Business News - Media and Advertising

Guy Vidra was recently hired as chief executive of The New Republic.

Staff at The New Republic Follows Editor Out the Door

By RAVI SOMAIYA

A large portion of The New Republic’s staff quit after the departure of the editor, Franklin Foer, who had bristled at the appointment of a new chief executive, Guy Vidra.

Shake-Up at The New Republic: Franklin Foer and Leon Wieseltier Are Out NYT Now

Hackers Send Emails to Sony Employees

By BROOKS BARNES

Employees of Sony Pictures received emails bearing threats in broken English, while the studio and F.B.I. continued to work on the case.

Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The woman at the center of a Rolling Stone article said this was where she was raped by several men in 2012.

Rolling Stone Cites Doubts on Its Story of UVA Rape

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA and RAVI SOMAIYA

The magazine acknowledged “discrepancies” in an article that described a gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity.

CBS Shuts Off Programming for Dish Network

By EMILY STEEL

CBS programming went dark for Dish subscribers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and several other markets after six months of talks failed.

Azerbaijan Jails Reporter Who Angered Top Officials

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

The arrest of a journalist who has reported on the business dealings of the president’s family was a further indication of Azerbaijan’s deteriorating relations with the West.

Sam Smith, honored in the record, song, album and best new artist categories.

Beyoncé and Sam Smith Lead in Nominations for Grammys

By BEN SISARIO

They each earned six nominations, including album of the year.

A Nook display at a Barnes & Noble store. In 2012, Microsoft invested $300 million for 17.6 percent stake in the Nook e-book reader.

Barnes & Noble and Microsoft End Nook Partnership

By ALEXANDRA ALTER and DAVID GELLES

The announcement came as the chain announced a 2.7 percent drop in revenue overall, but a 41 percent skid in its Nook division sales.

DealBook: How the Promise of Microsoft’s Investment in Nook Soured 12:14 PMNYT Now

‘Peter Pan’ Is No ‘Sound of Music’ but Still Draws a Crowd to NBC

By BILL CARTER

The live musical, starring Allison Williams, drew about nine million viewers, about half the audience for the live version of “Sound of Music” with Carrie Underwood.

Grand Jury Decision Leads to Twitter Confessions of ‘Criming While White’

By NOAM COHEN

The Twitter hashtag was an expression of unity with those angered by the decision not to indict a police officer in the death of Eric Garner, but it had its critics.

Disney to Introduce New Apps Focused on Learning

By BROOKS BARNES

Disney Imagicademy will release a line of apps dealing with math, science, language arts and other topics and featuring its well-known characters.

A video posted on YouTube purports to show Luke Somers, 33, a kidnapped American journalist.

Qaeda Group in Yemen Threatens to Kill American Journalist by End of This Week

By KAREEM FAHIM and RUKMINI CALLIMACHI

The hostage, in a video posted online, identifies himself as Luke Somers, 33, a photojournalist who was kidnapped in Sana, Yemen, in September 2013.

Bryan Burwell, in St. Louis in 2012, was a longtime sports columnist for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and worked for HBO.

Bryan Burwell, Columnist, Dies at 59

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mr. Burwell was a longtime sports columnist for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and a former correspondent for the HBO show “Inside the NFL.”

Coalition Opposes Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger

By EMILY STEEL

A collection of companies, public interest groups and labor unions said the deal with Comcast would harm both consumers and competition.

Sony headquarters in Culver City, Calif. Hackers crippled the movie studio’s computer systems.

Sony Pictures and F.B.I. Widen Hack Inquiry

By BROOKS BARNES and NICOLE PERLROTH

The studio, working with law enforcement agencies, has been exploring whether the hacking was related to one of Sony’s coming movies, “The Interview.”

Verizon Shuts Down SugarString, Site That Had Drawn Journalistic Criticism

By LESLIE KAUFMAN

SugarString ran afoul of the public when The DailyDot reported in October that an editor recruiting journalists was warning them that the site would forbid reporting on “spying and net neutrality.”

Ann Marie Gardner Steps Down as Editor of Modern Farmer

CHRISTINE HAUGHNEY

Ms. Gardner founded the magazine in 2011. The publication, which glamorizes farming, has become one of the magazine industry’s biggest recent success stories.

