MediaMedia | Media

Populis Blog Network Buying In To Latin America

Robert Andrews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:44:37 +0000

Demand Media (NYSE: DMD) rival Populis is continuing to build up its non-English blog network and publishing business through acquisition, this time expanding out of Europe in to Latin America.

Media Decoder Blog: Univision and Disney in Talks for an English-Language News Channel

By BRIAN STELTER and AMY CHOZICK — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:47:29 +0000

The channel would combine resources from ABC News and Univision's news division to take on established players like CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.

Wes Misses Son’s First Birthday For A Fight, On ‘Caged’

Catherine Lawson — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:30:19 +0000

"Caged" (Mon., 10 p.m. EST on MTV) fighter Wes may come across as nothing but a hard-partying country boy, but he is also a committed...

Republicans See Politics in Chrysler Super Bowl Ad

By JEREMY W. PETERS and JIM RUTENBERG — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:07:25 +0000

Chrysler’s Super Bowl ad provided yet another reminder that in today’s polarized political climate, even a football championship can be thrust into a partisan light.

TV Sports: Super Bowl: NBC’s Collinsworth Anticipated Game’s Critical Moment

By RICHARD SANDOMIR — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:30:10 +0000

Sunday’s game was Cris Collinsworth’s first Super Bowl at NBC, and he and his venerable partner Al Michaels lived up to the game’s hype.

Advertising: For Super Bowl Ads, No Standout Performer

By STUART ELLIOTT — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:20:11 +0000

In rating dozens of spots, there was no consensus in the polls, surveys and analyses of data from social media that poured in this year.

Disney, Univision Mull News Channel

WSJ.com: Media & Marketing — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:49:19 +0000

Walt Disney and Univision are in talks to create a new 24-hour cable-news channel that will broadcast in English.

Auto Ads Score at the Super Bowl

WSJ.com: Media & Marketing — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:46:01 +0000

The auto industry won the competition for top Super Bowl ads, according to ad pros and consumers polled by The Wall Street Journal.

Audit Notes: Regressive Taxes, Another Task Force, Keller on Copyright

CJR — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:38:44 +0000

By Ryan Chittum Kevin Drum looks at how regressive taxes are at the state and local level, an issue that doesn't get nearly enough attention. While the federal system is progressive overall, even after taking into account payroll taxes, the we...

Sources: Univision, Disney In Talks To Create News Channel In English For Latinos

AP — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:24:23 +0000

MIAMI -- Univision and Disney are in talks to create a 24-hour news channel for Latinos in English, two sources close to the negotiations said...

Lawrence O’Donnell Targets Asian Actress In Hoekstra Ad In Call For ‘Dirty Politics’ Boycott

Frances Martel — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:21:28 +0000

Like many people, Lawrence O'Donnell expressed his disgust today at a Republican ad by candidate Pete Hoekstra depicting a Chinese woman thanking his congressional opponent for making China strong. O'Donnell did not bother too much with attacking Hoekstra or the Republicans, however, and instead went after the young actress in the ad, calling for actors to take a vow of "simple decency" and boycott these ads.

Ann Coulter: ‘Conservatives Should Be Celebrating’ Romney, ‘Most Conservative [Candidate] Left’

Frances Martel — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:12:36 +0000

Ann Coulter has spent much of the recent turn of the Republican campaign out and about campaigning for Mitt Romney, and today she took her mission to Hannity, where she even had a story about confronting Romney himself and warning him to be "as right wing as I tell everyone you will be."

In an ‘NCIS’ Milestone, Mark Harmon’s Agent Gibbs Looks Back

By BRIAN STELTER — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:49:03 +0000

“NCIS” celebrates its success as No. 1 and its unusual longevity with a special episode on Tuesday night.

Bernie Goldberg Fumes To Bill O’Reilly Over ‘Bigotry On The Right’: ‘I’m Sick Of This’

Frances Martel — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:32:08 +0000

After a heated segment on the calls by conservative groups to have Ellen Degeneres removed from a JC Penney ad campaign, Bill O'Reilly invited regular Bernie Goldberg on to talk about the fight between Planned Parenthood and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, to showcase "the other side of intolerance." But Goldberg had a few words to say about Degeneres, too-- namely, that "there is a strain of bigotry running through conservative America" that he was just "sick of."

