Hasselbeck New 'Friend' on Fox & Friends; Carlson Goes Solo on Fox

Elizabeth Hasselbeck presumably will draw on the self-preservation skills that led her to a fourth-place finish on Survivor: The Australian Outback (2001) when she shares the curved couch with co-hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade on the top-rated gabfest Fox & Friends this September.

Mediabistro.com's TV Newser blog reports today that the 36-year-old Cranston, R.I., native will join Fair & Balanced Fox News after a 10-year stint as a co-host of ABC's Emmy-winning The View where she often triggered controversy in her role as the blonde Conservative panelist.

"Elizabeth's warm and engaging personality made her a star on The View," said Fox News Chair & CEO Roger Ailes--an expert in warm & fuzzy--in a statement released by Fox. "She has proven to be an excellent conversationalist and I am certain she will make a great addition to our already successful morning franchise," Ailes added.                                                                                          

Hasselbeck, who is married to her Boston College college boyfriend, NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, and is the author of two best-selling celiac diet books, was a keynote speaker at the GOP Conventions in 2004 and 2008 and in October 2008, introduced then-vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin at GOP rallies and Mensa meetings (we may have made that part up).

Hasselbeck supplants Gretchen Carlson on the Fox & Friends couch. Carlson, according to Fox, will host her own one-hour show on Fox at a yet-to-be determined time, after a seven-year stint on Fox & Friends. The show, which has been the top-rated morning cable news program since 2001, is a frequent satiric target of SNL and The Daily Show.

"TUOL" is eager to see how Hasselback adapts to her new co-panelists on Fox & Friends where she, no doubt, like Kate Jackson on the original Charlie's Angels, will come to be known as "the smart one."

Comcast Completes NBC Universal Purchase a Year Early

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Philadelphia-based cable giant Comcast paid Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric $16.7 billion this week to purchase the remaining 49 percent interest in NBC/Universal, a year ahead of the planned completion of the acquisition (see "TUOL" post 9/2/11), according to accounts by Bloomberg News, Mediabistro.com and others.

The deal, expected to be finalized by the end of March, fattens GE's bank account by $12 billion, includes a $4 billion debt guarantee from Comcast, $700k in preferred stock and another $1.4 billion to acquire real estate, including NBC's 30 Rockefeller Plaza building and CNBC's Englewood Cliffs, N.J., headquarters.

Comcast takes on the NBC broadcast network, cable networks Bravo, USA Network and MSNBC, as well as Universal Studios and the Universal theme parks. According to the Bloomberg News article, NBC Universal's enterprise value has jumped to $39.1 billion from $37.5 billion when Comcast initially gobbled up 51 percent of the entertainment company.

As a Comcast subscriber, "TUOL" may have something further to say about the merger in the future, on a weekday, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Publicist in a Fishbowl Sues for Defamation

Image via CrunchBase

In a 27-page complaint including counts alleging defamation and false light invasion of privacy, prominent Washington D.C. publicist Wendy Gordon has sued the Mediabistro-owned FishbowlDC Web site, LegalTimes reports.

The District of Columbia Superior Court case, Gordon v. Mediabistro.com, Inc. et al. (Case No. 0000386-13) concerns alleged uncomplimentary images of Gordon that appeared on the Web site along with posts allegedly intimating attention-seeking, promiscuous behavior. Gordon's complaint characterizes her as a private figure who has suffered humiliation because of the postings on FishbowlDC. Fishbowl DC purportedly defamed the plaintiff in a series of posts under the heading of "Wendy Wednesday."

WebMediaBrands, the owner of Mediabistro.com, is also a named defendant. The plaintiff is seeking $1 million compensatory damages and $1 million punitive damages.

Wouk This Way

Aharon Meskin, Herman Wouk and Misha Asherov. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Mediabistro.com reports that a new book by 96-year-old best-selling author Herman Wouk is expected to be published this fall by Simon & Schuster.

The Lawgiver, which tracks communications between characters concerning a proposed movie about the Biblical leader Moses, is the latest literary effort by the author of The Caine Mutiny. The Winds of War and Marjorie Morningstar are among Herman Works' Wouks, er, Wouk's works.

Hope Wouk's agent got a hefty advance for its nonagenarian client.

