The Hard Facts About The Penis Museum

A Story That's Short and Sweet. Or Maybe It's Long and Lean

Because it's Friday. Because it's raining. Because the Mets are making a big sucking sound and threatening to ruin my summer. Because there's been so much bad news this week.
Submitted for your approval, from the folks at Reuters, the story of the Iceland Phallological Museum. Just because.

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The Voice of a Mother Reveals The Tragedies Emerging From China Earthquake Zone

Melissa Block Lets Us Feel The Grief of the Many Parents Left Without A Child

"All Things Considered" co-hosts Robert Siegel and Melissa Block continue to file gripping dispatches from the hardest hit parts of Sichuan province still coping from the earthquake.
As we noted yesterday, this is radio news at its very finest.
The hard news has been left to others. Instead, the NPR crew has closely covered the human dimension of the tragedy, which has been magnified by the thousands of children who perished. Their deaths resonate all the more because of China's one-child policy. Parents now have no one to comfort, no one to be comforted by.
Perhaps Block, who has one child herself, felt this part of the story especially tugged at her. Or maybe it's just watching parents awash in sorrow after being told that the worst thing that could happen to them has indeed occurred.
Either way, a report Block filed yesterday left her shaken and near tears, as she described frantic parents holding on to a fraying shred of hope that their 2-year-old son would be found as excavators clawed through the rubble of what was once their home.
If you think that Block's reaction is not how a reporter should act on the job, then I dare you not to feel the same way as you listen. It is raw, genuine emotion. To have done anything short of empathizing would have been dishonest let alone inappropriate. And Block's dispatches have been anything but.

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Myanmar, Burma. Burma, Myanmar. Let's Call The Whole Junta Off

Media Here Come Up With Different Answers for What's In A Name, as Cyclone Relief Continues to Be Held Up

Media organizations have been doing their share of hand-wringing over whether to use Burma or Myanmar when doing cyclone coverage. The Washington Post uses the former, while The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times, along with the AP stylebook go with the latter.
The U.S. government goes with Burma (except when it's meeting with the country's leaders to get permission to bring in relief supplies) because it doesn't recognize the ruling junta as a legitimate government. That position is at odds with the U.N., Japan and France, among others.
So, if you take the view that nations hostile toward the junta and its repressive ways would choose Burma in the name game, it's curious that media in Thailand, Burma's friendly neighbor, would also use the B-word.
The Bangkok Post said "30 volunteer doctors will help treat Burmese victims of Cyclone Nargis, which devastated much of Rangoon..."
That's right. Rangoon, not Yangon.
Similarly, The Nation, Bangkok's other English daily, noted the Thai prime minister, who had visited Burma, was stranded at Rangoon's airport because of heavy rain.
It appears The Nation appears to have little use for Thailand being buddy-buddy with Burma, as one editorial shows:

Even though Burma has failed to comply with good behaviour and governance within Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations], the grouping always comes to its defence. When the regime cracked down with extreme violence against the monks last September, Asean kept quiet. Of course, Asean expressed revulsion against the junta's actions to preempt others from doing so ... Thailand is the strongest supporter of the regime. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has criticised the opposition party leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Worse, Thailand's Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama naively endorsed and praised the Burmese leaders at every turn.

What's in a name, indeed.

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Saying You're Sorry Before You Sued

Boston Herald Eats Crow for Screwing Up Story on Patriots Taping Opponent's Practice Session

When you're the second-place paper in what has become a desultory newspaper town, you need to do anything to get attention. Including, as the Boston Herald proves, admitting your mistakes. This one was a whopper, as things in Beantown go.

Turns out the Feb. 2 accusation in the Herald that the Patriots illegally taped a practice by the St. Louis Rams in 2002 before upsetting them in the Super Bowl was unfounded, according to the NFL. Oops.

Cue the butt-kissing.

Prior to the publication of its Feb. 2, 2008, article, the Boston Herald neither possessed nor viewed a tape of the Rams’ walkthrough before Super Bowl XXXVI, nor did we speak to anyone who had. We should not have published the allegation in the absence of firmer verification.

Ya think?

Looks like the Patriots are happy with the Herald flogging itself for what the team calls a "completely false and unsubstantiated" story.

At the very least, it's good the Herald owned up to its mistake, something its tabloid brethren in New York are almost always loath to do.

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NPR Shows How To Own A Story

"All Things Considered" Hosts Much More Than Opportunistic With China Earthquake Coverage

Can you say enough good things about NPR's coverage of the China earthquake?

No.

Not only were "All Things Considered" co-hosts Robert Siegel and Melissa Block (seen left with producer Andrea Hsu) in China preparing for a week-long series of reports when the quake hit, they were in Chengdu, not far from the quake's epicenter.

Since then, they have been filing -- with extremely able assistance from producers Art Silverman and Andrea Hsu -- astonishing and heart-rending array of reports from the hardest-hit region.

Among them is this dispatch from Siegel, who visited one devastated village. After being briefed matter-of-factly on what the village needs now, Siegel asked the leader about his relatives."

"Is your family all right?" Siegel asked.

