Could Levinson pull a Mark Silva while abroad?!?. Actually Silva himself is also travelling with the president and turned in a 1,000 worder earlier, setting up what we hope will be a delicious Silva-Levinson Word Count Competition.

Then the WaPo wants you! The Post's Pam Kendrick sent out this announcement to staffers today:

With Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb's decision to accept the early retirement offer, we are seeking a skilled editor to succeed her as Obituaries Editor.

Replacing Yvonne will not be easy. She did an exceptional job, raising the quality of our obituaries, introducing innovations in print and online, and managing a staff through a relentless workload.

Qualifications for the position include: A love for the craft of the well-told obituary; impeccable reporting and writing skills; deep knowledge about a host of subjects; a competitive streak; a passion for history and biography; and the capacity to deal effectively and compassionately with the public.

The Obituaries Editor, while reporting and writing obits, supervises a team of experienced reporters. The duties include assigning and editing stories, scheduling, doing staff evaluations, and coordinating with the News Desk, the Metro Copy Desk, other sections, the Photo Desk and WPNI editors. Previous editing experience is preferred but not a prerequisite.

Our policy on obits makes The Post unique in the industry. In addition to reporting on the deaths of the well-known, we will do an obituary on anyone who has lived a substantial portion of his or her life in the Washington region. Obituaries are the news stories that bring The Post into the most intimate contact with its readers.

We are looking for someone with an editor's eye and a reporter's zest, someone who can move the paper further along in its quest to deliver the best news obituaries anywhere. We plan to fill this job internally.

Washington Times: Rumor mill keeps Obama on defense

Washington Examiner: Blog - Yeas and Nays

N.Y. Times: Robert Rauschenberg, American Artist, Dies at 82

L.A. Times: At 25, Justine Henin says she's quitting tennis

USA Today: Lifeline Live Blog: Entertainment News & Rumors

Politico: Bush warns of Iraq disaster

ABC News: The Jacksons: Bellbottoms to Rock Bottom

CBS News: Obama Defeat Signals Race, Rural Problems

Fox News: Britain Opens Up Secret UFO Files

CNN: Thai PM: Myanmar does not want foreign help

Wall Street Journal: New Sites Make It Easier to Spy on Friends

MSNBC: Troops rush to plug 'dangerous' cracks in dam

Congressional Quarterly: GOP Slips McCain's GI Bill Alternative into Play on Senate Floor

Now, we've got the reporters' names:

Mike Huckabee -- Kevin Chupka
Mitt Romney -- Matt Stuart
Condi Rice -- Kirit Radia

Charlie Crist -- Jan Simmonds
Mark Sanford -- Jan Simmonds
Tom Ridge -- Jan Simmonds

Tim Pawlenty -- Christine Byun
Jeb Bush -- Christine Byun
Rob Portman -- Christine Byun

John Cornyn -- Zach Wolf
John Thune -- Zach Wolf
Kay Bailey Hutchinson -- Zach Wolf

Bobby Jindal -- Kate McCarthy
Sonny Perdue -- Kate McCarthy
Jon Huntsman -- Kate McCarthy

"It's two things really," Broder said. "First of all, the paper is like every other paper--feeling the squeeze. And this does get me off the newsroom budget. That is one reason. The other reason is that it's a generous buyout offer."

Drudge calls it the 'end of an era.'

Side note: Does the Politico just randomly add unrelated links to Drudge-linked posts just to stir up more traffic?

Check it out here.

And it is accompanied by this "Message from the Editor":

A Message From the Editor For more than 50 years Roll Call has been your No. 1 source for accurate and nonbiased news, scoops, compelling analysis and behind-the-scenes stories about the Capitol Hill community. Now, Roll Call Group is pleased to unveil a greatly improved RollCall.com, complete with a variety of new features and tools. I'd like to tell you about five new things we're doing at RollCall.com, leading off with 'First Draft,' your backstage pass to Capitol Hill. RollCall.com will take you behind the scenes with 'First Draft,' our up-to-the-minute report on the House, Senate and political campaigns. This unique service is brought to you by a dedicated team of reporters and editors, who will tell you what's happening backstage as Senate leaders negotiate off the floor and as the House agenda evolves. Second, we're going mobile. Now you can always access a mobile-friendly version when you go to www.rollcall.com. Third, Roll Call video. We will offer a rich variety of new video features to keep you on top of developments on the Hill and in the pages of our newspaper, including 'Power Lunch,' a noon update on the news, and advice on what to watch for from our Web editor, Rachel Van Dongen. You can also access the latest Roll Call staff appearances on C-SPAN every Monday and Thursday morning, as well as 'Roll Call TV with Robert Traynham,' our weekly show airing on Comcast's CN-8. Be sure to watch for the video version of our popular Heard on the Hill column, which will air each Wednesday, and lots more. Fourth, we'll offer daily podcasts featuring insights on each day's newspaper and other important news, more from Heard on the Hill, and a regular Politics feature. Fifth, RollCall.com fully integrates the Group's content, allowing subscribers to move between Roll Call and CongressNow, our legislative wire service, and to capture legislative data from GalleryWatch. All of this valuable material is now at your fingertips. I'd also like to introduce Roll Call's Briefing Room, our new centralized intelligence and document service produced by analysts tracking policy developments. I hope you'll take a few minutes to explore RollCall.com, and please let us know what you think.