E.W. Scripps Co. Buys Itself Late Christmas Gift: 9 TV Stations

Image via WikipediaMediabistro's TV Spy blog reports that E.W. Scripps. Co. has finalized its purchase of 9 television stations from The McGraw-Hill Co.

The FCC last month signed off on the $212 million acquisition, that involves ABC affiliates KMGH-TV in Denver andWRTV in Indianapolis and several Aztec America affiliates out West, including San Diego and Bakersfield outlets.

The acquisition took three months to complete.

Media General Troops Ordered to Take Furlough

Image via WikipediaRichmond-based media conglomerate Media General has ordered staffers to take a 15-day furlough before the end of the year, Mediabistro blog "TV Spy" reports.

Fresh off a $4.2 million loss in operating revenues for the First Quarter of 2011 (see "TUOL" post 4/21/11), Media General is hopeful the mandatory furloughs will enable the company to avoid staff layoffs and attain its cash flow goal, the "TV Spy" blog posted. Media General, whose largest footprint is in the southeastern U.S., owns 18 TV stations, 3 metropolitan dailies, 20 community newspapers and 200 specialty publications. Among its diverse holdings are Providence's WJAR-TV, WVTM-TV in Birmingham, Alabama, The Tampa Tribune and The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

McGraw-Hill Wants Out of the TV Biz

Image via WikipediaMediabistro's TV Spy blog reports today that McGraw-Hill Companies. is looking to unload its broadcasting holdings.

The company's Broadcasting Group boasted an 18 percent increase in revenues in 2010 compared to 2009 figures, generating nearly $100 million, according to TV Spy, which should make the tv properties attractive to suitors.  Among the McGraw-Hill-owned stations are KMGH-TV in Denver, KERO-TV in Bakersfield, California and WRTV-TV in Indianapolis.

McGraw-Hill, which unloaded Business Week to Bloomberg in 2009, is best known for its ownership of Standard & Poor's, J.D. Power and Associates and McGraw-Hill Education publications.

English Court Upholds Soccer Star's Goal of Anonymity in Press Coverage of Extramarital Affair

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeAn English judge has denied efforts by News Group Newspapers-owned The Sun to lift his injunction barring the release of the name of a married soccer star who allegedly engaged in an extramarital dalliance with former Miss Wales and Big Brother contestant Imogen Thomas.

According to an article in The Guardian and posts by the www.stinkyjournalism.org and www.mediabistro.com/sportsnewser blogs, Mr. Justice (David) Eady issued a temporary injunction that barred The Sun and other U.K. press outlets from disclosing the name of the soccer player who purportedly was Ms. Thomas' lover during a six-month affair. The justice found the soccer player had a reasonable expectation of privacy and that there was "no legitimate public interest" in allowing him to be identified in press accounts.  Thomas said she had no intent to divulge his name, nor did she seek notoriety, but lacked 50,000 pounds ($80,718) to pursue an injunction against her name being used.

Mr. Justice Eady's decision has no bearing on foreign press coverage of the scandal, as the Spanish daily Sport and Argentina's La Republica newspapers and www.mediabistro.com/sportsnewer blog used to their advantage. Less in the interest of journalism than out of fairness to Ms. Thomas, "TUOL" notes that Manchester United's left winger, Ryan Giggs, of Wales, is the married footballer who allegedly went beyond on-field scoring.

McClatchy McCutting Jobs Again

Image via WikipediaMedia monolith McClatchy Co., which boasts 30 daily newspapers among its communications companies, is cutting 50 editorial positions in the wake of its recently announced poor First Quarter performance that saw a near 10 percent decline in revenues (see "TUOL" post 4/26/11).

The Kansas City Star is dumping 24 jobs and dropping vacant positions, The Raleigh News & Observer is eliminating 20 slots through buyouts and layoffs and The Miami Herald is eliminating 35 vacant positions and slashing 15 jobs, according to Mediabistro.com's "mediajobsdaily" blog. Earlier this year, The Sacramento Bee and The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, also McClatchy dailies, completed a round of staff cutbacks (see "TUOL" posts 2/9/11 & 2/1/11).

CBS News Sends Greenfield to Greenpasture

Image via WikipediaMediabistro.com's TV Newser blog reports that CBS News has not renewed the contract of long-time political correspondent Jeff Greenfield.

