Top News:
Michael Wolff / New York Magazine:
Book excerpt recounts Trump's interactions with various media figures including Roger Ailes, who encouraged him to float rumors of a TV network, and Murdoch — One year ago: the plan to lose, and the administration's shocked first days. — Election Night: It “looked as if he had seen a ghost.”
Discussion:
The Guardian, Axios, Mediaite, The Wrap, Bloomberg, Politico, Newser, CNN, Vanity Fair, The Daily Caller, Mashable, France 24, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Variety, NPR, Mother Jones, AOL, Boing Boing and theGrio
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Showtime's political documentary series The Circus will return in April without Mark Halperin; he is being replaced by CBS news anchor Alex Wagner — The Showtime political documentary series “The Circus” is set to return in April, minus its most recognizable star: Mark Halperin …
Discussion:
@thehill, Mediaite, Broadcasting & Cable, The Wrap, canceled TV shows, Vanity Fair, @alexwagner, @jerweber, @poniewozik, @jamiestelter, @jeffjarvis, @franklinleonard, @hendwex and Axios
Emily Smith / Page Six:
Sources: Today Show co-anchor Hoda Kotb is earning $18M less than her predecessor Matt Lauer, with a $7M/year deal, underlining huge wage disparity at NBC News — Hoda Kotb made history by officially landing Matt Lauer's former “Today” show job — but she is still being paid around $18 million less per year …
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, TVNewser, @moorehn, The New York Observer, theGrio, @trish_regan, @bradwollack, @andreagonram, @ndhapple, @brycecovert, @notbrendan, @lkherman, @lizabeth_kiefer, @sassyblackdiva, AOL and thecut
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Eun Kyung Kim / TODAY.com:
Hoda Kotb, who filled in for Matt Lauer since his firing, is named co-anchor of the Today show
Hoda Kotb, who filled in for Matt Lauer since his firing, is named co-anchor of the Today show
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, CNNMoney, People.com, E! Online, Mediaite, The Daily Beast, Business Insider, USA Today, New York Times, ABC News, AOL, The Wrap, TVNewser, Showbiz411, The Daily Caller, Rolling Stone, TVLine, thecut and Mashable
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
The New York Times, constantly under attack from all quarters, often resorts to “both-sides” reporting that fails to properly challenge those with power — When most newspapers get a new publisher, few people know or care. It gets a shrug, except by those directly affected.
Discussion:
@sulliview, @jayrosen_nyu, Politico, Splinter and The New York Observer
James Risen / The Intercept:
James Risen says senior NYT editors regularly quashed, buried, or cut his stories that raised questions about Bush admin's pre-war intelligence on Iraq — I was sitting in the nearly empty restaurant of the Westin Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, getting ready for a showdown with the federal government …
Discussion:
@glennkesslerwp, @rayjoha2, @dylanlscott, @miriamelder, @carter_pe, @shaunking, @jaketapper, @ggreenwald and Axios
Tim Lockette / Anniston Star:
Former publisher and chairman of the company that publishes the Anniston Star, H. Brandt Ayers, accused of forced spanking staffers in the newsroom in the 1970s — A former Anniston Star reporter says that H. Brandt Ayers, chairman of the company that publishes the paper, sexually assaulted her in the 1970s in The Star's newsroom.
CNBC:
Sources: Amazon in talks with Clorox, Procter & Gamble, others about product promotion on Echo; some discussions focus on sponsorship options within skills — - Ads will focus on sponsorship opportunities within skills or use data about a buyer's shopping history to suggest products.
Discussion:
Fast Company, The Verge, Voicebot, @sallyshin, @chrissyfarr, Gizmodo, Slate, Axios and Search Engine Land
Elisabeth Bumiller / The New York Times Company:
Memo: The New York Times appoints Lara Jakes as a deputy editor of its Washington bureau, overseeing coverage of foreign policy — Lara Jakes has been named a deputy editor in Washington, overseeing the coverage of foreign policy. Read more in this note from Elisabeth Bumiller: — Great news.
Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
Spotify faces new copyright lawsuit from Wixen Music that suggests up to 21% of Spotify songs are unlicensed; plaintiff seeks $1.6B+ in damages — Wixen Music Publishing files a new lawsuit that also covers music from Rage Against the Machine, The Doors, Steely Dan, and many others.
Discussion:
Axios, Deadline, The New York Observer, RAIN News, Rolling Stone, Gizmodo, The Drum, hypebot, Tech Times, The Guardian, Android Police, The A.V. Club, The Verge, TechCrunch, The FADER, 9to5Mac, The Wrap, Variety, WHDH-TV, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and SPIN, more at Techmeme »
Lucia Moses / Digiday:
News Corp CEO Robert Thomson says the company is in constant talks with Facebook and Google, praises Google CEO Sundar Pichai — This article appears in the latest issue of Digiday magazine, a quarterly publication that is part of Digiday+. Members of Digiday+ get access to exclusive content …
Stephanie Chan / Hollywood Reporter:
Report: photographer Terry Richardson is being investigated by the NYPD's Special Victims Squad, after multiple women accused him of sexual assault — The investigation comes after the photographer was accused of rape by model Caron Bernstein. — Terry Richardson is under investigation by the New York Police Department.
Discussion:
New York Daily News, @icemyeyes and @theperezhilton
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin launches American Woman, an eight-part digital series profiling eminent women like Ava DuVernay and Sheryl Crow — Brooke Baldwin kicked off 2018 by anchoring CNN's raucous late-night New Year's Eve coverage with colleague Don Lemon.
Discussion:
CNN