Media Decoder Blog: Verizon Teaming With Redbox for DVD and Streaming Service

By AMY CHOZICK — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:47:57 +0000

The two companies will combine to try to give customers more access to video on the Web, and possibly position the new venture as an alternative to Netflix.

Media Decoder Blog: Verizon Teaming With Redbox for DVD and Streaming Service

By AMY CHOZICK — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:47:57 +0000

The two companies will combine to try to give customers more access to video on the Web, and possibly position the new venture as an alternative to Netflix.

Bad Math From the WSJ Opinion Pages

CJR — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:41:11 +0000

By Ryan Chittum Brad DeLong catches The Wall Street Journal editorial page in some hilariously bad math. Here's Stephen Moore: Federal workers on balance still receive much better benefits and pay packages than comparable private sector worker...

Corner Office | Amy Astley: Amy Astley of Teen Vogue, on Valuing a Work Ethic

By ADAM BRYANT — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:36:47 +0000

Amy Astley of Teen Vogue says that in hiring, she wants to get a sense of applicants’ work ethic — and whether they can think in an entrepreneurial way.

Dana Perino Is Outraged That M.I.A., ‘Not Even An American,’ Performed At The Super Bowl

Frances Martel — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:34:50 +0000

It is the biggest secular holiday of the year, so naturally much of today's The Five revolved around last night's Super Bowl events. The crew particularly stopped on the first case of indecent conduct during the Halftime Show since Janet Jackson exposed her breast to America: British/Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A. giving the finger to the camera, as she does in the music video for the song being performed, "Give Me All Your Lovin'." Most found it vulgar on its face, but Dana Perino objected not to the gesture but to M.I.A.'s presence at all: why would Madonna perform with a rapper who was "not even an American?"

Disney, Univision in Talks to Launch News Channel

WSJ.com: Media & Marketing — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:23:42 +0000

Walt Disney and Univision are in talks to create a new 24-hour cable-news channel that will broadcast in English.

Chris Matthews Beams: President Obama’s Smile ‘Worth Five to Ten Points’ On Election Day

James Crugnale — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:03:20 +0000

On Monday's Hardball on MSNBC, Chris Matthews gave President Obama' an early Valentine, fawningly gushing over the political power of his toothy grin. "I think that smile of his is worth five to ten points in the general!" Matthews exclaimed. He added the caveat , "Hs campaign strategists might feel differently."

Mark Fletcher-Brown: Leveson: We Are The Problem

Mark Fletcher-Brown — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The Leveson Enquiry has been highly informative, beautifully probing and calmly clarifying. The result may cause the media to change their ways. But it will take a lot more than Leveson to stem the demand. Only we can do that.

Patent Office: Inventors Don’t Have To Pay Copyright On Science Submissions

Jeff Roberts — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:49:39 +0000

Scientific journals are threatening to sue inventors and law firms over the academic studies that are part of a typical patent application. Now, in an unusual memo, the US Patent Office has suggested that inventors can disregard the warning.

Only 8.5% Of Internet Usage Comes Via Mobile

Ingrid Lunden — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:36:47 +0000

When you read the headlines of how ubiquitous smartphones are becoming, and how in some countries the mobile device is overtaking the PC in terms of internet access, you would think that mobile internet usage would directly follow from these facts. In reality, it seems that it still lagging behind: according to some figures out today from StatCounter, only 8.5 percent of internet visits came from mobile devices in 2011.

Apple Hit With Playlist Patent, Suit Filed By Former Judge’s Firm

Jeff Roberts — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:33:14 +0000

A Texas shell company, Smart Audio Technologies, has filed a suit claiming Apple’s iPod Nano and other devices violate its patent for random song playlists.

Media Decoder Blog: No Ads, No Madonna But NBC Calls Live Stream A Success

By BRIAN STELTER — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:18:39 +0000

Hard numbers will wait until tomorrow but some viewers already complained about delays and about what they missed watching the Super Bowl online instead of on television.

