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BusinessWeek Reorganizes, Cuts Staff (Folio:)
BusinessWeek is combining its print and digital staff to create a single editorial operation. The move is designed to better integrate its print and Web products, the company said. As part of the reorganization, as many as a dozen business and editorial staff members will be laid off. Folio:: Editor Stephen Adler's memo on the reorganization. WWD: Two top editors that were promoted to oversee print and the Web include Ciro Scotti, who becomes managing editor of the magazine from assistant managing editor, and Martin Keohan, who was elevated to managing editor of the Web site from operations director. AdAge: Under the new arrangement, eight chief editors will direct print and online coverage of various subjects such as small business, innovation, and news.

MTV to Let Freelancers Stay on Its Insurance (NYT)
Acknowledging the concerns of hundreds of freelance workers, MTV Networks on Wednesday reversed some of the cuts it had intended to make to benefits packages. Some workers said they would continue to challenge the remaining proposed changes, and nearly 100 of them protested for a third day outside the headquarters in Times Square of Viacom, MTV's parent, amid throngs of holiday tourists.

As New Episodes Fade, TV Facing a Long Winter (USAT)
A writers' strike that has slowed the flow of new TV shows is threatening to linger well into next year — and force more lasting changes in Hollywood that determine what we watch and when, at home and in theaters. The five-week-old walkout by the Writers Guild of America took a turn for the worse last week, when talks collapsed amid harsh words. Now both sides are bracing for a long standoff. Variety: WGA strike redefines TV business. Variety: Hollywood huddles to resstart talks.

A Chapter of Jackass as Web Test (NYT)
Paramount Pictures is lurching onto the Web with its Jackass franchise, with what it says will be the first studio-backed feature film to have its premiere online. And the studio hopes the result will be considerably more pleasurable than the old MTV show's trademark shot to the groin — perhaps by paving the way for more profit-making Web-only material.

New Magazine Launches Decline in 2007 (Folio:)
There were 389 new magazines launched in 2007. There were also 636 magazines launched in 2007. Exactly how many depends on who’s doing the counting. "We only count magazines that we have physical copies of," says Ole Miss professor Samir "Mr. Magazine" Husni, who tracks launches on his Web site. "That is, no announcement or wishful thinking that we are launching."

Tribune to Sell Chicago Cubs (NYP)
Tribune Co., the newspaper owner being taken private by billionaire Sam Zell, plans to sell the Chicago Cubs baseball team and Wrigley Field in the next six months to cut debt. The sale may fetch more than $1 billion, according to John Puchalla, an analyst at Moody's Investors Service. LAT: Tribune revenue falls 3.3 percent.

Bebo and Facebook Join Forces (Guardian)
Bebo is working with rival social networking Web site Facebook on an application development platform that works across both sites. Experienced developers and Web businesses can now build their own small Web tools for Bebo using a set of code offered by the the popular teen social networking site.

Knight Rider Premiere Set; Arnett to Voice KITT (TV Week)
NBC has set Feb. 17 as the premiere date for its two-hour Knight Rider revamp and announced that Will Arnett (Arrested Development) will provide the voice of the new KITT car. NBC also has released official images of the crime-fighting super-vehicle.

Chevron Leaning on CNN Over 'Hero'? (Page Six)
CNN isn't very enthusiastic about one of the six "heroes" honored last week on its show, "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute." Pablo Fajardo of Ecuador was saluted in the "Fighting for Justice" category for his lifelong effort "to force one of the world's largest oil corporations to pay more than $6 billion to clean up toxic waste in the Amazon rain forest." But CNN never named Chevron, a big advertiser, as the oil company.

Striking Writers Disrupt Carson Daly Taping (Defamer)
On Tuesday night, a team of striking writers infiltrated Daly's studio audience (an action not sanctioned by the Guild), briefly ruining his penetrating interrogation of Dancing with Stars also-ran Jerry Rice before security restored order to the Last Call world.

Congressional Committee May Delay Sirius/XM Merger (NYP)
Just as senior antitrust officials appear closer to approving the $4.7 billion Sirius-XM satellite radio merger, worries by a key congressional committee are threatening to delay the deal. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers said in a Dec. 11 letter to newly installed Attorney General Michael Mukasey that he was "concerned about the transparency of the Department's merger review processes."

Why Democrats Should Go on Fox News (Portfolio)
Jeff Bercovici: Is the danger of getting tripped up higher on Fox News than on CNN or CNBC? Absolutely. Just look back to Bill Clinton's appearance on Fox News Sunday last year. But so what? Fox may have a point of view, but it represents tens of millions of Americans. Barack Obama and John Edwards may well do themselves some damage under Chris Wallace's questioning. But they'll do more damage trying to avoid him.

Watching Women's Television (Slate)
Troy Patterson: It is, of course, far too soon to divine what direction the Oxygen network is heading, but it obviously cannot go down market, having already discovered the limit of what the outer limits of decorum allow. That would be The Bad Girls Club, determined to fashion light entertainment from the binge-drinking, weave-pulling antics of seven undersocialized hoochies picked to live under 24-hour surveillance.

Political Pundits Far From Non-Partisan (PRWeek)
Hamilton Nolan: It seems major networks, magazines, and papers can't line up fast enough to employ career political operatives ready to trade the openly partisan aspects of DC for the slightly less openly partisan life of an expert political "commentator," "correspondent," or "analyst." The practice cuts across both sides of the aisle.

Deciding Who May Own a Newspaper (NY Sun)
Editorial: The newspaper ownership rule is simply unredeemable. Under it, Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, or dozens of other major corporations are permitted to purchase any newspaper or broadcast station in the country. On the other hand, any owner of a local broadcast station, cannot buy any newspaper in the metropolitan area.