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Newspapers Suffering Through Worst Slump in Years (WSJ)
The Audit Bureau of Circulations releases its semiannual figures on circulation today, and they are expected to show that paying readers continue to disappear at an alarming rate during the latest six-month period.

Hard Times (WaPo)
For all the anguish among the staff about Judy Miller and the Plame affair, people at the Times are equally upset that the paper is cutting 45 newsroom jobs, with profits at the parent company dropping by more than half this quarter.

Murdoch Makes Pledge on Succession (Guardian)
Rupert Murdoch has promised that his successor at News Corp. will be chosen by the company's independent directors. But the media mogul has not discounted keeping it in the family. Reuters: News Corp. may form Internet company. WSJ: Rupe would love to buy the Wall Street Journal but knows it's not for sale.

Suitors Vie for AOL Stake (NYT)
Microsoft has emerged as the front-runner in the talks surrounding the potential sale of a stake in America Online. But finding a deal has been harder than Time Warner may have hoped. BusinessWeek: Both Google and Microsoft have deep pockets, and each sees a deal for AOL as its chance to dominate the Web.

At CNN, Cooper's Celebrity Part of the Story (Boston Globe)
The boyish metrosexual who once hosted the reality show The Mole has edged out the measured, old-school anchorman. And among a certain urban set, Cooper enjoys a special sort of buzz, centered as much on persona as resume. SF Chron: CNN scoffs at history, writes Tim Goodman.

Yahoo!, TiVo Forming Partnership (LAT)
Under a partnership to be announced today, the two will collaborate to offer Yahoo's Internet-based content and services through TiVo's digital video recording devices.

MSNBC Brings Couple's Dinner-Table Banter to TV (NYT)
Connie Chung, not seen regularly on television since CNN canceled her prime-time program in 2003, will return to cable news in January as the host of a weekly show on MSNBC with husband Maury Povich.

'I Really Cannot Be Destroyed' (Fortune)
The inside story of how the unsinkable Martha Stewart staged her comeback—transforming her board, remaking public opinion, invading prime time. Now the hard part: making it last. Newsweek: Martha vs. Scooter.

Making the Ladies Howell (Page Six)
A former flame of ex-New York Times executive editor Howell Raines has written a racy roman á clef about their steamy affair titled Touched By Ink-Stained Hands.

Raging Exec at Vogue Scares Advertisers (Gatecrasher)
Some Vogue advertisers are on the verge of revolt against associate publisher Connie Anne Phillips, citing her aggressiveness. Things have been so bad, according to a source, Condé Nast had to send her to anger management.

Female Bylines MIA in Mags? (NYT)
Earlier this year, Susan Estrich said women's bylines appeared far less frequently than men's on newspaper opinion pages. Now, an editor is making a similar case against several of publishing's top general-interest titles.

CBS News Chief Ready to Play Ball (USAT)
Unlike in 1977, when news purists bashed ABC Sports chief Roone Arledge's joining ABC News, Sean McManus' transition from network sports to news has prompted not a peep of criticism.

New Owner Vows to Make Voice Relevant Again (New York Mag)
The legendary downtown paper has been a shell of its former self since it went free nearly a decade ago. But a potty-mouthed new owner—from Phoenix, no less—has plans to reverse the decline.

Journos on the Hot Seat (WSJ)
At the trial of Lewis Libby, the reporters involved are expected to face a barrage of questions from defense lawyers. Instead of protecting sources, they could end up defending their own credibility, reputations, and reporting techniques.

NYC Sex Predator Identified as Journo (NYDN)
Peter Braunstein—the prime suspect in the phony-firefighter Halloween sex attack—has worked at The Village Voice and Women's Wear Daily and edited a 2001 book, Imagine Nation.

The Literary Darwinists (NYT Mag)
Just as Charles Darwin studied animals to discover the patterns behind their development, Literary Darwinists read books in search of innate patterns of human behavior. Time: Novel takes on Darwin.

Primedia Retains Goldman Sachs to Sell Off Mag Group (Folio:)
Management presentations are underway in a highly selective process intended to conclude with the sale of the 11-title Primedia Crafts magazine group, an informed industry source said.

Family Guy Dares FCC (Variety)
Who says you can't have some good, clean fun with indecency? Fox thinks so, and to prove it, the net's toon skein Family Guy made the FCC anti-indecency squad the unpixilated butt of its Nov. 6 episode.

Late-Night TV Music Gains Greater Influence (LAT)
In contrast to the days of Johnny Carson, the late-night neighborhood now has far more addresses, and that has made it possible for cutting-edge bands to get airtime that in the past was reserved largely for established acts.

Second Wind for Fitness Mags? (Mediaweek)
Top editorial changes and pending redesigns at Shape and Fitness, as well as the introduction of Rodale's Women's Health, promise to help shake up the sleepy category.

FT's International Rescue (Independent)
Martin Walker: Lionel Barber has his work cut out in restoring the Financial Times to its former prominence, but his outstanding record as both reporter and editor should see him through.

Howard Stern the 'Last Defender of American Freedoms' (Guardian)
Jeff Jarvis: The intelligent and the adult—most of us—are fleeing big, old media for new media, where the law says we still can get what we want because we pay to get it.

Week Strong (MediaPost)
Rachel Lehmann-Haupt: The Week is one of my favorite reads. Here's what makes the magazine so good: The news section is devoted to "the main stories and how they were covered."

Breaking! Life Exists Outside New York, D.C. (Who Knew?) (CSM)
Matthew Towery: By looking through an elite pair of myopically focused glasses, these media movers deceive themselves that everything revolves around their own business and social circles in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Runner's World Sprinting (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: Runner's World may be one of a thousand magazines serving niche audiences, but the publishing business would be smart to pay attention to its progress.

—David S. Hirschman

IN FRIDAY'S MB BLOGS:

Aaron Brown Tells Students: I Wanted To Be An Anchor At Age 10; "I Never Had A Plan B" [TVNewser]
Given Wednesday's announcement, Aaron Brown's comments at Hofstra last week are especially poignant.

Esquire, Ethan Hawke and delicious little soups [FishbowlNY]
Last night Fishbowl attended the "Esquire Downtown" benefit for The Public Theater, and rubbed elbows with the likes of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosie Perez, Cynthia Nixon, Ethan Hawke, Stephen Adly Gurgis and Billy Zane.

As Nostradamus Forsoothed, When the "Cockblockers" Cometh, the End is Near [FishbowlLA]
Variety's Chris Gardner reports it straight, but no doubt even a grizzled Hollywood trade paper veteran like him is as unnerved as I am that a pitch actually entitled "Cockblockers" has sold to Paramount for $1.2 million.

Scoops, Schmoops [FishbowlDC]
Bill Powers uses his column today to examine the curious tendency of the news media to have a piece of information first—to, as they say, break news.

Jurjevics Steps Down [Galleycat]
Juris Jurjevics, the longtime publisher of Soho Press, will leave his post as of January 2006, which happens to be the 20th anniversary of the NY-based independent house's inception.

We Knew He Was Famous But We Didn't Realize He Was World-Famous [Unbeige]
We found an article headlined "World-famous artist speaks to large crowd." Piqued our interest a bit. Made us think. Who could this world-famous artist who speaks to a large crowd possibly be???

Pop Quiz: Shane DuBow [MBToolbox]
No offense to the radio people (especially all my good friends at This American Life), but I've found writing articles to be a lot more work.