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ESPN Shakeup: John Skipper To Become President, Bodenheimer To Become Executive Chairman (TVNewser)
In a major development at sports juggernaut ESPN, Disney has announced that ESPN president George Bodenheimer will step down and become executive chairman of the channel in January 2012. Meanwhile, John Skipper will become the new president of ESPN, as well as co-chairman of Disney Media Networks alongside Anne Sweeney. Multichannel News: Skipper, 55, has served as executive vice president of content since October 2005. He joined ESPN in June 1997 as senior VP and general manager of ESPN The Magazine. Previously, he was senior VP of Disney Publishing Group, overseeing all of Disney's magazine, book, and licensed publishing operations in the United States. LA Times: Disney said Bodenheimer, 53, who has worked at ESPN since 1981, wanted to step back from day-to-day management but will remain with ESPN in the newly created role of executive chairman. His contract would have expired at the end of 2011. B&C: Skipper has been responsible for negotiating new rights deals with the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, FIFA, The Masters, The British Open, Wimbledon, and several college conferences. He also launched the ESPN Film series of documentaries. Variety: Bodenheimer's history at ESPN was built on the sales and affiliate side of the business before becoming prexy, yet he was always a huge proponent of acquiring content to build the net's portfolio. Under his regime, ESPN has grown into a conglom that encompasses eight TV domestic networks, 48 global channels, 18 websites, and 7,000 employees, many based at the company's Bristol, Conn., headquarters.

Roots Welcome Bachmann With 'Lyin' Ass Bitch' On Fallon (HuffPost)
It's usually the host delivering the political snark, but Monday night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, it was the house band that provided the pointed message. As Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) made her way across the stage, The Roots, who back Fallon each night, played a coded message of a song for her introduction music. Astute ears -- or Twitter followers of drummer Questlove -- could identify the song: "Lyin' Ass Bitch" by Fishbone. Business Insider / The Wire: Tuesday evening, Fallon tweeted that he's sorry The Roots played Fishbone's "Lyin' Ass Bitch" when Bachmann took the stage Monday night. We understand why Fallon (likely after hours of consideration) took the option. It's not just about the fact that, however loosely the term may be used in TV context, Bachmann was a guest on his show. Fallon's fledgling show has been built on a brand of positivity -- he's successfully entertained guests of varying politics and reputation without ever offending anyone. Until last night, when that brand got diluted. Gawker: Did you hear Bachmann at Tuesday's Republican debate saying that terrorists have made six different attempts on Pakistan's 15 nuclear sites? That's not information that's ever been made public! Which raises the question: Did Bachmann just leak classified information to a national audience? HuffPost: Fox & Friends host Gretchen Carlson reminisced Tuesday about her childhood babysitter -- GOP presidential candidate Bachmann.

Over-The-Top Coverage Of Cain's Gaffe In Florida (CJR / Campaign Desk)
Eleven seconds. That's how long the exchange lasted between Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain and Miami Herald political reporter Marc Caputo during a campaign swing through south Florida last week.

Without Regis, Life Goes On At Live! (B&C)
Disney-ABC's Live! with Kelly held up nicely in its first day without Regis Philbin, as Jerry Seinfeld stepped in as the show's first guest co-host.

Wackermann Resumes Direct Responsibility At Glamour, Wagenheim Out After Three Months As Publisher (AdAge / MediaWorks)
Bill Wackermann, the executive vice president and publishing director responsible for Glamour and previously Glamour's publisher since 2004, is resuming direct responsibility for the title, a spokeswoman for Glamour confirmed. Wackermann is taking direct publishing duties back from Jason Wagenheim, who was named publisher of Glamour only in September. Wagenheim will be staying at Condé Nast in a new role, Condé Nast said. Adweek: Meanwhile, Wagenheim's short-lived stint has people talking about larger issues facing Glamour. The title that's known as Condé Nast's biggest cash cow has had a run of bad numbers this year -- its first-half newsstand sales were down 17.5 percent to 453,707, although that's still more than most of its key competitors. (Marie Claire was down 21.5 percent, but its newsstand volume is less than one-half of Glamour's.) WWD / Memo Pad: "I feel like maybe [Wagenheim] had the impression that Bill would move into a different role and it never happened," said one insider. "Jason came into the job with a lot of strategy and creativity," said another source, adding that Wagenheim received the news Monday from Condé Nast president Bob Sauerberg, while Wackermann was traveling.

