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Frey Admits Second Book Is Part-Fiction Too (AP via San Jose Mercury News)
In an author's note to the paperback edition of My Friend Leonard, the sequel to his discredited A Million Little Pieces, which has just come out, Frey writes: "To call this book pure nonfiction would be inaccurate. It is a combination of fact and fiction, real and imagined events."

Cost-Cutting Dennis Axes Maxim Editor (NYP)
Maxim editor-in-chief Ed Needham is about to be forced out of the beer and babes magazine in the latest round of cost-crunching in the Felix Dennis empire. The move comes as Dennis has investment banker Allen & Co. looking for a buyer for its U.S. mag group.

Incoming Pulitzer Chair Wants More Prizes for Web Journalism (E&P)
Paul Steiger, the incoming chair of the Pulitzer Prize Board, wants the prestigious awards to delve even more in to Web-based journalism, calling it "the biggest priority for us." He also said he will step down from his top editing post at the Wall Street Journal at the end of 2007, citing mandatory retirement age restrictions.

New Shows Get Early Pickup (USAT)
The networks won't announce their new fall schedules until next week, but in unusually early moves, they've already committed to more than a dozen new shows. The logic: Jumping the gun gives networks advance buzz on Madison Avenue and the ability to hire writers ahead of other shows.

Congress May Clamp Down on MySpace (UPI via Washington Times)
New legislation from Congress would block access to social-networking sites like MySpace and Facebook in schools and libraries, including instant-messaging services. The bill known as the "The Deleting Online Predators Act" aims at protecting minors from online child predators. Reuters: MySpace now "twice the size of California," boasting over 73 million users.

As Ad-Skipping Increases, Advertisers Press for Lower Rates (BusinessWeek)
DVR will be a divisive issue as network executives and advertisers gather this month for the annual "upfront" scrum, when most of the haggling over ad rates happens. Some big ad agencies say they intend to pay only for "live" viewing.

Alaska Senator to File Complaint Against CNN Reporter for 'Ambush Interview' (Roll Call via Raw Story)
Ted Stevens is furious with CNN correspondent Joe Johns for an interview conducted outside the weekly GOP policy luncheons, but far away from the usual bank of TV cameras set up for such interviews next to the storied Ohio Clock.

Universal Fined More Than $12 Million in Payola Settlement (LAT)
Universal Music Group, the world's largest record company, has agreed to pay more than $12 million to settle allegations that in exchange for airplay it bribed radio programmers with vacations, electronics and cash, said New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

Mexican Broadcaster Teams Up in Bid for Univision (LAT)
The sale of the nation's top Spanish-language media company, Los Angeles-based Univision Communications Inc., is heating up as powerful Mexican broadcaster Grupo Televisa has joined with four deep-pocketed private equity firms as a bidder.

Missouri J-School May Add Persian Gulf Campus (AP via Kansas City Star)
The University of Missouri School of Journalism, founded in 1908, is negotiating with a government-backed foundation in Qatar to add a branch campus in the capital city of Doha.

Yahoo!'s Semel Passed on Acquiring Google in 2001 (NYP)
Acquiring Google for $3 billion seems like an impossible bargain today, but in 2001 Yahoo! boss Terry Semel shied away from just that deal. FBNY: Semel speaks, a lot, at power-packed breakfast. Economist: In a few short years, Google has turned from a simple and popular company into a complicated and controversial one.

Redstone Trying to Soothe Squabbling at Viacom (Page Six)
Insiders say that nasty stories have been leaked to reporters about Viacom chief Tom Freston and CBS boss Les Moonves — and that staffs of each man believe the stories are being pitched by the rival camp.

Fortune Proves Business Journalism Need Not Be Dull (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: Despite some staff turbulence, Fortune is, as ever, a first-rate magazine. When it comes to publishing thoughtful stories, it has overshadowed its peers for a decade. I'd go so far as to say that Fortune is America's most underappreciated magazine.

An Online Newspaper Takes on the Big Boys (Westword)
Colorado Springs' High Plains Messenger is both an Internet newspaper and a fiscal experiment. The publication aims to support a full-time editorial and advertising staff solely from web revenues, even as it will focus on a small market with a population just over 360,000.

Budget Living Co-founder Answers the Tough Questions (Folio:)
Co-founder of the recently folded Budget Living, Eric Rayman remained poised as he answered questions on a panel discussion of "If I Knew Then What I Know Now" at the IMAG Leadership Conference, and panel moderator Bradford Fayfield, founder of Storm Mountain Press, wasted no time asking Rayman the question that was on everyone's mind: Why did you fold?

Media Bigs Push for Literacy (Forbes)
James Brady: If we work in media and are not concerned that millions of Americans can't read and write at a fifth-grade level, then we're fools. We all live off literate people who buy and read what we write, publish, create online, skywrite or paint on billboards.

Navasky's Advice to Indie Mags: Shake Down Paul Newman for $1M, Spend It on Writers (FBNY)
Professor of magazine journalism at Columbia and The Nation publisher emeritus Victor Navasky addressed independent magazine editors and publishers at the annual IMAG leadership conference. And Navasky was packing the anecdotal heat.