Media Decoder Blog: A Debate Over Unpaid Interns

By THE EDITORS — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:12:32 +0000

After the news that a former intern at Harper's Bazaar had sued over her unpaid status, Room for Debate sought out a range of opinions on the issue, asking if the government should intervene in these arrangements.

Robert B. Cohen Dies at 85; Founded the Hudson News Chain

By DENNIS HEVESI — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:07:33 +0000

Mr. Cohen was president of the Hudson County News Company, a newspaper distributorship, when it went into the retail field in the mid-1970s by taking over a newsstand at the Newark airport.

WATCH: Bachmann Makes Huge Boast

Nick Wing — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:58:20 +0000

Former GOP presidential candidate and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) weighed in on the state of the Republican primary race in a recent interview, declaring that...

Addressee Unknown

CJR — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:52:07 +0000

Another comma goes AWOL

Addressee Unknown

CJR — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:52:07 +0000

Another comma goes AWOL

Will Netflix Kill Ratings For Pay Cable?

Daniel Frankel — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:49:31 +0000

The launch of Netflix’s first original series positions the company right where it wants to be – competing against pay cable companies like HBO, Showtime and Starz. But whether Lilyhammer becomes a hit for Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) or falls flat, don’t expect the streaming video company to honor one very time-honored TV practice: disclosure about the show’s viewership.

Clint Eastwood: ‘I’m Not Politically Affiliated With Obama’, If He Wants To ‘Run With The Spirit Of That Ad, Go For It’

James Crugnale — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:39:22 +0000

In the wake of his 2-minute commercial for Chrysler during yesterday's Super Bowl, Clint Eastwood has come under fire from conservatives accusing him of ostensibly making a campaign ad for President Obama.

Ed Madison: What Does Media Innovation Really Look Like?

Ed Madison — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:38:29 +0000

Many established journalists are now challenged to learn the business side of media. It's unfamiliar, often resisted -- and yet a necessary evolution of the profession.

Ed Madison: What Does Media Innovation Really Look Like?

Ed Madison — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:38:29 +0000

Many established journalists are now challenged to learn the business side of media. It's unfamiliar, often resisted -- and yet a necessary evolution of the profession.

Art Brodsky: The Jack Nicholson Answer to Hollywood Moguls on SOPA and PIPA: ‘You Can’t Handle the Truth’

Art Brodsky — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:31:23 +0000

This is too important to hand over law making to one industry, as Congress did in the case of these bills. Too much is at stake to try to rework the bills in a slapdash manner, behind closed doors. That's the truth.

Art Brodsky: The Jack Nicholson Answer to Hollywood Moguls on SOPA and PIPA: ‘You Can’t Handle the Truth’

Art Brodsky — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:31:23 +0000

The New Walter Cronkite?

Rebecca Shapiro — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:07:00 +0000

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow was announced the winner of the prestigious John Steinbeck Award on Monday. In addition to being honored with the award, Maddow was...

Rachel Maddow: The New Walter Cronkite

Rebecca Shapiro — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:07:00 +0000

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow was announced the winner of the prestigious John Steinbeck Award on Monday. In addition to being honored with the award, Maddow was...

Advertising: Super Bowl Commercials, From Charming to Smarmy

By STUART ELLIOTT — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:03:02 +0000

Risk-taking, rule-breaking ideas were as hard to find among the more than 50 Super Bowl commercials as good taste in a GoDaddy ad.

NBC Spends Millions on the Buildup to ‘Smash’

By BILL CARTER — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:01:54 +0000

Estimates are that NBC has spent as much as $25 million promoting “Smash,” a new series that the network hopes will be the hit it desperately needs.

New High-DPI UI Resources in 10.7.3

John Gruber — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:56:13 +0000

Have you noticed that Safari’s hovering-over-a-link pointing-finger cursor looks a little different in Mac OS X 10.7.3? It’s not just that the finger is at a slightly different angle — it’s a new UI resource that scales gracefu...

