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CBS Files Motion to Dismiss Rather's Suit (NYO)
Yesterday, in New York Supreme Court, CBS filed a lengthy 30-page motion to dismiss Dan Rather's civil suit against the network. CBS executives also released a statement noting that they are "mystified" by Rather's "bizarre allegations" but will "vigorously" defend themselves in court if need be. NYDN: Couric imitates Rather on video clip. NYT: "CBS and its executives are not now, and never have been, out to get Dan Rather," the network said.

Lou Dobbs for President? (WSJ)
Dobbs posted a commentary on his Web site last week predicting a surprise new presidential candidate in 2008. The mystery candidate is an "independent populist ... who understands the genius of this country lies in the hearts and minds of its people and not in the prerogatives and power of its elites." Friends say Dobbs is seriously contemplating a race for the first time, although it's still unlikely.

Fox Critic Greenwald Targets Advertisers (B&C)
Veteran Fox News Channel critic Robert Greenwald opened a second front in his campaign against the top-rated cable news channel, this time aiming to get advertisers to drop their sponsorships. Citing the viewership to his previous video broadside against Fox News, which got more than 500,000 views, Greenwald launched another online video on YouTube Thursday called "Fox News Porn."

Newsweek Hires Rove for '08 Political Commentaries (NYO)
Newsweek has hired Karl Rove as a contributor for the 2008 election. On Tuesday, the magazine announced that it had hired Markos Moulitsas, founder of the liberal blog The Daily Kos, in a similar role. "Newsweek has a long tradition of asking practitioners and opinion-makers to offer our readers the benefits of their experience in occasional opinion essays," said editor Jon Meacham.

John Edwards to Picket With Striking Writers (B&C)
Senator John Edwards will be the first presidential candidate to picket personally with Hollywood's striking writers, according to the Writers Guild of America. Edwards will join picketers at NBC Entertainment's headquarters at 3000 W. Alameda Ave., Burbank, Calif., today.

Unlike Other Late Night Hosts Letterman's Ratings Hold Steady in Reruns (WaPo)
Lisa de Moraes: David Letterman's overall audience with reruns was on par with the previous week with original episodes — 4 million viewers. And he gained eyeballs in TV's key demographic groups, including the Holy Grail — the 18-to-49-year-olds. Yes, David Letterman's CBS late night show in reruns, not Nightline, won the first week of the writers' strike, pretty much any way you want to slice it. Variety: Reps for several of the major late night shows — including Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien — have been engaging in secret backchannel conversations with each other about when it might be appropriate for their hosts to return to their studios. HuffPo: Colbert writers post latest strike video.

Online Ad Business Targeting Niches (NYP)
The lucrative business of selling Web ads has become so fragmented — and easy to do — that even Martha Stewart has thrown her hat in the ring by setting up an online advertising network. Driving the growth of these networks is a desire by advertisers to reach niche audiences — from rugby players to homemakers.

Having Dropped TimesSelect Pay Wall, NYTimes.com Sees Record Traffic (Beet.tv)
Andy Plesser: The Nielsen numbers for online traffic at newspapers, which came out yesterday, show a significant jump in unique visitors to nytimes.com for October. In reaching 17.5 million uniques, the paper had its best month ever, a Times spokeswoman told me. The numbers are up from 14.6 million in September.

Headache for Publishers as Men Ditch Mags for Web (Reuters)
Leading European publishers are coming to terms with what teenage boys and men have known for years — the Web beats magazines in grabbing their eyeballs. Magazine publishers such as London-based media group Emap, Germany's Axel Springer, and France's Lagardere have seen a split growing in their magazine assets — those for women are surging while men's magazines droop.

Fashion Magazines Getting Bigger and Bigger (WWD)
Looks like most fashion magazine publishers can breathe a sigh of relief as 2007 comes to a close. Titles capped off a strong year as retail and apparel advertising helped lift revenues. But some magazines reported gains, thanks not only to their core books, but through corporate programs and special issues, as well.

W Gets a Site of Its Own: WMagazine.com (AdAge)
Pushing ahead with recent efforts to develop rich Web sites for its magazines instead of grouping their brands at broader portals, Condé Nast has introduced a standalone site for W — and stripped the W content from its online home until now, Style.com.

Youth in South Korea Get It All on the Download (LAT)
In South Korea, peer-to-peer video services have exploded. The Internet is the distribution platform of choice and the content at young people's fingertips is a dizzying array of pirated TV shows and movies. Lax enforcement of copyright laws and South Korea's high broadband penetration rate have helped fuel the popularity of these services.

IAG Delivers Precise Data on Which TV Ads Are Resonating — Now It's Headed Online (BusinessWeek)
Jon Fine: IAG has focused on TV since its inception in 1999, but it's begun measuring ads on Verizon's mobile service, and deals with major marketers to measure their Web ads are expected soon. "The Holy Grail is to measure people across platforms," says Alan Wurtzel, NBC Universal's president for research. IAG data on Web ads could make big marketers comfortable slinging more ad spending toward the Web.

What a Time Inc. Spin-Off Might Look Like (Folio:)
A spin-off could benefit both entities. Time Warner gets to move Time Inc. off the books as an operating unit and Time Inc. becomes a free-standing, public company. "It's an IPO, in effect," says the source. A public Time Inc. would also be free to make more aggressive moves in the digital arena.

Mimi Valdes Ryan Hopes to Break Ground at Latina (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: On Nov. 5, Mimi Valdes Ryan became the top editor of Latina, a magazine and Internet operation, which is run by Latina Media Ventures and caters to Hispanic women. The 37-year-old former editor of Vibe magazine has the weighty task of taking Latina to a new level of prominence. Valdes Ryan and her partners must compete with magazines like Vogue and Glamour for advertisers and readers.