Charlie Mitchell Editor-in-Chief Roll Call Group

]]> New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
]]> http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/online_media/roll_call_launches_new_website_84818.asp?c=rss http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/online_media/roll_call_launches_new_website_84818.asp?c=rss Online Media Wed, 14 May 2008 13:49:34 -0500 earlier: "Is Downie...Gone?!?"

Erik Wemple heard similar rumors and called Downie last night:

Last night, Washington City Paper called Downie to ask about this big, huge, major announcement on Thursday. His response: "There's no announcement coming on Thursday."

Maybe Friday?

One Postie tells us that the bottom is that Downie's gone, regardless of when (within a few months, at the latest most likely). The only real question is who will succeed him and the fact that Katharine Weymouth hasn't found a replacement may explain why Downie's still around.

>UPDATE: Michael Calderone speculates on who might replace Downie and check out FishbowlDC's earlier speculation on that subject.

]]> New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
]]> http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/the_revolving_door/more_on_downie_rumors_84822.asp?c=rss http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/the_revolving_door/more_on_downie_rumors_84822.asp?c=rss The Revolving Door Wed, 14 May 2008 13:08:31 -0500 This is a friendly call for reader tips / emails / notes on the inner-workings of your news organization for our "Revolving Door" feature.

Who's leaving?

Who just arrived?

Who's switching beats?

Let us know by emailing us at fishbowldc AT mediabistro DOT com or dropping a line in the tips box.


]]> New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
]]> http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/the_revolving_door/the_revolving_door_84678.asp?c=rss http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/the_revolving_door/the_revolving_door_84678.asp?c=rss The Revolving Door Wed, 14 May 2008 12:58:53 -0500 Remember Jim VandeHei's note to Politico employees, begging them to dress better? We hear that the offending parties were Jonathan Martin (flip-flops), Sam Lowenberg (flowing chest hair) and David Paul Kuhn (see through shirts).
]]> New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
]]> http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/capitol_hill/who_are_the_sloppy_politicos_84792.asp?c=rss http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/capitol_hill/who_are_the_sloppy_politicos_84792.asp?c=rss Capitol Hill Wed, 14 May 2008 12:56:54 -0500 That's a big rumor in the Washington Post's newsroom right now. There's a lot of buzz about a big announcement that's expected to land Thursday -- deadline day for filing buyout paperwork, by the way -- and the prevailing rumor is that it has something to do with Len Downie finally announcing that he's leaving.

Posties, drop us a line or note in our tips box:










>UPDATE: Erik Wemple heard similar rumors and called Downie last night:

Last night, Washington City Paper called Downie to ask about this big, huge, major announcement on Thursday. His response: "There's no announcement coming on Thursday."

Maybe Friday?

]]> New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
]]> http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/newspapers/is_downiegone_84791.asp?c=rss http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/newspapers/is_downiegone_84791.asp?c=rss Newspapers Wed, 14 May 2008 10:08:48 -0500
Good morning Washington. Congrats to Wash Times photographer Michael Connor and his wife Nicole, who had their first child on 5/1. Grace Connor weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz. and everyone is healthy and resting at their home in Annapolis.

Quickly navigate Morning Reading List:

NEWSPAPERS | TV | ONLINE MEDIA | MAGAZINES | RADIO | WEST WING REPORTAGE | JOBS

• Leading the photo caption contest is, "Barack told me I had to stay in the basement during his speech announcing his decision to run for President, but I climbed up the walls like this to get a better view" Don't forget to vote!

• Today's "Angry Journalist" rant of the day: "A bad newspaper isn't any better online. Why is this such a hard concept for the corporate people to understand? No wonder people have given up on us."

  NEWSPAPERS

• "The May 6 primaries in North Carolina and Indiana may well have put an end to the contentious fight for the Democratic nomination in the eyes of the media, according to a Project for Excellence in Journalism study of campaign coverage."

• Reuters reports, "The fight to buy Tribune Co's Newsday surprised many in the media world -- not because of its high-profile combatants, but because of the price they were willing to pay to buy a newspaper."

• In the Red State vs. Politico face off, FamousDC declares, "Round 1 of Erickson vs. Bres looks to go to the gentleman from Georgia. We'll pay attention and let you know if either side jumps up for Round 2."

