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GOP Conservatives Tapped for Public Broadcasting Posts (WaPo)
A leading Republican donor and fundraiser was elected chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, tightening conservative control over the agency that oversees NPR and PBS.

Some Katrina News Was Exaggerated by Media (LAT)
Several assessments in recent days conclude that newspapers and television exaggerated criminal behavior in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, particularly at the overcrowded Superdome and Convention Center.

ABC, CBS Secretly Seeking Anchors (AP)
More than five months since both Peter Jennings and Dan Rather last anchored the evening news, ABC is conducting its search for a successor very privately, while CBS has struggled.

Condé Consolidation (NYT)
The magazine publisher announced yesterday that it would bring its Advance Publications magazines under the umbrella of Condé Nast Publications.

Geraldo Gets Grudging Contrition From Times (NYT)
"The editors understood the 'nudge' comment as [television critic Alessandra Stanley's] figurative reference to Mr. Rivera's flamboyant intervention... The Times acknowledges that no nudge was visible on the broadcast." [Last item.]

Search Ads Boost Online Spending (Guardian)
The rising popularity of search-based advertising helped push up online advertising spending in the United States by 26 percent during the first six months of the year.

UPN Finally a Contender With Chris (LAT)
Viacom's mini-network, mocked for its programming, has lost so much money that execs had floated the idea of a shutdown. But last week it waltzed to its best premiere week ever, with double-digit growth.

Networks Ignoring Frist Scandal? (Media Matters)
Despite having found the time to cover Kate Moss's purported cocaine use, the brewing scandal over the sale of Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist's stock in HCA Inc. has barely been mentioned by the Big Three.

Viacom Hunting for Stern Stand-In (Bloomberg via NYP)
Viacom Inc.'s Infinity radio division will hire five to six morning-show hosts to replace Howard Stern when he moves his program to Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. next year.

MTV in Your Pocket (NYDN)
Mini versions of music programs will soon be coming to mobile phones, thanks to a deal struck yesterday between MTV Networks and Warner Music Group.

Evaluating Plame Case Fallout (AJR)
Rachel Smolkin: The Judith Miller/Matthew Cooper case already has clouded source-reporter relationships and impelled news organizations and journalists to reexamine practices. E&P: Time for Times to explore Miller's tale.

Pundits Make Vacuous Pronouncements (Variety)
Brian Lowry: Not everyone is comfortable leapfrogging ahead of the actual news and opining out their ear, but an entire class of TV talking heads and pundits suffers from no such compunctions.

Medical Sins on Grey's Anatomy (Slate)
Ingrid Katz and Alexi Wright: Along with House, it is medically far-fetched and misleading. Most of all, we dislike the show because it loses sight of the point of any medical enterprise—the patients.

Road Less Traveled Author Peck Dies (AP via USAT)
M. Scott Peck, who wrote the best-seller as well as several other novels, has died at 69 in Connecticut. He had suffered from pancreatic and liver duct cancer.

Post-Suede Silver Lining (WWD)
Many of the designers, photographers and stylists who gave the short-lived urban fashion magazine its distinctive look have started a creative agency called Chandelier. [Last item.]

Sense of Sameness at New D.C. Mags
(WaPo)
Peter Carlson: All three are packed with ads and articles for expensive stuff, as well as pics of the kind of parties where nobody ever gets so drunk that they end up trading punches or making out with a stranger on a bed piled with the other guests' coats.

NBC's Zucker in the Hot Seat (New York Mag)
Kurt Andersen: The questions now are whether NBC's unhappy situation is his fault and how much time his bosses, NBC chairman Bob Wright and GE CEO Jeff Immelt, will give him to fix it.

Mags Chip in for Hurricane Relief (MIN)
Several magazines are holding benefits to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina, while the editor of Travel + Leisure says travel to New Orleans will be a "mechanism for renewal."

—David S. Hirschman

IN YESTERDAY'S MB BLOGS:

Hard to Believe Rita Crosby [TVNewser]
Last week, Rita Cosby talked about 50 foot waves in Galveston that didn't exist. In USA Today, she says she has covered 30 hurricanes. But in an e-mail to TVNewser, Weather Channel meteorologist Mike Seidel questions her comments:

Inside the Spin Zone [FishbowlDC]
So Paul Bedard's Washington Whispers column has an item today about how Barack Obama is "Sunday poison" in the D.C. ratings market. More nationally, though, the numbers clearly show that Obama is anything but "Sunday poison."

Those CNN rain slickers would be nice if only you could see the logo [FishbowlNY]
During the lead up to Hurricane Katrina, we noticed that certain CNN reporters were sporting spiffy red windbreakers emblazoned with the company logo (only certain reporters, mind you; sorry, Miles O'Brien).

When Celebrities Journalize [FishbowlLA]
It's shaping up to be an unusually competitive year for the special Pulitzer Prize for celebrities pretending to be journalists. Sean Penn has explored the bathrooms of Iran for the San Francisco Chronicle. Nick Lachey has opined about college football in the Cincinnati Enquirer. And of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger has done distinguished work as a columnist.

Light Switches Not Just For Function, Light [UnBeige]
We've now received two emails about this, which makes us think that it's less "Snow Jacket 400pc $3.95" which we keep receiving from "Winnie" in "China" and more breaking design news.

The Editor's Edits [mbToolbox]
You're working with an editor, turning in a first draft, then second draft, then third draft, according to her specifications. Then, the very nice editor shows you what the publication is going to run with, so you can see the changes they've made. However, it's not exactly what you had envisioned.