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Deep New Cutbacks at LA Times (LAObserved)
Newsroom staffers are being told today individually and in department meetings that as many as 75 editorial positions are being cut through voluntary departures and layoffs. Some staffers were approached last week about volunteering, "enticed" with the threat that this will be the absolute final time that editorial employees will receive two weeks severance for each year of service when they leave.
Media Gives Palin a Pass (WaPo via RCP)
Richard Cohen: Can you imagine the reaction of the press corps if Hillary Clinton had given the audience a hi-ya-sailor wink? Can you imagine the feverish blogging across the political spectrum if Clinton had claimed credit for stopping a bridge that, in fact, had set her heart aflutter? Ah, but the scorn, approbation, and ridicule that would have descended on Clinton have been spared Palin. WaPo: Palin's routine attacks on the media have begun to spill into ugliness.
Denton: 'Our Company Has a Survival Mentality' (AgencySpy)
In old-school newser fashion, Nick Denton posted the story about Gawker's 19 layoffs on a Friday (last Friday, in fact), the day of the week where stories are leaked as our minds focus on weekend plans. It was tactful move, not unlike his decision to cut jobs in the first place. His decision, and the explanation behind it, set an example for the kind of transparency that prevents the rumor mill from over-churning. Gawker: Moe Tkacik on being "The Downsized Employee."
Barry Diller's Breakup: Why IAC Didn't Work (WSJ)
Barry Diller's restless, 47-year business career is yet again taking a new turn. After a dizzying run from mailroom to studio mogul, he quit his high-flying Hollywood career 15 years ago to plunge into home-shopping television and the Internet. In an interview, Mr. Diller talks about the new IAC, the effects of the bumpy financial climate and why he'd never return to running a major movie studio.
Entourage Picked Up for Sixth Season (Hollywood Reporter)
Five episodes into its fifth season and on the heels of the third consecutive Emmy for co-star Jeremy Piven, HBO's comedy mainstay Entourage has been renewed for a sixth season. Production on the sixth season of the show, created by Doug Ellin, will begin in early 2009, with launch slated for next summer.
Stanford Prof: Uncertainty Is Opportunity if You Have the Right Frame of Mind (FishbowlNY)
Futurist Paul Saffo, consulting associate professor at Stanford University, believes that the Information Age is over and we are at the dawn of the Media Age. Magazine publishers are at the forefront of this change, but it is difficult to see where to go. "You're at ground zero of this revolution, and that's a hard place to get perspective," Saffo said.
Obama's Personal Relationships Are Subject of Program on Fox News Channel (NYT)
During a weekend of Republican attacks on Senator Barack Obama's personal associations, Fox News Channel ran a program Sunday that made provocative assertions about similar connections, called Obama & Friends: The History of Radicalism. The show raised unsubstantiated accusations that Obama's work as a community organizer was "training for a radical overthrow of the government."
The Gawker Guide To A Journalism Career (Gawker)
Hamilton Nolan: So, you want to be a journalist? Ha ha ha. Jeez. Your timing sucks. But hey, it's a perfectly semi-honorable profession; nobler than finance, not as noble as being a postman. So whether you're already in journalism and wondering about what direction your career should take (besides down), or a terribly misguided young go-getter looking to get into journalism, we're here to help.
Portfolio's 'Jack Flack' to NYTimes.com (PRNewser)
Paul Pendergrass, a.k.a. PR blogger "Jack Flack" is leaving his post at Portfolio.com to join the New York Times' Dealbook blog. We're told his first item will be an open letter to Hank Paulson. He may also have an article in the Dealbook print supplement today as well.
How Local Media Feel the Recession (AdAge)
Unlike the last recession around 2001, when local markets stayed relatively insulated from the fallout of the dot-com bust, they are anything but immune to this one. And that's bad news for local media, whose advertisers view advertising differently than big national ones: They often see advertising less as a strategic investment and more as a necessary evil.
Ratings: Though Still Winning, Desperate Housewives Slides (NYT/TV Decoder)
Season five of Desperate Housewives continued to see its ratings slide on Sunday, but the ABC drama remained the night's top rated program with 15.5 million viewers at 9 p.m., according to Nielsen's estimates. One week ago, the show's premiere earned a much larger audience of 18.7 million.
Newsweek Taps Hearst Vet Raley as Chief Revenue Officer (Mediaweek)
In his latest move to shake things up at Newsweek, CEO Thomas Ascheim has named longtime digital sales exec Pamela Raley as chief revenue officer overseeing all sales efforts, a new position for the newsweekly. Raley had headed sales and marketing for Hearst Magazines' digital media unit from December 2006 to February, when she was replaced by Kristine Welker.
Tonight's 'Town Hall' Debate Is Neither (Slate)
Jack Shafer: In a genuine town-hall discussion, anybody can ask a real, unvetted question. The crazy questions, the impolite questions, and even the left-field questions about such things as the price of a gallon of milk push candidates out of their comfort zones, away from their talking points, and to some uncultivated acre of their psyches where voters can observe their thinking processes. B&C: Hulu streaming the debates live. Hollywood Reporter: It's one of the first times in a long time -- perhaps since the retail politics of Iowa and New Hampshire 10 months ago -- that the presidential candidates will have extended interaction with real people.
Ex-Simpsons Writer Wins Thurber Prize (WaPo)
Larry Doyle, a former television writer-producer for The Simpsons, was named Monday the winner of this year's Thurber Prize for American Humor. He was cited for the novel I Love You, Beth Cooper. Doyle will receive $5,000. The two other finalists were Patricia Marx for the novel Him Her Him Again The End of Him, and Simon Rich for Ant Farm, an essay collection.
Fox to Adapt Absolutely Fabulous (Variety)
Fox is developing a redo of the enduring British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous for Sony Pictures TV, Tantamount, and BBC Worldwide America. Christine Zander of Saturday Night Live is set to write the script and will executive produce along with the BBC's Ian Moffet and original series creator Saunders.
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