"As far as I know, they are all buried," came the reply.

Good for Siegel, that we heard him say "I'm so sorry," before the man started to cry.

Block will also find her rightful place in NPR's pantheon for her play-by-play when the quake first hit (she was doing an interview at a time) and a searing report from the rubble of a school, as bodies of children are brought out and families find out that, yes, they must now grieve.

"Many of these young victims would have been their family's only children. And in row after row their parents sat huddled through the rainy night keeping watch one last time over their babies."

It's the kind of writing that is of the first order for radio news, or for any medium for that matter. It makes you stop, listen, think, and rush home to hug your kids even tighter than you already do.

We already knew Siegel and Block were skilled interviewers and engaging hosts. Because they are normally found in a studio nowadays, we may not have known or remembered that they both logged time as reporters as well. Their instincts have not failed them.

And we are all the better for it.

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Will You Lick My Swizzle Stick?

Bawdy Bob Stokes and Weather Channel In The Middle of Legal Storm





The Smoking Gun offers up some juicy details on an arbitration ruling in favor of former Weather Channel anchor Hillary Andrews, who claimed that time spent with her co-anchor Bob Stokes was one long episode of sexual harassment.
That included such remarks as "Will you lick my swizzle stick?"
Andrews demurred.
And so it went, she says, for almost three years. And when she complained about Stokes to management and asked to be reassigned, their first reaction was to stick her on the overnight shift. The same thing had allegedly happened to her predecessor, after she was also Stoked.
Talk about a cold front.
Though Andrews contended TWC management favored Stokes, judging by how they treated her, Stokes reportedly got the boot following the arbitration ruling in January.
Which is why, you weather groupies out there (and you know who you are) you haven't seen Stokes on the air in several months. But it's also why you haven't seen Hillary Andrews since 2006, at least on TWC. She pops up now and then as a fill-in on CNN, which might be sufficient if the undisclosed award from the arbitration had enough zeros on the end.

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Late-Night Final Scores No Excuse for Lame Stories Online

New York Times Content to Not Update Its Mets Game Article -- Whatever Happened To The Continuous Newsroom?

For those of us -- and I'm not among them -- who stayed up to watch the New York Mets engage in yet another game where futility reigned supreme, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-4, you likely wouldn't have seen the game story in most editions of the morning papers.
That's understandable, given deadlines, especially for papers delivered in the 'burbs. But that's the beauty of the Internet, right? The story that's not in print is there for you to read online, where pages can be effortlessly updated, right? Not quite.
The New York Times whiffed with its game story by freelancer Billy Witz, which made it into the city final editions, but went untouched online. That meant no quotes, which could have been easily obtained after the story was filed.
The article was all right for what it was, but it's a no-brainer to update it on the web, so we could read manager Willie Randolph's latest mealy-mouthed assessments and a quote from the Goat of the Day, although there were a few candidates last night.
But no such story exists at nytimes.com. However, the online versions from The Daily News, The New York Post and Newsday , not to mention The Journal-News, all have quotes.
Again, deadlines are irrelevant online. So, why not update the story? Just one of many questions the Times sports section comes up short answering, though its coverage of the Kentucky Derby and Eight Belles tragedy has been exemplary.
But Tom Jolly & Co. should no better. Baseball is king in these parts, not so much the Sport of Kings.

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Hockey Star Nearly Loses Spleen, Daily News Loses Credibility

You Can Hear Sean Avery Yelling, "I'm Not Dead Yet!"

Sounds like New York Rangers star/pest Sean Avery is on a slow road to recovery, after suffering a lacerated spleen during Tuesday night's playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The good news is Avery's supposed to make a full recovery in time for next season.

So says The Daily News in today's paper. What the News doesn't say, and doesn't correct in the piece, is that while it's trumpeting it was the first paper with the story -- it also reported Avery had been in cardiac arrest. Not true, as it turns out.

Avery actually rode in a car with a team doctor to a Manhattan hospital after the game, and his life was never in danger.

That's a bit different from cardiac arrest. That the News made that mistake and didn't own up to it --instead letting an online commenter after the latest Avery story take them to task -- is strictly bush league.

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Now Will Ben Stein Shut Up?

Polygamy Cult Apologist Cries Out For The Kids, Who Really Don't Need His Help

During his bizarre commentary on "Sunday Morning" on CBS, Ben Stein lashed out at the state of Texas for being all mean and judgmental to the families of the polygamy cult whose kids are now in foster care while the state investigates allegations of abuse.
Stein's bought into the FLDS cult's PR spin hook, line and sinker, to the point that he said Texas was guilty of "Gestapo tactics, pure and simple."
A lousy analogy, to be sure, and as a Jew, one Stein should be more careful throwing around. On Sunday, he bleated:

Why are they being dealt the most drastic punishment imaginable, separation from their mothers and fathers without any reason? The State of Texas has not found one single crime against these children yet. Even if they do find one or two, how can that be as reason for taking dozens, maybe hundreds of children away from their mothers?

