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Bush Summoned Times Bigs Over 'Snoopgate' (Newsweek)
Jonathan Alter: On December 6, Bush summoned Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger and executive editor Bill Keller to the Oval Office in a futile attempt to talk them out of running the story. Huffington Post: There Pinch was, prancing around for the last year under the illusion that his defense of Judy Miller was going to be his reputation-making Pentagon Papers moment, while doing the exact opposite of what his father did with the Pentagon Papers by sitting on this bombshell story for a year, writes Arianna Huffington. LAT: The paper first debated publishing a story about secret eavesdropping on Americans as early as last fall, before the 2004 presidential election.

TV, Pols Prepare for Transition to Digital (NYT)
The House of Representatives has moved to provide millions of households with coupons to buy equipment to keep their television sets working after broadcasters switch from analog to digital signals. But consumer groups warned that the new law would still impose significant costs on viewers.

TV Guide Revival (WWD)
The magazine's radical plan to save itself with a total redesign has met with some success. Newsstand sales are way up since October, when the magazine upgraded from digest size to full size and shed most of its listings.

Nielsen Bows to Latino Viewers (LAT)
Nielsen Media Research will include in its national ratings shows aired by Univision Communications Inc. starting next week, a move that is expected to better measure the nation's growing Latino audience. USAT: Nielsen will include DVR use in ratings.

Icahn: AOL, Google Courting Disaster (NYP)
Carl Icahn, the billionaire financier who is waging a proxy fight at Time Warner, sent an open letter to the media giant's board, warning that he will hold directors responsible if they enter a deal with Google that would hinder a larger deal between America Online and one of the Internet giant's rivals. NYT: As part of their deal, Google is providing AOL with $300 million in advertising on Google's Web sites.

Washington Examiner Editor Quits, SF Examiner Editor Takes Over (SF Business Times)
Vivienne Sosnowski, executive editor of the San Francisco Examiner, is moving to another of Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz's media properties. She will become executive editor of the Washington Examiner, replacing John Wilpers, who resigned yesterday.

Pols Likely to Press on Indecency (Mediaweek)
Big cable's pledge to offer family-friendly programming tiers may delay action on new regulations, but pressure will continue from officials, including the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

West Wing Writers Grapple With Death of Star (AP via USAT)
Writers on the show aren't expected to begin figuring out how to deal with actor John Spencer's death until after the holidays. Spencer, who played former White House chief of staff and now vice presidential candidate Leo McGarry in the political drama, died of a heart attack on Friday.

Iranian President Bans Western Music on Radio, TV (AP via Yahoo!)
Hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as head of the Supreme Cultural Revolutionary Council, has banned all Western music, including classical music, from Iran's state radio and TV stations.

Britney Spears Sues US Weekly for Libel (Reuters)
The pop star has accused the magazine of fabricating a story that she and her husband made a sexually explicit video together and worried it might be made public.

Confrontational Approach of Writers' Guild Gets Mixed Reviews (LAT)
Since he was named interim executive director of the Writers Guild, West, David Young has adopted the kind of disruptive tactics traditionally used by blue-collar unions. But although Young's tactics have succeeded in getting publicity, they garner mixed reviews within the 9,500-member union.

Poetry Magazine's Rebirth (NY Sun)
Thanks to the staggering $100 million bequest they received in 2002 from pharmaceutical heiress Ruth Lilly, Poetry has done what long seemed impossible: It has reclaimed its place at the center of American poetry.

'Wild, Wacky' 2005 (WaPo)
Peter Carlson: From the pages of Vanity Fair, GQ, Modern Drunkard, Radar and a few others come this year's most head-scratching magazine moments. AdAge: 2005's most pathetic media meltdowns, as recounted by Simon Dumenco.

The Year in Magazine Launches (MIN)
German-exported Bauer Publishing produced none of the projected 1,000 U.S. launches this year. But the influence of Bauer weekly successes InTouch, Life & Style Weekly, and, from a generation ago, Woman's World, is huge.

Hershey: No Kisses for Book Cover (AP via USAT)
The distinctive chocolate bar on the dust jacket of a new book about the founder of Hershey violates its trademark, the candymaker said in seeking an injunction to prevent publisher Simon & Schuster from using the image.

NYT Does Legal Aid (Slate)
Jack Shafer: New York Times reporter Kurt Eichenwald loses control of his 6,500-word investigation when he appears two-thirds through it to serve not as a reporter but as the legal advocate and protector of his now 18-year-old source.

PR Firm Seeking Revenge on Investigative Journalist? (MediaCitizen)
Timothy Karr: James Bamford's December 1 article "The Man Who Sold the War" has sparked a battle of its own—between the investigative journalist who penned the piece and its subject, John Rendon, founder of the Rendon Group.

New Year's Resolutions for Newspapers (E&P)
Steve Outing: Newspapers should become "podcast gods" that aren't afraid to "wiki." And with the money they're going to make from free classifieds, they may even be so bold as to ease up on Web site registration barriers and finally figure out how to publish where the young people are.

Ahead of Transit Strike, NYC Mayor Postpones Press Holiday Party (Jossip)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg was expected to host the press corps at Gracie Mansion last night to—what else?—thank them for blatantly bolstering his campaign. But with the city's impending transit strike, the mayor felt the need to reschedule.

—David S. Hirschman