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Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt Sue Newspaper (BBC)
Hollywood couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are suing the News Of The World newspaper after it published allegations about their relationship. In a story published on January 24, the paper said the couple would separate and had agreed the division of assets and custody of their children.

Minnesota Star Tribune Newsroom Buys 'Thank You' Ad Remembering Downsized Colleagues (MinnPost)
Paid for by current and former newsroom troops, an ad ran on page A5 of the Strib this morning. It only includes names of newsroom staffers who gave permission. The ad notes 1,000 of 2,000 Strib employees have lost their jobs since January 2007; staggering.

Twitter Is Not Killing Journalism, Journalists Are Killing Journalism (Cronkite/McGuire on Media)
Tim McGuire: How many times did we old-timers sit in a newsroom and pine to communicate with our readers immediately? Oh, about every day! Now journalists can establish a news bond with readers that if used correctly, can become irrevocable and intimate.

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Super Bowl XLIV: Most Watched TV Program Ever (TVNewser)
The 2010 NFL Super Bowl was the most watched television program in American history. Roughly 106.5 million people watched the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts in South Florida Sunday. CBS had the broadcast and aired plenty of promos for CBS programming, including an ad for CBS News that ran during the big game. HuffPo: What are the other top TV telecasts of all time?

No Hope For Newsstand Sales? (FishbowlNY)
According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, newsstand sales for magazines dropped 9.1 percent last year, with overall subscriptions down 2.23 percent. Popular individual titles fell anywhere from 41 percent (W magazine) to 30 percent (Good Housekeeping). Folio: Of ABC's 25 best-selling newsstand magazines, only six saw an increase during the second half of 2009. NYP: While both Time and Newsweek each recorded sharp declines, it was the latter that suffered the most, booking a 41.3 percent plunge in newsstand sales to slightly more than 62,000.

Google Prepares Facebook Assault (FT)
Google is set to make a fresh attempt to gain a stronger foothold in the booming social networking business today. The search company is preparing to announce new features for Gmail that would extend the capabilities of the internet-based email service to mirror some aspects of Facebook.

Figuring Out The New York Times' 'Most Emailed' List (NYT)
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have intensively studied the New York Times list of most-e-mailed articles, checking it every 15 minutes for more than six months, analyzing the content of thousands of articles and controlling for factors like the placement in the paper or on the Web home page. The results are surprising.

New Instances of Plagiarism by Daily Beast's Posner Found (Slate)
Jack Shafer: Last week, Daily Beast reporter Gerald Posner admitted he plagiarized from the Miami Herald. We have uncovered additional examples of plagiarism by Posner in the Daily Beast from the Texas Lawyer, a Miami Herald blog, a Miami Herald editorial, a Miami Herald article, and a health care journalism blog.

Do-It-Yourself Super Ads (NYT)
Among those Super Bowl commercials consistently deemed most effective, memorable and talked-about, many were created or suggested by consumers -- or produced internally by the sponsors -- rather than the work of agency professionals. That should give the modern-day "Mad Men" pause. Bloomberg BusinessWeek: Why do consumer companies spend millions on Super Bowl ads that ignore or insult the over-50 audience that buys the most products? PRNewser: Super Bowl PR winners and losers.

Publishers Win a Bout in E-Book Price Fight (NYT)
Could book publishers suddenly be in the position of telling Google what to do? With the impending arrival of digital books on the Apple iPad and feverish negotiations with Amazon.com over e-book prices, publishers have managed to take some control -- at least temporarily -- of how much consumers pay for their content.

Toyota Dealers Pull ABC TV Ads; Anger Over 'Excessive Stories' (ABC News)
Toyota dealers in five southeast states have pulled their commercials off ABC TV local affiliates, complaining about the coverage of Toyota safety problems by ABC News and its chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross. NYTPicker: NYT regularly repeating Toyota scoops first published in LAT and elsewhere without credit?

Hugh Hefner Sued By Playboy Shareholder (TMZ)
A class action lawsuit filed by a Playboy shareholder claims the company is falling apart and Hugh has intentionally sabotaged two potential deals in the last 6 months to sell the company at a decent price. The suit laments, "Today, the price of a Playboy magazine is far higher than the price of Playboy common stock."

How Demand Media Is Infiltrating Major Publishers (Silicon Alley Insider)
Steven Kydd, the executive vice president in charge of Demand Studios, said there are several major publishers experimenting with Demand Media. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's travel section and Yahoo! use some of Demand's content. And Hearst has experimented with offering Demand Media content on RealBeauty.com.

Leno Exits 10pm Slot Tonight -- With Little Fanfare (Variety)
NBC is keeping tonight's The Jay Leno Show finale extra low-key. The host is also expected to mention his Tonight Show return on March 1. But beyond that, the pomp and circumstance will be nil. That's intentional, as NBC is trying to rehab the images of both Leno and The Tonight Show.

Brian Williams: NBC News Thrives Despite Network's Troubles (CP)
Forget Jay Leno. Maybe NBC should have considered Brian Williams for a prime-time job. The week before last, Williams' Nightly News was seen by an average of 10.1 million viewers each evening. Not only was that more than Leno, it beat every other program NBC showed in prime time all week.

