Testy Tabs Trash-Talking (NYP)
Earlier in the week, the Daily News charged its rival of inflating circulation by distributing 50,000 free copies; today, the Post lobs a similar charge back at the News. NYDN: Post has been claiming up to 3.7 million copies a year in "paid circulation" by giving out free papers each morning to Manhattan-bound commuters throughout New Jersey. Newsday: News wants auditor to probe Post.

Suede Shoo (Ad Age)
Suzanne Boyd, the editor-in-chief of Essence Communications Partners' shuttered multicultural fashion magazine Suede, quietly left the company this week after turning down an editor-at-large position at corporate parent Time Inc.

'Humble' Honcho Heads to Hollywood (NYT)
Gail Berman, the Fox executive taking over as president of Paramount Pictures said that she would approach her job with humility because of her inexperience with feature film. LAT: It will be up to Berman to help create a new slate of films for Paramount.

'Marketwatch' Maven to Run CBS Digital Media (NYT)
Larry Kramer, who created the financial news website CBS MarketWatch, will become president of a new division to be called CBS Digital Media.

MLB, O's Join for New Sports Network (WaPo)
Major League Baseball and the Baltimore Orioles will share ownership in a regional sports network that will include broadcasts of Washington Nationals games, giving Orioles owner Peter Angelos at least part of what he wanted as compensation for MLB moving the Nationals within 40 miles of his club.

America's Endless News Loop (WaPo)
Tina Brown: We spend every waking moment heart-in-mouth waiting for some fresh stranger to die, be rescued, get fired. Like the Bush economy, the culture of news has become a winner-takes-all proposition.

Weinsteins Close to Raising $1B (London Times)
Among the brothers' long-term plans are the launch of a movie cable channel and the production of Broadway shows adapted from some of the films they produced as founders and co-chairmen of Disney's Miramax film unit. Reuters: Weinsteins' name and reputation bolster new company.

Grace Goodness? (NYDN)
CNN's counting on its new Headline News star, tough-talking ex-prosecutor Nancy Grace, to help boost its ad bucks.

Listeners Liking Lefty Lip (Boston Globe)
A year after the left launched a major effort to combat Rush Limbaugh and conservative dominance of the airwaves, liberal talk is taking hold. LA Weekly: Danny Goldberg grabs the controls at Air America.

Pundit Pelted With Pie (AP via Indianapolis Star)
A man who later was identified as a student at Earlham College jumped onto stage and splattered Bill Kristol with the pie Tuesday night about 30 minutes into a speech about U.S. foreign policy.

Roshan, Carter, Denton, Gopnik 'Loathsome' (New York Press)
The annual Press list of the "50 Most Loathsome New Yorkers" includes several media biggies as well as a few lesser-known writers and editors.

Pay-Twice TV (NYT)
For homeowners who do not want paid television programming or would rather spend the money on programming available from another provider, locked-in television fees amount to a tax.

Kidnapped Journos Plead for Help (Guardian)
A video of the three Romanian journalists kidnapped in Iraq has been broadcast on al-Jazeera television showing them with guns held to their heads and pleading for their release.

End of an ERa (USAT)
Noah Wyle, the only lead to stay with the hit NBC drama for its 11-year run, will depart as a cast regular in May and return for four episodes in each of the next two seasons.

Reporters Ready 'Roid Read (E&P)
San Francisco Chronicle investigative reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada are turning their award-winning coverage of the BALCO steroids scandal into a book.

Friendly Fire? (VV)
Jarrett Murphy: U.S. Military is urged to investigate stories of run-ins between the military and the press in Iraq.

Prince Pissy With Press (Guardian)
Prince Charles's relationship with the media took another battering at an official photocall today, when he appeared to call the gathered journalists and photographers "bloody people" and remarked "I hate doing this."

Lit Lion Luminous (NYT)
Ian McEwan says he drew on his own life for his new novel, Saturday, which tries to convey a sense of life and its puzzlements in the early 21st century.

—David S. Hirschman