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Gannett Joins Range of Bidders for Tribune (WSJ)
Tribune Co. has drawn an expanded array of potential buyers, including publishers like Gannett, since it moved to allow offers for pieces of the company. Since opening the bidding process, Tribune has reached out to several media groups, including Gannett, Hearst Corp., Dean Singleton's MediaNews Group Inc., and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. AP: Billionaires set to face off for control of the L.A Times. LAT: LAT can only thrive if its owners and editors make drastic changes, write Chandlers. LAT: How will the paper's new proprietors, whoever they are, conceive the Times' role in Southern California, and are they willing to divert a sufficient share of the paper's substantial profits into the kind of reinvestment that will make the future possible? NYT: Having amassed more than $20 billion, Maurice Greenberg could prove to be a major force in the newspaper industry. NYT: Rich suitors and ailing newspapers are a dubious mix, writes David Carr.

Dateline Lays Off 17 (Variety)
Seventeen Dateline employees were issued pink slips Friday as NBC moved forward with a plan to pare hundreds of correspondents, producers and cameramen from the news division by early next year. Sources inside NBC News said 10 Dateline staffers in New York were laid off, five in Washington, one in Chicago and another in Burbank.

Clear Channel Bids Expected Today (NYT)
Two consortiums of private equity firms are expected to submit final bids today for Clear Channel Communications, the nation's largest radio company, worth about $18 billion, according to people involved in the auction. Bidders were making last-minute adjustments to their offers last night, these people said, after the deadline was moved from Friday to noon today.

Dean Baquet Says He Urged O'Shea to Succeed Him (E&P)
As he packed up his office, the outgoing Los Angeles Times editor also revealed that he had decided several weeks ago to recuse himself from any Times stories involving his actions related to the Tribune Company.

Google's Video Service Faces Suit (Reuters via LAT)
Google Inc.'s video service faces at least one copyright infringement lawsuit, the company confirmed, and the Web search leader faces a separate subpoena tied to the service. Copyright infringement has become a hot topic as pirated video from TV, films and music videos has proliferated across the Web. Google runs its own service known as Google Video and last month agreed to buy YouTube.

New Gig Makes Rather Feel Like a 'Cub Reporter' (USAT)
To some, the specter of the longtime CBS Evening News anchor hosting a one-hour news program, Dan Rather Reports, on a start-up network that reaches just 4 million viewers on cable and satellite is not worth much discussion. But Rather says that he still feels relevant and that in a fast-changing media world the appeal of high-definition TV is bound to grow.

Seventeen Tops Teen 'Affluence' List (Mediaweek)
Seventeen readers had a median household income of $60,975 (based on their parents' response to a separate survey), according to the study, which measures the behaviors, attitudes and media usage of 12- to 19-year-olds. Median household income was $56,693 for CosmoGirl and $54,290 for Teen Vogue, according to MRI, which measured Teen Vogue for the first time.

Lauer: NBC's Primetime Woes 'Frustrating' (B&C)
With NBC struggling in primetime and facing deep cuts to its news division, Matt Lauer is more vital to the network than ever before. As the star of a $500 million-a-year cash cow, he must steady the show as new co-host Meredith Vieira settles in and protect one of NBC's most reliable profit centers.

After Years of GOP Sparring With Media, What Will Happen Now? (WaPo)
Howard Kurtz: The question is whether a press corps that has been openly at odds with the president will hold the newly empowered Democrats to the same tough standards. As with any new regime, Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. Nancy Pelosi are enjoying a media honeymoon for the moment. That may not last long. But where will journalists set the performance bar? Slate: Reporters sucking up to Nancy Pelosi.

Mexican Editor Found Dead in Pacific Resort City (AP via Houston Chron)
Misael Tamayo Hernandez, editor of El Despertar de la Costa, which recently had run stories about organized crime and city government corruption, was found dead Friday with his hands tied behind his back. An acquaintance who was with him the last time he was seen alive remained missing.

Kraft Vies for Eyes — And Noses — With Scented Magazine Spots (WSJ)
Kraft is sponsoring a special issue of People magazine with ads that allow readers to experience the smell of one of the products being advertised. Kraft believes the more a reader can play with the ad, the better the recall of its message, says Gary Gruneberg, director of media buying for Kraft Foods.

Spanish Broadcaster Telemundo to Consolidate Some Local News (LAT)
As part of a restructuring, many Telemundo TV stations will no longer produce their own newscasts. Instead, beginning early next year, local news for seven Telemundo stations will originate near Fort Worth. There, anchors and editors will produce three live regionalized newscasts using feeds from reporters and camera operators in the field.

Some Republicans Outed on CNN — But Not for Long (NYT)
The Larry King Live talk show on CNN often tries to enliven political commentary with gossip and celebrity guests. But when a postelection session last Wednesday strayed into speculation about some politicians' sex lives, CNN first put the gossip on the air — and then tried to erase the evidence.

Disgraced Media Mogul Black Expecting 'Spectacular' Trial, Vindication (London Times)
Tom Bower: Black's misfortune will be to forget that the production is controlled by a judge, not by himself. Individuals seeking the limelight in the cause of justice are frequently crushed by the institutionalized atmosphere and procedures of a courtroom. Black expects to be the exception — a common thread throughout his life.

British Study Finds Media Coverage Favored U.S.-Led Coalition in Iraq (Guardian)
Academics found that many media reports filed during the conflict favored coalition forces — with more than 80 percent of all stories taking the British government's line on the moral case for war. "Our findings fail to offer strong evidence of media coverage that was autonomous in its approach to the official narratives and justifications for the war in Iraq," the report says.

Blogs More Trusted Than TV Advertising (Reuters)
Blogs are becoming a force to be reckoned with as a means of advertising products, according to a survey. An Ipsos MORI poll found that the Internet journals are a more trusted source of information than TV advertising or e-mail marketing.

Two Bloggers Set Up a Web Site To Go Head to Head (NY Sun)
With a droll, self-deprecating demeanor, Robert Wright engages a smiling Mickey Kaus each week in a conversation broadcast on their Web site, Bloggingheads.tv. Their running quarrel has attracted a growing number of Web users who want to see rather than merely read bloggers.