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CPJ: Journalist Deaths Hit Record in 2009 (Reuters)
The number of journalists killed around the world in 2009 rose to a record 68 after a massacre in the Philippines, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Thursday. The press freedom group said the 2009 tally compared to 42 deaths in 2008 and surpassed the previous record of 67 deaths in 2007.

Newsweek Sells Budget Travel (FishbowlNY)
One month after denying death rumors, Newsweek-owned Budget Travel has been sold to Fletcher Asset Management for an undisclosed amount. In a release about the deal, Fletcher said it plans to "keep essentially all" of the mag's current staff.

Joe Trippi Joins Fox News as Contributor (Chicago Tribune/The Swamp)
Joe Trippi, who served as campaign manager for Howard Dean's unique bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, has signed on for a new ride: Fox News contributor. The indefatigable Democrat will join the lineup of commentators on call for political analysis at the cable news network.

News Corp. in Deal With Sony E-Reader (WSJ)
Sony Corp. said it will offer subscriptions to The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post on a new version of its electronic reader, the latest in a series of moves by publishers and consumer-electronics makers to loosen Amazon.com Inc.'s hold on the fledgling e-reader market. AdAge: Kindle rivals are cozying up to magazine and newspaper publishers.

Will the Huffington Post Strategy Pay Off? (LAT)
James Rainey: Three people who work in the field estimated that The Huffington Post would take in $12 million to $16 million in 2009. That's not a bad start for a site that still gets most of its content by aggregating the work of others and hosting some 3,000 volunteer bloggers.

Nancy Tellem Changing Jobs at CBS (LAT)
Nancy Tellem said Thursday that she was stepping down as president of the CBS network's entertainment group. But she won't be going far. In January, Tellem will take on a new role as a senior adviser to CBS Corp. chief executive Leslie Moonves.

Top 50 Twitter Topics for the Year (AdAge)
What the Trend has come up with a list of the 50 most talked-about topics this year on Twitter. The company "looked at the occurrence of every term that reached the Top 20 trending topics for every hour of every day of 2009, ranking both the height of popularity it achieved, and then the length of time it stayed as a trending topic." Guardian: Twitter hijacked overnight by Iranian hackers. Bivings Report: Study on the use of Twitter by American newspapers.

Release: DHD Audience Bigger Than Variety and Hollywood Reporter (DHD)
Press Release: November 2009 comScore ratings data released Wednesday show Deadline.com exceeded 1,111,000 unique visitors. That surpassed the combined number of total unique visitors on both Variety.com (515,000) and HollywoodReporter.com (336,000) and their print editions.

CNN's Jim Walton to Staff: 'Be Proud of your Special Contribution' (TVNewser)
CNN Worldwide president Jim Walton sent a year-end note to the CNN staff this morning thanking them for all their contributions. CNN has fallen behind in some key ratings measurements this year and has taken a beating in the press for it. But Walton rallied the troops, laying out the company's accomplishments.

Meet the Press Marks Gregory's First Year With Ratings Win (HuffPo)
Meet the Press marked a full year of David Gregory as moderator with a resounding ratings win Sunday. The NBC Sunday show averaged 3.514 million total viewers, its highest total viewer delivery since March 29, and the broadcast repesented its biggest win over ABC's This Week since August.

Nancy O'Dell Leaves Access Hollywood (People)
Access Hollywood's Nancy O'Dell is leaving her job two years before her contract expires. Her last show will be this week. A source says O'Dell has been uncomfortable for the past several months with what she sees as the show's more sensational direction.

Editor: Still a 'Decent Chance' Someone Will Save E&P (HuffPo)
Greg Mitchell: Believe me, we were amused, though heartened, to see "Editor & Publisher" (with the correct ampersand, no less) hitting No. 4 on the top Twitter trending topics, and stay in the top 10 most of the day.

Hearst's Digital Reach Grows (WWD)
With 26 sites and counting, Hearst Magazines Digital Media will launch a new vertical late next year that "is not one you'd expect from us," noted Chuck Cordray, senior vice president and general manager. He added the URL already has been purchased but declined to provide more information.

Charging Your Readers More for Less -- Bad Idea? (E&P)
Jennifer Saba: Are price increases for print -- designed to wring more revenue out of loyal readers -- holding, or has this strategy already run its course? Longtime readers will only continue to pay more if they feel they're getting something of value in return.

Georgetown U. Humor Magazine Defends Satirical Article (WaPo)
The editor of a humor publication at Georgetown University said Thursday that its editorial staff had decided not to take down from its Web site a satirical article that school leaders have condemned as racist.