Media Watch: Facebook Feedback Council, Hulu to Sell, Tablet Users Double by 2012, Salon Chief Out

-As Facebook looks to generate more ad revenues, the social networking hub is forming a twelve-member client council composed of leaders in the advertising world as well as Facebook’s largest clients, reports Ad Age. The group will rotate yearly, allowing a large mix of companies to participate. The first dozen include Nick Brien, CEO of McCann Worldgroup and Wendy Clark, Coca-Cola’s head of integrated marketing.

-Hulu, the online video-streaming site, is officially up for auction. With partners Disney, News Corp. and NBC Universal in talks to sell. Investment banks Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim Partners will serve as the financial advisors looking for bidders for the semi-troubled streaming service. THR analyzes the sale:

If Hulu can find a buyer for $2 billion or more, it could represent a quick one-time financial benefit for the media conglomerates that are partial owners of the online company founded four years ago. Beyond that, though, a sale could also relieve some headaches, offload some testy partnerships and maybe even bring content licensing deals for the owners of TV content that are worth more over the long-term.

-Tablet users will double by early 2012, according to a study from Online Publishers Association. 12% of US web users employ a tablet such as the Apple iPad. This number will grow to 23%, nearly 54 million, by early next year. According to technology analysts, this will mark a shift in the way consumers think about paying for Internet; with tablets, clients become accustomed to paying for applications, as opposed to expecting free services on the internet. About 26% of apps downloaded are paid for. On the other hand, one study shows that only 20% of iPad users are willing to pay for media apps.

-Salon chief executive Richard Gingras (pictured) is stepping down, leaving the media group for Google, where he will become the global head of news products. Gingras has worked with Salon in some way since the Web site’s founding in 1995. In recent months, Gingras had been trying to find a buyer for the Web magazine, but took Salon off the market after talks with online aggregator Newser, fell through (thankfully).