Next in Media: Volomedia patents podcasts; Emmys to Prerecord Some Speeches

• Volomedia has received a patent for “providing episodic media,” which includes podcasts. The patent was filed in November 2003, though it is unclear if the company can really claim to have invented podcasting. [ReadWriteWeb]
• The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences agreed to prerecord 8 acceptance speeches of the 28 Emmy awards given out at this year’s ceremony. The prerecorded speeches will be shown in a montage during the ceremony. [NYMag.com/Vulture]
• A Pew Research Center study found that nearly a fifth of Internet users watch online video almost every day, with women catching up to men in video usage and a growing number of Americans reporting that they are using the Web as a money-saving substitute for Cable TV. [MediaWeek]
• AnnArbor.com has redesigned its homepage to look less like a news site-which often try to define the most important or pressing storings-and instead presents the stories as a time-sequenced river of news. This defines a potential new model for local news sites. [Nieman Journalism Lab]
• The New York Times has 30 video obituaries done and 10 in production for a series called “The Last Word” which features interviews with noteable people recorded specifically to be released after their deaths. Four videos have been released since the series debuted two years ago with Art Buchwald. [Editor and Publisher]
• Barnes & Noble will begin providing free wi-fi from AT&T at its bookstores around the country, in part to allow customers to download titles from the company’s new digital library of e-books. [MediaBistro/GalleyCat]

Next in Media: Hacchette/Hearst Talks Over Elle Untrue; 100 AP Staffers Accept Buyouts

• A New York Post story by Keith Kelly this morning cited an unnamed source on a rumor that Hachette Flipacchi’s parent company, Lagardere Active, was in talks with Hearst Corp. about Hearst taking over U.S. operations of Elle. Lagardere Active quickly issued a statement in response to the Post story, denying any negotations talks with Hearst. [FishbowlNY]
• About 100 Associated Press employees accepted voluntary buyouts this week, from AP’s news, technology and business units. [Editor and Publisher]
• A comment made by Conde Nast CEO Chuck Townsend at a recent meeting with publishers, that the company has “to run profitable businesses,” has CN publishers worried in a company culture that previously allowed for titles to emerge and develop without necessarily turning a profit. [New York Observer]
• Mediaite’s Dan Abrams has announced the launch of his newest Web site, Gossipcop.com, that will aim to gauge whether celebrity stories are true. [NYMag.com/Daily Intel]
• Production has begun on Nadya Suleman’s (“Octomom”) reality show with production company Eyeworks, though her 14 children are being kept off camera at the moment while work permit issues are considered. The show currently has no name, due date or network. [EW.com/Hollywood Insider]

Next in Media: Gawker Profits Up; HarperCollins Hires Editor of Digital Publishing

• Gawker Media revenues rose 45% in the first two quarters of 2009 compared to the same period last year, helped in part by increasing page views and by selling off blogs that were harder sells to advertisers in the Gawker network. [Reuters]
• Margot Schupf, an associate publisher at HarperCollins, will take a brand new position at HarperCollins Publishers as editorial director of digital publishing for the publisher’s Morrow/Avon/Eos group, where she will develop original e-book titles, build the company’s digital presence and more. This marks the first such role for a digital category as a major publishing house. [Crain's New York]
• BBC will share video news content with four national newspaper groups, including Daily Mail & General Trust and Guardian News & Media, on their Web sites. All BBC content will appear in a branded video player and only UK Web users will be able to view the content. [Guardian]
• American Media Inc. is suspending publication of the biyearly Mom & Baby and scaling back Natural Health’s publication from 10 to eight times a year. [MediaWeek]
• Slate explains three reasons music magazines are dying: fewer music superstars, with the same musicians showing up on every magazine cover; less need for music critics to play middleman or for coverage to sell albums; and social networking sites performing the same function as music magazines. [Slate]

