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Twitter has switched default URL shorteners from Tinyurl to Bit.LY. While Tinyurl is currently the leader in the URL shortening world, Twitter’s decision could easily make Bit.LY the new number one. It should be noted that Bit.LY is a portfolio company owned by Betaworks, an investor in Twitter, through their partnership with Summize. In addition, despite all the rumors, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone told the ladies on The View that Twitter is “not for sale.”
Amazon unveiled the big screen Kindle DX to much fan fare yesterday. The new gadget, which is 10.4″ x 7.2″ x 0.38″ and will retail for $489, will be subsidized by The New York Time, Washington Post and Boston Globe for users who subscribe to the newspaper on a long-term basis. The Kindle DX will also come with built in 3G wireless connection.
Nielsen Media Research is three days late delivering primetime ratings and the networks are furious. The snafu is causing network executives particular stress, as many shows are in the last episodes of the season and decisions on whether to bring them back for another year need to be made. An anonymous executive said “It makes you really wonder, though, about the validity of anything they put out.”
News Corp operating income fell 72% during the first quarter. The media giant, whose operating income was approximately $755 million, blamed the losses on not broadcasting the Super Bowl and selling eight local stations, both of which the company had this time last year. CEO Rupert Murdock noted that “Despite this tough environment, we have proven resilient in several key areas this quarter” and that the “worst is over.”
David Rehr is stepping down from his position as president of the National Association of Broadcasters. Rehr, who was hired for his ties to Republican leadership, had some snafu’s during his term, mainly NAB’s failed attempt at blocking the Sirius-XM merger. Rehr will be replaced by Janet McGregor, NAB’s COO and CFO.