And In Closing: Time.com getting more love than ever and more...

Apparently a revamp was all Time.com needed to attract more visitors. [MIN] At the end of the day "YOU" are just breathless hype [CNNmoney] Nah new media won't kill old media, but old media is on the back burner right now [DB] We thought Free was the new Free? [IHT] Yup! another media property may fall in the hands of private investors [LDM] Now that Choire Sicha will Gawk for Nick Denton again, does this mean Gawker.com will return to its roots of reporting on people we actually heard of? [Daily Intel] Hey they always say you're nobody till you're dead [AP]

AND IN CLOSING: And now the evening's worthy media closers

Advertisers finally cracked the code. They finally realized that they can reach their adult prospects via kid targeting media vehicles [Adweek] Dean Baquet's potential return to the New York Times will likely end the way it ended at the LA Times [E&P] So will Thurday be the day EMI takes their head out of their ass and hand Roger Ames the job? [Here] Wait a minute, wasn't today execution day at Time Inc? [Mediaweeek] While they fire they hire, go figure [Jossip]

And In Closing: Bobby can do no wrong!

Former Disney dictator Mike Eisner should really feel proud because the last good thing he did before leaving Disney was hand picking Bob Iger as his successor. Under Bobby, things have just been swell. He patched things up with Steve Jobs and the creative folks at Pixar before buying them. And now because of his strong dedication to beating the shit out of this digital thing, Wall Street is paying attention and its showing in the company's stock performance. Shares added 7 cents to $35.06 in afternoon trading after earlier in the day hitting a new 52-week high of $35.16 on the New York Stock Exchange. Previously, the stock traded in a 52-week range between $24.90 to $35.03, and is up 36 percent in the same period.Credit Suisse analyst William B. Drewry in a client note dated Thursday reiterated an "Outperform" rating on the stock. Walt Disney Hits New 52-Week High [AP]

And In Closing: There is some good news in the magazine world

We are pleased to see some good news coming out of the magazine publishing biz, with all the closings and job cuts going on. “2006 was clearly an outstanding year for The New York Times Magazine and we are thrilled to be ranked first among all PIB measured publications,” said Alexis Buryk, senior vice president, advertising, The New York Times. “This is a reflection of the strength and outstanding quality of The Magazine's news content which attracts advertisers who want to reach an affluent, engaged and responsive consumer with interests in business, travel, politics, fashion, popular culture, sports, lifestyle and more.” Continued>> THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE RANKS FIRST IN ADVERTISING PAGES AMONG ALL MAGAZINES MEASURED BY THE PUBLISHERS INFORMATION BUREAU The Magazine Adds 181 New Advertising Pages in 2006 NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2007 – The New York Times Magazine is the number one publication in advertising pages for 2006, according to The Publishers Information Bureau (PIB). For the year 2006, The Magazine had a total of 3,965 ad pages – a gain of 181 pages over the previous year. This is the fifth consecutive year that The Magazine has ranked in the top five among all national magazines measured by PIB. “2006 was clearly an outstanding year for The New York Times Magazine and we are thrilled to be ranked first among all PIB measured publications,” said Alexis Buryk, senior vice president, advertising, The New York Times. “This is a reflection of the strength and outstanding quality of The Magazine's news content which attracts advertisers who want to reach an affluent, engaged and responsive consumer with interests in business, travel, politics, fashion, popular culture, sports, lifestyle and more.” PIB 2006 Ranking For 2006, The Magazine is ranked first by PIB among the approximately 250 national magazines it measures. The Magazine is distributed through The Sunday New York Times which reaches 5.1 million readers every Sunday in hundreds of markets across the nation (source: 2006 Fall MRI). For the period Jan. 1, 2006 through Dec. 31, 2006, PIB ranked the top national magazines according to total ad pages: The New York Times Magazine People Weekly InStyle Forbes Publishers Information Bureau (PIB), founded in 1947, is the premier source of consumer magazine advertising spending and related data. TNS Media Intelligence, the leading provider of strategic advertising and marketing information, collects and monitors this data and supplies it to PIB. PIB is a membership organization, administered by Magazine Publishers of America, consisting of approximately 250 different magazine titles and newspaper-distributed magazines. About The New York Times Company The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), a leading media company with 2005 revenues of $3.4 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers, nine network-affiliated television stations, two New York City radio stations and 35 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company's core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment. # # #