Next in Media: NBC’s Silverman Exits; NY Times Circ Revenue Passes Ad

• NBC Universal Entertainment Co-chairman Ben Silverman is leaving NBC to begin a new venture in partnership with media and Internet company IAC. Jeff Gaspin, NBC’s head of cable operations, will replace Silverman. [New York Times]
• For the first time, New York Times circulation revenues are expected to pass ad revenues sometime this quarter. Three years ago, the ad-to-circulation ratio was two-to-one. [Columbia Journalism Review]
• The three exceptions to Sept. ‘09 drops in ad pages from Sept. ‘08 for women’s fashion magazines are InStyle, People StyleWatch and Fitness. Despite a nearly 250-page drop in September ad pages from last year, Vogue remains #1 in ad pages. [min online]
• The rising trend among businesses and individuals to trust their critical data in Google’s ‘cloud’ – from their email in Gmail to their documents in Google Docs – is a dangerous one. Unlike when software or client-side applications fail in more contained environments, should Google’s cloud fail, it could affect millions at a time. [AdAge]
• Racked’s Leslie Price is now Lucky’s new online editor. Her goals include adding more original content to the Web site, including slide shows, videos and polls. [WWDMedia]

Next in Media: More Magazine Launches Web Series; Vibe Gets Sued

• Meredith Corp’s More magazine and Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell are teaming up to produce a Web series that will take a humorous look at issues women face in the workplace. [MediaWeek]
• A federal lawsuit has been filed against Vibe magazine by an angry subscriber for “breach of contract” in failing to notify subscribers of its plans to fold the magazine. The suit calls for subscribers to receive a refund on all issues not received. [Folio:]
• In an effort to protect their content online, AP is creating a news registry that will tag and track online AP content to ensure compliance with its terms of use. [WebNewser]
• Billboard relaunched its site this week with its entire chart history now open to a global audience, allowing users to personalize the way they discover music and interact with musicians and other users. [MediaWeek]
• Several potential buyers have emerged for BusinessWeek, including OpenGate Capital, which purchased TV Guide magazine in 2008, and Bruce Wasserstein, the chairman and CEO of Lazard Frères who bought New York magazine in 2003. [BusinessWeek]

Next in Media: Meredith Goes Mobile; Perez Signs First Act

• Hyperfactory, one of the highest regarded mobile marketing firms, will work with Meredith to create mobile marketing content.  Hyperfactory may also have a role on the consumer magazine side as well. [MinOnline]
• Gossip blogger Perez Hilton has revealed the first singer signed to his label Perezcious Music: French singer Sliimy, whose album will drop Sept. 14 [Entertainment Weekly/Music Mix]
• Conde Nast is offering “Assistant of the Month” checks to its top assistants. [Gawker]
• Tim Armstrong, AOL’s new chief executive and former president of advertising sale at Google, wants to make AOL the biggest creator of premium Web content and online display ads with a five-point strategy he will unveil on Friday. [New York Times]
• Details are emerging about Jay Leno’s new primetime show, including that Kevin Eubanks will return as the show’s music director, while former Tonight Show announcer John Melendez will join the new show’s writing staff. [Variety]
• The FCC is considering changes to the 1990 Children’s TV Act to reflect a shift in technology and content sources, potentially looking at mobile video, Web videos, video games, satellite and more. [B&C]

Next in Media: Vargas Switches Posts; Yahoo Releases Redesigned Homepage

• The Washington Posts’ Jose Antonio Vargas is moving to The Huffington Post at the technology and innovations editor. [New York Times/Media Decoder]
• Yahoo rolled out its long-awaited homepage makeover this week and has been receiving many positive reviews for the changes, which includes an increase in customization features. [MediaBistro/BayNewser]
• MSNBC set an all-time record last month for number of monthly online-video streams, helped in part by Michael Jackson-related stories. [MediaBistro/WebNewser]
• US Weekly’s West Coast editor, Melanie Bromley, and Life & Style’s editor-in-chief, Dan Wakeford, are among the people being considered to replace Janice Min and Us Weekly’s top editor. [New York Daily News]
• Financial backers are increasingly investing in blogs, with US political Web site Talking Points Memo and The Business Insider two of the most recent to receive cash. [Financial Times]

Next in Media: Conde Nast Hires Consultant Group; No Sales Increase Yet from Redesigned Newsweek

