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Cable Networks Plan Special Coverage For Iowa (TVNewser)
Like their broadcast counterparts, the cable networks are getting an early start to the new year in Iowa ahead of Tuesday's caucus. TVNewser: Scott Pelley anchored Monday night's CBS Evening News from Iowa's fanciest library. Brian Williams and Diane Sawyer anchored from their New York studios, while Andrea Mitchell, Ron Mott, and Chuck Todd reported for Nightly News, and Jake Tapper and David Muir reported from Iowa for World News. George Stephanopoulos was on set with Sawyer. Poynter / MediaWire: Everyone knows the media loves a horse race, so it's no surprise that journalists covering the Iowa Caucus have gathered at the starting gate in the derby for the White House. A conspiracy theorist might enjoy how they all end up at the same Des Moines bar. Mediaite: Bill O'Reilly was back after his vacation for the first program of the year, and he had some unfinished business to tend to with Rick Santorum. The latter attacked O'Reilly on the radio Monday, suggesting that he was banned from the Factor. O'Reilly responded by reminding Santorum that he wasn't exactly a star in the polls before this week but, now that he was, he was more than welcome to appear on the program Wednesday. HuffPost: Chris Matthews and Martin Bashir had some harsh words for GOP candidate Mitt Romney Monday. HuffPost: Texas Gov. Rick Perry is pushing back against a Politico story that describes deep divisions within the Perry campaign over strategy. THR: Alan Colmes told Santorum he was sorry for calling his behavior 16 years ago over the death of his child "crazy," and Santorum -- speaking to Colmes' former partner, Sean Hannity, on Fox News Channel Monday night -- accepted the apology. NYT / The Caucus: Media mogul Rupert Murdoch signaled his support for Santorum Monday evening, calling him the "only candidate with genuine big vision" for the United States. TechCrunch: Socialbakers tracked interactions between Dec. 1-31 to measure engagement and changes in online candidate popularity for all eight Democratic and Republican presidential political candidates on Facebook. The company plans to do the same for January's New Hampshire primary, upcoming debates, and other newsworthy events. Google Blog: Monday, just in time for the Iowa Caucuses, we launched google.com/elections, an election hub where citizens can study, watch, discuss, learn about, participate in, and perhaps even make an impact on the digital campaign trail as it blazes forward to Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012.

New Day Dawns For CNN Mornings (TVNewser)
A pair of new CNN morning shows -- Early Start, with former ABC and MSNBC anchor Ashleigh Banfield and former Chicago local anchor Zoraida Sambolin, and Starting Point, with onetime CNN American Morning anchor Soledad O'Brien -- debuted Monday morning. HuffPost: Just before 9 a.m. Friday, American Morning signed off. At 5 a.m. Monday, Banfield and Sambolin greeted viewers to CNN's Early Start. Banfield and Sambolin co-hosted Early Start from 5 a.m.-7 a.m. O'Brien anchored Starting Point from 7 a.m.-9 a.m.

Oprah's Next Chapter: Show Debuts With Steve Tyler Interview (HuffPost)
Oprah Winfrey kicked off 2012 with the launch of her new primetime show, Oprah's Next Chapter. The two-hour special premiered Sunday night on OWN and featured an extensive interview with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler at his home in New Hampshire.

NBC Sports Network Faces Off (Multichannel News)
The new year has arrived and so has the NBC Sports Network. THR / The Live Feed: The NBC Sports Network debuted Monday, officially replacing Versus (once named the OLN channel) in a rebranding reboot.

The Rules On News Coverage Are Clear, But The Police Keep Pushing (NYT)
In late November, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly ordered every precinct in his domain to read a statement. Officers, the commissioner said, must "respect the public's right to know about these events and the media's right of access to report." Any officer who "unreasonably interferes" with reporters or blocks photographers will be subject to disciplinary actions. These are fine words. Of course, his words followed on the heels of a few days in mid-November when the police arrested, punched, kicked, and used metal barriers to ram reporters and photographers covering the Occupy Wall Street protests.

Higher Prices Don't Keep Marketers Away From Ad Time For Super Bowl (WSJ)
Despite a steep increase in advertising prices and a lackluster economy, commercial spots for Super Bowl XLVI are all sold out, showing yet another sign of the increasing influence of sports TV on Madison Avenue.

New York Times Now Costs More Than Subway Fare (NY Observer)
The New York Times raised its Monday-Saturday newsstand price from $2 to $2.50, according to a note to readers on Monday's home page. The Sunday newsstand price is staying the same.

Happy New Media Year: M&A Up 9 Percent In 2011 (minOnline)
The hot sectors of marketing services and tech helped drive mergers and acquisitions in the media sector up 9 percent in 2011 compared with 2010, representing a deal value of $47 billion, reports investment bank Jordan Edmiston Group.

Gordon Brown's Downing Street Emails 'Hacked' (The Independent)
Police investigating computer hacking by private investigators commissioned by national newspapers have uncovered evidence that emails sent and received by Gordon Brown during his time as chancellor were illegally accessed.

100 Italian Newspapers Facing Closure (paidContent)
Up to 100 newspaper titles in Italy are facing closure because of the government's subsidy cuts -- down from €170 million per year to €53 million ($221.7 million to $69.1 million).

HuffPost Media's Predictions For 2012: A Look Forward (HuffPost)
Here at HuffPost Media, we observe the media industry keenly all year long -- and we've noticed some patterns.

In With The New: A Look At 2012 (WWD / Memo Pad)
The publishing world is all about what's new and what's next, so 2012 should be right up its alley. There are lots of changes ahead in Media Land.

You Be The Judge: Are Bloggers Journalists? (Forbes)
David Coursey: "I've been working as a journalist for nearly 35 of my 50+ years. Or have I? Under the rules set down by U.S. District Judge Marco A. Hernandez, perhaps I need to revise my resume. And if I do, then many other bloggers are just as out-of-business as I am."

Hitwise: U.S. Google+ Traffic Leaps 55 Percent In December (CNET / Deep Tech)
It's still no Facebook, but Google+ usage by people in the United States surged 55 percent from November to December, Experian Hitwise said.

LeBron James Stocks Store With 45 iPads (CNET / Crave)
As if LeBron James wasn't busy enough with the delayed National Basketball Association season starting and getting engaged, he also had to go and open his own retail store and stuff it to the gills with iPads.