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HuffPo Passes Drudge (All Things Digital/BoomTown)
In February, for the first time ever, Arianna Huffington's liberal political mega-blog and news site, the Huffington Post, has apparently surpassed the longtime mighty blog leader, Matt Drudge of the conservative/populist-leaning Drudge Report, according to recent traffic data reports from both comScore and Nielsen Online. New York/Daily Intel: In the grand scheme of the Webosphere, Huff Po's victory really is not a whole lot to write home about, especially when you consider what that victory probably cost HuffPo, writes Maggie Shnayerson.

Sony BMG, Warner Near Music Deal With MySpace (NYP)
MySpace's plan to launch a digital-music joint venture with the major record companies is picking up steam, as the social networking giant nears deals with Sony BMG and Warner Music Group. The agreements could be signed as soon as this week. The service is expected to launch later this year. "Everybody's operating with a sense of urgency to try to close it out," said one industry insider.

A Murdoch Sets Her Own Course in TV (NYT)
By combining Reveille, which has produced hit shows The Office, Ugly Betty, and The Biggest Loser, with her company, Shine Ltd., in Britain, Elisabeth Murdoch now has a foothold in the world's most important media playground and the beginnings of her own global entertainment business.

Ryan Seacrest: The Man, The Brand, The Plan To Rule TV (WaPo)
Tom Shales: Don't bother accusing Ryan Seacrest of ambitiousness, megalomania, or delusions of grandeur. Don't charge him with furtively plotting to become the next Dick Clark, either, once Dick has turned in his dimples. Seacrest is plotting, all right, but there's nothing furtive about it.

Dissension Arises at Fox News Over Treatment of Obama (NYT)
On Friday Chris Wallace, host of the weekend political talk show Fox News Sunday, took the hosts of Fox & Friends to task for their conversations about Senator Barack Obama's comments about race. His complaint — which created both a tense moment and some must-see TV — was that his colleagues were taking those comments out of context. TVNewser: Watch the clip.

Book on Four Seasons' Star Guests Gets Shelved (Chicago Tribune)
Publishing giant Random House has pulled the plug on a gossipy tale of celebrity bad behavior penned by two former concierges at the tony Four Seasons Hotel Chicago. The Four Seasons, a five-star hotel that prides itself on discretion, complained to the publisher that the book violated confidentiality agreements signed by veteran concierges Abigail Hart and Nancy Joyce Callahan.

CBS Cancels Jericho Despite Fan Fervor (Reuters)
CBS has nuked Jericho, the low-rated post-Armageddon drama that was briefly brought back from the dead by fan demand. The network will air the season finale tomorrow, one of two that was shot in the event either of a renewal or cancellation. Despite the erosion of broadcast ratings in recent years, the massive protest that saved Jericho last year has been called the largest fan effort ever to try and halt a network cancellation of a series.

HBO Looks to New York Again (WWD)
HBO, which last week saw the exit of its entertainment chief, Carolyn Strauss, remains desperately on the hunt for its next hit show, and it seems to be looking, among other places, to the same kind of New York media figures who provided its Sex and the City success.

With BlogTalkRadio, the Commentary Universe Expands (WaPo)
Howard Kurtz: BlogTalkRadio has quietly emerged as a populist force in cyberspace. A year and a half after New Jersey businessman Alan Levy launched the venture, BlogTalkRadio is averaging 2.4 million listeners each month for programs that range from politics to the paranormal, along with sports, finance, food, religion, and romance. The Pentagon recently started two shows on the network.

Animal Planet Treads Risky Waters (AP via LAT)
Animal Planet's desire to become less warm and fuzzy means exposure to some unaccustomed issues, like danger on the high seas and journalistic fairness. A network crew returned to port in Australia last week after tagging along on a mission to interfere with a Japanese whaling expedition in the Antarctic. A miniseries about the experience, Whale Wars, is expected to air this fall.

As Forbes Life Expands, Chris Buckley's Role Contracts (MIN)
There are plans for the Forbes spinoff, which Chris Buckley has edited since its Forbes FYI inception in 1990, to increase in frequency from the current six times to 10 times per year, and that is a reason for him to shift to editor-at-large. Buckley, like his late father, has a myriad of interests, and he wants the time to be in the "trenches" while still writing for FL.

FCC Finds Itself in Another Fine Mess (Variety)
While preparing to take Fox Television to the Supreme Court over a handful of expletives, the Federal Communications Commission let expire a separate indecency fine against the network for airing a movie with multiple repetitions of one of the same expletives. The FCC blamed a recent federal appeals court decision, saying it has created confusion over how the agency can enforce its indecency rules.

Revolving Door Newsletter: 03.21.08 — Media Moguls Target Newsday (mediabistro.com)
So much for Sam Zell's promise he wouldn't sell off Tribune Co. piecemeal. He's considering doing exactly that with the shadow auction of Newsday, now in play with a guesstimated price tag of $350-$400 million. That would almost make up for the $500 shortfall in profits last year at Tribune, which is doing even worse than Zell thought (and he didn't think much of the company). Newsday: Murdoch and Newsday union reps have discussed a deal.

Is the Newspaper Ombudsman More or Less Obsolete? (AdAge)
Simon Dumenco: I think it might be time to pull the plug on ombudsfolk. Why? Five reasons spring immediately to mind: Readers are doing it for themselves; chances are, Romenesko has already been there, done that; journalists and editors are doing it for themselves; ombudsmen are (sorry) boring as hell; and the money's better spent elsewhere.

PBS' Tavis Smiley is a populist Charlie Rose (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: One of the mysteries of television is why PBS' Tavis Smiley continues to fly below the radar. He has an easy charm and a keen curiosity, and deserves to be better known. Smiley follows Charlie Rose's respected talk show, which has a much bigger reputation. But Smiley shouldn't be regarded as second-string to Rose.