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Russian Edition of Forbes Sets Off Firestorm (WSJ)
A dispute between the billionaire wife of Moscow's mayor and the magazine erupted in the Russian capital this week. The December issue was pulled, the editor-in-chief resigned in protest and Forbes magazine in the U.S. demanded that the German company that publishes the edition under license reverse its withdrawal decision. Late yesterday, that German company, Axel Springer AG, agreed.
EP of Daily Show, Colbert Report Resigns (Eat the Press, B&C)
Ben Karlin, Executive Producer of The Daily Show and co-creator/EP of The Colbert Report has resigned. B&C: Karlin has resigned from both shows. At Daily Show he's to be replaced by head writer David Javerbaum. Karlin, who was once head writer, significantly shaped the show.
NYDN Axes Veteran Columnist Skenazy (NYP)
The paper has fired their award-winning syndicated columnist Lenore Skenazy, a 13 1/2-year veteran of the paper, who has won a fistful of awards for both column and feature writing and is syndicated in about two dozen papers. Although Martin Dunn is the editor-in-chief, the blood from this one probably rests with op-ed page editor Arthur Browne.
Philly Newspapers Strike Averted — for Now (AP and E&P)
A possible Guild strike at two Philadelphia papers starting at midnight was averted because of reported progress in contract talks. It could still take place, however. The largest union at Philadelphia's two biggest newspapers said late yesterday that it would continue negotiations Friday.
Writers, Actors, Directors, ACLU Challenging FCC Regulations (Variety)
The Screen Actors Guild, Writers Guild of America (both East and West), Directors Guild of America, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists haved joined the American Civil Liberties Union and a host of other organizations in filing a friend-of-the-court brief supporting three major broadcast networks' legal challenge of recent FCC indecency rulings.
NBC Wants to Bar Spanish Rival in L.A. (LAT)
Invoking a rarely-used morals clause, NBC Universal yesterday petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to deny renewal of the broadcast license for KAZA-TV Channel 54. It claimed that the Mexican company running the station, TV Azteca, was corrupt and thus lacked "the character qualifications" required by federal law.
Turner Out as NBC Chief of Sales, Marketing (Mediaweek)
Keith Turner, president of NBC Universal Sales & Marketing and a 20-year veteran of the company, is leaving, say sources familiar with the situation. Turner joined NBC in 1987 as an account executive in prime-time network sales and rose to the top sales position at NBC and then NBC Universal. Turner's exit would make him the third top NBC Universal executive to leave the company in the past month.
Chinese Court Rejects Appeal of Jailed NYT Researcher (NYT)
Zhao Yan sought to overturn an August fraud conviction that stemmed from a period in 2001 when he worked as a reporter for a Chinese magazine. He has maintained his innocence, and his legal team has complained that the appeals court prohibited them from mounting a vigorous case. He will now probably remain in prison until his three-year sentence ends next September.
The Google/YouTube Come-On (BusinessWeek)
Jon Fine: Google and YouTube are dangling nine-figure sums in front of major programming and network players. Google calls these monies licensing fees, but some executives characterize the subtext like this: Don't sue us over copyrights. Take this (substantial) payment, and trust us to figure out how we'll all make serious money once we get advertising and revenue sharing worked out.
Chronicle of the Newspaper Death Foretold (Slate)
Jack Shafer: A good three decades before the newspaper industry began blaming its declining fortunes on the Web, the iPod, and game machines, it knew it was in huge trouble. In the mid-1970s, two of its trade associations sought to diagnose the causes of tumbling newspaper readership since the mid-1960s and recommend remedies.
LAT Struggles Reflect Story of Los Angeles (WaPo)
John Pomfret: If there was ever a "there there" in Los Angeles, it could be found at the Los Angeles Times. The paper has been an adhesive binding the city's crazy jangle of centrifugal energy into something bigger. But now the Times has slipped into a centrifuge of its own, and, in addition to being emblematic of the state of the newspaper industry, the paper's travails also tell a broader story about Los Angeles.
James Murdoch Accuses BBC of 'Megalomania' (Reuters)
The top News Corp. executive and son of Rupert launched a withering attack on the British broadcasting industry and the BBC in particular yesterday, accusing it of "megalomania." In a speech in London hosted by media regulator Ofcom, Murdoch also appealed for less regulation and a free market, which he said was not currently the case in the industry.
New Canadian TV Show to Pick 'Next Great Prime Minister' (Guardian)
Next March four former Canadian prime ministers — Brian Mulroney, John Turner, Joe Clark and Kim Campbell — will take part in a reality TV show titled The Next Great Prime Minister. The four will grill contestants on their leadership qualities before picking a winner in the one-hour TV special.
Olbermann's Hot News (The Nation)
Daphne Eviatar: Keith Olbermann likes to call the news as he sees it — especially when almost everyone else in the media seems to be ignoring a critical play. As it turns out, that tack on the news is increasingly popular these days, upending the conventional wisdom that incisive analysis and intelligent critiques don't win viewers on mainstream television.
How The O.C. Got Beached (WSJ)
When The O.C. debuted three years ago, the soapy teen drama was an immediate hit. But after that sizzling debut, the show started hemorrhaging viewers. More than 26 percent of its young-adult audience had vanished by season two, and 15 percent more by season three. This fall, of the 119 shows aired by broadcast networks it ranks No. 96 — a position so low it risks being canceled.
When to Hold a Scoop? (Poynter Institute's E-Media Tidbits)
It's a perennial newsroom quandary: When a reporter has a hot story, should you break it online immediately or hold it for the press or airtime deadline? "It is not TV or radio or other papers that are going to beat you — it is your readers. There are more of them, they know more than you, and they don't have deadlines," said Damon Kiesow, online managing editor for the Nashua Telegraph.
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