News Byte

SigFig Raises $15 Million From Union Square Ventures and Bain Capital Ventures

Investment advice startup SigFig has raised a $15 million Series B round led by Union Square Ventures and Bain Capital Ventures, the company announced today. Prior investor DCM also participated. SigFig users upload information about their investment portfolios to get advice and recommendations about high fees and bad investments. The company has also started to work with media companies such as CNN and USA Today on partnerships that utilize its aggregate investment data. USV’s John Buttrick will join the startup’s board.

Keep Your Hands Off My Stack

We’ve heard Pandora complain it pays too much in royalties to make a profit. (Of course, we also watched Pandora raise $235 million in its IPO and double its listeners in the last two years.) But a business that exists to deliver music can’t really complain that its biggest cost is music.

Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, writing in USA Today about Pandora’s push to slash artists’ royalties by up to 85 percent

News Byte

Gannett Buying Belo in $2.2 Billion Deal

Gannett, best known as the newspaper publisher behind USA Today, is making a big bet on TV: It is paying $1.5 billion, and taking on $715 million in debt, to acquire local station owner Belo Corp. If the deal gets regulatory approval, Gannett will nearly double its portfolio of TV stations from 23 to 43.

Voices

Smile: People Like Your Picture More Than Your Words

Corporate storytellers need to master a new narrative technique.

Day Two at D: Dive Into Media 2013, in Pictures and Tweets

Storified: The best tweets and pictures from the second day of D: Dive Into Media.

Old Media Is the New Hotness for Chris Hughes and Larry Kramer

The business of news is a hard one, but at least two people running publishing institutions say they’re optimistic.

Timehop Hooks Up With USA Today to Deliver Stories From the Past

A charming smartphone app takes users on a trip down memory lane — now in headlines.

Listen Up! Beats Boss Jimmy Iovine Comes to Dive Into Media.

Next month’s lineup is groaning with heavy hitters, but there’s always room to add a music icon to the list.

Game On! Xbox Bosses Mehdi, Tellem Come to Dive Into Media.

The Xbox is a Web TV player that also happens to work for games. Meet the people in charge of making it an even bigger deal in the media world.

Meet the Man Who Wants to Blow Up the TV Business: Dish Network’s Charlie Ergen Comes to Dive Into Media

A rare appearance from a maverick billionaire with big plans.

An iPhone 4 Review Roundup