• Conde Nast has hired a consultant group to help “rethink” how the company does business. CN will also be conducting an internal review among CN executives and publishers. [New York Observer]
• A redesign in late May of Newsweek hasn’t led to a bump in newsstand sales yet, according to numbers from the Audit Bureau of Circulations’ Rapid Report. [New York Observer]
• New research shows that magazine ads with URLs are more likely to drive readers to advertiser Web sites, even if “drive to web” is not the goal of the advertising campaign. [MediaPost]
• Janice Min, Us Weekly’s top editor, will step down from her position next week after seven years at the celeb weekly. [New York Times]
• Fashion and beauty magazines are facing double digits declines in ad pages for their September issues, compared to last year. Some of the biggest drops came from W, whose ad pages fell 53%, Allure, with a 52% drop and Self, which had a 51% drop. [AdAge]

Social Media: Giving A Face to Poverty, A Voice to Hope

After hearing Jacqueline Novogratz, founder of The Acumen Fund, discuss the challenges of using social media to change the way the world looks at and addresses poverty, I overheard an employee from Charity:water advise, “The most important thing a nonprofit needs is a great Web site.” Actually, make that the five most important things. Between tweets, blogs, Facebook causes, and Youtube videos, nonprofits are more plugged in than ever, and it’s paying off. By relying on gripping images, inspiring videos and powerful personal stories from the field, nonprofits have used social media to not only give a face to poverty but a voice to hope. By keeping in contact with their donors through innovative means, nonprofits such as Charity:water, Kiva, BeadforLife, and The Acumen Fund, have greatly increased their chances of ensuring long-term donor relationships, sustainable results and lasting success.

For example,Charity:water, an organization that delivers clean drinking water to the poorest nations, uses GPS locators pinpointing where Charity:water has constructed wells. Kiva, the world’s first interactive micro-lending website, allows, for example, a bakery owner in NYC to invest in a business similar to hers in the Third World by going to kiva.org, clicking “Lend,” and searching “Bakery”, instantly connecting her with a list of individuals with a passion for running their own bakery.

Since 2001, Novogratz’s The Acumen Fund has invested in 26 enterprises founded by Third World entrepreneurs, impacting over 36 million people. Between using multiple social media sites, photo journals, videos, an online “Knowledge Center” and a community blog, The Acumen Fund recognizes how imperative social media is to long-term investor relations.

The diverse tools and resources of social media all contribute to the same goal: sustainability. Nonprofits are dedicated to ensuring the sustainability of their ventures. Donors want to see the lasting results of their investment. No longer is a donation simply sending off a check; it is participatory. Through online journals, video updates, tweets, and GPS locating devices, donors are able to see the results of their contribution and put a face with a donation. Organizations that have successfully harnessed the power of social media to alleviate global poverty have also been able to build lasting global human connections online.

Check out Think Social for more information on advancing the public interest through social media.

~Elizabeth Stoltz, Ithaca College ’13 (Integrated Marketing Communications)
2009 NYWICI Foundation Scholarship Recipient

Next in Media: Legendary News Anchor Cronkite Dies; Interview Gets New Pres and Ed

• Walter Cronkite, a pioneer of television news and a trusted anchorman on CBS news for decades, died on Friday at age 92, from complications of dementia. [New York Times]
• Evanly Schindler, founder of BlackBook magazine, will be the new president of Interview magazine and Interview editor Stephen Mooallem has been promoted to editor-in-chief, Brant Publications will announce this week. [New York Times]
• The New York Times is considering foundation funding to help cover some news-gathering costs, though Times editors are aware they will have to make sure foundations don’t have a say or influence in news coverage. [Poynter]
• Bonnier’s decision earlier this year to split Parenting magazine into two editions, one for new mothers and a smaller one for moms of older kids, turned out to be riskier than the company expected, with ad pages of Parenting Early Years down 26 percent in a category (parenting magazines) that has only seen an 11 percent drop this year. [MediaWeek]
• Google CFO Patrick Pichette says that YouTube will become profitable soon, after the company’s introduction of new ad overlays last month increased the video site’s appeal to advertisers [MediaBistro/BayNewser]
• President Obama used Twitter on Friday to announce a prime time presidential news conference at the White House, set for this Wednesday at 9 p.m. EDT. [MediaBistro/TVNewser]