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ABC's World News With Diane Sawyer Debuts (TVNewser)
Diane Sawyer made her debut as the anchor of ABC's World News yesterday evening. Sawyer has filled-in on the newscast in the past, but this was her first night with her name in the program's title. The program had a new appearance -- with its first new graphics look in five years -- and a new announcer. AP: ABC plans to make use of Sawyer's conversational style, which was on display during on-air Q-and-A's with Jonathan Karl and George Stephanopoulos on health care reform. NYT: There were no high-tech frills or showy experiments in Diane Sawyer's brisk first night as anchor. Instead the network draped its star in utter seriousness, writes Alessandra Stanley. WaPo: Opening-night jitters and the obsession with keeping Sawyer front, center and everywhere else tended to hobble and mute the first edition, writes Tom Shales. Daily Beast: Rebecca Dana on how Diane Sawyer's lunar cool plays against Katie Couric's sunny warmth.

Apple TV-Service Proposal Gets Some Nibbles (WSJ)
CBS Corp. and Walt Disney Co. are considering participating in Apple Inc.'s plan to offer television subscriptions over the Internet, according to people familiar with the matter, as Apple prepares a potential new competitor to cable and satellite TV.

Wash Times Cuts Sunday Paper, Will Publish Five Times Per Week (TPM)
The Washington Times has announced that its last Sunday edition will be published Dec. 27, and the paper, which does not have a Saturday edition, will shift to a Monday-Friday publication schedule. The decision comes a few weeks after the newspaper announced it is cutting at least 40 percent of its staff.

Stern's Threat to Quit Sirius Could Be Empty Talk (AP)
Howard Stern is threatening to leave Sirius XM Radio Inc. now that the shock jock and the satellite radio provider are getting set to enter contract talks in 2010. That threat probably seems less daunting to Sirius than it once would have. Stern doesn't have many places left to go -- at least if he wants another huge payday.

Economy, Obama Inauguration Lead AP's Top Stories of 2009 (AP)
The convoluted American economy -- restoring windfalls to a lucky few while leaving millions jobless and distraught -- was the top news story of 2009, followed closely by the inauguration of President Barack Obama, according to U.S. editors and news directors voting in The Associated Press' annual poll.

2009 Lists: The Year's Biggest Moves In Media (FishbowlNY)
2009 resulted in a vast number of job changes and departures across all matter of media companies and publications. In almost every field of journalism, big names have either been fired, promoted, retired, or simply moved on to more lucrative positions. We take a look back at the biggest industry shakeups of the year.

Affiliates' Leno Optimism Flagging (B&C)
Both NBC and numerous affiliates have been considering the long-term perspective on whether Leno's 10 p.m. show is a dud. "We remain hopeful that it will get better," KVBC Las Vegas general manager Lisa Howfield says. "But we'd sure like to have a few of those ratings points back."

Digital Content Partnership Named: 'Next Issue Media' (Folio:)
The joint venture to create a digital content production service and storefront -- including Time Inc., Meredith, Hearst, Condé Nast and News Corporation -- has been given a name: Next Issue Media. For now, the company has yet to name its product or storefront.

Richard Rushfield Leaves Gawker (The Wrap)
Richard Rushfield -- who was poached from the L.A. Times in August by Nick Denton's bloggy empire to become Gawker's West Coast editor -- is headed to something called the Digital Entertainment Corporation of America (or "Deca"), a Santa Monica-based online startup.

Hollywood Adds Money, Talent to Made-for-Web Shows (AP)
Major movie studios are now getting behind straight-to-Web productions, giving them a lift in budgets and quality -- a far cry from the shaky camerawork and dubious special effects prevalent when Web video became a new phenomenon a few years ago.

Dylan Ratigan Apologizes to MSNBC Viewers (TVNewser)
MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan apologized to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz on-air yesterday: "I'll sum it up with a Tweet from a woman known only as dianeg12, and I quote, 'Dylan was very rude' and, yes, dianeg12, I was and I want to apologize to the congresswoman and to our viewers for that."

So Many Bogus Stories, So Little Time (Salon)
Joan Walsh: The media spent a lot of time chasing non-stories, from Balloon Boy to Sarah Palin's death panels in 2009. Why did so many news organizations, from old media and new, chase silly, shiny distractions? Mainly because it's easier than reporting out, and attracting readers to, big questions of politics and public policy.

The e-Book, the e-Reader, and the Future of Reading (Christian Science Monitor)
Matthew Shaer: The year 2010 is widely seen as a tipping point when the e-book, once an avant-garde oddity, begins to supplant the hidebound codex. This transition, sweeping in scale, recalls nothing less than the move from stone tablets and scrolls to the bound volume.

Heartland Publications Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy (WSJ)
Heartland Publications LLC, which publishes about 50 community newspapers in nearly a dozen states, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday. In court papers, the company blamed its "significant liquidity challenges" and "weakened operating results" on the decline in advertising.

A First-Timer Plans Carefully for Super Bowl Buy (AdAge)
Austin, Texas-based HomeAway is spending several months working through any number of complexities (think licensing issues and server capacity) to make certain its first appearance in the Super Bowl goes off without a hitch.