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Fortune Magazine Cuts Back Number of Issues (WSJ)
Capping a tumultuous year for business magazines, Fortune is planning to publish about one-quarter fewer issues annually and make other changes, joining the ranks of publications scrambling to reinvent themselves in the advertising downturn.
Newsweek's Maziar Bahari on His Ordeal in Tehran's Evin Prison (Newsweek)
For day after day, month after month, following his imprisonment in Iran on June 21, documentary filmmaker and Newsweek correspondent Maziar Bahari did not see the face of his interrogator. Always the interrogator told him the same thing: "No one on the outside cares about you. Everyone has forgotten you."
Behind the War Between White House and Fox (NYT)
The heated back-and-forth between the White House and Fox News has brought equal delight to Fox's conservative commentators, who revel in the fight, and liberal Democrats, who have long characterized the network as a purveyor of right-wing propaganda rather than fact-based journalism. TVNewser: Obama is "not losing sleep over" Fox News. Salon: Pundits who are making false comparisons between Obama and Nixon have no idea what they're talking about, writes Joe Conason.
FCC Votes To Propose Net Neutrality Rules (B&C)
As expected, the FCC voted Thursday to launch a rulemaking to expand and codify network neutrality principles. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the goal, without compromise, is to preserve a free and open Internet.
NYT Co. Q3 Loss Less Than Expected (NYP)
The New York Times Co. reported better -- or at least less bad -- results than investors had expected after it slashed costs and raised newsstand prices. The publisher posted a smaller third-quarter loss despite a 27 percent drop in ad revenue.
FX's Anarchy Is First Basic Cable Series to Beat Leno (THR)
Forget broadcast, now NBC's The Jay Leno Show is fighting off a challenger from basic cable. For the first time, NBC's Leno experiment was beaten in the ratings by a non-sports program that wasn't airing on the Big Four networks. WaPo: NBC stunned the Hollywood community Thursday when Jeff Gaspin, the latest NBC Universal Television Entertainment chairman, announced the network had done an abrupt about-face and would no longer program to profit margins.
'No Change in Ownership' for New York (Folio:)
Following the death of investment banker and New York owner Bruce Wasserstein, the CEO of New York Media Holdings has said that it will not be sold. "I'd like to make clear that there will be no change in ownership," CEO Anup Bagaria said in a memo to New York staff.
New York Times Hires Gang Who Killed Chicago Tribune to Kill Tribune (Gawker)
John Cook: The Chicago Tribune is a terrible newspaper that was driven into bankruptcy by timid bureaucrats posing as editors. So who is The New York Times hiring to launch its new Chicago edition? The same people that ruined the Trib.
CNN.com Relaunches with More Visual, Social Offerings (Mediaweek)
CNN.com will on Monday unveil a major site-wide overhaul designed to make the site more visual, more socially oriented, and more content rich. This is a revolution for us," said CNN.com senior VP and general manager KC Estenson. "We challenged ourselves to change."
Chernin's Role in Comcast/NBCU Prompts Speculation (LAT)
Peter Chernin, who stepped down as president of News Corp this summer, has been a key, behind-the-scenes advisor on Comcast's negotiations to take control of NBC Universal. His new role is intriguing because of his well-known desire to head his own enterprise.
Shrinking Staffs Across Conde Nast (WWD)
By today, staff reductions at Vanity Fair, GQ, Allure, Architectural Digest, and Conde Nast Traveler will have been implemented as layoffs continue across all titles at Conde Nast. The largest layoffs Thursday happened at Vanity Fair, where cuts on the edit side were described as "sizable." Folio:: Amid layoffs, Conde Nast restructures its digital sales team.
Why the Changes Coming to GMA Are Not as Easy as ABC (TVNewser)
The plot thickens at Good Morning America. Buzz at ABC is that co-anchor Diane Sawyer is lobbying management to hold off announcing her GMA replacement until after she leaves for World News. News division chief David Westin wants to release the name in early December.
The Nation Preps Book Mocking Palin (Politico)
Editors from the The Nation are pulling together a book to be released the same day as Sarah Palin's with a similar title and cover mocking the former Alaska governor's memoir. The book titled Going Rouge: Sarah Palin an American Nightmare will contain contributions from 23 writers.
Newsday to Listen to Feedback on Paid Model (E&P)
Newsday will not hesitate to change what's free and what isn't on its Web site after it unveils a new subscriber requirement next week, according to Debby Krenek, managing editor and senior vice president/digital media. She said the site may well make some paid items free, and vice versa, as time goes on. E&P: Cablevision looks as if it is making a daring play. But the combined Newsday and Optimum Online subscriber coverage is 75 percent of the Long Island market. So how daring is it, really?
Crowdsourcing Journalism With Actual Journalists (AdAge)
Mother Jones is spearheading a potentially revolutionary cooperative reporting venture that will bring together a half a dozen or more journalistic organizations to examine climate change in depth. Simon Dumenco talks with co-editor Clara Jeffery about project, and nonprofit journalism.