Bill: "Brutal Ordeal Is Now Officially Over"

Quoting Bill's announcement tonight, as posted on BillOReilly.com: "All litigation has ceased in that case that has made me the object of media scorn from coast to coast...On a personal note, this matter has caused enormous pain; but I had to protect my family and I did. Some of the media hammered me relentlessly because, as you know, I am a huge target as is FOX News. All I can say to you is please do not believe everything you hear and read...This brutal ordeal is now officially over, and I will never speak of it again."

"There Was No Wrongdoing Whatsoever:"
O'Reilly & Mackris Drop Dueling Sex Lawsuits

> 6:41pm: The statement came out on the Business Wire at 6:41pm ET: The Parties regret that this matter has caused tremendous pain, and they have agreed to settle. All cases and claims have been withdrawn and all Parties have agreed that there was no wrongdoing whatsoever by Mr. O'Reilly, Ms. Mackris, or Ms. Mackris' counsel, Benedict P. Morelli & Associates. We now withdraw any assertion that any extortion by Ms. Mackris, Mr. Morelli, or Morelli & Associates occurred. Out of respect for their families and privacy, all Parties and their representatives have agreed that all information relating to the cases shall remain confidential."

> 7:07pm: Anderson Cooper reported it as Breaking News on 360. "Tonight, questions, and not many answers," he said.

> 7:16pm: On his radio show today, O'Reilly mentioned "a big announcement" coming on tonight's Factor.

> 7:18pm: Here's the Reuters report about the news.

> 7:26pm: ...And the Associated Press version.

O'Reilly Lawsuit Statement Expected Shortly

FLASH: A statement will be released from Bill O'Reilly shortly regarding his sex suit...It will come out on the Business Wire...He will address it on his show at 8pm tonight.

> 6:30pm: Harvey Levin, of the syndicated television series "Celebrity Justice," is reporting that Bill O'Reilly has settled his lawsuits with former producer Andrea Mackris. Levin will appear on MSNBC's Countdown tonight.

For Brokaw, One More Interview With Bush & Kerry

Tom Brokaw is on the campaign trail between now and election day, interviewing Senator Kerry today in Wisconsin and interviewing President Bush in Florida on Sunday. Here's the press release. More of the interviews will air on Dateline Sunday night, when Brokaw anchors from Democracy Plaza.

> Update: Here's the Kerry transcript. "Senator, I'm going to see the President over the weekend," Brokaw said. "Anything you want me to convey to him?" "Just say hello to him, and we'll chat on Tuesday," Bush said.

CNN Posts 50 New Job Listings

On the heels of its announcement that CNNfn will cease broadcasting in December, CNN has published more than 50 job opportunities on the Time Warner career web site. 40 of the available positions, including production assistants, associate producers, senior producers, and writers -- were put online today. Another dozen were posted Wednesday. Most of the jobs are in NYC.

> Also: The network is looking for multiple producers for a NYC legal show.

CNNfn Closing: The Conference Call Transcript

Only on TVNewser: The transcript of this afternoon's conference call was posted on CNN's internal computer system today. Here it is:
Transcript of conference call regarding CNNfn

CNNfn Closing: "Totally Unexpected"

One CNNfn employee calls the announcement "totally unexpected." "People are naturally freaking out," they say. "But for the most part the thinking is - [some of the?] FN shows are going to continue to be taped - just to be used on CNN Headline News." Also: "They're finding out tomorrow who gets the ax and who gets moved around," a TVSpy poster says.

CNNfn: Highlights From The Conference Call

Jim Walton is speaking to reporters on a conference call now. Direct quotes from the conversation:

> "There are 100 full time positions at at CNNfn. We're guessing that approximately 60 of those are going to be impacted...We have posted over 100 positions here across the news group. These are new program creations and also some other jobs around the news group, and it is our hope that most of, if not all of, the impacted employees at CNNfn will have a skill set that matches up, and they will apply for these jobs, and we will be able to position them across the news group."

> "We have a lot of exciting plans," which Walton said he would not discuss for competitive reasons. "You will be seeing some products evolve out of us over the next 3 to 8 months."

> "This was as much about growth as anything else. We're looking for opportunities to get our content in front of as many people as can."

> Jon Friedman asked point-blank if Lou Dobbs will move to primetime. "No, we don't have any plans to do that at this time," Walton said.

> Walton was unclear as to what will happen to the channel space. He said a CNN International feed is one possibility: "We feel that international news programming is an important component, and we feel that many of the operators may like to have more international programming going forward."

Walton Comments On Headline News Changes

With regards to the dozens of newly available jobs within the news group, Jim Walton discussed Headline News: "I think that what you'll see early on next year are some programming changes on Headline News, which will complement what you see on [CNN/US]." We're going to try to create some programs that are going to generate viewer interest and appointment viewing. We still will have news on Headline News."

