis / New York Times:

Greece to limit nationwide TV licenses to four with auction, forcing half of Greece's stations to close, plans to set up state ad agency, taking 30% cut — ATHENS — Since Greece opened its media to private broadcasting in the 1980s, the market has been an almost unregulated scrum.

Discussion: DW.COM, Associated Press, Politico and Talking New Media

BBC:

Iran says it has completed the first phase of its plan to operate a “national internet”, which provides access to e-government services and domestic web pages — Iran has announced it has completed the first phase of its plan to operate a “national internet”.

Discussion: PCMag Australia internet …, CircleID, Digital Trends, The Atlantic, Today.Az, Tasnim News Agency, Softpedia News, The Times of Israel, BetaNews and Engadget

Oriana Schwindt / The Wrap:

SNL Kagan: a record high of 812K pay TV subscribers cut the cord in the April-June quarter, versus 625K in the same quarter a year ago — Another quarter, another not-insignificant loss for the pay-TV market. All told, 812,000 pay TV subscribers cut the cord from April through June of this year, according to research firm SNL Kagan.

Discussion: Business Insider and Fast Company