Media News

Click here to receive mediabistro.com's Morning Media Newsfeed via email.

Iran Cuts Off Internet Access (CNET)
Iran has cut off access to the Internet, leaving millions of people without email.

Greg Kelly Addresses The Scandal He Just Emerged From, Briefly, On His Return To Good Day (Capital New York)
"So you're back!" Rosanna Scotto said to her co-host at the top of the 7 a.m. hour of Good Day New York. After a two-week hiatus, Greg Kelly returned to the Fox 5 morning show Friday following the Manhattan District Attorney's decision earlier this week not to pursue rape charges against him. New York / Daily Intel: "Folks, thank you," he said. "It was a tough couple of weeks, obviously, for a lot of people." (Like his accuser.) Kelly continued, "I'm very, very grateful for all the support I had here at Fox 5, the support from my family, friends, those I care about, and the viewers, of course. They've been just great." He specifically thanked his co-host, Scotto, and asked, "You ready to get back to work?"

Patch Tells Staffers: Stop Posting Comments On Romenesko's Site (JimRomenesko.com)
Janine Iamunno, head of Patch communications, tells employees in a memo that "Patchers' comments are just fueling the fire of inaccurate speculation and Patch-bashing" on this site. "I hate this BS as much as you do," she writes. "If you only knew." Street Fight: If Patch can create an easy way for communities to report on sports events -- with minimal or no effort -- and then serve up that content in a relatively readable format, the upside would be huge. Why not have a Patch iPhone app that allows any parent to upload a sports video or an event video to Patch.com editors for consideration? The existing Patch app is really nothing but a reskinned version of the website.

More Newsfeed here...

Tune into what these 'Stoner' editors want in a FOB, reviews and features.

How to Pitch: Rolling Stone

Click here to receive mediabistro.com's Morning Media Newsfeed via email.

Big Media Executives Take To FCC To Fight Political Advertising Disclosures (TVNewser)
Have you ever wondered exactly how much the Mitt Romney or Barack Obama campaigns are paying for their television advertising? If the companies that own most of those TV outlets get their wish, you won't find out. AllFacebook: Facebook's timeline may become available for pages at the end of the month, offering unique opportunities and challenges for elected officials and their campaigns.

Primetime Shakeup At FBN: Bolling, Asman, Napolitano Shows Dropped (TVNewser)
A major overhaul is coming to Fox Business Network's primetime programming later this month. The network is dropping three shows, hosted by Judge Andrew Napolitano, David Asman, and Eric Bolling. HuffPost: FBN announced a drastic shakeup of its programming Thursday, canceling all of its primetime shows and replacing them with reruns. The network has long trailed its major business news rival, CNBC, in the ratings. NYT / Media Decoder: In place of the political talk shows that are currently shown from 8 p.m.-11 p.m., FBN will replay its programming shown from 5 p.m.-8 p.m., giving more exposure to three of its best-known anchors.

Craig Ferguson Nearing Deal To Stay Put At CBS Through 2014 (THR)
Craig Ferguson is very likely staying put at CBS. The Late Late Show host is nearing a new deal to remain with the network through 2014. As part of the pact, Ferguson's 12:35 a.m. show, which launched in early 2005, will move to a bigger stage at CBS' TV City, a well-placed source tells The Hollywood Reporter.

The Logic Of A Thomson Reuters Takeover Of The Financial Times (Guardian / Michael Wolff)
The Financial Times, having flirted with and then turned down an acquisition offer from Bloomberg, is now talking to Thomson Reuters. I should qualify my source: He or she is not from the deal-making side (where they keep their mouths shut or, at least, more carefully confide), but someone likely to be consulted by the deal-making side. WSJ: Thomson Reuters swung to a loss in the fourth quarter due to a $3 billion goodwill write-down related to its financial-services division, the latest evidence of the struggles following Thomson's $17 billion acquisition of Reuters Group in 2008.

Gannett Offers Early Retirement Package To 665 Employees (JimRomenesko.com)
Gannett U.S. Community Publishing president Bob Dickey told employees: "This offer was designed to be as attractive as or better than others in the industry. The Early Retirement Opportunity Program also is the first offered by Gannett since 2008. The offer provides for salary continuation of two weeks' pay for each complete year of service, capped at 52 weeks, and ongoing health, dental, and vision coverage during this period." Gannett Blog: The offer was extended to "665 U.S. Community Publishing employees who are age 56 with at least 20 years of service, as of March 31, 2012, and who are in certain departments and/or job categories."

Consumers Rally Around JC Penney, Ellen In Face Of Anti-Gay Group's Hate Campaign (AdAge)
The hate campaign launched last week by One Million Moms against JC Penney for its pick of Ellen DeGeneres as the brand's new spokeswoman seems to have backfired.

CNBC Getting Into Reality Programming, Hires Jim Ackerman As SVP (TVNewser)
Jim Ackerman, a onetime Dateline NBC and Today show producer who's been developing series at VH1 for the past several years, is returning to NBC as senior vice president of primetime alternative programming at CNBC. NYT / Media Decoder: CNBC might be turning Wall Street bankers into reality show stars.

Dinner At Rupert's (Bloomberg Businessweek)
Red wine in hand, Rupert Murdoch chatted with guests at his London townhouse on what would be one of the most important nights to the future of his company. It was May 19, 2011. Murdoch had flown in two days earlier for a whirlwind of meetings with his top London executives. He had called the dinner party to hash out once and for all how to handle the phone-hacking scandal that had been hanging over the company for months and was suddenly spinning out of control. New York / Daily Intel: So far, the last editor of News of the World, Colin Myler, who is now editor of the New York Daily News, has escaped blame. Myler, who took over NOTW in 2007, has told the Leveson Inquiry, as it's called, that he did not tolerate phone hacking -- and there is no evidence that the practice took place on his watch. But Thursday his former news editor leveled a charge of a different kind of journalistic misdeed. Buried in the witness statement of former news editor Ian Edmondson was the allegation that Myler had authorized a private investigator to follow two lawyers representing victims of phone hacking.

