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Times Co. Shareholders Hold Out 42% of Board Vote (NYT)
Shareholders of The New York Times Company gave voice yesterday to their growing displeasure with the company's management and financial performance by withholding votes representing 42 percent of the Class A shares at the annual meeting. The votes withheld represented more than half the investors who are not part of the Ochs-Sulzberger family. NYP: Shareholders sent their strongest signal yet that they want a shake-up at the newspaper giant.

Halberstam's Skeptical Vietnam Voice Still Echoes in the Fog of Iraq (NYT)
Dexter Filkins: During four years of war in Iraq, American reporters on the ground in Baghdad have often found themselves coming under criticism remarkably similar to that which David Halberstam endured: those journalists in Baghdad, so said the Bush administration and its supporters, only reported the bad news. They were dupes of the insurgents. They were cowardly and unpatriotic. NYO: Halberstam was a reporter who roared. E&P: Halberstam gave good quotes — and autographs, writes Joe Strupp. WaPo: Halberstam saw journalism as a calling, like later reporters who took him as a model in the mightiness of their efforts. Slate: Jack Shafer's portrait of the prize-winning reporter as an engorged ego.

Networks' Top Shows at a Ratings Loss (USAT)
In the past few weeks, a raft of top shows on all major networks have hit record lows. The losses, never welcome, are especially alarming as networks gear up for their annual ritual of unfurling fall lineups in mid-May and selling the bulk of their ad time for next season, often based on current ratings.

Burnett Proposes Political MySpace Show (LAT)
Mark Burnett is planning to use the site to find contestants for a proposed TV show focused on politics that would air early next year as the race for president heats up. As part of the series, MySpace users would run for office by submitting videos and conducting virtual campaigns. The top 100 or so would make it to the TV series, which would end with debates. The winner would get $1 million to give away. Variety: "This is the American Idol of political action," said Burnett exec Roy Bank. "We've been exploring for a while how to do something in and around what is going to be the topic on everyone's tongues next year — the elections. We wanted it to be legit, and there's no greater democracy in play right now for people in their 20s than MySpace."

Celeb-Free In Touch Cover Flops on Newsstands (NYP)
The mag's gamble to jettison celebrities for its cover story and go with real-life news tied to last week's Virginia Tech massacre turned out to be a newsstand bust. "It was one of our lowest issues of the year," conceded In Touch editor-in-chief Richard Spencer. The issue hit newsstands last Wednesday in New York and Thursday or Friday for the rest of the country.

At Big Washington Bash, Two Churlish Empires Snarl (NYO)
"Suddenly, it's like L.A.," said CNN's John King. "The White House correspondents' dinner has become Oscar night in Washington, where there are parties before, there are parties after, there are watching parties — I should say, 'there are viewing parties' ... Washington has definitely been infected with a little bit of L.A." But Washington isn't really that kind of town.

Baltimore Sun Offering Buyouts to 50 (AP via BusinessWeek)
The Sun is offering buyouts to about 50 employees, including 15 in its newsroom, a Sun executive said Tuesday. The buyout will offer employees one week of pay for every six months of employment, with a minimum of four weeks and maximum of 52 weeks, according to a memo from publisher Tim Ryan.

Must-Smell TV (WWD)
TV Guide is going to help readers sniff their way through the May 3 episode of NBC's My Name Is Earl. In the next issue of the magazine, a scent card (with six different scents) will release aromas pertaining to the sitcom's story line. On-air graphics will prompt viewers to rub numbered boxes on the card that will release the appropriate scent at different points throughout the show.

Dishonorable Non-Mention: Juan Gonzalez and the Daily News' 9/11 Pulitzer (VV)
Keach Hagey: Mort Zuckerman proclaimed to his Daily News staff that last week's Pulitzer win "reaffirms my belief that this paper fights for people who too often have no voice in this city." But the News journalist who does most of that fighting, especially on the 9/11 health issue, Juan Gonzalez, was conspicuously absent from both the party and the speeches.

Auto Rivalries Make Madison Avenue a Frantic Street (NYT)
In the last six months, the makers of six auto brands decided to re-evaluate the relationships with the advertising agencies that worked for them. Five placed accounts in review, while the sixth changed agencies without any formal reassessment. Together, the brands — Audi, Hyundai, Jeep, Porsche, Saturn and Volvo — account for $1.25 billion to $1.3 billion in ad spending each year.

Web Network Offers Ad Flexibility (WSJ)
Glam Media is one of several emerging Web networks that offers advertisers the chance to run narrowly targeted and heavily customized ad campaigns. "You are not just hitting one portal; you have thousands of these other sites. By showing up incrementally on these other sites, you are getting more bang for your buck," says Marc Fireman, head of digital marketing for Reebok.

As Scandal Opens Wider, Press Club of Dallas May Review Katie Awards (Dallas Morning News)
The Press Club of Dallas may have to review the last three years' worth of Katie Awards, one of the Southwest's most prestigious journalism prizes, because of the possibility they were rigged, the club's president said. The entries for the 2006 Katies apparently never went before judges, and competitions from 2004 and 2005 are being probed.

Critic: Portfolio Was a Dud (But It Can Do Much Better) (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: The debut reeks of excess and is guilty of The Three Deadly Sins of Publishing, namely giving the editors of a magazine — especially a spanking new one with a lot to prove — too much time, too much money and way too much hype. Above all, the stories aren't as lively as I'd hoped. Its pieces seem pretty much interchangeable with the rest of the pack. DISCUSS: What do you think of Portfolio?

A Media Role in Selling the War? No Question (WaPo)
Tom Shales: Perhaps the truth shall eventually set you free, but first it might make you very, very depressed. Tonight's edition of Bill Moyers Journal on PBS is one of the most gripping and important pieces of broadcast journalism so far this year, but it's as disheartening as it is compelling.

Murdoch's Web Summit Reveals the Scale of Newspapers' Woes (Guardian)
Roy Greenslade: Rupert Murdoch has summoned his top news execs to his California ranch next week for a three-day meeting to plan a survival strategy for his newspaper empire. No one could possibly suggest that News Corp.'s papers are facing imminent disaster, but it shows how fast things are changing when one of the world's largest media moguls feels it necessary to hold this kind of summit. Reuters: Murdoch says media are too rough on Bush.