Artist Faces 15 Years In Prison For Recording His Own Arrest

AP — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:32:48 +0000

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Tiawanda Moore didn't think she was doing anything wrong when she took out her smartphone and started recording a conversation with two...

Arizona State Lifts Ban On Change.org

Simon McCormack — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:30:28 +0000

Arizona State University infuriated activists when the school decided to block access to Change.org, a popular site that allows people to create and sign petitions...

Media Decoder Blog: ‘The Voice’ Follows the Super Bowl to Rare Ratings Heights

By BILL CARTER — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:30:19 +0000

Propelled by the ratings for the Super Bowl - whose 111.3 million viewers made it the most-watched event in TV history - the NBC singing competition scored a 16.3 rating among the 18- to 49-year-old viewers and attracted 37.6 million viewers.

Bishop Eddie Long Apologizes To Jewish Groups After Video Surfaces Of Him Wrapping Self In Torah, Being Crowned King

Jon Bershad — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:28:30 +0000

It's been a rough couple of years for Bishop Eddie Long. The senior pastor of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia spent parts of 2010 and 2011 facing down lawsuits from young men alleging that he coerced them into sexual acts. Long denied the allegations but the church settled the suits out of court and, shortly thereafter, his wife filed for divorce. Clearly, this is a guy in need of a new beginning. However, if you take him at his word, he appears to have chosen the wrong guy to show him how to do it.Basically, going in front of your parishioners, being enshrouded in a sacred Jewish text, and declared king is not the way to get people on your side.

WATCH: Don Cornelius To Be Honored In Chicago

Joseph Erbentraut — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:18:54 +0000

A Chicago museum will play host Wednesday to a public memorial honoring legendary "Soul Train" creator and host Don Cornelius. As Time Out Chicago reports,...

WATCH: Don Cornelius To Be Honored In Chicago

Joseph Erbentraut — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:18:54 +0000

A Chicago museum will play host Wednesday to a public memorial honoring legendary "Soul Train" creator and host Don Cornelius. As Time Out Chicago reports,...

Steve Ballmer Laughs at iPhone in 2007

John Gruber — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:05:12 +0000

After noting that Apple’s iPhone business now generates more revenue than all of Microsoft combined, MG Siegler linked once again to this classic 2007 interview with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.Nobody enjoys laughing at utterly-wrong-in-hindsi...

Honeywell Goes After Nest Learning Thermostat for Patent Infringement

John Gruber — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:41:20 +0000

So depressing. It’d be one thing if Honeywell had an even vaguely Nest-like product to defend. But they don’t. And how did they get a patent for this:U.S. Patent No. 7,634,504 - this patent was filed in 2006 (issued 2009) and covers d...

Super Bowl Ratings Record: Giants-Patriots Game Is Highest-Rated TV Show In US History

AP — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:39:30 +0000

NEW YORK — For the third consecutive year, the Super Bowl set a record as the most-watched television show in U.S. history. The Nielsen Co....

Al Gore Begged Olbermann To Stay At Current: Report

The Huffington Post — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:22:21 +0000

Conflict between Keith Olbermann and his bosses at Current TV reached severe depths in the weeks before the Iowa caucuses, according to a new report...

Why Didn’t Apple Advertise During the Super Bowl?

John Gruber — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:17:48 +0000

Lance Ulanoff thinks Apple should have advertised during yesterday’s Super Bowl:I worry that without Steve Jobs, Apple may have lost some of its fighting spirit. For all his quirks, Jobs was a fighter. He liked to deride the competition and...

AOL Seeks New Agency to Convince Consumers to ‘Care About AOL Again’

Advertising Age - Digital — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:16:02 +0000

AOL is searching for an agency to help it devise a new brand campaign in the hopes of reconnecting with consumers, Ad Age has learned.

The Digital Era: Information Is Worth More Than The Paper It’s Printed On

Philip Bump — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:05:29 +0000

On Interstate 70 west of Saint Louis (a dull stretch), there used to be something called "The Elvis is Alive Museum." It was founded at some point in the late '80s or early '90s by Bill Beeny, an accountant and Elvis impersonator. Its simple premise: Elvis is still alive and we have the evidence that proves it.