Greenfield has been the network's senior political correspondent since re-joining CBS News in 2007. He was a political analyst with CNN from 1998-2007, a media analyst for ABC News from 1983-1997, and in an earlier stint with CBS, was a media correspondent from 1979-1983.

The 67-year-old New York native and Yale Law School grad told TV Newser that he plans to continue writing novels and may continue to turn up in other media platforms. He is the author of several books, including Then Everything Changed, The People's Choice and Oh Waiter, Another Order of Crow!: Inside the Strangest Presidential Election Finish in American History.

Greenfield being shown the door comes on the heels of reports that CBS News is allowing Katie Couric to walk away from the CBS Evening News anchor desk (see "TUOL" post 4/4/11).

Airing Video News Releases Nets Stations FCC Fines

Image via WikipediaMediabistro.com's TVSpy blog reports that Fox-owned KMSP-TV in Minneapolis and NBC Affiliate WMGM-TV in Linwood, N.J., were socked with $4,000 fines by the Federal Communications Commission for airing video news releases (VNR) without disclosing to viewers they were doing so and without airing footage from competing products.

The FCC enforced against the two stations Section 317 of the Communication Act of 1934 (37 U.S.C. sec. 317), which mandates that stations inform viewers if material is aired in exchange for money, services or other valuable consideration, and 47 C.F.R. sec. 73.1212, an FCC rule that articulates broadcasters' responsibilities to make such a sponsorship identification.  KMSP-TV showed a VNR about the zinc-based, cold-fighting medication Zicam, which included footage of a doctor recommending its usage, without showing footage of competitors' medications.

In the WMGM-TV matter, a VNR promoting General Motors-produced convertibles was shown, resulting in the FCC penalty, even though the station was not compensated by GM. The Center for Media and Democracy was one of the complainants to the FCC. The stations are considering appealing the fines.

'PerryTweets' Not for Everyone

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThree-term Texas Gov. "Rick" Perry has blocked access to his Twitter account to certain members of the local press, according to the blog, www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter.

Perry, a 60-year-old Republican who became governor of the Lone Star State in 2000 when George W. Bush resigned to become President, maintains sole control over his Twitter account, and has blocked access to Dallas Morning News reporter Tom Benning, among other journalists. Perry's decision to exclude certain media from his microblogging activities has sparked some criticism in the Twittersphere.

Using another person's Twitter account would enable the journalists Tweeters Non Grata to do an end-around the blocked access. Be careful, Governor, the Eyes & Twits of Texas are Upon You.

Nonprofit News Org. & J-School in Joint Venture

Image via WikipediaThe Explainer. Sounds like the title of a dull comic book superhero, but it is actually the name of a new joint venture by Pulitizer Prize-winning nonprofit investigative newsers ProPublica and New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism.

According to an item by mediabistro blog FishbowlNY, The Explainer will offer background information on current news topics through its Explainer.net Web site, ably assisted by ProPublica editors. Could be useful, but "TUOL" will reserve judgment pending further explanation.

Short, But Tweet

Image via CrunchBase
AllTwitter(www.alltwitter.com), a new blog reporting on news, and providing pointers and opinions supporting social media platform Twitter, debuted last week on Mediabistro's blog network.


The self-professed "Unofficial Twitter Resource" week-old blog, which thankfully is not limited to Tweet-length entries, today offers a link revealing the full-breadth of Verified Twitter accounts. If irony still exists, the new blog will attract a maximum 140 followers.

Mediabistro: Not a Happy New Year in 2009

Image by Mediabistro via Flickr

A decline in job revenues of nearly $1.9 million compared to 2008 results made 2009 a less-than-happy year for the education/jobs site Mediabistro.

According to Paidcontent.org, the impact of the sagging media jobs market drove down job revenues to $1.57 million for the first three quarters of 2009, a sizeable drop from Mediabistro's $3.47 million figure for the corresponding period in 2008.

Mediabistro, which is owned by WebMediaBrands, reported more than 11,000 paid subscribers to its premium AvantGuild service, down from 14,000 members in 2008 and 13,000 in 2007, according to Paidcontent.org. The subscription price to AvantGuild is $55 for one year or $89 for a two-year subscription.