The kids here are the victims not of cruelty from their parents but of the incredible cruelty and incompetence from the state of Texas. Look, if there's any evidence of cruelty by these families to these kids, where is it?

Maybe Stein can come back with another commentary, after reading today's Houston Chronicle, which recounts a hearing that revealed that dozens of the FLDS children have had broken bones, and that there are disturbing allegations of sexual abuse of boys.
And this item from the Austin American-Statesman, which reveals that of the 53 girls identified as being ages 14-17, more than 30 are pregnant, or have given birth. In Texas, girls under 17 cannot legally consent to have sex.
Sounds pretty criminal, huh Ben?

Stein was on much safer ground the week before, when he talked about how abandoned pets are also victims of the mortgage meltdown. He advocated tax breaks for people who adopt dogs or cats from shelters. Turns out, he feels the same way about Fido and Fluffy as he does the FLDS kids.
"Not one of them is guilty of anything bad. They're all innocent."
Unfortunately, Stein may no longer be in a position to say the same thing about the FLDS cult. Maybe he can come back with another commentary and explain that away.

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Dow Jones Reporter Gets In Singapore Brew-Ha-Ha

Instead of a Tip, Andrew Bevan Jones Gives Cabbie A Broken Nose

Journalists can appear on the wrong end of the police blotter too.
Given the law-and-order ways of Singapore, looks like Andrew Bevan Jones of Dow Jones (no relation), got off easy for punching a cab driver and breaking his nose when the cabbie couldn't make change.
Instead of up to a year in jail, he was fined the equivalent of $746 U.S.
After all, Jones' lawyer suggested, it was the cabbie's fault anyway for not having change on him even though he'd been working all night.
The lawyer left out any mention of the four beers Jones owned up to drinking before he got in the cab.

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Thai Toilets Not Tidy; Neither Is English Language for Bangkok Paper

Is Anyone Reading This Stuff Before It Goes Out

Having spent time in Thailand, I know the top English-language newspapers, The Nation and the Bangkok Post, actually do a decent job and ostensibly know the language they are writing in.
Yet, this item from The Nation, about how only 20 percent of public toilets are up to snuff -- not exactly news, mind you -- are up to snuff read as if they were using some lousy translation software:

The survey had been conducted in 2007 to ask member of public about their pleasure to use public toilet. The survey found 40 percent of people are pleasure to use public toilet

Just hope they weren't referring to people who pleasure themselves in public toilets. Now that's a survey.

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How To Say "You're Screwed" In A Nice Way

PR Department's Final Task As Eos Folds ts Wings and Grounds Its Well-Heeled Clientele: Deliver Bad News With A Velvet Glove
It's no great shock nowadays when airlines go belly up. Skybus, Aloha Airlines, MAXjet, and ATA are among those whose fleets have been parked in the desert within the last year.
Joining that dubious list is Eos, the all-business-class airline that flew between JFK and Stansted Airport in London for less than what other carriers charged for a comparatively more-mundane experience up front.
With only 48 seats on a Boeing 757 built for 220, quick airport check-ins and access to Emirates Airline's New York lounge, Eos had gotten good reviews for pampering a lucrative market and had announced expansion plans for service to Paris and Dubai.
Along came $120-a-barrel oil to change all that amid brutal competition to service what turned out to be a fairly limited clientele. That was enough to ticket Eos to oblivion. Still, just like its service, it attempted to deliver the bad news with a velvet glove.

Talk about a tough assignment for a PR guy. But give Eos credit for trying.

The relationship we have is very special. You have shown a true appreciation for the commitment and service that defines Eos Class and it has always been our pleasure to deliver Eos Class service to you. The sense of camaraderie and level of engagement we've developed together transcends the traditional airline space.
Our unique relationship makes it all the more difficult to share with you the news that Eos has filed for bankruptcy ... This announcement is particularly regrettable since we have achieved so much, including having a term sheet in hand for additional financing. Clearly, even in today's challenging economic and credit environment, investors believe in Eos. Unfortunately, some issues arose that prevented the parties from moving forward.

Some issues indeed.

By the way, Eos told passengers, you're basically on your own if you had a ticket for travel from today onward. It only provided a link to airlines that "may be able to accommodate you," which turn out to be only British Airways (good luck) and the remaining all-business-class airline on the JFK-London route, Silverjet.
Of course, if you were already in a position to pay as much as nine grand for an airline ticket, you shouldn't be too hot and bothered about having to rebook on another airline where chances are you won't have a "unique relationship."