Report Says Cyberattacks Originated Inside Iran

By NICOLE PERLROTH

A security firm identified Iranian hackers as the source of coordinated attacks against more than 50 targets in 16 countries, many of them corporate and government entities.

Bits Blog

Jeff Bezos, center, after the funeral service of Ben Bradlee, a longtime editor of The Washington Post.

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos Explains Why He Bought The Washington Post

By MIKE ISAAC

Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chief executive, was skeptical about buying the newspaper. But he believed his knowledge of the Internet and his ability to finance the operation made it worth the risk.

Jimmy Iovine, of Beats and Apple, Is Named to Live Nation’s Board

By BEN SISARIO

The move extends Mr. Iovine’s wide reach in entertainment and technology.

Nancy Snyderman to Return to ‘Today’ After Ebola Quarantine Flap

BILL CARTER

The appearance will end an extended absence by Dr. Snyderman, who drew a chorus of criticism for breaking a self-imposed quarantine after returning from Liberia.

Takashi Uemura, a former journalist, is under attack for his reporting on “comfort women.”

Rewriting the War, Japanese Right Attacks a Newspaper

By MARTIN FACKLER

The Asahi Shimbun’s formal retraction of articles about “comfort women” in World War II has led to an assault on the newspaper and on the view that Japan forced women into sexual slavery.

The Neediest Cases

Buya Jammeh was a journalist in Gambia. He was threatened by the government and came to the United States in 2013.

Journalist Threatened in Gambia Wants to Rescue His Daughter

By JOHN OTIS

A man granted asylum in the United States aims to help his wife and his 2-year-old daughter, who could be subject to female genital cutting.

The filmmaker Andrew Jarecki, left, and Robert A. Durst outside an office tower on the Avenue of the Americas between 43rd and 44th Streets built by the Dursts in 1970.

Stranger Than Fiction? Try Fact

By CHARLES V. BAGLI

HBO plans to broadcast a six-part documentary on Robert Durst, the real estate heir notorious for leading the police on a nationwide manhunt after decapitating his neighbor.

Chief Justice Samples Eminem in Online Threats Case

By ADAM LIPTAK

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. quoted vivid lyrics in which the rapper appears to be threatening to drown his wife.

An Art Form Rises: Audio Without the Book

By ALEXANDRA ALTER

“The Starling Project,” a thriller by Jeffery Deaver, went straight to audiobook on Audible. In fact, Mr. Deaver’s story will not be appearing in print at all.

Robin Williams, left, with Ben Stiller, in “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” Mr. Williams’s last film.

A Last Hurrah for ‘Night at the Museum’ Franchise, and for Robin Williams

By MICHAEL CIEPLY

“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” which opens in the United States on Dec. 19, features Robin Williams in his final film role.

Bill Cosby Resigns From Temple University Board

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bill Cosby stepped down as a trustee of his beloved Temple University following renewed accusations that he had drugged and sexually assaulted a string of women over many years.

The chief executive of Vox Media, Jim Bankoff, is aiming to build his company into a kind of Time Inc. of the 21st century.

Vox Media Valued at Nearly $400 Million After Investment

By LESLIE KAUFMAN

The online publisher, with a quickly growing portfolio of lifestyle and news brands, will announce on Monday that it has just closed a $46.5 million round of financing from General Atlantic, a New York investment firm.

Investor Jho Low. His family’s charitable foundation is spending $25 million to save the U.N.'s Integrated Regional Information Networks, or IRIN.

Ailing U.N. News Service Gets $25 Million

By NICK CUMMING-BRUCE

The Jynwel Foundation is lending its support to Integrated Regional Information Networks, which has operated under United Nations auspices but will become independent in January.

Eric Schurenberg, the president and editor in chief of Inc. magazine, in his Manhattan office.

Long Overshadowed in Realm of Business Magazines, Inc. Grabs the Spotlight

By CHRISTINE HAUGHNEY

Inc. is becoming a mainstream publication, turning out glossy covers that broaden its appeal.

R.A. Montgomery published the first Choose Your Own Adventure book in 1975, then spent decades working in the innovate fiction style.

