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David Hasselhoff on Your iPod (NYT)
NBC Universal said that it would start to sell downloadable versions of 11 of its television shows through Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store. NYP: The company is also offering shows from its USA Network, which broadcasts Monk, and Sci-Fi Channel, as well as classics from its library such as Knight Rider and Dragnet.

The Pentagon's Papers (AP via LAT)
The U.S. military in Iraq has appointed an officer to investigate the controversial propaganda program that paid Iraqi media to run favorable stories written by American troops. USAT Editorial: In the communications business, it is hard to compromise a little without compromising everything. NYO: Paying for favorable news stories is a morally defective strategy, writes Joe Conason. CSM: Don't jump to conclusions about the Iraqi "good news" reports, writes John Hughes.

Pulitzer Extends Prize Consideration to Online (AP via Newsday)
Newspapers vying for a Pulitzer Prize, the top honor in American print journalism, can now include material published online to bolster their entries, the Pulitzer Prize Board announced.

More Than 50 Journalists Dead in Plane Crash (LAT)
The flight had taken off from Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport in the afternoon and was ferrying journalists to Bandar Abbas in southern Iran to witness naval exercises in the Persian Gulf.

Parsons: AOL Not for Sale (AP via Yahoo!)
Time Warner Inc. is in discussions about finding a partner to boost advertising revenue at its America Online unit but Chief Executive Dick Parsons said AOL is not on the block. WSJ: Microsoft pushes to seal AOL advertising linkup.

Us Weekly's Klores Form (MIN)
Did the celebrity mag get an exclusive because Dan Klores is publicist for both Simpson/Lachey and Us Weekly editor-in-chief Janice Min?

C Is for Cookie, Good Enough to Flee (NYP)
The sudden departure of Daily News editor-in-chief Michael Cooke could toss a wrench into the works of the TV show Tabloid Wars that Bravo channel had been working on for months. E&P: Daily News is not expected to replace Cooke, choosing instead to turn over Cooke's day-to-day responsibilities to Editorial Director Martin Dunn.

Times to Raise Ad Rates, Spend $40M on Staff Cutbacks (NYT)
The Times Company announced the figures as part of its guidance for Wall Street analysts and investors. The company did not provide an earnings estimate or a revenue forecast for the fourth quarter or for 2006.

Radio Industry Unites to Speed Move to Digital (AP via BusinessWeek)
In a move to take on growing competition from satellite radio, iPods and the Internet, which has at least seven radio companies (including giants Clear Channel Communications Inc. and Viacom Inc.'s Infinity) has formed an alliance to step up the rollout of digital radio.

The Source Evicted After Rent Default (NYP)
The embattled hip-hop magazine is accused of not paying $156,000 in back rent to Forbes Inc., which subleased the office space that was originally used by Forbes.com. WWD: According to a former staffer, employees have been instructed to work from home until the company can move into new offices on lower Broadway.

Media Failure on 9/11 Report Card? (E&P)
Greg Mitchell: Has September 11 fatigue set in? A high-level report declares that the U.S., while fighting terrorists abroad, has not done nearly enough to keep us safe here at home. Surely it has dominated front pages all week? Not exactly. Public Eye: There were some interesting decisions made by news organizations regarding the placement of stories on the report card issued by members of the former 9/11 Commission, notes Vaughn Ververs. WaPo: Postie Tom Edsall was surprised that the Times played the story inside. VV: The press too was slow to question and reveal the administration's lies, writes Syd Schanberg.

Mr. Walk Amok (NYO)
Bob Woodward is America's pre-eminent celebrity investigative reporter. But what is he investigating? These days he is in the business of hoarding tidbits, not publishing them.

Publishers Weigh Fall Season's Winners and Losers (NYT)
There were some surprise best sellers this fall, including an Italian cookbook and a memoir by Joan Didion, but the publishing industry is still struggling.

ABC Anchor Picks a Cop-Out? (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: In one stroke, ABC essentially gave a no-confidence vote to all five of its most high-profile news stars: Vargas and Woodruff, as well as the troika at its popular breakfast show, Good Morning America. NYO: ABC steals a page from Moonves' playbook.

MoDo Mania (VV)
Joy Press: Maureen Dowd has conjured a public image blending Lauren Bacall and Dorothy Parker, a brainy vamp who cuts power brokers down to size. But her book reads like a glib, déja vu compendium of every Newsweek-style pop-science zeitgeist piece of the last 15 years.

Did Time Burn a Source? (NYO)
According to a person familiar with the mag's thinking, the feeling at Time was that any kind of understanding between Robert Luskin and Vivica Novak was made moot when Luskin came forward to special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald.

Gigot Bites (MediaCitizen)
Timothy Karr: In his sign off from PBS, Paul Gigot praises Ken Tomlinson for "defending the importance of balance and diversity on public television." It was Tomlinson who used $4 million in public funds to help Gigot bring the Journal Editorial Report to PBS.

Reporters Lost in the Numbers (CJR Daily)
Edward Colby: Journalists snap into brain freeze when faced with the prospect of covering a story filled with (shudder) numbers. AP television writer David Bauder proved to be Exhibit A yesterday.

VF Offers Fresh Details on Judith Miller Saga (E&P)
In a lengthy feature piece on this autumn's Judith Miller saga forthcoming in the January issue of Vanity Fair, writer Seth Mnookin covers much familiar ground but also reveals new details and complaints from the reporter's colleagues.

Publish and Perish (The Simon)
Matt Hutaff: Newspapers are cutting jobs left and right while wondering why their circulations are down. Maybe it's because they refuse to tell the truth.

Defamer Reinvents Hollywood Gossip (Los Angeles Mag)
Steve Oney: The most influential and intimidating gossip in Hollywood lives and works in a two-bedroom unit of a nondescript apartment complex in Los Feliz.

Central African Republic Bans 'Leave Your Wife' Music; Wife Leavers Outraged (Reuters via ABC News)
Broadcasters had been told not to play any music that might inspire Central African men to look for new partners if the ones they were married to no longer satisfied their needs, interim communications minister Fidele Ngoundgika said.

On Giving Good Quote (Lowdown)
Natasha Richardson couldn't resist nibbling on the hand that feeds her at Monday night's party celebrating her Gotham magazine cover.

—David S. Hirschman