And In Closing: CNN, Big Radio, Small Fry

CNN Aiding terrorists? A Midwest hotel chain has pulled CNN from the TV channel lineup in its guest rooms, saying the cable network was aiding terrorism with the broadcast of a video showing Iraqi snipers shooting at U.S. troops. Wow and here we were all this time thinking the folks at CNN were just doing their job. Will Clear Channel lose it's mojo? Clear Channel is the biggest radio broadcaster in the nation. But when it goes private the company plans to sell off over 400 of it's 1,150 stations. Does this mean they lose their status having the biggest dick in radio broadcasting? It said the station sales are not contingent on closing its deal to be taken private in a $18.7 billion buyout by the Mays family and equity firms Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital Partners LLC. The scramble for hundreds of stations could bulk up smaller players and bring in new ones, leaving an industry of many players ready to compete for advertising as well as listeners. More heads may roll out at AOL With a new leader moving into the top job at AOL, we won't be shocked if more departures are announced at NBC Universal where AOL's new CEO Randy Falco is leaving. However the waves are already hitting shore at AOL. Blogger boss turned AOL exec Jason Calacanis has reportedly left or will leave because his mentor Jon Miller got the boot, or something like that.

And in closing: Don't be afraid, its only Michael Jackson

Purposely distracting ourselves for a bit, The World Music Awards takes place tonight in the UK and as you know the so called king of pop is set to take the stage to collect an award and we think perform as well. The photo (right) however doesn't show a healthy someone who is supposed to perform. instead MJ looks like the character powder in the movie "Powder". Could he be the first black man who really does need a tan? Can he even get a tan? Wait no he can't be in sunlight! WOW! Can he make comeback? Many think not. The media greeted the announcement with some unease, saying the gig could become a freak show rather than a triumphant return for one of the top-selling artists of all time. "Be afraid, be very afraid," was how top-selling daily newspaper The Sun reacted. "He looks dreadful and hasn't performed for years -- I fear it's going to be a humiliating freak show which he will regret. "Music experts agree that the man who brought us the moonwalk and hits like "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" will struggle to get anywhere near the heights he achieved in the 1980s. "I would say there's very little chance of him coming back from where he is," said Gareth Grundy, deputy editor of the Q music magazine. Doubts surround Michael Jackson comeback bid [Reuters]

And in closing: Verizon's good looking junk mail

We may be a little late on this but in our mailbox today was what we thought was free issue from one of the many desperate magazine publishers looking to bring in new business, but to our surprise it was Verizon Wireless's "Verizon Connect", a magaziney looking cataloguey looking supplement with singer John Legend on the cover. Yeah the wireless service is great, however we can't say the same for their business DSL service.

Morning Wire: And now the morning's worthy media news according to us

Katie Couric probably found her sign off afterall After months on the air as the new host of the CBS Evening News, Katie Couric still hasn't decided on a catch sign off. However we think she may have revealed it the other night in L.A. at The Museum of Television and Radio dinner on Monday where her boss Los Moonves was honored. When she finished her little piece, she reportedly said good night closing out with "Hug it out, bitches!" Judge: former Source editor's chocha only worth $8 Million It looks like embattled Hip Hop magazine the Source may have a tad of good luck afterall. A judge yesterday lopped off nearly half of the $15.5 million verdict fired-editor Kimberly Osorio won from her ex-bosses. Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff ruled that the magazine's first female editor was really due about $8 million in damages after a jury found she was wrongfully fired for complaining about sexual harassment on the job. Panicky Mort on edge over News Circ Daily News owner Mart Zuckerman is said to have called an emergency meeting with the heads of his Daily News paper when the news broke that rival New York Post passed them in circ. According to the Post who no doubt is reporting on this in the business section this morning, "There is a lot of trepidation, everyone is worried about what Zuckerman is going to do next," said one insider. "He's kind of a panicky guy." -Shomari Hines

And in closing: Rupert Murdoch wants to entertain NYC tourists Astrovision style

News Corp. has locked up a 10-year deal to promote Fox programming to millions on the 1,400 square-foot Panasonic Astrovision Screen located at One Times Square, one of the highest-profile outdoor venues in the country, News Corp. announced Tuesday. Under the agreement, News Corp. assumed control of the screen's content from NBC on Oct. 1. Panasonic Corp. of North America is the sub-lessee and program sponsor. Like we said News Corp will entertain the millions of tourist that pass through Times Square. New Yorkers usually don't pay attention to the screen unless their is some world crisis being broadcasted. Hell we sometimes forget the screen is even there. Fox to Advertise On Times Square's 1,400-Sq.-Foot Screen [Mediaweek]

And in closing: Exactly who does Gawker have in mind to be the new Jessica Coen?