MTV No Longer About 'Music' (The Wrap)
MTV changed its logo for the first time in roughly 30 years on Monday. It was a minor change with major symbolism. The network -- known more for its scripted reality show programming these days than music videos -- dropped the "Music Television" tagline from the Frank Olinsky-designed original.

Online Video One Step Closer to TV-Sized Ad Loads (AdAge)
Shows that run online have thus far had significantly fewer ads than shows that run on the boob tube. But that could soon change. Starting this fall, Nielsen intends to start making available data that take into account viewing of commercials that run in a particular show, no matter whether they are seen online or on TV.

Survey: Clutter Causing TV Ads to Lack Effectiveness (Mediaweek)
According to a joint Association of National Advertisers and Forrester Research survey of more than 100 national advertisers, 62 percent of respondents think TV ads have become less effective in the past two years. The main culprit cited by respondents was clutter, with 69 percent saying they would like fewer commercials per pod.

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Howard Stern Confirms Idol Talks (The Wrap)
Howard Stern told his satellite radio listeners on Monday that he is considering leaving Sirius -- and radio altogether -- to become a judge on American Idol. Stern confirmed a report that Fox is interested in hiring the Sirius shock jock to replace Simon Cowell on the reality show.

For New and Healthy Recipes, a Magazine Turns to Leftovers (NYT)
When Health magazine promoted "Your New Favorite Dinners" in its December issue, there was just one problem: the dinners weren't exactly new. Real Simple, which like Health is owned by Time Inc., had created and run essentially the same five recipes in its February 2009 issue.

Veteran Journalist Concedes Plagiarism in Daily Beast Article (Slate)
Veteran journalist Gerald Posner acknowledged Friday that he copied five sentences from a Miami Herald article for a piece he wrote for The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast appended an editor's note to the beginning of Posner's piece, explaining that the copying was "inadvertent" and that The Daily Beast had deleted the copied passages.

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The Story Behind That Leno-Letterman-Oprah Super Bowl Promo (USAT)
The late-night TV skirmish continues: Jay Leno and David Letterman, who traded sharp barbs last month over NBC's late-night maneuvering, appeared on camera in a short promo for CBS' Late Show with David Letterman during Sunday's Super Bowl -- with Oprah Winfrey as the referee. WSJ: Denny's, Doritos and Snickers score big in the ad bowl. NYT: In Super Bowl commercials, it was the Nostalgia Bowl. NYP: After a brutal two-year slump, Madison Avenue is hoping the Super Bowl has kicked off a Hail-Mary comeback for the beleaguered ad business. THR: How Hollywood fumbled its Super Bowl ads. AgencySpy: Y&R's Lora Schulson says the best Super Bowl ad belongs to E*Trade.

Macmillan Books Return to Amazon After Dispute (NYT/Bits)
Electronic and paper books from the publisher Macmillan were returning to Amazon.com on Friday evening, ending a week-long public conflict. Details of the resolution have not been made public, but the restoration of Macmillan books to Amazon's site indicates a peaceful settlement was reached. NYT: The fight over who sets prices at the online mall. Christian Science Monitor: Hachette emerges as new challenger in Amazon pricing war.

The Rise and Fall of Former NY1 Anchor Dominic Carter (New York Mag)
When he was on top, Dominic Carter was the boxy political anchor for NY1 and longtime host of the cable news program Inside City Hall. But Carter's world imploded spectacularly last fall after the New York Post discovered he was standing trial in an upstate courtroom on charges of spousal assault.

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ABC News' Diane Sawyer Gamble Pays Off (LAT)
Quietly taking over as anchor from Charles Gibson at ABC World News at the end of last year, Diane Sawyer brought with her not only an impressive resumé, an excellent name-recognition rating and some pretty cool new graphics, but also a remarkably counter-intuitive manner.

AOL Taps Content Chief (Variety)
AOL, which is investing more in original online content in order to attract more marketing dollars from advertisers, has tapped David Eun as its top content chief. He starts reporting to AOL chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong when he begins the job in March.

Hedge-fund Creditors Win Round in Philly Newspapers' Bankruptcy Case (Philadelphia Daily News)
The hedge funds holding most of the secured debt in the Daily News and Inquirer are not required to disclose what they paid for it, a federal bankruptcy judge ruled yesterday. Philadelphia Newspapers LLC, the local investor group that has owned the papers since mid- 2006, immediately appealed the ruling to U.S. District Court.

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CEOs Defend Comcast-NBC Universal Deal (LAT)
Congress on Thursday began evaluating fears that the proposed combination of cable television giant Comcast Corp. and NBC Universal would further concentrate the nation's media outlets into the hands of a few, and create a corporate colossus that critics contend could crush small competitors and Internet entrepreneurs, while also leading to higher cable bills. NYT: Democratic lawmakers in House and Senate subcommittees pledged a vigorous review of the deal without objecting to it outright. AgencySpy: Comcast to celebrate NBCU buy with terrible rebranding.

