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FCC Moves to Restrict TV Violence (NYT)
The Federal Communications Commission urged lawmakers to consider regulations that would restrict violent programs to late evening. The commission, in a long-awaited report, concluded that the program ratings system and technology intended to help parents block offensive programs had failed to protect children from being regularly exposed to violence. B&C: FCC Chairman Kevin Martin continued to push cable to provide channels a la carte. WaPo: "Clearly, steps should be taken to protect children from excessively violent programming," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in a statement. "Some might say such action is long overdue." Variety: The entire TV biz could end up taking a bullet. But many in Hollywood are ready to shoot back. LAT: The report promises to kick off a fierce fight on Capitol Hill and the presidential campaign trail, one that could well end up in the Supreme Court. DISCUSS THIS STORY: Should TV violence be restricted?

O'Donnell's View Exit Threatens ABC's Gains (LAT)
Since replacing Meredith Vieira in September, O'Donnell's provocative remarks have given the decade-old program a new charge, helping boost the talk show's ratings 17% so far this season. Last quarter, an average 3.8 million viewers tuned in, the biggest audience in the program's history. O'Donnell's announcement that she is leaving forces ABC to substantially reconstitute the program's panel. USAT: Is a new show on the horizon for Rosie?

Newspaper Circ Numbers to Take Another Big Hit (E&P)
Anyone thinking the declines in circulation should ease when the Audit Bureau of Circulations releases its spring numbers on Monday will be disappointed. According to industry sources, overall daily circulation for the six months ending March 2007 is expected to sink approximately 2.5%, while Sunday will drop around 3.0%.

LAT Transsexual Sportswriter Takes Vacation, Will Come Back As a Woman (LAT)
Mike Penner: During my 23 years with the Times' sports department, I have held a wide variety of roles and titles. Tennis writer. Angels beat reporter. Olympics writer. Essayist. Sports media critic. NFL columnist. Recent keeper of the "Morning Briefing" flame. Today I leave for a few weeks' vacation, and when I return, I will come back in yet another incarnation. As Christine.

Barons Back Off Newspaper Trial in SF (SFBG)
Clint Reilly's federal suit against the Hearst Corp. and MediaNews Group, filed last year in an attempt to block the would-be competitors from sharing monopoly control of the Bay Area's daily newspaper establishment, ended yesterday. The deal blocks any future business deals between Hearst, owner of the San Francisco Chronicle, and MediaNews, which now owns almost every other daily in the region. SF Chron: Reilly will have a sounding board at the MediaNews papers, which will consist of space to express his opinions and the right to recommend members of the public to sit on the papers' editorial boards.

Bidding Heating Up for Dennis (WWD)
The sale of Dennis Publishing is moving to the next stage after the latest round of bids. Sources close to the deal said the Quadrangle Group is so far the most serious bidder, and that Dennis received three or four offers in the second round of bidding, ranging from $200 million to $220 million, short of the $250 million or more Felix Dennis is said to want for his stable of men's titles.

Baldwin: I Want Off 30 Rock (USAT)
While taping an appearance on ABC's The View Wednesday, the actor — who was caught berating his daughter in a voicemail message last week — asked NBC to release him from his contract so he can focus his time on "parental alienation," according to a transcript released to the Associated Press. "If I never acted again, I couldn't care less," Baldwin said in his taped appearance, scheduled to air Friday.

iVillage Exec Out (NYP)
NBC Universal's iVillage suffered a key defection yesterday as Ezra Kucharz resigned from his post as second-in-command at the women-oriented Web community to take an executive position at online gaming company Oberon Media. Kucharz, who will officially step down as iVillage's COO at the end of next week, has been with NBCU for two and a half years.

ABC's Wong Primed for Lifetime Gig (Variety)
Struggling cable network Lifetime is parting ways with president-CEO Betty Cohen and is expected to name ABC's Andrea Wong to the post as soon as today. Cohen is leaving the network after just two years on the job. Buzz on who will likely fill the CEO gig has centered on Wong, currently ABC's alternative/specials/late-night executive VP.

Asian American Groups Call for CBS to Fire New York Shock-Jocks (SF Chron)
Prominent Asian American civil rights groups are demanding that CBS Radio fire New York shock-jocks Jeff Vandergrift and Dan Lay, who were suspended earlier this week for making a prank phone call to a Chinese restaurant seen as racist and sexist.

Poll Finds Support for NBC Call on Shooter Video (B&C)
According to the Pew Research Center's News Interest Index, 49% of those polled said they approved of NBC airing the contents of the Virginia Tech shooter's package on air. 41% disapproved, and 10% had no opinion. The weekly poll surveys 1,000 adults, 18-plus.

Journalists and John McCain: Is The Honeymoon Really Over? (WaPo)
Howard Kurtz: Seven years ago, as reporters rode around on McCain's campaign bus, chatting up the candidate for hours on end, a romance was born. But the relationship has turned decidedly chilly, with reporters denigrating the Republican's chances and liberal columnists accusing him of selling out. McCain's partisans say this is all about his support for the administration's effort in Iraq.

This Internet TV Program Is Brought to You by ... (NYT)
Joost, the Internet television service being developed by the founders of Skype, has lined up several blue-chip advertisers, including United Airlines, Microsoft, Sony Electronics, and Unilever, as it prepares to launch. Those brands are among 30 advertisers listed as "launch partners" for Joost, which plans to send free, advertiser-supported programming to computer screens using the Internet.

Book Review Sections Up in Smoke (HuffPo)
Art Winslow: In the new book burning we don't burn books, we burn discussion of them instead. I am referring to the ongoing collapse of book review sections at American newspapers, which has accelerated in recent months, an intellectual brownout in progress that is beginning to look like a rolling blackout instead.

American Idol Is the Price We Pay for a Menu of So Many Channels (NYT)
Austan Goolsbee: The increase in reality programming is not just a matter of broadcasters wanting to save money. It's that a shrinking potential market gives the networks less incentive to spend money. They can't recoup it with enough viewers. Nor is the shift to cable and satellite complete. And now, more and more people are also turning to the Internet and YouTube. So you can see how this ends.