Mediagazer: Sidney Harman: Man of all trades (Robin Abcarian/Los Angeles Times)

7:25 AM ET, December 6, 2010

Top News:

Nadia Damouni / Reuters:

Exclusive: AOL mulls breakup, then merger with Yahoo — (Reuters) - AOL Inc, undergoing a radical transformation into the king of content on the Internet, is actively exploring a breakup involving a complicated series of transactions that may lead to a merger with Yahoo Inc, sources close to the plans told Reuters.

Discussion: Reuters, Techland, VentureBeat, The Next Web, New York Magazine, SAI and AfterDawn.com, more at Techmeme »

Andrew Wallenstein / paidContent:

How Mark Zuckerberg Fooled ‘60 Minutes’ — Leave it to 60 Minutes to pass off Facebook's utterly meaningless redesign of the site's profile pages as some kind of “exclusive” worth leading a segment on the company's founder, Mark Zuckerberg. It's not just that correspondent Lesley Stahl …

Discussion: SelectStart, Guardian, International Media and VentureBeat, more at Techmeme »

Lucia Moses / Brandweek:

Apps as Money Pit — Magazine publishers are pouring money into apps, seduced by the notion that tablet computers can open a new avenue to make money from their content. But will they ever make it back? Certainly not in the near term and, perhaps, never.

Wall Street Journal:

No Longer Tiny, Netflix Gets Respect—and Creates Fear — As Rivals Look to Counter Its Online Movie-Streaming Service, Hollywood Cautiously Cuts Deals to Provide Some Content — After years as a bit player in entertainment, Netflix Inc. is being eyed for a new role by Hollywood: industry hulk.

Discussion: Engadget

Eric Pfanner / New York Times:

French Publishers Fight Back With a Communal Digital Newsstand — PARIS — With sales of newspapers and magazines flagging at the ornate kiosks that adorn the boulevards of Paris, French publishers hope that a planned “digital kiosk” can help revive their fortunes.

Jeremy W. Peters / Media Decoder:

Cosmo Sets Sights on Mongolia — Coming to a newsstand most likely not near you: Cosmo Mongolia. — Cosmopolitan, which has been helping women all over the world unlock the secrets to better sex, tighter tushes and the enigmatic male psyche for four decades, will begin to sell a Mongolia edition this week.

Discussion: New York Magazine

Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times:

Sidney Harman: Man of all trades — The businessman who recently bought Newsweek and merged it with the Daily Beast founded an audio company, was a federal appointee and served as a college president. He's now putting the finishing touches on a new academy at USC.

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

ESPN Says Study Shows Little Effort to Cut Cable — Seeking to understand the cutting of cable cords, ESPN has waded into the Nielsen Company's audience sample and concluded that the cancellations are currently a “very minor” phenomenon. — The sports network's study provides a new answer …

Discussion: The Next Web

Lewis DVorkin / The Copy Box:

At Forbes, we believe in the “continuum” of media and content — When you've been in the media business as long I have, it's fascinating to watch how all of a sudden “old” becomes “new” again and “dead” springs back to “life.” — Barry Diller, who left the old (broadcast TV) for the new …

Terry Heaton / Terry Heaton's PoMo Blog:

Warning to local TV: unbundled distribution is upon you — My friend Holly hasn't had a TV in years. She was also the first friend of mine to give up a land line telephone, and I can't even remember how long ago that was. So she's “one of those.” She's been without TV or cable for many years …

Amy Larocca / New York Magazine:

Planet Monocle — Tyler Brûlé ushered in a design revolution with Wallpaper magazine. His new global media strategy is equally rarefied, and only occasionally ridiculous. Listen to him for a while, and the world seems positively aglow with possibility.

Frédéric Filloux / Monday Note:

Measuring the Nomads — The more diverse and ubiquitous the internet gets, the harder it becomes to measure. Especially with the mobile version's rapid growth. A few weeks ago, my friends from the International Newsmedia Marketing Association (INMA) asked for a presentation discussing …