All Things Digital

Skip to main content.

MediaMemo

Friday, October 9, 2009

The AP Tries a “Truthiness” Approach: “We’re Not Talking to Google” Means “We’re Talking to Google”

Colbert-truthinessAssociated Press CEO Tom Curley told a group of journalists this week that his company isn’t talking to Google about renewing its licensing deal. But they have been talking for months and talked again this week.

Read More »

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Is the AP Adding DRM to the News? Not Yet.

Here’s the next step in the Associated Press’s attempt to adapt to the reality of the Web: It’s going to try to keep tabs on its stories, photos and videos via a “news registry that will tag and track all AP content online to assure compliance with terms of use.”

At first blush, the AP’s description of the program sounds a lot like an attempt to implement digital rights management–a lock-and-key system–for the news. But at least in this iteration, that’s not the case.

Read More »

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Web Radio Darling Pandora Slips the Noose, But at a Cost: Heavy Users Have to Pay. Next Up: A Big Funding Round?

clint-escapesWeb radio darling Pandora has good news for its users: We’re saved! And a slightly different message for its heaviest users: Pay up. And perhaps a third message for potential investors: Want to write us a check?

Read More »

Monday, May 4, 2009

New York Times: We Won’t Have to Shutter the Boston Globe After All

The New York Times, which had threatened to shut down the Boston Globe unless that paper’s unions agreed to major concessions, says it got what it needed from the Globe’s workers after all.

Once exception: The Globe’s unionized editorial employees, who have yet to come to terms with the paper’s owner. The Times make ominous sounds about what might happen–“evaluating our alternatives”–but nothing specific.

Read More »

Friday, May 1, 2009

Why It Took More Than Four Months, and Millions of Dollars, to Get “Lost” on Hulu

whatsinthehatchWhat does it take to add a third player to a joint venture between two media conglomerates? More than four months of negotiations. Tens of millions of dollars help, too. That’s what finally got Disney to join up with GE’s NBC and News Corp.’s Fox in Hulu, the fast-growing Web video site. Here’s what that means for the three networks and the rest of the Web video business.

Read More »

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Warner Music Group Disappearing From YouTube: Both Sides Take Credit

Warner Music Group’s videos are disappearing from YouTube. The move is a result of a breakdown in negotiations between Google and the music label over a licensing deal that was set to expire soon. Who actually made the move to drop the label’s content from the world’s biggest video site is a matter of dispute, though. Both sides are taking credit for the decision.

Read More »

Latest MediaMemo Videos

More Videos »

About Peter

Peter Kafka has been covering media and technology since 1997, when he joined the staff of Forbes magazine. Most recently, he has been the managing editor of the tech and media Web site, Silicon Alley Insider.

Read more »

Ethics Statement

Here is a statement of my ethics and coverage policies. It is more than most of you want to know, but, in the age of suspicion of the media, I am laying it all out.

Read more »