And: "I'm not trying to be coy here, we're just not prepared at this time to give a lot of detail about our thinking, but we will be making some announcements in the coming months." A few minutes later, he promised "we're going to let you know real soon."

In Full: Walton's Message To CNNfn Employees

First on TVNewser: This is the statement from Jim Walton that was sent to CNN employees today:

I want to share with you some important news about one of our networks. As you know, in recent years business and financial news has emerged as a particularly compelling news segment. We have served this segment well with a dedicated financial news network and a separate and distinct Web site. But exponential growth in the television marketplace since CNNfn's 1995 launch has made it challenging to grow distribution for many niche networks in today's highly competitive landscape. So we have made a decision that reflects our continuing commitment to innovation and a disciplined operating strategy that positions CNN for growth and the future.

Effective mid-December, we will cease business operations of the linear television network CNNfn. Our eventual plan is to evolve our business and financial news coverage on a platform where we can benefit from early-mover status, migrate our successes and build new strengths. Until then, many CNNfn employees will assume other roles within CNN. Lou Dobbs Tonight and In The Money will continue to air on CNN/U.S., with some of CNNfn's signature shows, including Open House and Dolans Unscripted as well as other business and financial news content, moving to our fully distributed networks. CNN will continue to operate the popular Web site CNNMoney.

This business move should not be read as a comment on the accomplishments of CNNfn, the quality of its programming or the professional contributions of its staff. I am proud of CNNfn and the product we have provided to consumers, cable operators and advertisers for nearly nine years. Nor is this a statement on the health of CNN. As the fastest-growing segment of the Turner Broadcasting portfolio this year, we are out-performing our business plan across many metrics. The message you and your colleagues should take away today is this: We are building for the future by ensuring that our brands and businesses are positioned for growth, and we are investing in new delivery platforms to provide consumers around the world with a broad range of CNN-branded content, including business and financial news.

You will hear more about our transition plans for CNNfn in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I know you will support your colleagues as they bring CNNfn to a close and shift to new roles. I appreciate your excellent work on behalf of the world's leading news brand as we continue to shape the CNN, and the news and information industry, of the future.

CNNfn to Shut Down In December

"CNN said Thursday it will shut down its struggling CNNfn financial news network in mid-December, giving up its attempt to compete with CNBC after nine years," the Associated Press is reporting. The news broke around 12:15pm ET today. Important notes:

> "Open House" and "Dolans Unscripted" will be moved to other networks.

> "CNN also said it is planning changes for its Headline News offshoot, offering prime-time programming instead of a constantly repeating 30-minute newscast."

> Update: 1:46pm: Quoting TV Week: "Ken Jautz, executive VP of CNN News Group's business news operations, will move over to CNN and head business news programming, which is expected to include some CNNfn programming and some new business programming."

O'Reilly Sex Suits: Hearing On Friday

"A legal faceoff in the Bill O'Reilly sex harassment scandal was slated for tomorrow even as the two sides were deep in settlement talks," the New York Daily News reports. "A hearing is scheduled in Nassau Supreme Court to decide whether O'Reilly's attorneys can demand access to any tape recordings his accuser may have." Talks to hammer out a deal are continuing...

But CNN Speculation Is Fun (& Cheap & Easy)

In a conversation with the AP recently, Princell Hair wouldn't comment on recent speculation that Lou Dobbs could move to primetime. He said that the 7 and 8pm hours need more time to get traction, and quotes: "I don't think we're boxed in. Our brand is a very strong brand and it allows us to go to many different places."

What exactly does THAT mean?

The rumors of putting Dobbs up against O'Reilly continue to fester. Some sources say the idea has been "killed," but it's worth noting that his ratings have improved as he has become a commentary show. And most importantly, as one staffer put it this week, "no one knows what Paula is going to do after the election." And there's been a bit of buzz inside (and outside) CNN lately about placing Anderson Cooper at 10pm, in Aaron Brown's spot...

"Technically, It Just Looks Incredible"

...Those are the words of Princell Hair, talking about (in the words of David Bauder) a "visually arresting scene" at the Nasdaq Marketsite in NYC: Dozens of video screens that will display real-time vote counts on election night. "CNN expects viewers to channel surf through more than a half-dozen networks covering the election Tuesday night," the Associated Press story says. "If the Nasdaq television wall stops them momentarily, that's great."

Bush Admin Leaked Tape Story, ABC Believes

"We're not quite there to broadcast something that would be quite frightening," ABC's Brian Ross tells Howard Kurtz in Thursday editions. "I'd love to have the exclusive, but first we'd like to get it right."

Here's the important (and disturbing) graf: "Ross and other ABC staffers say they believe that a Bush administration official leaked the story to Internet gossip Matt Drudge as a way of pressuring the network into airing the tape, which would heighten concerns about terrorism in the final week of the president's reelection campaign."