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Times to Judy: Don't Let the Door Hit You on Your Way Out (NYT)
Under the agreement, Judith Miller will retire from the newspaper and The Times will print a letter she wrote to the editor explaining her position. NYT: Editor Bill Keller's memo to staff and his response to Miller. JudithMiller.org: "Mainly I have chosen to resign because over the last few months, I have become the news, something a New York Times reporter never wants to be," writes Miller in her farewell letter. E&P: Miller attends panel and fields questions in the evening after officially leaving the Times. WaPo: In an era of anonymous sources, Miller is a cautionary tale. WSJ: Miller said that she had already been contacted by prospective employers. "I've already had offers," she said. "And it's only been a few hours." NYO: "I'm really very satisfied with the agreement. I will always miss the Times, but now it was time to move on," Miller said. TNR: Now that Miller has left 43rd Street, she will surely continue to embarrass the paper, writes Franklin Foer.

We're Shocked! Shocked! (B&C)
For the three months ended Sept. 30, indecency/obscenity complaints quadrupled to 26,185 from 6,161 logged during the previous three months. The increase follows several quarters of big declines. WaPo: Delays, low fines weaken FCC attack on indecency. WaPo: Teenagers watching television are bombarded with nearly twice as many sex scenes as seven years ago, according to a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. LAT: Breaking down the numbers by genre on broadcast television, the study found that 91 percent of comedies had sexual content, compared with 87 percent of dramas, 73 percent of newsmagazine shows and 41 percent of reality programs. Mediaweek: Senators plan public TV indecency forum.

Bush Picks GOP Regulator for FCC (TV Week)
President Bush has nominated Deborah Taylor Tate, a director of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, for a Republican seat on the Federal Communications Commission.

Yahoo Quits Race For AOL Stake (WSJ)
A Yahoo spokeswoman acknowledges there was a meeting, but denies Yahoo ever made any offer. "After we learned what their proposed deal terms were we passed and we've never looked back," said the spokeswoman.

Gay Media Firms Come Together (LAT)
San Francisco-based PlanetOut Inc. will acquire the Los Angeles-based publisher of the Advocate and Out magazines for $24 million in cash, combining the nation's two largest gay-oriented media companies.

Sending Out an S.O.S. (SFBG)
Bruce B. Brugmann: The biggest and most damaging consolidation in the history of the alternative press will sail through DC. That's why it's absolutely critical that California Attorney General Bill Lockyer step in to stop it from happening.

Publisher to Reissue Libby Novel (AP via USAT)
The indictment of I. Lewis Libby has had one unintended benefit for the former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney: The resurrection of his once forgotten literary career.

Did White House Alter Transcript of Press Briefing? (Think Progress)
If you listen to the clip, it's clear that White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan says "that's accurate." Nevertheless, the White House is trying to get other sources to change their transcripts to read "I don't think that's accurate."

New RBI Leader a Heavy Hitter (Folio:)
The b-to-b publisher of 100-plus titles including Variety and Publishers Weekly, appointed Tad Smith to succeed Jim Casella, who moves to the company's vice chairman post after a 4-year-run at the helm.

Haven't Heard Enough From MoDo? (Newsweek)
The New York Times columnist talks about her controversial new book, that incendiary piece about Judith Miller and why men are as necessary as ice cream. Page Six: Dowd botoxed "to the hilt," says journalist friend. WaPo: The thought of Dowd's girls' nights with fellow Times sirens Alessandra Stanley and Michiko Kakutani sounds about as soft and yielding as Macbeth's three witches on a club crawl, writes Tina Brown.

Not Your Father's Beeb (Speigel Online)
The BBC might soon ask its listeners to help organize a Web archive of the broadcaster's radio programming. The idea is to make its vast amounts of content more accessible. Guardian: The BBC World Service must stay in tune with its global audience, writes Nigel Chapman.

CBS to Air Rather Report (NYT)
For the first time since Dan Rather stepped down as anchor of CBS Evening News, a report he prepared is under consideration to appear on 60 Minutes.

A Woman Who Made Journalism Matter (Slate)
In addition to being a writer of celebrated political profiles for Vanity Fair, Marjorie Williams was a female columnist with an unselfconscious way of writing about politics and family issues.

New Yorker on DVD Not-So-High Tech (WSJ)
Why does The Complete New Yorker feel so low-tech? The explanation lies in a years-long battle over a clause in U.S. copyright law concerning the ownership of rights to magazine articles written by freelancers.

Fox Previews Show on MySpace (Mediaweek)
MySpace is one of a recent string of acquisitions by Fox parent company News Corp. The music-centric site has been one of the fastest growing properties on the Web, particularly among younger demographics.

Don't Blame Me (AJR)
Ousted CBS producer Mary Mapes, who gave the world the ill-fated report on President Bush's National Guard service, goes on the attack.

LAT in Trouble (LA Weekly)
Marc Cooper: The paper's recent decisions have failed to offset the powerful forces battering the profession. Nothing leads me to believe that their current calculations will be any wiser or fare any better.

Danish Editor Tests Right to Violate Muslim Taboos (CSM)
The cultural editor of Denmark's largest newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, recruited cartoonists to depict Islam's Prophet Muhammad and published them in the paper.

Say 'Adios' to Those Creative Jobs, Amigo (East Bay Express)
Despite the incessant growth in Spanish-speaking readers, the San Jose Mercury News is closing Nuevo Mundo and selling the Viet Mercury. Why did it fail? The community was already doing a better job reporting on itself.

—David S. Hirschman

IN YESTERDAY'S MB BLOGS:

Les Moonves "Doesn't Know Journalism From Dirt Farming," Mary Mapes Says [TVNewser]
When it comes to CBS president Les Moonves, Mary Mapes doesn't mince words. "He doesn't know journalism from dirt farming," she tells Howard Kurtz.

At NY Times, history repeats itself with a 'Jarhead' "controversy" [FishbowlLA]
This "Jarhead" flap reminds us of a particular penchant of the New York Times, of late: Namely, to inadvertently manufacture controversy about a Hollywood film...

Judith Miller's scoops the Times on her own farewell letter [FishbowlNY]
I haven't checked Judith Miller's website since early in her prison term -- but today it just got relevant.

Twilight in Baltimore? [FishbowlDC]
The Baltimore City Paper hears that company-wide buy-outs may be looming at the Sun following the scheduling of a Friday meeting between company execs and union officials.

SMP Revives Scooter's Apprentice [Galleycat]
Then they found out how much copies were going for on the Internet, so now it'll be back in stores by Thanksgiving weekend.

Dealing with a Hostile Interviewee [MBToolbox]
Unless you're a hard-boiled reporter, most of us freelancers are not used to handling interview subjects who turn nasty.

The James Beard Foundation Needs Your Nominations
The James Beard Foundation Interior & Graphic Design Awards have just announced a call for entries.