• Media Matters reports, "Military analysts named in Times exposé appeared or were quoted more than 4,500 times on broadcast nets, cables, NPR"

• Secretary of Treasury Paulson is going to keynote the Post 200 event on Friday at the JW Marriott. This event is tied to The Washington Post's Post 200 list. The event is open to the public. For more info, click here.

  Top of post

  TV

• An ABC release announced, "'World News with Charles Gibson' was the #1 evening newscast among Total Viewers, Households, and Adults 25-54 for the week of May 5-9. The ABC News broadcast averaged 8.01 million Total Viewers, and a 1.9/8 among Adults 25-54, outperforming NBC's 'Nightly News' by 210,000 Total Viewers and 100,000 key demo viewers. This marks ABC's largest Total Viewing advantage over NBC in more than 6 months (week of October 29, 2007). Additionally, this is the 17th time this season 'World News' has ranked first among Adults 25-54 and the 10th time this season the broadcast has ranked first among total viewers."

  Top of post

  ONLINE MEDIA

• TechCrunch reports, "The internet is littered with people who don’t know what they’re talking about. Common sense is usually enough to separate the junk from legitimate articles, but even the most highly-regarded publications have been infiltrated by reporters who like to make things up. NewsCred, an international startup based out of Geneva and Stockholm, is trying to address this problem by assigning a credibility rating to every big-name publisher, author, and story."

• FT.com reports, "Eric Schmidt was doing his level best late last week not to gloat. With Microsoft dropping its attempted takeover of Yahoo, the Google chief executive had just seen his arch-rival abandon its most direct attack yet on Google's growing dominance of online search and advertising."

• The Boston Globe reports, "Nearly two decades after the federal government required television networks to provide text captions for hearing-impaired viewers, there's a move afoot to set the same standard for Internet video. Democratic US Representative Ed Markey of Malden is backing a bill that would require major producers of Internet videos to add captions as well as 'video description' soundtracks that describe the on-screen action for blind people."

  Top of post

  MAGAZINES

• Media Daily News reports, "Most big magazine publishers saw total ad pages decline in the first four months of 2008 compared to the same period last year, according to the most recent Group Publisher's Report from TNS Media Intelligence. While some losses can be attributed to the closing of various titles since last year, the broad nature of the declines, cutting across a number of categories, looks ominous for the magazine industry."

  Top of post

  RADIO

• Radio Ink reports, "Sirius Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin said during today's first-quarter earnings call that if the FCC ultimately approves his company's merger with XM Satellite Radio with conditions that are 'so egregious that they're not in shareholders' or subscribers' best interest, then we won't do it.'"

• DCRTV reports, "American University's WAMU (88.5 FM) is touting its fifth place overall finish in the DC radio ratings. Usually, public radio outlets, like WAMU, are not included in the commercial radio ratings. WAMU says its broadcast of NPR's 'Morning Edition' ranks third, with 353,000 weekly listeners. The evening drive, anchored by NPR's 'All Things Considered,' placed second, with more than 214,000 weekly listeners, according to WAMU. The station, which programs news and talk on weekday, and some music programs on weekends, also touts its top-rated Saturday morning and Sunday lineups. When compared with public radio stations in other markets, WAMU says it ranks third nationwide, with 534,100 DC metro listeners, and a weekly total audience of 621,600, including the Baltimore metro. This places WAMU behind only San Francisco's KQED-FM and NYC's WNYC-FM in public radio listenership. Also, WAMU has signed a new contract with the Radio Reseach Consortium, which allows it to use Arbitron ratings data."

  Top of post

  WEST WING REPORTAGE

• Wonkette invites you to "Buy Helen Thomas' Crazy Art"

  Top of post

  JOBS

• Archaeology publisher is looking for an Assistant Editor.

• Stars and Stripes is looking for an Editor for Newspaper Copy and Editor for Newspaper Web Assistant.

• Biblical Archaeology Society is looking for an Editor.

• Tax Analysts is looking for an Editor.

• Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive is looking for a Producer; Jobs, Cars, and Real Estate

• Times Community Newspapers is looking for a News Editor

• USA TODAY seeks a Senior Video Editor with solid news judgment

• FierceMarkets, Inc. is seeking a Web-savvy Senior IT Editor.

  Top of post

  Hat Tips: DCRTV, TVNewser, IWantMedia, Romenesko, MediaBistro, JournalismJobs, JournalismNext

  ]]> New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
  ]]> http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/taking_out_the_trash/morning_reading_list_051408_84767.asp?c=rss http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/taking_out_the_trash/morning_reading_list_051408_84767.asp?c=rss Taking Out The Trash Wed, 14 May 2008 10:05:07 -0500