Media News

Click here to receive mediabistro.com's Daily Newsfeed via email.

Starz Names Chris Albrecht President and Chief Executive (LAT)
Chris Albrecht, the Hollywood executive who transformed HBO into a cable TV powerhouse before a high-profile arrest forced his departure, has been named president and chief executive of Liberty Media Corp.'s pay cable and movie unit Starz.

World News EP Ready to 'Get on to Producing the Next Couple Thousand Programs' (TVNewser)
ABC's Jon Banner says it's high time the evening news got "a more real feel." That means a more conversational approach and less "shouting from the rooftops" in the form of new announcer Mike Rowe. And the changes began Monday night on the debut of World News with Diane Sawyer. USA Today: Diane Sawyer slips easily into the anchor chair.

From Guantanamo to a Desk at Al Jazeera (NYT)
Of the 779 known detainees who have been held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, only one, Sami al-Hajj, was a journalist. Now, more than a year after his release, Mr. Hajj, a 40-year-old native of Sudan, is back at work at Al Jazeera, leading a new desk devoted to human rights and public liberties.

Tiger Gets a Timeout (NYP)
Golf Digest is loosening its ties to Tiger Woods, suspending his monthly instructional golf articles while Woods is on leave from professional golf. But the Condé Nast-owned monthly has not totally severed its connection with Tiger.

2009 Lists: New York Media's Biggest Business Decisions (FishbowlNY)
Print pubs were fighting hard to keep their heads above water. In order to do that they made some decisions — like bringing in new investors, closing publications and selling them off. And there were a few media deals as well. Here's our list of the biggest New York media business stories of this year.

Knight Foundation to Support HuffPo With $200k (Knight Foundation)
Release: As part of its ongoing support for investigative journalism, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced a grant of $200,000 to The Huffington Post Investigative Fund. Based in Washington, D.C., The Huffington Post Investigative Fund has a full-time staff of 11 and a budget of $2 million.

Comcast Seals Exec Deal (Variety)
Comcast has struck a five-year employment pact with Stephen Burke, the company's No. 2 exec, who will oversee NBC Universal once the transaction with General Electric is completed. The deal keeps Burke in the Comcast fold through December 2014.

Gulf News Urges Reporters to Tone Down Dubai Coverage (WSJ)
Gulf News, a newspaper part-owned by a senior government minister in the United Arab Emirates, has told its journalists to avoid using the words "bailout" and "default" when writing about Dubai's debt crisis, according to an internal memo.

Time Spent at Newspaper Web Sites Dips (E&P)
The average time spent per person at the top newspaper Web sites took a hit in November compared to the presidential election month of November 2008. Of the top 30 Web sites, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution had the highest average time per person at 23 minutes and 38 seconds.

Habbo, Facebook Join Forces (Mediaweek)
Social media and virtual worlds are overlapping more and more. Now leading kids virtual community Habbo is looking to accelerate that trend by cross-pollinating its audience with the worlds' leading social network, Facebook.

The Four Bloggers Sarah Palin Bans from Going Rogue Events (Gawker)
Remember the Alaska kindergarten teacher Palin threatened to serve libel papers to in front of his class? He went to a Going Rogue event and discovered he is one of Palin's four worst enemies, banned from events via headshot dossier.

Tablets and Apps Will Not Save Journalism (Slate)
Jack Shafer: As publishers create tablet formats and iPhone apps, they vow they won't repeat the mistake they made with the Web by giving content away. But is $2.99 for an iPhone-optimized version of Esquire really the deal that you've been looking for?

Vatican Newspaper Has Praise for Simpsons (WaPo)
To put it as the devout Ned Flanders would, the Vatican's newspaper thinks The Simpsons are an okely dokely bunch. L'Osservatore Romano on Tuesday congratulated the show on its 20th anniversary, praising its philosophical leanings as well as its often irreverent take on religion.

New Reality Show Features Head-Mounted Cop Cams (THR)
A head-mounted camera for police officers that's generating national interest is set to be featured in a new reality TV show. Base Productions is near a deal with a major cable network for a Cops-type reality show using the AXON head-mounted camera.

Lebhar-Friedman Sells Dowden Professional Publications (Folio:)
Trade publisher Lebhar-Friedman has sold Dowden Professional Publications to multimedia communications company Quadrant HealthCom Inc. Financial terms were not disclosed. Included in the deal are Dowden's four medical journals.