R.A. Montgomery, 78, Dies; Published Choose Your Own Adventure Series

By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK

Mr. Montgomery recognized the potential of a book that let the reader choose between two actions and endings.

Sales of the magazine will start Tuesday at 80,000 sites.

Popular ‘Eat This, Not That!’ Brand to Start Quarterly Magazine

By CHRISTINE HAUGHNEY

The brand that began a decade ago as a column in Men’s Health magazine and expanded into a popular book series, will add a quarterly magazine, available on newsstands Tuesday.

To Lure Young, Movie Theaters Shake, Smell and Spritz

By BROOKS BARNES

To combat declining attendance, movie theaters are experimenting with more immersive and interactive experiences, including moving seats, scents and precipitation.

How to Build an Empire, the Netflix Way

By EMILY STEEL

With “Marco Polo,” its lavish new series, the streaming service is placing one of its biggest bets yet on global expansion.

Video: Anatomy of a Scene | ‘Marco Polo’

Intrusion on Sony Unit Prompts a Shutdown of Messaging Systems

By BROOKS BARNES and MICHAEL CIEPLY

Sony Pictures Entertainment is investigating what provoked the cyberattack, including whether there are any ties to a coming film that has elicited the ire of North Korea.

Sunday Routine

Jill Martin Puts On Her Game Face

By JULIE SATOW

Ms. Martin covers New York Knicks games for the MSG Network, has a line of home organization products and is the author of several books.

More Sunday Routines

Lester Bernstein, 94, Dies; Wide-Ranging Journalist Edited Newsweek

By ROBERT D. McFADDEN

Mr. Bernstein, who also wrote for The New York Times and Time magazine, helped arrange America’s first televised presidential debates when he was an NBC vice president in 1960.

Japanese Newspaper Prints Apology for Using the Term ‘Sex Slaves’

By JONATHAN SOBLE

The conservative newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun said it was “inappropriate” to refer to the women who worked in World War II military brothels as slaves.

Jian Ghomeshi leaving court on Wednesday after his release on bail. He has been charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of choking.

Jian Ghomeshi, Canadian Radio Host Facing Sexual Assault Charges, Is Granted Bail

By IAN AUSTEN

Jian Ghomeshi, the former host of “Q” for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, faces four counts of sexual assault and one count of choking.

Bill Cosby Gave Interview to Keep Charges Secret

By GRAHAM BOWLEY and LORNE MANLY

Mr. Cosby gave an exclusive interview to the National Enquirer in 2005 in exchange for its agreement to drop a story about sexual assault allegations, he testified in a federal lawsuit.

Frank Yablans, Paramount Executive in Fertile ’70s, Dies at 79

By MICHAEL CIEPLY

Mr. Yablans spent time as president of Paramount Pictures while it released some of the most acclaimed movies of the 1970s and led MGM/UA in the 1980s.

Allan Kornblum, the creator of the independent publisher Coffee House Press, in 1989.

Allan Kornblum, Independent Publisher, Dies at 65; Sought the Undiscovered

By WILLIAM YARDLEY

Mr. Kornblum started Coffee House Press, an independent publisher known for finding and nurturing new authors.

TV Sports

In NFL Network’s Partnership, Benefits Outlast CBS’s Schedule

By RICHARD SANDOMIR

A plan to broaden the audience for Thursday night games, which had been the exclusive domain of NFL Network, has worked, demonstrating anew the power of N.F.L. games.

First Look Abandons Plans to Publish The Racket After Matt Taibbi’s Departure

By RAVI SOMAIYA

The company laid off nine employees hired for the online magazine, which was going to be led by Mr. Taibbi, a writer critical of Wall Street.

The Media Equation

The newsroom of The Orange County Register in California, which has struggled.

When the Forces of Media Disruption Hit Home

By DAVID CARR

The Internet lowered the barriers to entry for journalism. This has been great for consumers but not the traditional news industry, whose inefficiencies were profits by another name.

From the Magazine

Raed Fares at a radio station in Turkey.

Radio-Free Syria

By ELIZA GRISWOLD

Raed Fares, a Syrian activist whose video protests skewer ISIS and President Bashar al-Assad alike, is dodging the threat of death from both sides.