Shakeup At Newsweek (NYP)
Mark Whitaker, editor of the No. 2 news magazine since 1998, will move upstairs and hand the reins to Jon Meacham [left], currently the managing editor. That will put Meacham in charge of day-to-day operations. Whitaker is expected to stay with Newsweek, possibly working on some broader strategic job with the magazine and its parent, the Washington Post Company, which also owns Slate and Budget Travel.

Apple Names Google CEO Eric Schmidt To Board (AP via San Jose Mercury News)
Apple Computer Inc. said that Google Inc. CEO Eric Schmidt is joining its board, adding another well-known name to the list of high-profile directors who oversee the management of the company.

FCC Wants To Reconsider NYPD Blue Indecency Ruling (AP via Daily News)
The Federal Communications Commission rushed to judgment in concluding that NYPD Blue and three other television programs violated rules governing the broadcast of indecent and profane material, an FCC lawyer now says.

CBS Magazine Slims Down Couric Without Her Knowledge (TVNewser)
A CBS spokesman said "the editorial staff of Watch magazine retouched the photo without the knowledge of Katie Couric or CBS News management." B&C: Through a spokesman, Couric says that she prefers the original photo "because there's more of me to love."

Viacom Buys Remainder of MTV Japan (Bloomberg)
Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks agreed to buy out H&Q Asia Pacific, its partner in MTV Japan, to consolidate businesses in the country and boost growth. MTV plans to combine the network with Nickelodeon Japan and Flux, its digital media unit, to create a single business in the country.

CNN Sorry For Bush Speech Gaffe (Hollywood Reporter)
CNN apologized after an open mike transmitted an anchor's bathroom conversation with another woman live as the network was carrying President Bush's speech in New Orleans. A wireless microphone attached to anchor Kyra Phillips picked up about a minute and a half of a bathroom conversation she had with an unidentified woman where she apparently talked about her husband. Guardian: It is a newsreader's worst nightmare. Taking a loo break and not realizing your microphone is still on.

First Source of C.I.A. Leak Admits Role, Lawyer Says (NYT)
Richard L. Armitage, a former deputy secretary of state, has acknowledged that he was the person whose conversation with Robert Novak in 2003 prompted a long, politically laden criminal investigation in what became known as the C.I.A. leak case, a lawyer involved in the case said.

Will the John Mark Karr Debacle Send Media Addicts to Rehab? Don't Count On It (HuffPo)
Ariana Huffington: The 12-day Karr bender is worse than any of its lampshade-on-the-head predecessors. Worse than OJ, worse than Robert Blake. At least those media circus clowns were connected in some way to the crimes in question. Karr is nothing but a disturbed wannabe — the walking, talking embodiment of a non-story.

Beatles Get Back At EMI (Bloomberg via NYP)
EMI Group PLC, the world's third-largest music company, and affiliate Capitol Records, Inc. must face a suit by representatives of the Beatles claiming the companies improperly "pocketed millions of dollars" in music royalties from the band.

Microsoft Investigates Leak of Office Videos (Reuters)
Software giant Microsoft Corp. said it was investigating how two in-house training videos made by British comedian Ricky Gervais, creator of The Office television series, appeared on YouTube and Google Video. The videos were commissioned by Microsoft in 2004 as "a light-hearted way of getting our staff to think about the values they attach to working at Microsoft," a spokeswoman said.

Despite Internet Assault, Shoppers Still Clip Rather Than Click (NYT)
An Internet assault on the paper-clipping coupon business is indeed under way, and Google has now entered the fray. But while the cool logic of efficiency suggests the traditional paper coupon is in imminent peril, the marketplace tells another story — at least so far.

Preparing For Signoff, Schieffer Says He's Not Done Yet (Hollywood Reporter)
Outgoing CBS Evening News anchor Bob Schieffer: "[CBS News president] Sean McManus asked me to stay until 2008, to the (presidential) election of 2008. That's my plan, but when we worked this out, I told Sean, 'If you want me to stay, I want to stay,' and that's what I want to do, but on my 70th birthday, I want to just review the bidding, and he said fine."

Will Celebrity Duets Be Another Hit For Simon Cowell? (Reality TV Magazine)
Simon Cowell has had a mixed track record when it comes to launching new reality TV shows in the U.S. While Cowell was a hit right from the start as a judge on American Idol, his first attempt at producing his own reality TV show didn't go quite so well. Back in 2003, Cowell's matchmaking reality show Cupid failed to find a large audience and was canceled after only one season.

Springsteen Responds To Post Via Own Web Site (Rolling Stone)
Bruce Springsteen has posted a message on his website denying the New York Post's allegations that he's having an affair: "I hesitate to use this website for anything personal believing it should remain a place where fans of my music can come free of the distractions that occasionally arise with the rest of my job. However, due to the unfounded and ugly rumors that have appeared in the papers over the last few days, I felt they shouldn't pass without comment."

National Journal's William Powers On Media Bloggers: 'The More, The Merrier' (PRWeek)
"Suddenly, there are about 10 million more media critics than there were 10 years ago. I find that exciting. There are all these bloggers who are instant media critics, yet there are a lot of traditional news outlets that still don't have anyone doing media criticism. There are a lot of bloggers who are so good at it that I sort of wish they would be picked up by mainstream outlets and do both."