Gawker editrix Jessica Coen is about to be former Gawker editrix Jessica Coen. If our calculations are correct, this should be her last week writing for the site. But the question on at least our tongue is who will, if any take her place and how long will it be until Jessica skips out on Vanityfair.com to go set up her own blogging shop? Ok jumping the gun just a tad as usual. Anyway we haven't heard anything on possible replacements or maybe we haven't been paying attention. Lockhart and Nick may already know who will fill the spot but just in case they are having some trouble thinking of the perfect person we came up with 5 possible candidates for the Gawker editor gig: 1. Jesse Oxfeld (Hey he still gets credit) 2. Nick Denton 3. The chick who writes Young Black and Fabulous (Wait does gawker have any brown people on their team?) 4. Gaby Darbyshire (Her name just rings bells) 5. Jared Paul Stern (imagine the attention)

PR Newswire has longer arms now

United Business Media the parent company of PR Newswire said that it has acquired US Newswire for $19 Mil. Ok so when will the pink slips be issued being that there may be some serious redundancies? PR Newswire Association LLC, a unit of United Business Media PLC, said Monday it bought U.S. Newswire from Medialink Worldwide Inc. for $19 million and an earnout of up to $4 million in order to expand its customer base in the government and public interest sectors and add improved distribution channels. The final purchase price will be based on U.S. Newswire's performance for the trailing 12-month period ending Sept. 30, the effective date of the deal. Medialink said it received $16.1 million at closing, with the remainder being held in escrow for up to a year PR Newswire Buys U.S. Newswire [AP]

And In Closing: While he plans his return, Tom Freston gets to hang with his cool family

With more time on his hands now that he is no longer answering to Sumner Redstone, Tom Freston is sure to be spending time with his family. However we're sure his kids lost some of their cool now that doesn't run the company that owns MTV. But never the less, we're sure they're giving dad some cool ideas about what he can do with all that money. Family time, awww what a beautiful thing.

And In Closing: Tom Freston was too fucking cool for Viacom

Wall Street media analysts know it, Sumner knows it and the hundreds of underlings who came together to say goodbye to their creative leader and stink up the Viacom lobby know it. Tom Freston was just a cool motherfucker. What big media CEO hangs out and kick it back with the who is who in entertainment and we mean the who is who. If you were to scroll through Tom Freston's black berry, (That is if Viacom security didn't confiscate it) you'll probably see contact info for folks like: Diddy, Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine, 50 Cent, Eminem, Kanye West, Jay Z, Beyonce and just about anyone who graced the TRL studios. Viacom wasn't ready for a cool cat CEO. They wanted an old suit, who is all about sucking Wall Street and stroking investors every chance he gets. Not Tom. Tom would rather hit the Bowery Ballroom with friends to check out a hot band or jet to Miami for a Diddy Party. So we want to take this time to officially say..........Tom Freston, you are indeed the media industry's coolest motherfucker!

Keeping John Malone out of Takeoverville

Rupert Murdoch is close to a deal to finally get his company out of harms way otherwise known as John Malone. Murdoch is hoping to finalize a deal that will allow him to buy back the 18% voting rights currently in Mr. Malone's pockets. For some reason we would have love to see John Malone and Rupert go at it to see who would end up controlling Newscorp. The US regulator, the Federal Communications Commission, is set to approve a long-standing request by News Corp to take control of 35 US television stations currently licensed to Mr Murdoch. The stations could become a key bargaining chip, with the possibility of some of them being handed tax-free to Liberty in exchange for part of its stake in News. The television stations were licensed to Mr Murdoch when News was still domiciled in Australia because the media baron has US citizenship. "We have had discussions with News Corp about them selling an asset to Liberty (in exchange for News Corp shares), which is more attractive for Liberty following the recent rise in News Corp's share price," Greg Maffei, chief executive of Liberty Media, said. News's share price has risen more than 20 per cent this year, closing on Friday at $26.72. read...