Prometheus Execs Make Their Exodus, As Billboard Searches For Direction (paidContent)
Over the past few weeks, as Prometheus Global Media -- the owner of b-to-b trade magazines Adweek, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, and Back Stage -- has continued to find the right formula for its various titles, the company has seen a number of top executives exit, suggesting that the changes in design and focus have left many staffers uncertain about the direction of the business, especially at Billboard, which is in the midst of a revamp.

Managing Editor Of Bloomberg TV Leaves For Reuters (FishbowlNY)
Dan Colarusso is joining Reuters as its new global head of programming. Colarusso was most recently managing editor of Bloomberg Television, and prior to that he was Portfolio.com's editor, and had earlier stints editing the New York Post's Business and Metro sections. paidContent: The defection from Bloomberg TV to Reuters comes as the financial news services try to expand their audiences to a more general business audience while continuing to jockey for position among Wall Street traders and firms, which are experiencing massive layoffs amid the wild daily swings of global market indices.

L.A. Times Media Group Makes Exec Changes To Focus On New Media (LA Times)
The Los Angeles Times Media Group announced a series of executive changes to accelerate efforts to boost advertising and other revenue from digital and emerging media.

Why James Murdoch Might Never Take Over Rupert's Media Empire (Daily Beast)
Rupert Murdoch sees James as his last hope of keeping News Corp. under family control, but the younger man may not be able to withstand attacks from shareholders, investors, and members of Parliament, who accuse him of running a mafia racket. Guardian: The Scottish newspaper accused of inaccurately portraying a murdered schoolgirl as a bully at the Leveson inquiry has apologized for any upset it has caused to her parents.

Playboy Leads Magazines With Over 5 Million Facebook Likes (Folio:)
In the oft-surprising, constantly evolving world of social media, Facebook is still seen as today's most influential social platform.

Zinio Raises $20 Million For Digital Newsstand (TechCrunch)
Zinio, which bills itself as the world's largest digital newsstand and bookstore, has raised $20 million in new funding, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Will Dailies Stay Daily? (AJR)
Mark Medici, then-vice president of audience for The Dallas Morning News, triggered a brief media frenzy in October when he said at a conference that within three years, the Morning News wouldn't be publishing seven days a week. Although the paper quickly backed away from his remark, with publisher Jim Moroney asserting that the Belo-owned paper has no intention of cutting back, the flap raised the question of whether daily newspapers will soon cease to be daily.

Mitt Romney Ad Twists Obama's Words -- And It Works (AdAge / Campaign Trail)
Mitt Romney pulled a blatant fast one with the first TV ad of his presidential campaign -- and the fib is probably working from a branding standpoint.

Tribune Co. To Pay Former CEO Randy Michaels $675K In Settlement (Chicago Tribune)
Tribune Co. agreed to pay former CEO Randy Michaels $675,000 in a settlement stemming from his abrupt resignation from the company Oct. 22, 2010.

McCarren Fumes About Suspended Member's Legitimacy, Calls Him A 'Hobbyist' (FishbowlDC)
If there's something worse than being called a lobbyist, it's being labeled a "hobbyist." What a long strange trip Sam Husseini is taking these days. Hunter S. Thompson he's not. But he is trying his hand at a form of Gonzo "journalism" that's landing him in hot water and earning him the description of hobbyist by the National Press Club's executive director, Bill McCarren. The club recently suspended Husseini for two weeks after they say he became disruptive at a press conference.