The Wall Street Journal Covers Fashion Week Fashionably, Finding Uses For Pinterest And Instagram (Nieman Journalism Lab)
The incredible growth of Pinterest -- the (invitation-only) social bulletin board dominated by young and female users -- hasn't gone unnoticed by news organizations. Like Tumblr before it, Pinterest offers the chance to reach massive, sharing-oriented new audiences -- but also requires a different, more visual kind of editorial thinking. The Wall Street Journal is giving it an early try by looping in another booming young social app. The Journal has deployed nine journalists to cover Fashion Week in New York, all armed with iPhones and Instagram accounts.

Time Adds Editor-At-Large (FishbowlNY)
Time has named Harry McCracken an editor-at-large. McCracken, founder of tech site Technologizer, has written for Time and Time.com in the past, and as part of his new role, will contribute more frequently to both. JimRomenesko.com: The Technologizer founder and former PC World editor's expertise "is matched only by his versatility," says Time managing editor Rick Stengel's memo.

Exodus From Politico Continues (FishbowlDC)
Another Politico journalist is jumping ship. This time, it's Charles Hoskinson, who is setting sail to join The Navy Times as managing editor.

WaPo's Wemple Goes Rogue (FishbowlDC)
The Washington Post's executive editor, Marcus Brauchli, sent out a memo Wednesday saying that the publication would be offering voluntary buyouts to "some newsroom employees." You might wonder if one of those employees might be media blogger Erik Wemple after a post he wrote about it.

Cottages & Gardens Adds New York Edition (FishbowlNY)
New York Cottages & Gardens (NYC&G) will debut in March. The publication targets design enthusiasts living in high-income regions within New York City, Westchester, the Gold Coast of Long Island, and Hudson Valley. minOnline: The content focuses on décor, design, real estate, gardening, and decoration. The publisher, which is known for high-end oversized luxury books like Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, will issue the new title five times per year, two in spring and three in the fall.

The Rise And Fall Of Spanish-Language Weekly Newspapers In California (HuffPost / Latino Voices)
Across the country and Spanish- and English-language publishing, print publications' bottom lines have been decimated by a critical combination of factors. In the wake of the economic downturn -- with California being hit particularly hard -- and the widening reach of the Internet, few print publications have been spared budget cuts, layoffs, and even closures. But many in the industry anticipated that given the rocketing growth of the Latino population in states like California -- and, consequently, the Spanish-language market -- newspapers speaking to this audience would be a sustainable investment.

The Common Thread Of Person To Person And Rock Center (TVNewser)
The NBC and CBS news divisions each programmed one hour of primetime Wednesday night to mixed viewer results.

@mediabistro #mbchats How should #journalists use Twitter?

@kbyrne91 Sparingly, wisely, judiciously ... with just a dash of cleverness & humor.

@camimonet Crowdsourcing, understanding the audience, pushing out news. As creators of content, we can't afford to NOT use Twitter.

@elizamackintosh Twitter is the new wire - helps #journalists engage in stories, make meaning together & keep finger on pulse of news.

@JavierTuiran In an avid manner, sharing & informing while remembering to have fun with it

@jdaverhea crowdsourcing. promoting their stories. making lunch dates.

Follow mbtweets on Twitter @mediabistro

MediaJobsDaily Pinterest Is Secretly Profiting Off Your Pins

SocialTimes Foodie, the Social Network for Food Lovers

AllFacebook Facebook Hits A New Record High Value Of At Least $103.4 Billion

AllTwitter Find Out How Much Your Twitter Account Is Worth

10,000 Words 3 More Enterprising Journalism Kickstarter Campaigns

TVNewser CNN's Inconsistencies: 'What Determines When Someone Gets Fired or Reprimanded?'

TVSpy Outpouring of Support on Facebook for KUSA's Kyle Dyer Following Dog Bite

eBookNewser US Air Force Looking to Buy 18 Thousand iPads

GalleyCat California Budget Cuts State Funding for Libraries

PRNewser Lana Del Rey Is Tops Even Though So Many People Dislike Her

AgencySpy The Planner, The Brief, The Creative, The Thief

FishbowlNY Bloomberg and Reuters Rumored to Be Vying for Financial Times

FishbowlDC WaPo Evasive on Important Buyout Question

FishbowlLA Claremont McKenna College Student Reporters Drawing National Accolades

UnBeige Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei to Reuinte for Serpentine Pavilion

Advertise on Our Blog Network

In this episode of "Cubes," we tour the Manhattan offices of Seamless, the popular online food delivery service. The headquarters boasts an interactive Google Earth "weather wall," blood pressure-lowering chairs, a game room with foosball and ping-pong, and a bunch of other cool features.

Cubes: Seamless

Our interview with erotica pioneer Zane sparked several debates Wednesday. Should authors get higher royalties for handling their own marketing? Does an African-American section in bookstores hinder or help sales?

Read the full interview and share your comments.

Sloane Taylor All my work is e-pub. I'm happy with that and the royalty percentages.

Patricia W Although not a fan of AA sections in book stores, I understand their value and if it is proven that they lead to increased sales, then so be it.

Tanisha Christie So does that mean we should split the sections into Commercial Fiction and Literary Fiction? I can hear authors screaming now.

Mizrepresent I found much truth to what Zane is talking about. As far as eBooks go, i offer my authors 30-50 percent of the profit, because i think they deserve it.

Writers with a green thumb and a passion for healthy family life should pitch to the FOB of this parenting pub.

How to Pitch: Kiwi