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That Big Sucking Sound Is Coming From The Publisher's Office

More Ugliness Courtesy of the ABC's FAS-FAX Totals

Let's get the good news out of the way for those of you who prefer to operate in glass-is-half-full mode.
The latest numbers from the Audit Bureau of Circulations are out for the last six months and, yes, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal registered microscopic gains averaging .31 percent. Indeed, not too shabby nowadays. Even The Sun in Baltimore upped its total by 200 copies for a 0.1 percent increase.
And Editor & Publisher does make note of other winners, including The Cincinnati Enquirer, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and shock of shocks, the eviscerated-but-still-breathing San Jose Mercury-News.
Sadly, they are anomalies. The real story is the same story. To wit: The Los Angeles Times, off another 5.13 percent, with daily circulation down to just 774,000. The New York tabloids continue to shed numbers -- the Post more so than the Daily News -- while their suburban counterparts, Newsday is off 4.6 percent and The Star-Ledger is down 7.3 percent.
The numbers for the Dallas Morning News and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution look worse than they are (down 10.6 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively), as both outlets made a concerted effort to rein in circulation outside their core metro areas. Nonetheless, they are among 23 of the top 25 papers that registered declines.
These numbers will no doubt launch another furious search for answers for how to stanch the bleeding, or at least slow it to a trickle.
Unfortunately, the only answer most publishers have come up with is to reduce staff and slash away at what's inside the papers. The irony that in so doing, you're giving people even less of a reason to read has long been consigned to the Dumpster.
The idea of adding reporters, reimagining sections and creating a product that's indispensable and provides information that can't be obtained anywhere else, has apparently been deemed too radical.
They shoot newspapers, don't they?

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First Take on "The Takeaway"

Debut of The Anti-Morning Edition Sounds Like It's Still A Work In Progress

I didn't think I needed another public-radio news show to listen to when I woke up. And after hearing the debut of "The Takeaway" this morning, I'm pretty sure I still don't.

But that doesn't mean I won't listen again.

In case you didn't get to hear it -- and that would be in most of the country -- "The Takeaway" is meant to serve as a counterweight to "Morning Edition," ostensibly aimed at a younger demographic. It's a news show for folks who ordinarily listen to news on the radio. Or so the show's creators want you to believe.

WNYC in New York is producing the program in conjunction with Public Radio International. The BBC, The New York Times and WGBH in Boston will also be contributing to "The Takeaway."

"There are many people who are curious and intelligent and looking for a news show, but many of them are turned off by the style of public radio," WNYC president and CEO Laura Walker told The Wall Street Journal.

What Walker doesn't say is exactly what void "Morning Edition" has left those curious and intelligent types in. Are they turned off by in-depth reporting from around the world? Cogent, informed interviews? The heart-rending tales heard every Friday from Story Corps?

Can see how all of that would be a real turn-off.

"The Takeaway" offers up journalistic bona fides with broadcasting vets John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji (above), and attempts a more-conversational style to reflect on the news of the day rather than rely on reports in the field.

All well and good, except when the conversation goes on for a bit too long, as it did with oil expert Lisa Margonelli. And the interview with Zimbabwe's U.N. ambassador was a waste of time even before it started. No one associated with "The Takeaway" should have presumed this clown was going do anything less than lip-sync Robert Mugabe's warped perspective. And he didn't disappoint.

While we're at it, WNYC could also do away with the electronica it beds underneath the local news update at the bottom of the hour. Anyone who tries too hard to be hip just isn't.

Still, "The Takeaway" deserves a chance to succeed, even if it means you must chase after the second live hour of "Morning Edition" on the AM dial from 6-7, when "The Takeaway" is on WNYC-FM (the uninterrupted "Morning Edition feed is heard on FM from 7-9).

For one, Hockenberry has built up a strong reservoir of goodwill from public radio listeners over the years, none of which he squandered during his TV stints. He's capable of righting this ship if it's ever in danger of listing.

Second, given the organizations behind "The Takeaway," there is ample talent behind the scenes to put a little more polish on the finished product. At times what went on the air felt a little raw. One of the show's conceits is it'll let listeners email and comment on what stories they want to hear next or have talked about in greater depth.

Maybe they should hold off on that for now. News on the fly doesn't work when you're still learning how to walk. For now, "The Takeaway" can aspire to be bold, but take baby steps. Slow but steady now means you won't crash and burn later.

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Behind The Swagger and Foul Mouth, Sam Zell Coming Up Empty Answering the Hard Questions

Track Records Don't Mean Squat to Scared Banks

Here's how the numbers have crunched for Sam Zell so far: He buys Tribune with very little of his own money, but takes on $8.4 billion in debt.
OK, debt's a part of doing business as anything else. No biggie. Except when it is. And is is the rapid implosion of the newspaper business around the time Zell, flush from the billions he made as a real-estate mogul, took charge in 2007
All of a sudden the jeans-wearing, profanity-spewing, bearded tycoon has reason to sweat. There's the matter of a $650 million debt payment this year, to go with another $750 million the banks are anxious to get in 2009.
So, it's no surprise that Zell is selling Newsday, putatively to Rupert Murdoch, and wants to get rid of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field.
Let's say all that happened, and all is right with Tribune's debt load through next year.
Then what?
Neither Zell nor anyone else has a clue, or they're not letting on. Either that, or providing the right answer is too horrible to contemplate, especially if print revenues keep plunging and profits at the 23 Tribune TV stations go soft, especially post-election.
If there's "significant erosion" now, as Zell conceded in an April 17 conference call, nothing in the economy suggests an about-face anytime soon, if ever.
Zell may feel hot under the collar now, but that'll be nothing compared to the heat generated by the fire sale that will ensue if Tribune defaults on its bonds and is forced into bankruptcy.
Zell told the A.P. last year "I probably am not as pessimistic about the future of the newspaper business as others might be."
Forgive Zell if he got in bed with the pessimists this year and doesn't bother crawling out.

