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Gibson Wanted Stephanopoulos to Get ABC World News Job Over Sawyer (P6)
Charles Gibson had been pushing ABC News president David Westin to promote George Stephanopoulos as his World News successor instead of Diane Sawyer. "He was shocked when he learned Diane got it, and he was really angry that she stole his thunder," said a source.

Layoffs Begin at The Associated Press (NYT)
Layoffs began yesterday at The Associated Press, as the company follows through on a commitment to lower its payroll costs by 10 percent. Much of the reduction was achieved through buyouts and attrition, so it is not clear how far the AP is from its target, or how many people are being dismissed. Gawker: The AP layoff list. Silicon Alley Insider: More insider details about the layoffs.

Buyouts Finish, Layoffs Loom at Time Inc. (NYP)
The biggest magazines in the Time Inc. empire -- People, Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune and Money -- should find out today how many volunteers have stepped forward to accept buyout packages. Time Inc. is said to be looking to slash more than 500 jobs, with the bulk of the layoffs to happen next week.

Washington Times Editor Files EEOC Complaint (WaPo)
The former editorial page editor of the Washington Times has filed a discrimination complaint against the paper, saying he was "coerced" into attending a Unification Church religious ceremony that culminated in a mass wedding conducted by the church's leader, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

Times' Jodi Kantor Scores Seven Figures From Little, Brown For Obama Book (NYO)
New York Times Washington correspondent Jodi Kantor has secured a stunning seven-figure book deal this week with Little, Brown to write a volume on the Obamas. The deal was the result of a heated citywide auction, and was brokered by independent lit agent Elyse Cheney.

NYC Papers' Circulation Offices Reportedly Raided (AP)
A law enforcement official says the New York Police Department raided circulation offices at some of the nation's largest newspapers as part of a union corruption probe. The official says the offices of The New York Times, the New York Post, El Diario and the NY Daily News were raided Tuesday. NYT: Investigators are looking into whether leaders abused seniority rules to promote favored insiders, not all of whom were union members.

Bonnie Fuller Launches New 'Blogazine' HollywoodLife (FishbowlNY)
HollywoodLife is billed as a Web site that crosses traditional magazine coverage with "interactive conversation" for women -- as well as "feminine bling" from Fuller herself. The site has already drawn in huge advertisers (Sony, We television, Old Navy) for the big names it promises to deliver. HollywoodLife: Bonnie Fuller's editor's letter.

Newsweek Editor Defends Palin Cover (Politico)
Editor Jon Meacham responded to Sarah Palin's charge that the cover image of her was "sexist": "We chose the most interesting image available to us to illustrate the theme of the cover. ... We apply the same test to photographs of any public figure, male or female: does the image convey what we are saying?" CJR: Sarah Palin's Newsweek cover isn't sexist. It's actually kind of empowering, writes Megan Garber.

Vanity Book Awards (Salon)
Laura Miller: Literary awards are more than just ego boosts these days. As the critic James Wood observed a few years back, "prizes are the new reviews," the means by which many people now decide which books to buy, when they bother to buy books at all. One company now will let you buy such an award.

What Do Murdoch's Customers Think About His Pay Wall Plans and Google-Bashing? (AdAge)
Simon Dumenco: I thought I'd spend a little time canvassing Rupert Murdoch's Web customers. What do they think of his stated intentions to erect pay walls and possibly block his publications from Google? Here's s a representative selection from some of Murdoch's papers with particularly active commenters.

Times Media Desk May Be Headed for Small Screen (NYO)
Our favorite hometown media reporters might be on the verge of TV stardom. A documentary filmmaker has hit the Times Tower with camera in tow and is planning to make a movie focused on the New York Times' media desk.

Morning Joe Steadily Loses Steam (NYO)
Over the past eight months, Morning Joe has been slipping not only in overall ratings, but also relative to its competition. Back in March, MSNBC press releases regularly referred to Morning Joe as "the fastest growing cable news morning show." These days, it looks more like the fastest shrinking.

Hearst's Food Network Magazine Named Most Notable Launch of 2009 (Folio:)
While 2009 may be remembered more for the number (and quality) of magazines that closed, it was also an active year for launches, with 752 new titles debuting between September 2008 and September 2009. Samir "Mr. Magazine" Husni has identified the 15 most notable launches of the past year.

Social Sites Not as Video Ad Friendly as Content, Email (Mediaweek)
Digital media buyers may want to think twice about where they place online video ads -- as social networking and gaming sites don't measure up to content sites and email when it comes to user engagement.

New Study Points to Healthy Newspaper Readership (E&P)
A new study from Scarborough Research finds that 74 percent of adults -- nearly 171 million -- in the United States read a newspaper in print or online during the past week. This number counters the notion that newspapers no longer impact consumers.