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Semel Out as Yahoo CEO (Paid Content)
Jerry Yang, Yahoo co-founder and long-time board member, has taken over as chief executive officer. Terry Semel, current Yahoo chairman and CEO, will assume the position of non-executive chairman and serve as an advisor, while also working closely with the board. The board also named Susan Decker, formerly EVP and head of advertiser and publisher group, as president of the company. NYP: The 64-year-old former Hollywood studio boss stepped aside late yesterday after losing the confidence of his board in an awkward shareholder showdown at the company's annual meeting. NYT: Some analysts maintain that the shake-up may be only a prelude to a more substantial corporate overhaul, which could include a merger or a sale. Variety: Semel's decision to resign now is in many ways just as surprising as his appointment to the post in 2001. LAT: Susan Decker joined the company just before the Internet bubble burst. Now she's in a position of helping to run it. BusinessWeek: Can Yang and Decker revive the struggling company? Forbes: It's possible that Yang may dig in for the long term to fix the company he's inherited. POLL: Will Yahoo ever catch Google?

Former Journo Braunstein Gets 18-to-Life for Halloween Attack (NYDN)
Convicted rapist Peter Braunstein made a dramatic last-ditch plea for mercy — but a judge said yesterday that the former WWD writer would likely die in jail. Declaring that this "gives me little satisfaction," Justice Thomas Farber sentenced Braunstein to 18 years to life in prison for dressing up like a firefighter and sexually abusing a former co-worker for nearly 13 hours.

Burkle a Dark Horse in the Dow Jones Fight (Fortune)
Billionaire supermarket mogul Ron Burkle is still working with Dow Jones' union and could go public this week with a longshot offer for Dow Jones, according to a source in the Burkle camp. This person said Burkle, who was first mentioned two weeks ago as a potential suitor for Dow Jones, has been trying to enlist the beleaguered Internet giant Yahoo as a partner for a bid. FT: Dow Jones' door remains wide open. Guardian: Pearson insiders said talks with General Electric about a joint bid remain at an exploratory stage.

Pentagon Hires Ex-ABC Reporter to Improve PR (Politico)
The Pentagon will announce this week that Geoff Morrell, previously a White House correspondent for ABC News, has been hired as the Defense Department's on-camera briefer, a senior administration official said. Morrell, 38, will become a familiar face of the administration on television and the Web.

Closing Arguments Begin in Black Trial (NYT)
With a few strokes of his pen, Conrad Black "systematically stole" $60 million from the company he ran and controlled, a federal prosecutor said Monday in her closing argument against the former press tycoon and three associates. Julie Ruder, an assistant United States attorney, frequently struck a tone of outrage and repeatedly dismissed the arguments of Black's defense team as "ridiculous." Reuters via LAT: "Conrad Black was just as committed to lying about this scheme as David Radler," Ruder said.

Vuguru's Prom Queen Clicks With Online Audience (WaPo)
After 80 episodes and a madcap prom, the series finale debuts today for the show, which, judging from view counts and MySpace friends, has developed a cultish audience in the tens of thousands and a steady stream of media attention, owing to its status as the first online production of Michael Eisner.

White House Press Offices Evacuated in Bomb Scare (Fox News)
The Secret Secret gave an all-clear and allowed members of the press and other employees back into buildings near the White House that were evacuated yesterday after a bomb-sniffing police dog smelled something suspicious in a minivan. The buildings included were the White House Conference Center and structures surrounding Blair House — where Israeli PM Ehud Olmert is staying.

Rosie's Game to Talk Price (NYDN)
Rosie O'Donnell has raised speculation that she'll meet with officials for The Price Is Right this week to discuss possibly replacing legendary host Bob Barker. O'Donnell made the revelation on her Web site in response to a fan's question about the opening on the daytime game show.

Rodale Ready for Next Generation (AdAge)
Maria Rodale has been elected to serve as Rodale's new chairman of the board of directors, succeeding her mother, Ardath Rodale, who had been chairman since 1990. Maria Rodale was vice chairman. Ardath Rodale will remain a member of the board and assume the new post of "chief inspiration officer."

NBC News Rakes In TV Murrows (B&C)
NBC News has won seven Edward R. Murrow awards, more than the other three winners in the TV network news category combined. The awards are given out by the Radio-Television News Directors Association for achievement in electronic journalism. RTNDA: Full list of winners.

Who Is Buying the Ziff Davis Enterprise Group? (MIN)
Jeremy Greenfield: A friend clued me into who is in the hunt for the Ziff Davis enterprise group (Baseline, CIO Insight, eWeek, and related Web sites, shows, etc). The buyer is a New York City-based private equity firm called Insight Venture Partners. My source tells me that the deal is all but signed and that people close to the deal are surprised that it hasn't happened yet — but are assured that it will.

Woodward: Yes, I Should Have Probed Iraqi WMD More Closely (E&P)
The venue was a bit odd — an online chat marking the 35th anniversary of the Watergate burglary — but it produced one of the clearest admissions yet by Washington Post editor/reporter Bob Woodward that he was among the many who fumbled the ball on pre-war Iraqi WMDs. He also took issue with how a key Fred Thompson angle relating to Watergate is portrayed.

Dems Seek Study of Broadcast Speech and Hate Crimes (B&C)
There is a new twist on the issue of broadcasters' role in real-life violence: Hate crimes. The heads of the House committee and subcommittee overseeing communications issues, respectively, have asked the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) to study the use of "telecommunications to commit hate crimes."

Why Wine Writers Talk About Cherries, Berries, Asphalt and Jam (Slate)
Mike Steinberger: Most critics nowadays make a point of listing the exact aromas, flavors and tactile sensations they perceive in a wine. These grab bags of specific and often obscure tastes and scents breed a certain awe and deference among many wine enthusiasts (Gee, he really must be gifted if he can smell all those things), which is undoubtedly part of their appeal.

Jolie Flustered by Fox Flurry (TMZ)
Fox News wanted to know exactly why they were banned from covering the premiere of Jolie's latest flick, A Mighty Heart. In this clip, a Fox reporter quizzes Angie about it. Jolie, initially a bit flustered, admitted afterward that her treatment of Fox and the infamous contract her reps tried to force on journos was "excessive."