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Microsoft and Google Duke It Out Over Facebook (NYP)
Microsoft and Google are each vying to take a stake of between 5 percent and 10 percent in Mark Zuckerberg's social-networking site, with a deal expected to be announced in the next 24 to 48 hours, according to three sources familiar with the situation. Google, in keeping with its past modus operandi, has been trying to drive the price up to a point that would scare away Microsoft. AdAge: Facebook is keeping mum about exactly what it is unveiling on Nov. 6, but ad-industry executives familiar with the company's plans said the social network is looking to better use the data its users voluntarily offer up on their profiles.

In Foray Into TV, Google Is to Track Ad Audiences (NYT)
Google is set to announce a partnership today with the Nielsen Company, the voice of authority in measuring television audiences, that will give advertisers a more vivid and accurate snapshot than ever before of how many people are viewing commercials on a second-by-second basis, and who those people are.

Chase Defends Sopranos Finale (AP via USAT)
Breaking his silence months after the HBO mob drama ended its run, creator David Chase is offering a belated explanation for that blackout at the restaurant. He strongly suggests that, no, Tony Soprano didn't get whacked moments later as he munched onion rings with his family at Holsten's. And mostly Chase wonders why so many viewers got so worked up over the series' non-finish.

Fame and Obscurity at The New York Times (NYO)
Doree Shafrir: Not too long ago only the giants of the mainstream media world — the Tom Wolfes and the Joan Didions — were bona fide media personalities. It was a class you aspired to, and few reached. That was before anyone with a blog and a Flickr account could burrow into a writerly niche and, if all went according to plan, come out burnished by the soft glow of Internet fame.

SI's Reilly Got $2M Per Year to Jump to ESPN (NYP)
Rick Reilly was said to be the highest paid writer in the history of Sports Illustrated parent Time Inc., with a $1 million annual contract that covered five years. SI was said to be willing to go as high as $1.5 million a year to keep him happy. But with Time Inc. unable to offer Reilly a TV network gig, he was a goner — jumping at the reputed five-year, $10 million package offered by ESPN. DanShanoff.com: Sports Illustrated needs to make a bold move to replace their most coveted talent. The answer, more than mere replacement: Hire Deadspin's Will Leitch.

Aniston and Jolie Pitted Against Each Other on W Covers (FishbowlLA)
The November issue of W is out now, giving readers interested in other people's messy divorces the opportunity to put in their two cents. Or their $4.50, as it were. The magazine is publishing two separate covers — one with Jennifer Aniston and one featuring Angelina Jolie. It's about as tacky as a fashion mag can get.

California Fires Drive Traffic — And Challenge Coverage (E&P)
Southern California's firestorm is also creating a news storm of sorts for area newspapers, with the Los Angeles Times putting scores of reporters on the story and the San Diego Union-Tribune — in the most affected area — seeing daily record-breaking Web traffic. Google Maps is even helping several papers use map services for updated online fire reporting. Beet.tv: The New York Times solicits user-generated video of wildfires. B&C: TV stations in Southern California are using multiple media platforms to cover the series of wildfires that are ravaging the area. Variety: Networks send big guns to cover Southern California fires.

What's the Difference Between In Touch and Life & Style? (Jossip)
Is Richard Spencer's double duty at In Touch and Life & Style costing the two Bauer tabloids their singular identities? Critics are quick to say "absolutely." Naturally! Not only are both magazines running very similar content and storylines, but there are also instances of the weeklies having their cake and inhaling it too, by supporting a celeb in one rag and trashing him in the other.

Mr. Bad Taste Saves VH1 (NYO)
Michael Hirschorn's key insight was, in a sense, conceptual. The first wave of reality TV tended to create drama by putting broadly recognizable people into contrived contests — surviving on an island, for instance. VH1 shows, by contrast — along with the plethora of imitators they've spawned — are more likely to play on viewers' fascination with both the glamour and depravity of stardom.

The Matt Drudge Primary (Telegraph)
Toby Harnden: Most of the commentary portrays Drudge as a sinister right-wing loony whose courting by campaigns somehow subverts the political process. Well, the truth is simpler and less of a conspiracy than that — Drudge often spots the real story that the reporter has buried in the 17th paragraph.

Vibe Publisher Burnett Resigns, Heads Uptown (Mediaweek)
The executive exits continue at Vibe Media Group: Len Burnett, VP, group publisher of Vibe, has resigned after three years in the position. Burnett will return to Uptown, a lifestyle magazine targeting affluent black consumers that he co-founded in 2004 with Brett Wright.

Ogden Launches Online Retail Portal for Carbon-Offsetting (Folio:)
In a move that is equal parts Al Gore, Coldplay, and Web 2.0 e-commerce experiment, Topeka, Kansas-based Ogden Publications — home to Mother Earth News, Natural Home, and Utne Reader among others — will launch EarthMoment.com, a customized retail portal that buys users carbon-offset credits in exchange for online purchases. Folio:: Rachael Ray goes green.

Missing the Dead-Tree Newspaper (Salon/Machinist)
Farhad Manjoo: Print's ultimate demise is a fate foretold by as many indisputable line graphs as Al Gore wields to prove that Knut and his kin are in trouble. But before it disappears forever, let's pause to remember what's beautiful and useful about the newspaper — if mainly for the sake of posterity, also to point out what about it we should aim to replicate digitally.

Media Critics Eat Their Own (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: Sometimes I think American media critics are a petty and self-righteous bunch in search of a slogan. Judging by some of the reactions to Howard Kurtz's new book, Reality Show, I'll suggest this one: We eat our own. Kurtz, the dean of media critics, is getting a bum rap — mostly — from the people who should understand his work the best.

Media Myths About the Jena 6 (CSM)
Craig Franklin: By now, almost everyone in America has heard of Jena, La., because they've all heard the story of the "Jena 6." White students hanging nooses barely punished, a schoolyard fight, excessive punishment for the six black attackers, racist local officials, public outrage, and protests — the media made sure everyone knew the basics. There's just one problem: The media got most of the basics wrong.