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How Marcus Brachuli and Newsday Are Linked

Forget All the Antitrust Stuff -- Murdoch and Long Island Are a Bad Mix

Rupert Murdoch is already treating Newsday as his, even though he may have to jump through a few hoops with the FCC and the Justice Department before the deal is sealed.
Sure, Mort Zuckerman is preparing a bid, and Cablevision and the not-very-deep pockets of New York Observer scion Jared Kushner may wade into the pool should Murdoch start drowning in the regulatory red tape of his own making.
But for the moment, let's assume Murdoch can convince regulators that the sickly newspaper industry can stomach Newsday and The New York Post having the same owner. The bigger question is, can Newsday's readers? The answer, for anyone who's been witness to events in recent days, should be an unequivocal no.
Exhibit A is Marcus Brachuli's ouster at The Wall Street Journal. Yeah, yeah, he resigned and I'm sure he'll get a very nice package for walking the plank.
Fact is, he was not Murdoch's guy and never was going to be. Life was already gloom and doom for Brachuli, who was fast being put in a position of implementing marching orders from Murdoch and Journal publisher Robert Thomson, rather than imposing his own vision, as Journal managing editors normally would.
Murdoch was able to get his way and, in turn, get around the limitations on his ability to fire the managing editor per the deal he made with the Bancroft family to buy the paper. We won't fire you, we'll just make you bloody miserable as soon as you walk in the door. They did, and now Brachuli's a "consultant" for News Corp.
What does this have to do with Newsday? Plenty. True, the deal is officially a joint venture so Tribune can avoid getting whomped with a hefty capital-gains bill. But everyone knows who'll be wearing the pants at the end of the day, and it won't be Sam Zell.
Murdoch has said both papers would be operated separately. As with anything, that's open to wide interpretation when Murdoch's involved. You could still have separate newspapers, but a ukase could be handed down that says both really don't really each need theatre critics, beat writers for the local sports teams or travel editors.
The result will be a newspaper that for years has been a shell of its former self being desiccated even further. It's been a long time since Newsday has been a consistently compelling read, and Murdoch's imprint could send even more readers scurrying elsewhere.
After all, the Post is reportedly losing $50 million a year. Murdoch covets Newsday's profits and captive audience on Long Island to help erase that deficit. Shedding personnel wouldn't hurt either.
Bear witness to the Post, which has never exactly been top heavy with reporters to begin with. The same can be said in recent years about Newsday, whose editorial ranks have been thinned by buyouts and the closing of its foreign bureaus, while its outposts in Washington and Albany have also been trimmed.
Murdoch has never been confused with a savior. That's why he's a billionaire. And it's also why his purchase would be bad news for Newsday, its employees and, most of all, its loyal readers.

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N.Y.Times Star Reporters Head for the Door...

But It May Not Be Enough. Why Mood is Black at the Gray Lady

Radar yesterday had more of the names who are taking buyouts from The New York Times. They include mainstays like Murray Chass, Jane Gross and Lawrence K. Altman, along with Philip Shenon and Karen Arenson.
They'll join such brand names as Linda Greenhouse, John Noble Wilford and David Cay Johnston.
But now we learned geting those veterans' above-scale salaries off the book won't be enough. The Times was looking to trim the newsroom head count by 100. But apparently enough editors and reporters think enough of the paper to want to stick around. Or maybe they don't think enough of the buyout offer.
Either way, the number who signed up was less than 100, which will mean a "limited number" of layoffs.
After the dust settles, it'll be instructive to see which beats are filled and which will lie fallow. Of course, someone will take Greenhouse's spot at the Supreme Court, but it's doubtful Chass will get replaced as the Times' baseball eminent grise.
Either way, it means even the Times will now be doing less with fewer. The Times has always propped itself on its formidable reputation. But with fewer bodies putting out the daily report, this may be the time when signs of strain are finally beginning to show.

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MSNBC Take-Out On Unfriendly Skies Gives Back-Handed Props to CNN

Report on Pilots Flying Low on Fuel -- by Airlines' Alleged Design Scary Stuff

After spending a good chunk of the morning flying, it was grim enough reading today about how United wants to bump its domestic fuel surcharge another $20, which would mean that $70 of every round-trip ticket would go toward underwriting the airline's bill at the pump. So far, other airlines haven't matched it, but you know they'll try.
But the scariest airline item found online today was MSNBC's excellent piece on claims too many pilots are making that they are being pressured into flying with low fuel.
The allegations are at once fascinating and disturbing. But also telling was how the piece ended, quoting from a report by an airline first officer:

“I am absolutely confident that if this is the way this company is going to play the game we will soon be on ‘CNN,’ and not in a good way.”

Let's hope MSNBC would also be covering that story. More importantly, let's hope it never has to.

