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Bloomberg Buys U.K. News Provider (WSJ)
Financial-data and news provider Bloomberg L.P. said Thursday it has acquired New Energy Finance, a provider of news, data and analysis on renewable energy, carbon markets and nuclear power. "This acquisition is the next step in Bloomberg's initiative to develop and promote the carbon and clean energy markets," Peter T. Grauer, chairman of Bloomberg, said in a statement.

Bill Adee Named Chicago Tribune Media Group VP of Digital Development and Operations (Chicago Tribune)
Bill Adee, the Chicago Tribune's digital editor, has been promoted to vice president of digital development and operations for the entire Chicago Tribune Media Group. Among the initiatives Adee has led in trying to prepare the Tribune for its digital future has been the launch of ChicagoNow.com, a network of more than 140 local blogs.

AT&T to Urge Customers to Use Less Wireless Data (NYT)
AT&T is considering ways to encourage customers to use less wireless data as its network struggles to keep up with demand. "We're going to try to focus on making sure we give incentives to those small percentages to either reduce or modify their usage, so they don't crowd out the customers on those same cell sites," said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive for mobility and consumer markets.

Apple Plots Reboot of iTunes for Web (WSJ)
Apple Inc., the company that restructured the music industry around its iTunes service, is exploring an overhaul of the way it sells and stores music that is aimed at extending its influence to the Web, according to people briefed on the strategy. The key vehicle for the move is Apple's newly acquired music-streaming service La La Media Inc., which lets users buy and listen to music through a Web browser.

Jennifer 8. Lee Taking New York Times Buyout (NYO)
Times metro reporter Jennifer 8. Lee is taking a buyout. She's a book author, and has been a fixation of many in media circles for the eight years she's been at the paper. She has the biggest name of any of those revealed to be taking buyouts from the Times.

Former CBS News EP to Launch Newsgathering/Social Media Site (WebNewser)
After 18 months as executive producer of CBS News morning broadcast, The Early Show, Zev Shalev departs. In the middle of next year, he plans to launch a Web site called NewsTsar. "The idea is to marry news and social media." NYO: David Friedman to replace Shalev.

Variety Erects Online Pay Wall (Folio:)
Today on Variety.com, the trade magazine is rolling out the beta version of a pay wall that will require payment for full access to its portfolio of print and digital products. "Traffic will fall steeply, but we understand that implementing a pay wall is not a circulation driver," said publisher Brian Gott.

AOL Spins Off, Returns to Wall Street to Face a New Online World (NYP)
AOL chief executive Tim Armstrong will get his first report card from Wall Street today, when it starts trading as a standalone company again. But don't expect investors to give him high marks right away -- many are skeptical that he can turn around a company that peaked years ago, just before it bought Time Warner in 2001 -- a deal that erased more than $100 billion in shareholder wealth.

Animated News Clips Fuel Debate on Media Freedom (NYT)
Animations depicting violence on the Web site of the Apple Daily, Taiwan's most widely read newspaper, have provoked a debate over media freedoms and responsibility, and government regulation. The Taipei city government fined Apple Daily $31,000 for failing to shield youth from the sensational, and often violent, content, and is among the first in the world to grapple with how to regulate such free-wheeling -- some say irresponsible -- new media products.

Zivyak Media Group Buys San Jose Magazine (Folio:)
Zivyak Media Group, publisher of Berkshire Living, has purchased the assets of San Jose magazine from Renaissance Publications. San Jose, which folded in December 2008, is set to relaunch in 2010 with an initial distribution of 30,000.

Tampa Tribune Parent Sees Ad Spending 'Firming' (E&P)
For broadcast station owner and Tampa Tribune publisher Chicago Media General Inc., the long drought of advertising spending is beginning to break. "Advertiser spending patterns have firmed in the fourth quarter," said chief executive officer Marshall N. Morton. "On the newspaper side, we've seen positive signs with local [auto] dealers in some markets, including Tampa and Richmond," Morton said. "Within the classified category, auto has been declining at a much lower rate than employment or real estate."

Time Warner Cable Claims Fox Hijacked Retransmission Consent Process (B&C)
Time Warner Cable claims that Fox "has brazenly sought to hijack the retransmission consent process" by inserting itself into its affiliates' retrans negotiations, in a Dec. 8 FCC filing in support of Mediacom Communication's retrans consent complaint about Sinclair. The filing comes as TWC, the nation's second-largest cable operator, is in negotiations with News Corp. over carriage agreements for Fox-owned stations, cable networks and regional sports networks that expire Dec. 31.

Palestinian Files Libel Suit Over Bruno (THR/AP)
A Palestinian shopkeeper and father portrayed as a terrorist in "Bruno" is suing Sacha Baron Cohen, David Letterman and others for libel and slander. The lawsuit filed last week by Ayman Abu Aita in District of Columbia federal court seeks $110 million in damages.

Will Journalism's Hottest Job, Social Media Director, Pay Off? (Forbes)
About 200 social media directors now exist at newspapers, book publishers, magazines and television news stations. Lynn D. Johnson, senior vice president for social media at the Advertising Research Foundation, says news organizations aren't earning "anything significant" from social media.

Nook E-Reader Has Potential, But Needs Work (AllThingsD)
Walter S. Mossberg: The Nook may be wonderful one day, but, as of today, it's no match for the Kindle, despite advantages such as lending, because it's more annoying to use.