FishbowlDC FishbowlLA TVNewser TVSpy SocialTimes LostRemote MediaJobsDaily more GalleyCat AppNewser UnBeige AgencySpy PRNewser 10,000 Words AllFacebook AllTwitter semanticweb.com

Merrill Knox

Merrill Knox is Senior Editor of TVSpy and Co-editor of TVNewser. She joined Mediabistro in 2011 after four years working for "Your World with Neil Cavuto" at Fox News Channel. When she's not reading or writing, Merrill is most often found trying to anticipate the next plot twist on "Homeland." Follow her on Twitter @merrillknox or email her at merrill@mediabistro.com.

Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey Celebrate Women in the World

In her opening remarks on the second day of The DailyBeast/Newsweek Women in the World Summit, former Secretary of State and New York Senator Hillary Clinton called women’s rights the 21st century’s “unfinished business.”

“The world is changing beneath our feet, and it is past time to embrace a 21st-century approach to advancing the rights and opportunities of women and girls,” Clinton said. “Technology, from satellite television to cell phones, from Twitter to Tumbler, is helping to bring abuses out of the shadows and into the center of global consciousness.”

Clinton’s remarks framed the morning session of panel discussions at the Summit. Clinton’s daughter Chelsea, a board member at The Clinton Foundation and a special correspondent for NBC News, was the morning’s first moderator, steering a panel about women’s roles in science, math and computer programming. The morning’s other moderators included ABC News anchor Cynthia McFadden, former CNN anchor Campbell Brown and CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell.

Read more

‘Citizen Hearst’: An Inside Look at the Hearst Media Empire

Ahead of its premiere at two New York City theaters next week, FishbowlNY attended a screening of Citizen Hearst Monday at the SoHo House. The documentary, directed by Academy Award nominee Leslie Iwerks and narrated by William H. Macy, celebrates the 125th anniversary of the company, interviewing current and former executives for an inside look at the company.

The documentary traces William Randolph Hearst‘s career trajectory from college-dropout publisher of the San Francisco Examiner to the founder of a media empire that boasts 51 newspapers, 300 magazines and 29 television stations. In an interview for the documentary, Dan Rather calls Hearst a “reformist journalist” who just “wanted to make a difference.”

Citizen Hearst features interviews with editors of some of the company’s top magazines, including Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Town & Country and Esquire. Several generations of Hearsts were interviewed, along with several major media personalities including Oprah Winfrey, Bob Iger, Leonard Maltin and Heidi Klum. The film also investigates how major events like the San Francisco earthquake in 1989 and the terrorist attacks of 9/11 have impacted the company.

The documentary will be shown at two NYC locations — the Chelsea Theatre and the 1st & 62nd Theatre — on March 14.

Citizen Hearst also featured an interview with the architect of the Hearst Tower in Manhattan, which MediabistroTV got a tour of last year. Watch it after the jump. Read more

Ann Curry, Tyra Banks, Peggy Noonan Receive 2012 Matrix Awards

Eight influential women were honored this afternoon at the New York Women in Communications 2012 Matrix Awards. The event was held at the Waldorf-Astoria and emceed by NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan.

Katie Couric, who presented a Matrix Award to Tyra Banks, walked the red carpet before the ceremony with a stool so the pair could (sort of) stand shoulder-to-shoulder (pictured). “I feel like I’m standing next to Shaquille O’Neal!” Couric quipped.

Couric’s ABC news colleagues  Josh Elliott, “20/20″ EP David Sloan and SVP of communications Jeffrey Schneider attended to honor Walt Disney EVP and chief communications officer Zenia Mucha. Mucha was presented by Barbara Walters.

In her speech, Walters said Mucha, a first-generation immigrant who lived in Poland until she was 9, “might just have the toughest job of anyone I know.”

“Even Mickey Mouse doesn’t make a move without checking with Zenia,” Walters said. Read more

‘NY’s Funniest Reporter’ Contest Slated for August

Calling aspiring comedians: this year’s “New York’s Funniest Reporter” contest has been scheduled for August 19.

The competition, now in its seventh year, calls on New York reporters to do five minutes of stand-up comedy at the Comic Strip Live Comedy Club on the Upper East Side. All the contestants will be assigned a professional comedy “mentor” to help them prepare.

Last years’ competitors included WPIX’s Greg Mocker, HLN’s Jane Velez-Mitchell, FNC’s Courtney Friel and FBN’s Adam Shapiro. HLN producer Marlaina Schiavo was the 2011 winner.