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Food, Glorious Food Propping Up Teetering Magazine Business

Publishers Starving for Results Get Them Served On A Platter By Rachel Ray and Martha Stewart

No surprise: magazine advertising is off. Way off for some in the first quarter, reports Keith Kelly in the New York Post.
But the one bright spot was food titles, especially populist books like Everyday With Rachel Ray and Everyday Food, put out by Martha Stewart.
Both titles focus on unfussy recipes that are easy to make, and let people enjoy a home-cooked meal without slaving all day in the kitchen. There's also an emphasis on value, especially appealing in light of one of the Post's most-emailed stories right next to the Kelly article: Food Prices Rising At Fastest Rate in 17 Years.
But the news is grim elsewhere in magazine land. Folio has the numbers, and they are uglier than Betty for some venerable titles, including Scientific American (off 45.5 percent in ad pages); U.S. News & World Report (down 37.5 percent); and Rolling Stone (off 32.6 percent).

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Chicken Little Lays An Egg in Newsrooms

The Sky Is Falling on Most Media Profit Margins; Still Reporting and Editing Ranks Get Thinner and Reasons to Watch and Read Become Fewer

Even if you're not a regular Romenesko reader, you know there's been a contagion of cutbacks at newspapers, TV and radio stations in both content and personnel.
Ostensibly, all of this is being done to slow a decline in revenues and audience. At the same time, you're led to believe that declines equate to red ink, thereby making all this bloodletting more justifiable. Not so, in most cases.
The top newspaper analyst, John Morton, points out in American Journalism Review that publicly traded newspaper companies still have an average profit margin of 17 percent. True, that's less than they used to have when their media hegemony could bring home a lot more bacon, but most corporations in other sectors can only lust after such returns.
The situation is even better at local TV stations, which are also not as fat and happy. But that means profit margins are merely in the 20s. Sob. Still, that's enough for the CBS-owned stations, where dozens of high-profile anchors and reporters have been let go to save money. Penny-pinching is also evident behind-the-scenes, reports The Los Angeles Times.

In a report released in July, the Writers Guild of America, East, reported that CBS and ABC news writers said recent workforce cutbacks had led to fewer investigative stories, less fact checking and an increased use of promotional video news releases at their news outlets.

The bottom line, says Morton, is get used to a new bottom line.
You can still make money, just not as much as you're used to. You won't get back to where you were, and you shouldn't even try by cutting staff and content, thereby reducing an already-shrunken value proposition to watch and read.
It's a point I've harped on repeatedly while following the travails of the likes of Dean Singleton, Brian Tierney and Sam Zell.
No doubt, debt service is a bitch for all of them, but so is the prospect of a rotting husk where a newspaper once stood.

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Demise of TV Business Prompts Philips CEO To Make Up Words

The New York Times reported this morning that Philips would no longer make TVs to sell in the U.S. or Canada, but would instead license its name to a cut-rate Japanese manufacturer.
That prompted a quote from Paul Zeven, Philips' North American CEO that the move "allows the Philips brand to be very evident in the North American market and de-risks the profit potential."
Ugh.
First, he's redundant by saying "very evident." Then he concocts "de-risks," because as a CEO he's mandated to speak in corporate gobbledeygook and not take the trouble to use a few extra words to say what he really meant in proper English.
Then again, there's nothing that says a reporter, in this case Eric Taub, is compelled to quote him verbatim spouting nonsense. Taub could have paraphrased that more artfully with little or no effort. Or, since he was interviewing Zeven and not quoting from a press release, Taub could simply have asked him what he really meant.

Imagine that. Then he could have de-risked the possibility that we wouldn't have understood the story better.

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For Its Editorial Cartooning Prize, Pulitzer Board Gets It Right (Wing)

The most remarkable part about Michael Ramirez, the editorial cartoonist for Investors Business Daily winning the Pulitzer Prize was not that he won -- he had already done that once before in 1994 while at the Memphis Commercial-Appeal -- was finding out that IBD actually has an editorial cartoonist.

That's actually just his homebase -- Ramirez is syndicated by Copley News Service in 450 newspapers who lop up his rather right-wing perspective. You may not agree with his world view, but they do make you stop and look, not to mention react.

Of course, that's what an editorial cartoon is supposed to do, but doing it consistently and fearlessly is another matter.
Ramirez is hardly an equal opportunity offender, a relief, no doubt, to the denizens of the White House. But even blue-state types will read him. They'll get angry, but they'll read him.
It's not easy nowadays trying to get people to swallow the GOP's glass-is-half-full dogma. Most of the time, Ramirez succeeds with an indelible mix of sugar and bile.

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Jingoism Doesn't Mix Well With Vodka

This Ad Absolutly Had A Hard Time Crossing The Border

Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. And maybe it still is.

In an ad for the Mexican market, Absolut showed a pre-1848 map of the U.S., which would put California and Arizona, among other states, firmly on the Mexican side of the ledger.

Apparently, some folks north of the border got the impression that Absolut was fomenting rebellion and urging Mexicans to take up arms and get back what's rightfully theirs. Maybe they were drunk on the competition's vodka. Whatever.

