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Fox Interactive Media President Levinsohn Resigns (Guardian)
Ross Levinsohn, who oversaw the phenomenal growth of the MySpace social networking site, has resigned. Levinsohn had been president of the News Corp.-owned company since its inception in July 2005. He is thought to have been an influence on Rupert Murdoch's decision to buy MySpace and also oversaw the acquisition of video game firm IGN and film review site Rottentomatoes.com. FishbowlNY: Levinsohn leaves with "69 friends."

Regan: O.J. Book a 'Confession' (NYT)
The publisher of a book by O.J. Simpson, in which he hypothesizes about how he could have committed the 1994 murder of his ex-wife and her friend, said that she believed Simpson's statements were, in fact, a confession. "That is my view," the publisher, Judith Regan, said during a telephone interview. "I would have had no interest in publishing anything but that." FoxNews: "What I do know is I didn't pay him," Regan said in a statement. "I contracted through a third party who owns the rights, and I was told the money would go to his children. That much I could live with." NYDN Editorial: Rupert Murdoch's blood money.

New Chief at Discovery Is 2nd Senior Executive to Leave NBC This Week (NYT)
Discovery Communications has hired David Zaslav as its top executive, making him the second senior executive to leave NBC Universal this week for a job running another media group. Zaslav, a highly regarded executive within NBC and the TV industry, has been president of NBC Universal's cable and domestic TV and new-media distribution, and before that was president of NBC Universal Cable. LAT: An 18-year NBC veteran, Zaslav helped build CNBC, MSNBC, Bravo, Court TV and A&E.

Clear Channel: New Money Flocks to Old Media (BusinessWeek)
Who's buying old media? Big private equity firms. Clear Channel Communications said that it had agreed to a buyout from an investor group that will pay around $26.7 billion. The deal represents a premium that's around 25% more than Clear Channel's average closing share price the 30 trading days before it first acknowledged that it was evaluating strategic alternatives. NYT: Media companies may be unloved on Wall Street, but they have found big fans elsewhere. WaPo: In a separate transaction also announced yesterday, Clear Channel said it would seek buyers for all of its television stations and 448 of its smaller radio stations, presumably because the private-equity buyers are not interested in owning television or small-market radio.

Trash Collector Found Guilty of 2002 Murder of Fashion Writer Christa Worthington (Boston Globe)
A jury found Christopher McCowen guilty of murder with extreme atrocity and cruelty and murder while committing felonies in the case of fashion writer Christa Worthington. Worthington, 46, was found in her home in January 2002 lying half-naked on the kitchen floor, dead from a stab wound to the chest.

$2.4 Billion Sale Of Reader's Digest One Of Industry's Biggest In Decade (Folio:)
Reed Phillips, managing partner of media investment bankers DeSilva & Phillips, called the deal one of the magazine industry's biggest of the past decade, and said the deal caught many by surprise. "They weren't for sale. I think this is one of those situations where someone approached them and it worked out." FishbowlNY: How much of that $2.4 billion was due to RD's Everyday With Rachael Ray?

Dow Jones, Union Ready to Clash (NYP)
Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones and its largest union appear headed for another contentious round of contract talks, with both sides ready to butt heads on issues ranging from a hike in employee health-care costs to high heels. After only two meetings, management signaled it has no interest in discussing any of the union's grievances in the talks.

LA Times to LA: Save Us (Chicago Reader)
Michael Miner: "Within the communities that matter here," a journalist friend in L.A. e-mailed me, "the Tribune has evolved from potential savior to Darth Vader. Nothing less ... While 20-plus-percent profit margins hardly raise an eyebrow in Chicago ... those sorts of profits are recognized for what they are in L.A.: obscene and unnecessarily regressive."

Sportsman Channel Backer in the Mix for Time Inc. Titles (NYP)
Former YES Network boss Leo Hindery — now managing director of private equity firm InterMedia Partners LP — is in the hunt for Time4 Media's sport titles that Time Inc. is unloading. Based in Big Bend, Wis., the company would seem to be a good fit for a group that includes venerable titles like Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, as well as Ski, Skiing, TransWorld Snowboarding and Popular Science.

Ex-CBS Radio Stringer Deceived Duke, Ivy League (Univ. of Georgia's Red & Black)
David Gilbert, a former stringer for WCBS News Radio in New York, toured the country over the past few years, delivering a pro-Israeli message to the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, George Washington University and other top-notch universities. However, he continually relied on a fib. At these speeches, he identified himself as a CBS News Foreign Correspondent, not as a part-time journalist who was not on payroll.

Crisis at Libération (The Nation)
The French newspaper that emerged from the legendary 1968 student protests, is on the brink of extinction, due to changes both in the media world and at the paper. Once the voice of the antiestablishment, Libération has in recent years drifted closer to the political center. Its core readers regard the paper as a symbol of their identity rather than an essential morning read.

Midwest Hotel Chain Drops CNN Over Iraq Sniper Video (AP via Kansas City Star)
A Midwest hotel chain has pulled CNN and CNN Headline News from its guest rooms and lobbies in response to the cable network's broadcast of an insurgent video showing Iraqi snipers shooting at U.S. troops. The Oct. 18 CNN broadcast, which featured edited portions of a tape the network said it obtained from the Islamic Army of Iraq rebel group, crossed the line from journalism to propaganda.

Drudge Report's Success 'Heartwarming' (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: True, the mere mention of in-your-face Matt Drudge, who created the red-meat site, won't conjure up warm and fuzzy feelings any time soon. But impressively, his baby remains as vital today as it was when it became a must-read Web site. That was way back in the late 1990s, during the height of the media frenzy surrounding President Bill Clinton's dalliance with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

NBC Blurring the Line Between Broadcaster, Ad Agency, and Marketer (BusinessWeek)
Jon Fine: The company's latest moves won't quickly turn around NBC, but its new dances with advertisers rejigger the entire notion of what a network is and how it participates in marketing. As for the ad agencies now feeling the tectonic plates rumble: nothing is stopping you guys from creating your own programming, as some of the smart agencies have done for some time.

Another Election Winner: The Mainstream Media (Washingtonian)
Harry Jaffe: In time, journalists freelancing as bloggers on the Internet might have greater impact on American elections, but if last week's voting is any indication, the political landscape is still being painted by the reporters working for major media outlets.