Idol Producers Want Howard Stern to Replace Cowell (P6)
American Idol producers are reportedly eager to hire Howard Stern to replace Simon Cowell as the show's tough-talking judge, sources say. An insider said that Stern, America's highest-paid radio personality, is the top choice to take over from Cowell, who is leaving Idol at the end of this season.

Hachette Book Group to Transition to Agency Model (GalleyCat)
In an email to agents yesterday, Hachette Book Group USA CEO David Young announced a shift to an agency model for eBook pricing. "[The agency model] allows Hachette to make pricing decisions that are rational and reflect the value of our authors' works. In the long run this will enable Hachette to continue to invest in and nurture authors' careers."

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Bankrupt Air America's Creditors Include Rachel Maddow, Ron Reagan (NYT/Media Decoder)
When Air America Media, the liberal radio network, went bust last month, it left several of its better-known contributors, including Rachel Maddow and Ron Reagan, holding i.o.u.'s. According to the company's bankruptcy filing, its unsecured debts exceeded its net worth by more than $15 million at the end.

Amazon Gives the Self-Published a Second Life (USAT)
Amazon vice president Jeff Belle says the company's first venture into traditional publishing "identifies great books that we think have been overlooked and brings them to a wider audience." It's starting small, but, Belle says, "we plant a lot of seeds."

Letterman Show Adds Female Writer (NYT/Media Decoder)
Ending what had been a somewhat embarrassing drought at the big late-night comedy shows, CBS's Late Show with David Letterman has added a female writer to its staff. The writers' rooms on several late-night shows were pointed to as examples of purely male enclaves in recent reports about the male dominance among comedy writers.

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Stewart on O'Reilly Factor: 'Fox News is the Most Passionate...of Any News Organization' (TVNewser)
Jon Stewart entered Bill O'Reilly's No Spin Zone yesterday for the first time in more than five years. Before and after the interview, there was light, friendly banter, but when the cameras started rolling, Stewart told O'Reilly how he really feels about Fox News -- challenging the very premise of Fox being a news network. LAT: The Daily Show host blasts Fox's "panic attack" coverage of Obama and the economy. O'Reilly says "the narrative of a couple of guys" doesn't represent the whole network. HuffPo: Video of O'Reilly's interview with Stewart.

CBS' Sean McManus Defends Couric, Denies Reports of Contract Trouble (TVNewser)
Yesterday The Drudge Report and NY Post reported that CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric was facing a pay cut. But CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus says: "There hasn't been one single discussion about altering Katie's role or adjusting her contract."

Monster Buys HotJobs From Yahoo For $225 Million (TechCrunch)
Yahoo has been trying to unload HotJobs for a while, and it has finally come to a deal with Monster, which will take the site off of Yahoo's hands for $225 million in cash. As part of the deal, Monster will continue to power Yahoo's job listings for three years. E&P: HotJobs was one of the benefits touted by Yahoo when forming the newspaper consortium in 2006. More than 600 daily and weekly newspapers are part of the HotJobs network. Monster noted that combined with HotJobs, its network now encompasses 1,000 local newspapers.

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Couric, CBS at an Impasse (NYP)
With a little more than a year to go on her contract, Katie Couric is dressing up her resume. The CBS anchor, now 53, is facing a huge pay cut in her unprecedented $15 million-a-year salary. More importantly, her bosses at CBS have not yet said whether they want to keep her -- at any price.

Engadget Calls a Timeout for Commenters (Wired/Epicenter)
The widely-read Engadget tech news blog has shut off commenting for the time being. The step is intended to prevent the domination of "feedback" from what is always a small minority of determined, vocal individuals intent on hijacking a conversation and baiting others in a tit-for-tat, war-of-words escalation.

Conservative Blogger Faces Criticism Over Protege (NPR)
The conservative online news entrepreneur Andrew Breitbart makes the media a prime target throughout his blog empire. "They want to control the narrative," Breitbart says. "I'm saying, 'No more!' The new media has freed it up. I'm sorry, mainstream media. It's over. Your ability to control the narrative is over."

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Cable News Program Rankings: FNC Nabs Top 13 (TVNewser)
In January, Fox News had the top 13 cable news programs in both total viewers and the demo starting with Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck in the three spots. It's the first time in five years they've had the top 13 in the A25-54 demo. TVNewser: FNC was up double digits compared to January of '09, the only network to post any year-to-year gains. NYT/Media Decoder: CNN managed to move past one of its rivals, MSNBC, in prime time for the first time in six months -- though both channels remained distant also-rans to the dominant Fox News Channel.

Book Claim: Brauchli Left WSJ With $6.4M (Politico)
In Sarah Ellison's forthcoming book on the sale of Dow Jones, the ex-Journal media reporter writes that editor Marcus Brauchli "was due $3 million regardless of how he left Dow Jones." Brauchli's attorney then negotiated an additional $3.4 million from News Corp.

Films Boost News Corp. Total Profit 44 Percent (The Wrap)
News Corporation reported strong earnings on Tuesday for its fiscal second quarter, a sign that the media giant is emerging from the recession. "From crisis comes clarity," chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch told investors during a conference call Tuesday afternoon.

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