The ensuing reaction forced Absolut to play defense, at least publicly. "In no way was this meant to offend or disparage, nor does it advocate an altering of borders, nor does it lend support to any anti-American sentiment, nor does it reflect immigration issues," the company said on its Web site.

Still, Absolut has pulled the ad.

Which may have been the intention all along. You could view this as damage control for some bad PR. But I'll give Absolut a lot more credit than that. Their marketing savvy has been proven time and again. The company knew the ad would eventually be seen here, and cause a shitstorm in the process.

Sure, you'll get the Glenn Beck acolytes scurrying to the attic to raise their flag and call for boycotts, pour their Absolut down the drain and all of that other jingoistic nonsense. But those with at least a jigger of common sense, in other words, the likely buyers of Absolut, can see the ad for what it is, a continuation of a deft ad strategy that has fired on all cylinders for the better part of two decades.

Absolut may have pretty much invented the concept of premium vodka, but it long ago lost its cachet as the edgiest brand out there. It needs to clamor for attention. This might not be the way they teach you how to get it in PR school, but so what?

It worked.

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Ignorance Hardly Bliss: Internet's Not The Media's Salvation On College Campuses

That Students Wall Themselves Off From The News Continuation of a Sad Story That Has Media Crying More Than Crocodile Tears

Caught up yesterday to a piece from the Chronicle of Higher Education by former Washington Post scribe Ted Gup, who told of how his students are a collective bunch of dullards when it comes to knowing about the world around them.

Despite their BlackBerrys, cellphones, and Wi-Fi, they are, in their own way, as isolated as the remote tribes of New Guinea. They disprove the notion that technology fosters engagement, that connectivity and community are synonymous. I despair to think that this is the generation brought up under the banner of "No Child Left Behind." What I see is the specter of an entire generation left behind and left out.

Gup mentions how most students in some of his classes couldn't cite what country Kabul was in, name the U.S. Secretary of Defense, or define rendition. Despite that, Gup labels his students collectively as "earnest, readily educable, and, when informed, impassioned."
Not sure when that would actually be applicable, under the circumstances, but still I know how he feels.
When I was a graduate student at the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University in 1983, I was a teaching assistant for a mandatory introductory course on communications. Part of my job was to administer a current-events quiz two or three times a semester.
Like Gup, my test was the equivalent of a dumbed-down version of the news of the day. But for many supposed future communications pros, not dumb enough.
To wit: During a week when King Hussein was in Washington meeting with President Reagan, I asked what country did he rule over. Only about 10 percent of the 70 students in the class answered correctly, with several telling me he was the king of Israel.
On another quiz, I asked who was the vice president. Several informed me it was Jimmy Carter.
Yet somehow they got into college, not to mention a high school diploma.
So, this might be news to Gup, but his cautionary tale is one that has had intractable roots in the hallways of academia far too long.
For those of us like myself who grew up in homes that received at least two newspapers daily, the thought of not knowing such basic facts is not only anathema but utterly incomprehensible.
No more, as Gup demonstrates. His students not only don't read newspapers, but they grew up with parents who didn't subscribe to one either.
Which may be the biggest reason why newspapers are in such dire straits today. Forget the Internet. Today's generation isn't just migrating away from print media, they're turning away from any meaningful engagement in the world around them and no one is encouraging them to do otherwise.
It's a sad story, and one that needs to be rewritten in a hurry.

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XM-Sirius Merger Finally Approved By Justice Department. Now What?

The FCC Still Has To Sign Off On Deal, Though. Let The Lobbying Begin

Consumer groups and the National Association of Broadcasters took a bruising today, after the merger-happy Bush Justice Department gave its blessing to Sirius taking over XM to create satellite radio hegemony.
Or so we're led to believe.
Now it's the FCC's turn. No clear indication, based on previous FCC rumblings, that this is a fait accompli. But it's probably more of a done deal than not, especially if the commission's deliberations and likely court challenges are swept aside before Jan. 20, 2009.
After that, all bets may be off, especially if a Democrat starts redecorating 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Either way, if this drags on too long, the ultimate loser will be the millions of sat radio listeners. The more both companies have to remain independent entitites, the more debt piles up. More debt will mean more cutbacks eventually.
You can already gird for redundant channels being combined. That's a given. Two channels devoted to classic alternative rock or progressive country just won't be needed when there's only one roof to broadcast under.
The larger issue is whether the new Sirius will skimp on what's left -- doing just enough of what it needs to do to retain listeners while it still bleeds red ink, rather than continue to innovate. Sirius big cheese Mel Karmazin is saying all the right things -- now. But Mel's all about the money, and while he recognizes the value of good talent (see Howard Stern), that may only take him so far if the banks start breathing heavier around Sirius HQ.
Stay tuned.

