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Backlash Against NBC Leads to Pullback on Cho Video (AP)
With a backlash developing against the media and NBC News for airing sickening pictures from Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-Hui, Fox News Channel said Thursday it would stop and other networks said they would severely limit their use. NYT: NBC defends use of the video. E&P: Flak over killer's video is spilling onto newspaper pages too. FishbowlNY: NBC News' logo splashed across front pages. E&P: AP official says that the shooter's video is on track to become its most watched online. Slate: NBC News needn't apologize to anybody for originally airing the Cho videos and pictures, writes Jack Shafer. WaPo: NBC should not have released the video, said radio host and author William Bennett, who likened it to videos of beheadings released by terrorists. San Antonio Current: Imagine a world in which Alberto Gonzales' Congressional testimony was accorded the same drama and intense, layered coverage as the Virginia Tech murders, while the Virginia Tech victims' friends and families were left to mourn in private, writes Elaine Wolff. TVNewser: Full coverage. DISCUSS: How has the media handled the Va. Tech shootings?

Times Co., Gannett and Tribune Co. Report Declines (NYT)
Buffeted by an ongoing advertising recession, New York Times Company and the Gannett Company announced yesterday that their first-quarter profits declined while the Tribune Company reported a loss. The disappointing results underscored the increasingly tough economic times faced by the industry as advertisers continued to shift their focus away from print to the Internet. NYP: Adding fuel to a rebel investor's claim that NYT Co. made a mistake by buying About.com, the newspaper giant warned yesterday that advertising at the Internet portal is falling below expectations. Guardian: Roy Greenslade on why the New York Times' chief executive should be fired. NYDN: Outsourcing in the Times' future.

Elizabeth Spiers Leaves Dead Horse Media (BusinessWeek)
"I want to do more sites, some of which are experimental (and not blog-related) and [Dead Horse's investors] want to just focus on improving and expanding DealBreaker, Fashionista and AboveTheLaw," wrote Spiers in an e-mail. "It's a reasonable position, but not one I agree with." Spiers, co-founder of Gawker.com and former mediabistro.com editor, had essentially left the company entirely as of yesterday. FishbowlNY: Spiers' exit memo. Eat the Press: "One project [Spiers was considering] was an online magazine — a sort of Maxim for women — and the other was a news-oriented site with a heavy tech component." FBNY: Did a lawsuit scare her investors?

Did OK! Pay $2M for Anna Nicole Baby-Daddy Cover Pics? (NYP)
Industry sources said that OK!'s parent company paid more than $2 million for the photos. Sarah Ivens, editor-in-chief of the U.S. edition of OK!, would not confirm the reputed $2 million price tag. "That's way off," she said. But she declined to be more specific, saying all deals are private and confidential. She added that [Larry] Birkhead is putting all the money into a trust fund for the baby.

Zinczenko to Host Al Roker Dating Show (Radar)
It looks like all that time Dave Zinczenko has spent dispensing "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" bromides on the Today Show is finally paying off. The Men's Health editor-in-chief is set to play a major on-air role in a new dating show being developed by Al Roker's production company. Casting is underway right now for a female co-host to star opposite Zinczenko.

Chicago Tribune Hopes to Cut 100 Through Buyouts (Chicago Tribune)
These sources didn't know how many jobs are targeted companywide but said Tribune Co. is expected to issue a request for buyouts on Monday, with a goal of eliminating 100 positions. If the offers don't generate enough savings, one source said, the company may resort to layoffs.

NBC Moving to New Project Cycle (Variety)
Hoping to avoid another spring slump — and perhaps purchase a bit of strike insurance — NBC is once again getting serious about year-round development. That push comes with some added behind-the-scenes urgency this time given the potential for a strike later this year or next.

On The View, a Case of She-Said, She-Said (LAT)
As the youngest and most conservative co-host of the ABC talk show, Elisabeth Hasselbeck persistently defends the Bush administration, positioning herself as punching bag, foil and fire-starter for her co-hosts, who frequently jostle for the opportunity to challenge her statements. She has become more outspoken — and essential — in that role since the arrival this season of Rosie O'Donnell.

Chaotic Duo Indignantly Fills Post-Imus Void (NYT)
With Don Imus's high-profile morning slot on WFAN abruptly empty, Mike Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo were asked to replace him and bloviate about sports on a double shift basis in the station's emergency attempt at damage control. Eight hours of yakking a day instead of the normal five. Not impossible, but grueling, and we're not just talking about the listeners.

Google Working on New YouTube Ad Formats (Guardian)
Google is working with broadcasters on new advertising formats for its video-sharing Web site subsidiary YouTube and will introduce them next year. Patrick Walker, the European head of video partnerships at Google, said broadcasters were excited about the potential of video advertising and had asked to introduce 30-second "pre-roll" ads that appear before content is viewed on YouTube.

Story Lines at Virginia Tech (The Nation)
Bruce Shapiro: It will take time before anyone can say with certainty how Cho managed to get away with such a massacre. But in a sense the important thing now is how the story gets told and understood. The profoundly human yearning to impose a narrative line on chaotic tragedy leaves the meaning of an event like Virginia Tech up for grabs.

Newsweek's Zakaria as Secretary of State? (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: Zakaria said that the cabinet speculation is "one of the strange burdens" of having such a prestigious reputation. "I'm flattered, I suppose," he said. "But I'm not a 'party man,' and you usually have to demonstrate that kind of loyalty to be chosen for government office. ... I'd always be intrigued. But again, it's unlikely and I'll die happily if I never have a White House pass."

Jolie Calls Daniel Pearl Film 'Very Real' (AP via USAT)
Angelina Jolie plays Mariane Pearl and Dan Futterman plays Daniel Pearl. The film is scheduled for release in June by Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Vantage. "The story unfolds like a mystery," Jolie says. "You've got people collecting clues and trying to solve what happened. But it's also very real and personal. We didn't want it to be too melodramatic or too polished."

Ad Agencies Call for More Creativity, Accountability (NYT)
Creativity as the pathway to consumer persuasion — and profitability — was a major theme yesterday at the opening general session of the 2007 management conference of the American Association of Advertising Agencies. The creativity being celebrated by the speakers was not of the artsy, award-winning variety, but rather an accountable kind that is rooted in insights derived from hard data about customer shopping patterns.

USA Today and Politico in Content-Sharing Deal (E&P)
Under the agreement, USA Today's site will prominently feature Politico articles and columns about the presidential campaign, Congress, and special interests on its newly redesigned politics page. Selected Politico content will also be included in the print edition of USA Today, which has the highest circulation in the U.S. of any newspaper. USAToday.com political coverage will also appear on Politico.com.