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Ratings, Criticism Big for ABC Presidential Debate (AP)
ABC News drew both record ratings and a heap of complaints about how Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos moderated the Democratic presidential debate, criticism that Stephanopoulos on Thursday called a sign of how much people care. By midafternoon Thursday, more than 15,600 comments were posted on ABC News' Web site, the tone overwhelmingly negative. WaPo: Obama, for his part, complained about "gotcha games," saying yesterday: "I think we set a new record, because it took us 45 minutes before we even started talking about a single issue that matters to the American people." Politico: Stephanopoulos defends debate performance. TVNewser: ABC News' David Wright reported on the debate moderators' performance during last night's World News.

New York Times Co. Posts Loss (NYT)
The New York Times Company reported a $335,000 first-quarter loss on Thursday in a performance that fell far short of both analysts' expectations and its $23.9 million profit in the quarter a year earlier. The loss was a fraction of a penny per share, compared with the average analyst forecast of earnings of 14 cents and the 17 cents earned in the first quarter of 2007. Portfolio: New York Times Co. CEO Janet Robinson has a message for Rupert Murdoch: Bring it on.

Rumors Swirling About Couric Memoir (NYP)
Katie Couric may be plagued by low ratings and rumblings that she will exit her anchor chair at CBS, but in the book publishing world, she is still golden. Given the turmoil, and her moving first-person article in the current issue of Newsweek, speculation has been swirling in recent days that her next career move could be a memoir, which would likely fetch millions.

Tribune May Sell More Assets But Expects to Meet Short-Term Obligations (Chicago Tribune)
Although Tribune Co. is now facing revenue trends that are "worse than we expected" when the Chicago media concern went private through a December leveraged buyout, chairman and chief executive Sam Zell told creditors in a conference call Thursday, "from where we sit right now, it doesn't appear that we will have trouble meeting our commitments going forward." B&C: Zell will look to deal some assets and promote a collaborative spirit in an effort to steer the beleaguered media giant to profitability. Forbes: Tribune is teaching Zell some tough lessons.

CW to Stop Free Streaming of Gossip Girl (LAT)
In a strategic reversal, the CW television network said it would no longer offer free Internet streams of new episodes of Gossip Girl when the show returns to the air Monday. Instead, CW wants young fans to watch the drama about privileged preppies the old school way — on TV.

Yahoo Sets Up Microsoft Defense (NYP)
Yahoo hopes the threat of a search deal with Google and the prospect of strong first-quarter earnings next week will force Microsoft to raise its offer before going fully hostile. With Yahoo reportedly closer to finalizing a deal to outsource its search advertising to Google, Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer remains steadfast in his belief that the current $31 a share bid for the struggling Web icon is "full and fair."

Viewers Not Rushing Back to Favorite TV Programs (AdAge)
Just because your favorite dramas and comedies are back on the air after the writers strike doesn't mean you're necessarily watching them. A preliminary look at ratings of returning programs on the big broadcast networks reveals that the "majority of original programming has failed to return to its pre-strike levels among key demos," according to Havas media-buying shop MPG.

AP Chief: Released Iraqi Photog Will Return To Work, But Not Now (E&P)
Just released Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein, who was freed Wednesday by U.S. military officials in Iraq, will remain on the AP staff, according to executive editor Kathleen Carroll. But editors are in no hurry to rush him back to work after two years being detained by Iraqi and U.S. officials in his home country.

U.S. Version of WSJ May Sell in Europe (Guardian)
The U.S. version of The Wall Street Journal could be rolled out to other parts of Europe following its launch in London. The U.S. edition of the financial paper went on sale in London for the first time yesterday as part of new owner News Corporation's global expansion plans. It is being sold alongside the 25-year-old Wall Street Journal Europe.

Is it Time for B-to-B Publishers to Panic? (Folio:)
With a seemingly endless onslaught of bad news, should b-to-b publishers be in a state of panic? "B-to-b companies that have been working on their transition from print to digital are in good shape today," says DeSilva + Phillips managing partner Reed Phillips. "I don't think it's time to panic, unless the company has had its head in the sand for the past three to five years about its digital strategy."

Deadliest Catch Caught in Fishy Editing (Hollywood Reporter)
Tuesday's premiere of Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch opens during a raging storm in the Bering Sea. Inside, alarmed crew members discover their stateroom is flooding with incoming seawater. The sequence suggests that the fishermen are in danger of sinking as a violent tempest tosses huge waves against the boat. But a producer may have filmed extra footage to help stitch the two events together.

New Cover Design for O (WWD)
O, The Oprah Magazine doesn't have a new editor-in-chief yet to succeed the departing Amy Gross, but whomever he or she is, they'll have a brand new cover design handed to them. And yes, it still features Oprah. The June cover has the talk show queen pictured against a white background, with brightly colored cover lines. There will not be any major design changes inside the magazine.

Newseum Is an 'Eerie Temple of Yesterday's News' (BusinessWeek)
Jon Fine: The new Newseum is a major reboot of a smaller version formerly located in Rosslyn, Va. You may have guessed what its 250,000 square feet are devoted to: journalism, and to an extent, the businesses that have fed off it, their artifacts captured under glass, sometimes in temperature- and light-controlled environments, like something fragile or suffering from a dread disease. The Newseum cannot help but evoke such metaphors.

Reporters Need to Practice Better 'Source Hygiene' (Slate)
Jack Shafer: Although I have great admiration for some journalists who have held themselves above the law and committed acts of civil disobedience that have earned them a ticket to jail, not all subpoenas are created equal. And not every source arrangement outside of "on the record" should require conscionable reporters to go directly to jail if slapped with a subpoena.

Newspapers Confront the Enemy Within (Forbes)
Louis Hau: Plenty of external factors have produced an exceptionally difficult environment for newspapers to maintain, much less grow, ad revenue. And yet, more than 15 years into the Web revolution, many papers remain hampered by insufficient communication between the editors and writers generating content and those on the business side charged with selling it to advertisers.