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Sirius-XM Merger Approval Not Assured (LAT)
The static may be lifting on the long-pending merger between the nation's only two satellite radio operators after a key regulator backed its approval. But the signals aren't all clear yet. Two leading consumer advocates blasted the proposed conditions as failing to ensure that satellite radio prices won't eventually rise. And commissioner Kevin Martin may have trouble pushing his proposal through the FCC.

Tributes to Russert: Critics Cluck 'Drawn-Out,' but Viewers Were Drawn In (WaPo)
Lisa de Moraes: The news media are now in Stage 2 of mourning over the unexpected death of Tim Russert, NBC News's venerable Beltway show host: pundit backlash to Friday's extensive coverage, which naturally was spearheaded by NBC and MSNBC. But early ratings results for Sunday's Meet the Press indicate that viewers, at least, approved. NYDN: As politicians and journalists of every stripe mourn Tim Russert, the NBC newsman's longtime antagonist, Arianna Huffington, has yet to express condolences or any belated admiration. Slate: Russert's death at 58 is a sad occasion. Yet is it of such importance and momentum that his network, the other networks, and newspapers should continue to salute, remember, and otherwise memorialize him, asks Jack Shafer.

Katie Couric Shows Her 'Nerd' Side With YouTube Channel (LAT)
Viewers who miss the impish humor the anchor exhibited on Today probably don't know that it's still possible to catch glimpses of Couric, unplugged. Since February, Couric has been quietly uploading videos to her own channel on YouTube. The clips — so far, 33 — display the mischievous and often hammy personality that the newscaster doesn't get to show in her current post.

Ingraham Speaks Up About Her Silencing on Talk Radio (WaPo)
Laura Ingraham, the most popular woman on political talk radio, has been off the air for two weeks, and not by choice. Ingraham's syndicator, Talk Radio Network, barred her from her Washington studio after talks about a new contract hit a snag, and some of her fans are mounting a campaign to get her back.

NBC Preps Universal Olympics Plan (Variety)
"All Olympics all the time" is the rallying cry of NBC Sports' new partnership, a joint venture with a Web site/fledgling cable network controlled by the private-equity firm InterMedia Partners. Formerly known as the World Championship Sports Network (WCSN), the site will get rebranded as UniversalSports.com in time for Thursday's U.S. gymnastic trials in Philadelphia.

Lanny Davis Joins Fox News (B&C)
Former Clinton confidant Lanny Davis is joining Fox News Channel as a political analyst, the network said Monday. Davis was also a vocal supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential run, appearing as a surrogate for her on all three major cable networks. Davis will take the role as Fox News' newest liberal commentator, opposite conservatives such as Karl Rove and the newly acquired Mike Huckabee.

Ad Spending Still Hanging in There (WWD)
Readership is down, the economy stinks, and key advertising sectors are imploding. But there's good news, sort of: U.S. advertising spending across media such as newspapers, magazines, and TV was essentially flat for the first quarter of this year, up 0.5 percent over the same period last year to approximately $30 billion, according to figures released Monday by Nielsen Monitor-Plus. MediaPost: The downturn in the U.S. advertising economy may be far more protracted than any since Madison Avenue began tracking its growth — and the chief factor, ironically, may be one of the fastest-growing sources of media spending: Online.

The Romenesko Empire (Portfolio)
Howell Raines: With typical Midwestern modesty, Jim Romenesko says he didn't set out to create a media-economics monitoring service but rather a national "community of journalists" for "people like me who are obsessed with newspapers." That his site has become a high-tech tom-tom for angst-ridden members of a dying tribe was merely a side effect. In a sense, Romenesko is both the medium and the message.

Advice for Michelle Obama as She Faces the Media (HuffPo)
Bonnie Fuller: I believe that GOP right wingers figure if they can scare voters off Michelle, they can make voting for her husband a nonstarter. Labeling her Obama's "baby mama" and calling her jubilant fist jab a "terrorist fist jab," is only the beginning of the nastiness. "She's going to be targeted like crazy," believes Marie Wilson, founder and president of the White House Project.

USC Annenberg Kills Funding for Online Journalism Review (OJR)
Robert Niles: After a decade, the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication has suspended publication of OJR. The decision to suspend OJR for now means that I have left the University of Southern California. But I am not going offline. I will continue to write, daily, about new media and journalism at my new Web site, SensibleTalk.com.

Hal Ritter Named Business Editor of the Associated Press (AP Press Release)
Hal Ritter, a founding editor of USA Today who helped launch the newspaper's Money section, has been named business editor of the Associated Press, responsible for global coverage of financial news. Ritter, who has been acting business editor for three months, succeeds Kevin Noblet, who resigned.

After 38 Years, Soul Train Gets New Owner (NYT)
People who think of Soul Train as an artifact from 1970s television may be surprised to learn that the 38-year-old song-and-dance show was never canceled. Although no new episodes are produced, it lives on in reruns. Now a production company, MadVision Entertainment, has bought the Soul Train franchise from its founder, Don Cornelius, and plans to breathe new life into it.

Time Out Beijing Banned Before Olympics (Folio:)
As China prepares to host the 2008 summer Olympics, a government agency has banned this month's English-language version of Time Out Beijing. China's General Administration of Press and Publications banned the June issue of the magazine. Editor Tom Pattinson told the newspaper the reason was that the magazine lacks a required printing permit.

Congresswoman Wants FCC to Turn Down Volume on TV Ads (USAT)
A bill introduced by Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., aims to turn down the volume on loud commercials. It would direct the FCC to enact new rules within a year requiring that television ads not be excessively noisy. “Most Americans are not overjoyed to watch television commercials, but they are willing to tolerate them to sustain free over-the-air television," Eshoo says.

As Weather Channel Deal Nears Closure, Eyes Turn to Magazine Division (Folio:)
Now that Landmark Communications is said to be in exclusive talks with a consortium made up of NBC Universal and private equity firms the Blackstone Group and Bain Capital about the acquisition of the Weather Channel, attention in the media world is beginning to shift toward the potential sale of Landmark's Dominion Enterprises, the company's publishing division.