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Google Will Offer Video Ad Service (LAT)
Having mastered narrow, Google Inc. is going wide. The Internet search giant today plans to introduce a system for running TV-style commercials as it tries to capitalize on a fast-growing segment of online advertising. NYT: Google's move expands the online advertising space to the network it has established for text and graphical ads — a group of sites whose number it will not disclose, though it is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. Guardian: The ultimate search engine — Google predicts the future.

NYT Launches New Blog 'Empire Zone' (Jossip)
Thus far the blog only has metro political reporter Patrick Healy's byline we see, but it is said to be a notepad for the paper's entire political staff.

Deal Said to Be Close for Two Philly Papers (NYT)
A group of Philadelphia investors is close to striking a deal to buy the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News from the McClatchy Company, a person close to the negotiations said yesterday. If the group's bid is accepted, an agreement could be announced as early as today. Inky: Tierney-Toll group was in talks last night with the McClatchy Co. about sealing the deal.

Photog Accuses AMI of Stealing Archive After Anthrax Attack (NY Sun)
Freelance photographer Greg Mathieson has accused America's top publisher of supermarket tabloids of filing an insurance claim for millions of dollars worth of celebrity photographs, even though the firm knew it did not own the pictures.

Libby Prosecutor Focuses on CIA Officer's Status (WaPo)
Fitzgerald has said that at trial he plans to show that "Scooter" Libby knew Valerie Plame's employment at the CIA was classified and that he lied to the grand jury when he said he had learned from NBC News' Tim Russert that Plame worked for the agency.

NBC News Opens Lebanon Bureau (B&C)
Looking to increase its presence in the Middle East, NBC News is opening a new bureau in Beirut. Correspondent Richard Engel, who made a name for himself as one of the few American reporters who remained in Iraq when the war started, will serve as Middle East correspondent and bureau chief. TVNewser: NBC investing in "arguably the most important corner of the world."

VOA's Baghdad Bureau Remains Closed (WaPo)
The Voice of America's bureau in Baghdad has been closed for the past six months, ever since the government-funded agency withdrew its only reporter in Iraq after she was fired upon in an ambush and her security guard was later killed.

Web Advertisers Find Offline Ads Can Pay Too (WSJ)
Internet companies are starting to move beyond banners and pricy paid search ads back to more traditional channels like television, radio and print.

Swedish Mag Giant Takes Stake in Saveur Parent (NYP)
Bonnier Magazine Group has taken on the American magazine market by grabbing a stake in World Publications. The Swedish firm has 61 daily metro newspapers across the globe, and is believed to be paying between $80 million and $90 million for a 49 percent stake in World. FBNY: Now, before you get yourself all Gruner + Jahr II, know that "the deal provides World with the backing to fuel an aggressive growth plan that includes new acquisitions, brand extensions and growth of existing magazines." On second thought, feel free.

Gossip War Brewing in D.C. (Washingtonian)
News as gossip in Washington is getting out in many more places. The capital city's media will never reach the gossip heights — or depths — of Manhattan's tabloid wars, but the market for dirty laundry is growing. WaPo's Amy Argetsinger: "It's a good time for gossip in D.C."

Assessing Jim Kelly's Reign at Time (MIN)
What the outgoing editor will best be remembered for was Time's thorough coverage of two of the major events during his reign: the September 11 attacks, and the devastation by Hurricane Katrina.

Newspapers Increasingly Acknowledging the Need to Adapt (AJR)
Rachel Smolkin: As newspaper companies confront a challenging future, they are increasingly viewing their trademark print product as the engine driving a diverse "portfolio" that embraces other "platforms" such as Web sites and niche publications. Is this a strategy for survival?

Waiting for Hoffa (Forbes)
William Barrett: Following the time-honored tradition of cruelly cynical journalists, during the summer of 1975, my fellow workers in the Philadelphia bureau of The Associated Press created an office pool. The bet: What day of the week would authorities finally discover the remains of Jimmy Hoffa?

VF Writer Decries 'War on Journalism' in U.S. (San Antonio Express-News)
Marie Brenner, a writer-at-large for Vanity Fair magazine whose reporting career began against the backdrop of the Watergate era, said that war is being waged against this nation's press and journalists must stand together to turn back assaults on their freedoms.

Iran Suspends Publication of State Newspaper After Protests (Reuters)
Iran has suspended publication of its official state newspaper after it published a cartoon that sparked violent ethnic protests. Journalists at the Iran newspaper confirmed the news and relatives of the cartoonist Mana Neyestani said he had been summoned to a court in Tehran over his lampoon.