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Disney Bid for Pixar Imminent (LAT)
The Walt Disney Company is planning to announce the acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios in a stock transaction valued at about $7 billion. Disney's board voted to give the chief executive, Robert A. Iger, the authority to offer about $59 a share for the company. Fortune via CNN: Eisner objects to Disney's Pixar price.

PBS Picks New President (Boston Globe)
Paula A. Kerger, a top executive at New York public television stations WNET and WLIW, will be the public broadcasting service's sixth president and CEO, the PBS board announced yesterday. NYT: Kerger is a longtime public television station executive with extensive fund-raising experience. WaPo: Kerger's appointment was without controversy. She won unanimous approval from PBS's board.

Friends Reunion Wishful Thinking? (UPI)
NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker Monday said there is not "one ounce of truth" to widespread reports that the popular sitcom's six stars had signed big money deals with NBC to revisit their characters for four one-hour episodes.

NYT Dissolves Washington Editor Position (NYO Media Mob)
New York Times Washington Bureau Chief Phil Taubman announced replacements for departed Washington editor Kate Phillips, who was forced out of the bureau in December. Rather than filling the position, which was the bureau's No. 2 spot, the paper has split it into three separate posts.

Knight Cuts On the Way (WSJ)
Job cuts, benefit reductions, and reduced newspaper sizes are part of a plan to improve margins by as much as $150 million a year at newspaper chain Knight Ridder Inc.

Abducted Reporter's Fate Still Uncertain (CSM)
Asked if there is any hopeful news, Jill Carroll's father replied, "We've been encouraged by the outpouring of messages from Jill's family and friends from around the world, who've lent their support and their prayers..." CJR Daily: While their reaction is muted at the moment, somber bloggers—like concerned journalists the world over—are still holding out hope for Carroll's release.

Times-Pic Staff Don't Need Awards, They Need Cash (Huffington Post)
Susan Feeney: The Picayune staff surely will win many of journalism's top honors this year. And they deserve them. But what they need right now is cash. As one woman who lost everything said, "It takes a fortune to start over."

Frey's Memoir Was Called Into Question Pre-Oprah (NYT)
More than three months before questions were raised about A Million Little Pieces—before, in fact, Frey was a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show—producers at the program were told that his portrayal of his rehab experience grossly distorted reality. AP via USAT: In an "Amazon.com Exclusive," embattled author James Frey calls Jay McInerney's new novel his best since his sensational 1984 debut.

Paper Lets Readers Choose Front Page Stories (E&P)
Under a new initiative launched Monday, the 101,000-circulation daily Wisconsin State Journal in Madison will let readers vote on its website each day for the story they'd most like to see on the front page.

Yahoo, MS Deny Sharing Personal Data With Feds (UPI)
Yahoo and Microsoft say they did not turn over any private information to the government when they complied with a subpoena. Both companies say that they provided data that contained nothing that would allow the government to identify specific users of their search engines. NYP: Yahoo acknowledges Google market dominance.

Time for Another Media Guy Pop Quiz (AdAge)
Simon Dumenco: I know this is going to be a shock to some of you, but it's already time again for Media Guy's Media Studies pop quiz. All books off your desk—now!

Lessons From the WaPo Blog Meltdown (Slate)
Jack Shafer: One of the great mysteries—and disappointments—of my career is that despite my best efforts I've never been the target of a protest by an angry minority organization, a special interest group, or a political caucus. PR Week: Shafer on annoying "hall monitors" and man's critical nature.

Rupe's Populism (Guardian)
From The Simpsons to his assault on high taxes, Rupert Murdoch's always been the little guy's friend, writes Zoe Williams. "If he's on a crusade for anyone at all, it's the non risk-takers, the head-down types who earn a fair amount through honest grind."

Media's Terror Test (Media Channel)
Dan Kennedy: President Bush's political advisers said they intend to conduct the 2006 congressional campaign on the basis of a lie about the Democrats. Will the media call them on it? Or are they too hidebound by the traditional rules of objectivity?

Buttafuocos, Amy Fisher to Reunite on TV Special (AP via MSNBC)
More than a decade after 16-year-old Amy Fisher had a sexual relationship with a much-older car mechanic and shot his wife in the face, the one-time "Long Island Lolita" and Joey and Mary Jo Buttafuoco have agreed to appear together in a televised reunion.

Trump Sues Warner Books, NYT Writer Over New Book (BusinessWire via Yahoo)
Real estate mogul and TV star Donald Trump on Tuesday said he had sued Warner Books and author Timothy O'Brien for what he claimed were defamatory statements in O'Brien's book "TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald."

David Lee Roth Hard to Work With? Where Have We Heard That Before? (Lowdown)
Lloyd Grove: Looks like the rock-star-turned-shock-jock is having an ugly launch as Howard Stern's successor, with radio station staffers grumbling about Roth's allegedly bad behavior.

Sporting News to Pay Mega Ad Fines (AP via MSNBC)
The Sporting News agreed to a $7.2 million settlement with the federal government to resolve claims it promoted illegal Internet and telephone gambling in print, on its Web site and on its radio stations.

—David S. Hirschman