[Sponsor] If You Can Hear It, Audio Hijack Pro Can Record It

Daring Fireball Department of Commerce — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:03:25 +0000

If you want to record audio on your Mac, Audio Hijack Pro is there for you. Need a copy of that Skype conversation? Have a radio program you can’t miss? Just need a quick audio note? Audio Hijack Pro can grab it all. It’s fully functional ...

WATCH: ‘John Carter’ Trailer

Ileana Llorens — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:00:50 +0000

The trailer for Disney's "John Carter" aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday night, giving viewers an extended preview of the upcoming science-fiction film. "Friday...

WATCH: ‘John Carter’ Trailer

Ileana Llorens — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:00:50 +0000

The trailer for Disney's "John Carter" aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday night, giving viewers an extended preview of the upcoming science-fiction film. "Friday...

Media Decoder Blog: Digital Notes: Madonna’s Super Bowl Bounce

By BEN SISARIO — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:59:56 +0000

The new album from Madonna, Sunday's halftime performer, has gotten off to strong start more than a month before it is set to be released. (Advance sales have taken it to No. 1 on iTunes's rankings in 35 countries.)

Daniel Kreiss: Yes We Can (Profile You): A Brief Primer on Campaigns and Political Data

Daniel Kreiss — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:55:53 +0000

Campaigns are increasingly tailoring political communications down to narrowly defined segments of the electorate, even as they undermine privacy and democratic practice.

An Amazon Store In Seattle?

Laura Hazard Owen — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:53:54 +0000

A new report suggests that Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) is opening a small, Kindle-focused retail store in Seattle to test whether the concept could be expanded to other markets.

Whoops

John Gruber — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:47:57 +0000

Chris Davies, SlashGear:HTC “dropped the ball” on its 2011 devices, the company’s CFO has admitted, with LTE-equipped handsets simply too thick and offering insufficient battery life. Speaking on the company’s financial results call today...

The Best/Worst Super Bowl Ads … For Animals

Joanna Zelman — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:31:21 +0000

Commercials are arguably the best part of Super Bowl Sunday (although Puppy Bowl comes in at a close second). Many of the ads feature animals,...

Chris Ladd: Surviving the Death of Objectivity

Chris Ladd — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:29:00 +0000

Britain is a successful democracy whose journalistic establishment has never, beyond the BBC, pretended any objectivity. Yet they suffer nothing like the polarizing ideological blindness we currently endure.

The iOS-ification of Apple’s Ecosystem

John Gruber — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:26:01 +0000

Federico Viticci:The iOS-ification of OS X is, at this point, inevitable, and anyone who doesn’t see it, or tries to neglect, is either software-blind or has some kind of interest in that way of thinking. ★

Prime

John Gruber — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:22:04 +0000

Terrific short film by Ben Wu and David Usui about Prime Burger Restaurant, a midtown Manhattan institution. (Via Rusty Blazenhoff.) ★

CNN Names New National Political Correspondent

Rebecca Shapiro — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:20:26 +0000

CNN's Jim Acosta has been named a national political correspondent for the network. CNN made the announcement on Monday. Previously, Acosta served as a correspondent...

Woody Harrelson Mocked By Reddit Users

Stephanie Marcus — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:16:23 +0000

Woody Harrelson participated in one of Reddit's "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) threads Friday, but perhaps someone should have told him it wasn't called "Ask Me...

Paul Holdengraber: Colum McCann Discusses 9/11 on the Launch of My Show (Video)

Paul Holdengraber — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:15:39 +0000

For YouTube's new original channels initiative, Intelligent Television has launched "The Paul Holdengraber Show," which premiered this past Friday, February 3, 2012.Acclaimed novelist Colum McCann discussed 9/11, storytelling, Obama & Freder...

Kindle Touch Now Shipping Abroad—But Not To UK/Germany/Spain/France/Italy

Laura Hazard Owen — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:10:10 +0000

The Kindle Touch WiFi is now available in some additional countries, but not the biggest international e-reading markets that already have their own Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) sites.