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How To Ensure You're An Also-Ran Paper In The Big Apple

New York Sun Makes Thud Instead of Splash Hyping Stories That Don't Deliver

I want to root for The New York Sun, really I do.
Its neo-con editorial page may be cretinous, but I'm all about having as many media voices in the city as possible. Besides, the arts coverage is often laudable, as is Paul Adams's trenchant observations on the restaurant scene. And the paper's shoestring of a sports section features some intriguing columnists, including basketball writer John Hollinger and Tom Perrotta on tennis.
So, even if it's a distant fourth in the newspaper wars -- assuming you believe the slim broadsheet is even in the skirmish -- you want it do well, or at least well enough to survive.
But the Sun does nothing to help its cause when it prints -- at disturbingly frequent intervals -- news that really isn't. In an effort to do more than parrot the other N.Y. papers, the Sun will lead with some kind of analysis or news feature. Good approach, but be careful what you wish for.
Friday's edition led with a story headlined "Albany Starts To Wonder At Paterson," which sought to keep alive the New York's newest governor's revelations days before about how he and his wife cheated on each other.

The story from Jacob Gershman led off:

Concern is growing in Albany over the prospect that, even as Governor Paterson races to get on top of the budget crisis, the disclosures of his private sexual affairs have damaged — perhaps irreparably — his capacity to execute the state's highest office.

Says who? Apparently, attribution's not a strong suit at the Sun, and we'll soon see why. Two grafs down is a quote from Baruch College political science professor Doug Muzzio about how Paterson's already damaged goods. Muzzio puts in an appearance later in the story.
But that's it.
Nowhere else is anyone quoted to back up the lead, let alone find someone in Albany, where concern is allegedly growing. Muzzio's office is on Manhattan's East Side.
Instead, Gershman -- a little too pleased with himself, but with the apparent blessing of his editors -- sounds more like a columnist than a reporter. To wit:

Mr. Paterson finds himself lumped together with two disgraced former state leaders, Eliot Spitzer and James McGreevey, as charter members of the "Governors Gone Wild" club.
Albany lawmakers are now questioning the political wisdom of his decision to hold a press conference on Tuesday, at which he invited the Albany press corps to quiz him on his sex life for half an hour.

It should be noted it was Gershman, who generated a scintilla of buzz, when he asked Paterson (watch clip) at his first news conference after being sworn in if he had ever patronized a prostitute.
So, it's not that he's clueless or connected. Gershman's been in and around Albany long enough to develop sources. And judging by other newspapers' blogs that quote him, he is read by his peers.
The answer is the Sun's limited resources mean it couldn't afford a Chinese wall between news and editorial. Which means it really can't be taken seriously as a news outlet except by those who are like-minded, in other words venemous Democrat-bashers.
That allows you to be a writer and not a reporter, thereby allowing you to quote a professor who just happens to agree with your preconceived notions.
And if you think it's just a matter of Gershman being lazy rather than having an agenda, then ask why he and his managing editor, Ira Stoll, penned a piece in neocon bible Commentary in November evaluating Spitzer's first term.
Which means that Paterson's peccadilloes are prime fodder for Gershman & Co. He may be smelling blood. But I smell something else emanating from articles like these.

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R.I.P. Harp Magazine

Hard Rain Continues To Fall for Titles Covering Indie, Alternative Music

Sorry to hear that Harp magazine bit the dust last week, during the SXSW Festival, which was arguably Harp's ultimate comfort zone.

Harp trafficked in covering the artists most often heard on Triple-A and Americana stations. So, if you were into the likes of Ryan Adams, Wilco, Bright Eyes and My Morning Jacket, chances are you'd be into Harp.

Which makes me feel a little guilty, in that I used to subscribe, but faced with a never-ending time crunch found I could only read one music magazine with regularity. And I chose Paste, in part because it also offered a free CD with every issue. Paste covers a lot of the same musical ground, though it ventures a little further afield with books and movie coverage.

However, my patronage ultimatley didn't seal Harp's fate so much as the turbulence in the music business that's been roiled by declining CD sales, cheap digital downloads and illegal file sharing. That meant labels weren't spending on ads like they used to.

Harp also appealed to working musicians, but advertising for music software and the like cratered as well.

"Unfortunately, Harp's critical acclaim never translated into sustaining commercial success," says Glenn Sabin, CEO of Guthrie, Harp's publisher.

And for those who kept in touch with Harp via its Web site, alas, that won't be around much longer either.

Magazine Death Pool notes Harp unfortunately has some company in this genre, after Resonance and No Depression announced plans earlier this year to fold, and comes about two years after yet another indie-rock mag, Tracks, shut down.

There's actually plenty of depression to go around among publishers. If you read the magazines'e farewell notes, they turn out to be ever-so-slight variations on the same, lamentable theme.

As the costs of paper, printing, distribution and marketing soar, while advertising and circulation stagnate or slip and credit lines vanish entirely, look for others like them to pen their farewells sooner than later.

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As If Newsday Staffers Didn't Have Enough To Worry About

Rupert or Mort Could Quarterback A "Joint Venture" and Give Sam Zell a Little Breathing Room

Tribune high priest Sam Zell has said he didn't want to sell any of his newspaper properties after he bought the company.
But Zell says a lot of things, some of them meaningful, others profane, and some he has had to backtrack on. Some of that's understandable, as a