Ted Man Walking (NYT)
Ted Koppel, who during a quarter-century as the host of Nightline on ABC has provided a hard-news alternative to the monologues and banter of Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and David Letterman, will leave the network when his contract expires in early December. NYT: ABC may tap Ellen DeGeneres to take over Koppel's time slot. LAT: Koppel keeping his options open. NYP: Plans for a freshened, live version of Nightline have been under way for months. WaPo: Koppel was offered the opportunity to become host of ABC's This Week. USAT: Nightline demise caused by an increasing network news emphasis on entertainment and tabloid fare, and the ongoing fragmentation of TV's audience. Boston Globe: Nightline executive producer Tom Bettag said he and Koppel are looking for new opportunities. Chicago Tribune: Koppel says he got a job offer three minutes after the story broke.

Newsday Drops Liz Smith (Page Six)
The official canning of the column yesterday came after several months of nasty in-fighting between Smith, her lawyer David Blasband, and the suits at the troubled paper. NYT: A new contract offered by the paper asked that Smith take a 95 percent pay cut.

What Ailes the Competition (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: For my two cents, Roger Ailes, the chairman and chief executive of Fox News, is the smartest person in the news business today. Reuters via Yahoo!: Ailes suggests Fox business channel isn't a sure thing. AP via Yahoo!: Ailes has some kind words for the embattled Dan Rather. NYDN: New Fox channel may tap CNBC godfather Jack Welch for commentator gig.

Lifetime Taps Programming Vet as New CEO (LAT)
Betty Cohen, who helped launch the Cartoon Network, was named yesterday president and chief executive of Lifetime Entertainment Services, which operates women-oriented channels owned jointly by Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. and Hearst Corp. of New York.

A Current Affair to Air Video of Jacko Accuser (NYP)
The show plans to air video today of Michael Jackson's first accuser in what is believed to be the first time the young man's face has ever been seen on TV.

More Slapfighting in News/Post Tiff (NYDN)
Daily News: Our readers have spoken and their plea to the New York Post is crystal clear: Stop Littering Our Neighborhoods with Red Baggies.

Press Biased on Schiavo? (Salon)
Eric Boehlert: Wildly overplaying the Schiavo protesters, ignoring facts and giving Bush a free ride, the press was full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Philly Inky: Terri Schiavo's death should conclude the latest cable-TV news obsession, but not before a final flurry of some of the bleaker elements of 24-hour coverage. Seattle Times: Cable news' coverage of Schiavo case was obscene, writes Kay McFadden.

Chico and the Man (Slate)
Jack Shafer: What Los Angeles Times press pundit David Shaw could learn from reading his own paper.

An Old April Fool's Hoax (NYT)
Twenty years ago, Sports Illustrated ran "The Curious Case of Sidd Finch," a 14-page exposé on an out-of-nowhere, fictional Mets pitching phenom.

Newsman's Lawn Signs Show Bias (Chicago Reader)
Michael Miner: Steve Huntley, the editor of the editorial pages of the Chicago Sun-Times, shows his bias towards a slate of candidates by displaying signs supporting them on his lawn.

Foer Asks Friends to Buy Book (NYDN)
Hot New York novelist Jonathan Safran Foer urged friends to buy his new Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close to help keep it on The New York Times best-seller list.

Abandoning the News (Carnegie Reporter)
Merrill Brown: The future of the U.S. news industry is seriously threatened by the seemingly irrevocable move by young people away from traditional sources of news.

West Wing Campaigns...for Viewers (CSM)
Television's long-running political drama, The West Wing, which has languished in the ratings in recent years, is undergoing a makeover, courtesy of the U.S. Constitution.

People vs. TV? (SFBG)
Camille T. Taiara: Because of deregulation, Comcast has a near-monopoly in eight out of the country's 10 top markets, and is using cable to strangle democracy.

Russert Needs to 'Meet the Press'> (E&P)
Allan Wolper: As other journalists face jail time, the TV host needs to explain why he agreed to testify in the Valerie Plame probe.

Newspaper Sites to Bring in $1.52B in '05 (E&P)
While online sites represented about 3 percent of a newspaper company's revenue in 2004, the segment accounted for 45 percent of advertising growth.

Doctor: Slain Canadian Journo Tortured (LAT)
A Canadian photojournalist was beaten, tortured, and raped before she died two years ago while in custody in Iran, a former Iranian army doctor who examined her said.

—David S. Hirschman