Television Review: Steven Van Zandt in Norwegian Netflix Series ‘Lilyhammer’

By MIKE HALE — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:00:09 +0000

“Lilyhammer,” starring Steven Van Zandt as a wiseguy in witness protection in Norway, is the first original series on Netflix and is available via streaming video.

News Junkies Are Well-Informed — And Much Healthier?

The Atlantic — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:46:00 +0000

Can people who indulge in mass media also be making more healthful decisions based on the information they consume?...

Tim Bennett: The Secret Is Out: Gays Watch Football

Tim Bennett — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:42:00 +0000

Since 1992 I have watched every year for the ads and some of the game. The parties I have attended, just like this year, have a cross section of America: gay, straight, black, white, and everything in between.

ITC Said To Favor Barnes & Noble In Patent Dispute With Microsoft

Tom Krazit — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:38:58 +0000

For the most part, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) has found the mobile industry willing to bow to its patent-licensing strategy. Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) decided to dig in and fight and it could be poised to score a point.

Yvette Kantrow: A Look at Reuters, the Magazine

Yvette Kantrow — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:38:12 +0000

As of now, it's not clear if Reuters magazine is just a one-off or not, though Impoco in Capital New York called it a "proof-of-concept exercise" to see if Reuters can "do a print product as part of our consumer-facing push." Consumer-facing? At Davos?

Media Decoder Blog: Facebook Now Must Balance User Experience and Investor Experience

By DAVID CARR — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:34:25 +0000

Facebook has largely managed to avoid being seen as greedy, or potentially dangerous, but that gets complicated when you are sitting on billions of dollars in market value.

Television Review: ‘Smash,’ on NBC, With Debra Messing and Anjelica Huston

By NEIL GENZLINGER — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:32:07 +0000

“Smash,” NBC’s series about backstage Broadway, comes with New York and Hollywood names off screen (Steven Spielberg, Therese Rebeck) and on (Debra Messing and Brian d’Arcy James).

$800 Million Chinese Fund to Back Film Projects

By MICHAEL CIEPLY — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:26:17 +0000

Sun Media Group is joining Harvest Fund Management to create Harvest Seven Stars Media Private Equity, which will back entertainment ventures in China and abroad.

The Media Equation: At BuzzFeed, the Significant and the Silly

By DAVID CARR — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:19:53 +0000

The Web site is trying for pollination: providing the kind of content that will have visitors passing along links from one person to the next, that will in turn bring them around to BuzzFeed.

Kia Makarechi: What Nicki Minaj Can Learn From M.I.A.’s Middle Finger

Kia Makarechi — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:18:00 +0000

If Minaj wants to achieve real staying power, she needs to slow down to M.I.A.'s pace. Every year or so, the London-born singer does something that's provocative enough to gain exposure but not obnoxious enough to alienate her fans.

Chrysler Scrubbed Pro-Union Signs From Footage Used In Super Bowl Ad

Jordan Zakarin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:06:50 +0000

Chrysler's "Half Time in America" Super Bowl ad touts economic recovery in Detroit, but scrubs recognition for union activists in Wisconsin. The highly-praised spot, which...

Q. and A. With Stuart Elliott

NYT > Media & Advertising — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:06:13 +0000

A J. C. Penney “teaser” campaign has a viewer begging for mercy, or earplugs.

Q. and A. With Stuart Elliott

NYT > Media & Advertising — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:06:13 +0000

A J. C. Penney “teaser” campaign has a viewer begging for mercy, or earplugs.

Media Decoder: The Breakfast Meeting: In Ads, Super Bowl Was Humdrum, Though Madonna Came to Play

By NOAM COHEN — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:03:20 +0000

Also, new media hopes in The Daily and BuzzFeed, and newspapers find hope in video.

Webdenda: Accounts and People of Note in Advertising

By THE NEW YORK TIMES — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:59:39 +0000

AKQA opened an office in Paris and Alisa Alexander joined Wrapports, Chicago, as vice president in the office of the chairman.

