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Big Media Executives Take To FCC To Fight Political Advertising Disclosures (TVNewser)
Have you ever wondered exactly how much the Mitt Romney or Barack Obama campaigns are paying for their television advertising? If the companies that own most of those TV outlets get their wish, you won't find out. AllFacebook: Facebook's timeline may become available for pages at the end of the month, offering unique opportunities and challenges for elected officials and their campaigns.

Primetime Shakeup At FBN: Bolling, Asman, Napolitano Shows Dropped (TVNewser)
A major overhaul is coming to Fox Business Network's primetime programming later this month. The network is dropping three shows, hosted by Judge Andrew Napolitano, David Asman, and Eric Bolling. HuffPost: FBN announced a drastic shakeup of its programming Thursday, canceling all of its primetime shows and replacing them with reruns. The network has long trailed its major business news rival, CNBC, in the ratings. NYT / Media Decoder: In place of the political talk shows that are currently shown from 8 p.m.-11 p.m., FBN will replay its programming shown from 5 p.m.-8 p.m., giving more exposure to three of its best-known anchors.

Craig Ferguson Nearing Deal To Stay Put At CBS Through 2014 (THR)
Craig Ferguson is very likely staying put at CBS. The Late Late Show host is nearing a new deal to remain with the network through 2014. As part of the pact, Ferguson's 12:35 a.m. show, which launched in early 2005, will move to a bigger stage at CBS' TV City, a well-placed source tells The Hollywood Reporter.

The Logic Of A Thomson Reuters Takeover Of The Financial Times (Guardian / Michael Wolff)
The Financial Times, having flirted with and then turned down an acquisition offer from Bloomberg, is now talking to Thomson Reuters. I should qualify my source: He or she is not from the deal-making side (where they keep their mouths shut or, at least, more carefully confide), but someone likely to be consulted by the deal-making side. WSJ: Thomson Reuters swung to a loss in the fourth quarter due to a $3 billion goodwill write-down related to its financial-services division, the latest evidence of the struggles following Thomson's $17 billion acquisition of Reuters Group in 2008.

Gannett Offers Early Retirement Package To 665 Employees (JimRomenesko.com)
Gannett U.S. Community Publishing president Bob Dickey told employees: "This offer was designed to be as attractive as or better than others in the industry. The Early Retirement Opportunity Program also is the first offered by Gannett since 2008. The offer provides for salary continuation of two weeks' pay for each complete year of service, capped at 52 weeks, and ongoing health, dental, and vision coverage during this period." Gannett Blog: The offer was extended to "665 U.S. Community Publishing employees who are age 56 with at least 20 years of service, as of March 31, 2012, and who are in certain departments and/or job categories."

Consumers Rally Around JC Penney, Ellen In Face Of Anti-Gay Group's Hate Campaign (AdAge)
The hate campaign launched last week by One Million Moms against JC Penney for its pick of Ellen DeGeneres as the brand's new spokeswoman seems to have backfired.

CNBC Getting Into Reality Programming, Hires Jim Ackerman As SVP (TVNewser)
Jim Ackerman, a onetime Dateline NBC and Today show producer who's been developing series at VH1 for the past several years, is returning to NBC as senior vice president of primetime alternative programming at CNBC. NYT / Media Decoder: CNBC might be turning Wall Street bankers into reality show stars.

Dinner At Rupert's (Bloomberg Businessweek)
Red wine in hand, Rupert Murdoch chatted with guests at his London townhouse on what would be one of the most important nights to the future of his company. It was May 19, 2011. Murdoch had flown in two days earlier for a whirlwind of meetings with his top London executives. He had called the dinner party to hash out once and for all how to handle the phone-hacking scandal that had been hanging over the company for months and was suddenly spinning out of control. New York / Daily Intel: So far, the last editor of News of the World, Colin Myler, who is now editor of the New York Daily News, has escaped blame. Myler, who took over NOTW in 2007, has told the Leveson Inquiry, as it's called, that he did not tolerate phone hacking -- and there is no evidence that the practice took place on his watch. But Thursday his former news editor leveled a charge of a different kind of journalistic misdeed. Buried in the witness statement of former news editor Ian Edmondson was the allegation that Myler had authorized a private investigator to follow two lawyers representing victims of phone hacking.

The Wall Street Journal Covers Fashion Week Fashionably, Finding Uses For Pinterest And Instagram (Nieman Journalism Lab)
The incredible growth of Pinterest -- the (invitation-only) social bulletin board dominated by young and female users -- hasn't gone unnoticed by news organizations. Like Tumblr before it, Pinterest offers the chance to reach massive, sharing-oriented new audiences -- but also requires a different, more visual kind of editorial thinking. The Wall Street Journal is giving it an early try by looping in another booming young social app. The Journal has deployed nine journalists to cover Fashion Week in New York, all armed with iPhones and Instagram accounts.

Time Adds Editor-At-Large (FishbowlNY)
Time has named Harry McCracken an editor-at-large. McCracken, founder of tech site Technologizer, has written for Time and Time.com in the past, and as part of his new role, will contribute more frequently to both. JimRomenesko.com: The Technologizer founder and former PC World editor's expertise "is matched only by his versatility," says Time managing editor Rick Stengel's memo.

Exodus From Politico Continues (FishbowlDC)
Another Politico journalist is jumping ship. This time, it's Charles Hoskinson, who is setting sail to join The Navy Times as managing editor.

WaPo's Wemple Goes Rogue (FishbowlDC)
The Washington Post's executive editor, Marcus Brauchli, sent out a memo Wednesday saying that the publication would be offering voluntary buyouts to "some newsroom employees." You might wonder if one of those employees might be media blogger Erik Wemple after a post he wrote about it.

Cottages & Gardens Adds New York Edition (FishbowlNY)
New York Cottages & Gardens (NYC&G) will debut in March. The publication targets design enthusiasts living in high-income regions within New York City, Westchester, the Gold Coast of Long Island, and Hudson Valley. minOnline: The content focuses on décor, design, real estate, gardening, and decoration. The publisher, which is known for high-end oversized luxury books like Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, will issue the new title five times per year, two in spring and three in the fall.

The Rise And Fall Of Spanish-Language Weekly Newspapers In California (HuffPost / Latino Voices)
Across the country and Spanish- and English-language publishing, print publications' bottom lines have been decimated by a critical combination of factors. In the wake of the economic downturn -- with California being hit particularly hard -- and the widening reach of the Internet, few print publications have been spared budget cuts, layoffs, and even closures. But many in the industry anticipated that given the rocketing growth of the Latino population in states like California -- and, consequently, the Spanish-language market -- newspapers speaking to this audience would be a sustainable investment.

The Common Thread Of Person To Person And Rock Center (TVNewser)
The NBC and CBS news divisions each programmed one hour of primetime Wednesday night to mixed viewer results.