Click here to receive mediabistro.com's Daily Newsfeed via email.
Broadcast Legend John Madden Calls It Quits (Chicago Tribune)
Longtime football commentator John Madden, 73, is leaving the broadcast booth after 30 years, having called 11 Super Bowls and won 16 Emmy Awards. He walks away from a contract worth a reported $4 million a year so he can spend less time on the road and more with his family. Forbes: Madden's digital immortality.
More Cost-Cutting at NYT (AFP)
The New York Times plans to do away with several weekly sections "in a bid to save millions of dollars" in ink, paper and freelance reporter costs. On the chopping block are Escapes, the regular fashion layout in The New York Times Magazine, and regional weekly sections. NYT: The guide to each day's newspaper, which is now printed on the second, third, and fourth pages of the first section, will be consolidated into a single page.
YouTube Launching Premium Section With Ad-Supported Movies, TV Shows (Ars Technica)
Google has announced that it will partner with major movie studios to stream a number of full-length films and TV shows for free on YouTube. The studios involved in the launch of this premium content section will include Sony, CBS, MGM, Lionsgate, Starz, and the BBC.
Changes Announced in Top Washington Post Leadership Spots (WaPo)
Marcus Brauchli, executive editor of The Washington Post, has announced changes to the newspaper's top leadership, effective May 1. Emilio Garcia-Ruiz will lead local news coverage; Robert McCartney will become a local columnist; and Sandy Sugawara will oversee a new editing operation. FishbowlDC: Memo from Brauchli.
Rattner Involved in Inquiry on Fees (WSJ)
Former New York Times reporter, Quadrangle Group cofounder, and the leader of the Obama administration's auto task force, Steven Rattner, was allegedly one of the executives involved with payments under scrutiny in a probe of an alleged kickback scheme at New York state's pension fund.
ASME: Us Weekly Violated Edit Guidelines With Cover (Mediaweek)
The American Society of Magazine Editors said Us Weekly violated its editorial guidelines designed to protect magazines' editorial integrity. The flap involves the April 20 issue of the Wenner Media pub. The celeb weekly ran a mock cover as part of a five-page ad for HBO's Grey Gardens.
Time Warner Bondholders Agree to Let AOL Go (Reuters)
Time Warner Inc said on Thursday its bondholders had agreed to change the terms of their debt contracts, removing restrictions on a sale or spin-off of its beleaguered Internet unit AOL. Time Warner Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes has said he is examining options for the future structure of AOL.
Gannett Profits Tumble (Reuters)
Gannett Co Inc posted a 60 percent drop in quarterly profit because of lower advertising revenue, but cost cuts helped it beat some downtrodden expectations for struggling U.S. newspapers. Gannett reported a 34 percent drop in publishing ad revenue.
Newsweek to Turn New Page With Relaunch (FT)
A prototype of Newsweek's redesign that will be launched in early May is a cleaner take on the old, with more white space and bolder photographs. The launch will coincide with a relaunch of Newsweek.com that will replace wire copy with links to the best sources of online news.
Newsprint Manufacturer Files for Chap. 11 (FishbowlNY)
AbitibiBowater, the company created when Bowater Inc. merged with Abitibi-Consolidated last October, filed for bankruptcy in the United States. The Montreal-based company that is North America's third-largest producer of pulp and paper will file for bankruptcy in Canada on Friday.
Newsroom Employment Drops to Lowest Level Since 1978 -- But Online Jobs Up (E&P)
Newsroom employment has plunged 11.3% in 2008, with the industry losing some 5,900 jobs, according to the American Society of News Editors. The number of newsroom jobs is now at a level last seen during the early 1980s.
Jack Haire Named Parade CEO (MIN)
Conde Nast/Advance chairman S.I. Newhouse Jr. went outside his corporate sphere with yesterday's hiring of longtime Time Inc. exec Jack Haire to succeed Walter Anderson at Parade. Haire's Time Inc. career included stints as Time publisher and Fortune/Money Group president.
Local Media: Starving for Ad Dollars (BusinessWeek)
Jon Fine: Local media are doing far worse than national media -- and ad spending may not come back quickly, if ever. Some say that recovery in local markets won't mean an automatic bounceback in local ad revenues.
Time Inc. Warns mine Subscribers 'Computer Error' May Have Screwed Up 'Personalized' Content (Folio:)
The first copies of mine, Time Inc.'s experiment in free, customized content in magazine form, hit mailboxes this week, and some of the magazine's launch subscribers have received an e-mail saying that a "computer error" may have affected the content in the first issue.
Solving the Newspaper Industry's Problems (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: Advertising pressures and explosion of the Internet are forcing companies to make tough choices as they struggle to compete in a digital age. But there is always hope, even amid a disaster. I asked three media experts to offer their assessments of the problems and what can be done.
FriendFeed