Webdenda: Accounts and People of Note in Advertising

By THE NEW YORK TIMES — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:59:39 +0000

AKQA opened an office in Paris and Alisa Alexander joined Wrapports, Chicago, as vice president in the office of the chairman.

Brightcove’s IPO: What you need to know

Janko Roettgers — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:56:38 +0000

Brightcove just reiterated its desire to go public with an amended SEC filing. The company could raise as much as $59 million as it sells 5 million shares, but its filing also reveals that making money with online video is really, really hard.

Campaign Spotlight: How’d You Like a Nice Financial Punch? — Campaign Spotlight

By STUART ELLIOTT — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:55:18 +0000

Men in suits, recoiling as if punched by unseen fists. It’s part of a campaign for Garp, a nonprofit group that encourages professionals to take the organization’s exams to become certified as financial risk managers.

Campaign Spotlight: How’d You Like a Nice Financial Punch? — Campaign Spotlight

By STUART ELLIOTT — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:55:18 +0000

Model Stars In Man’s Deam In New Kia Ad

Chris Greenberg — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:55:03 +0000

While it's not that unusual for advertisers to cater to male fantasies, it isn't everyday that you see someone go to such extravagant and mind-bending...

Tom Brady’s Wife Caught Cursing, Blaming Patriots Receivers For Super Bowl Loss

Tommy Christopher — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:35:06 +0000

It's the day after Super Bowl Sunday, so the media is busy wringing every last drop of hype out of its annual High Holy Day, dissecting ads, gasping at MIA's middle finger and Madonna's near-faceplant, and this: Gisele Bundchen, wife of losing Patriots QB Tom Brady, was caught on tape saying, through a barrage of Giants fans' heckling, that "My husband cannot f**king throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time!"

The Voice Judges Battle It Out For Betty White In Super Bowl Ad

The Huffington Post — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:25:33 +0000

It wouldn't be the Super Bowl without an appearance from America's favorite Golden Girl. Yes, Betty White is back. And we just can't get enough...

WATCH: Rescued Dog Stars In ‘Here WeeGo" Ad

Chris Greenberg — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:14:50 +0000

While it's easy to lament the lack of creativity in Super Bowl commercials these days, it's also hard to deny that there are certain proven...

Ron Paul Talks About Abortion In Case Of ‘Honest Rape’

The Huffington Post — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:12:48 +0000

Piers Morgan pressed Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) on the question of abortion in the case of rape Friday in an interview on CNN. Morgan asked...

A New ‘Stream Team’? Verizon And Redbox Take On Netflix

Daniel Frankel — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:08:38 +0000

Offering perhaps the most defined threat to streaming movie leader Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) so far, Verizon and Redbox parent company Cointstar are going into business together. The companies announced Monday they’re partnering on a new subscription video service that will combine Redbox’s DVD and Blu-ray rental strengths with video streaming through Verizon’s networks.

WATCH: BBC Journalists’ Harrowing, Secret Journey Into Syria

Katherine Fung — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:00:21 +0000

A BBC team was smuggled into the city of Homs for exclusive footage of the bloody war between Syrian troops and rebel fighters. Syria is...

USA Today Touts the Government’s Good News on Medicare

CJR — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:57:17 +0000

But was it the full story?

WATCH: Sharpton Clashes With Joe And Mika Over Controversial Obama Policy

Katherine Fung — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:49:50 +0000

Al Sharpton and the co-hosts of "Morning Joe" got into a meaty debate about the Obama administration's new mandate on contraception on Monday's show. The...

Adam Hanft: Capitalist Porn – Behind the Fetishization of Super Bowl Commercials

Adam Hanft — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:45:19 +0000

If "advertising is dead," like many say, then the two weeks before the Super Bowl are the kind of mortality that American manufacturing would like to experience.

Verizon teams up with Redbox to cash in on video

Stacey Higginbotham — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:44:10 +0000

Verizon and Redbox are creating a joint venture to provide content online and through Redbox's physical DVD rental kiosks around the country. The deal is a chance for Verizon to make money from streaming content and show off how awesome its network is.