Tribune says Los Angeles Times publisher David Hiller and Chicago Tribune editor-in-chief Ann Marie Lipinski are resigning, seven months after real-estate billionaire Sam Zell completed his buyout of the company. Lipinski says her position "is not the fit it once was."
Source: Bloomberg
After 4,300 episodes Marilyn Denis takes her final bow as host of CityLine. Thank you, Marilyn for 19 memorable years of fun and laughter. She is a Canadian television and radio personality. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, she grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and received a bachelors degree in Radio, TV and Advertising from the University of Idaho. She began her broadcasting career at a local radio station in Moscow, Idaho, and later moved to Calgary, Alberta where she worked at CJAY-FM and CHFM. In addition, she was a sports and entertainment reporter and weather announcer at CFCN-TV and TSN.
In June 1986, Denis became one of the co-hosts of CHUM-FM's Roger, Rick and Marilyn morning show. She also hosts the daytime talk show CityLine on Citytv and A-Channel. In 2005 and 2006 she won the Viewer's Choice Award at the Gemini Awards. In 2007, she won the Gemini for Best Host in a Lifestyle/Information series for CityLine.
With the CTVglobemedia purchase of CHUM Limited, and the subsequent sale of five Citytv stations to Rogers Media mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Denis temporarily found herself working for two separate media competitors. To resolve this situation, Denis has announced that she will be leaving the Citytv CityLine program after 19 years to pursue current and future projects with the CTV network. Denis hosted her last show on Friday, May 23, 2008.
Time Warner chairman Dick Parsons says he will probably step down after this year, a move that will allow CEO Jeff Bewkes to take over the position at the world's biggest media company. "I am leaving the company in good hands," says Parsons at Time Warner's annual meeting in Atlanta.
She appeared on Larry King last night ranting about what she calls a conspiracy to change her contract. Yawn! Randi! Larry had to cut her off due to that marine arrest in Mexico. She'll be back next week on LKL
The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed CBS News executives and people close to Katie Couric, said Wednesday she could leave her job as anchor of the low-rated CBS Evening News well before her contract expires in 2011.
Ken Stern of NPR is stepping down! Stern was with the network 10 years as chief operating officer and chief executive and was credited with improving its financial health and managing the network during a period when its weekly audience doubled from 13 million to 26 million listeners.
ABC, Fox and Sony Pictures Television are said to be circling Jay Leno, the late-night host who is set to be succeeded by Conan O'Brien at NBC's "The Tonight Show" in 2009. NBC, meanwhile, is expressing its intention to retain Leno with a still-undisclosed plan for a new show.
Fired Philly news anchor's cop-assault charges lowered to misdemeanors, could be dropped. Charges against Alycia Lane, 35, were downgraded to misdemeanors after prosecutors said scratches on the female officer's face weren't serious enough to warrant felony assault charges. Yawn! She lost her job in the process as her boss said she was too much in the news. Remember she sent a married NFL host pictures of herself in a bikini.
NBC Universal's "In the Loop With iVillage" will leave the weekday lineup of NBC owned-and-operated stations at the end of March. The cancellation of the show follows close on the heels of the layoffs of about 13 iVillage.com employees, including editor in chief Jennie Baird.
Fired CNN producer Chez Pazienza is firing back on his own blog and on Huffington Post. TVNewser first reported last week about the American Morning producer who was fired after his blogging was discovered.
In a lengthy blog post jointly published on Huffington Post and Pazienza's personal blog last night, he details his entire experience at CNN and the circumstances which led to his firing.
Pazienza's post touches on various aspects of his time at CNN. He describes newsroom meetings, corporate self-evaluations and the general mood at American Morning.
He also called out, by name, some of the big names of his network. "I watched qualified, passionate people worked nearly to death while mindless talking heads were coddled," he wrote. "I listened to Lou Dobbs play the loud-mouthed fascist demagogue, Nancy Grace fake ratings-baiting indignation, and Glenn Beck essentially do nightly stand-up."
One thing that is clear by the end of the post is that Pazienza doesn't seem to be rushing back to television. "The mainstream media doesn't believe that new media can embarrass them, hurt them or generally hold them accountable in any way, and they've never been more wrong," he writes. "I'm suddenly in a position to do all three, and I know now that this is what I've been working toward the last few years of my career."
Source: TV NEWSER
The New York Times says it will "bow to growing financial strain" and eliminate about 100 newsroom jobs this year through attrition, buyouts and possibly layoffs. "We will have to do a little less," admits top editor Bill Keller. "And every time we do less, we cede a bit of advantage."
FOX Sportscaster Josh Booty was arrested early yesterday morning for DUI -- and was so uncooperative he had to be tased! Booty was taken to the Orange County Jail, where he was booked -- and that's when he went ballistic. O.C. Sheriff's spokesperson Jim Amormino told reporters "Booty was belligerent and uncooperative." Amormino says his deputies used a taser -- "less than lethal force" -- to contain him. After being tased, Josh fell to the ground, hitting his head on the floor and cracking it open. He was taken to a hospital where he was stitched up.
Josh is the brother of USC quarterback John David Booty. Who cares? It's his job at FOX I'm concerned about as his bio has somehow been removed!!
Fox News Channel has fired the host of its weekly "Fox News Watch" show that discusses the performance of the news media. Eric Burns, the show's host, said Monday he was told in a phone call last week that his contract would not be renewed. He said he was not given a reason.
Entertainment editor Claire Kilgour got the inside scoop on celebrity gossip, scandals and styles but not anymore. She is now closing her laptop forever!
Christina Norman, who has been president of MTV since 2005, is leaving the music network at the end of the month. Trade publication the Hollywood Reporter is speculating that Norman has been offered a better position, perhaps with the new Oprah Winfrey Network. She is credited with boosting MTV ratings with the addition of reality shows such as The Hills and A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. She also oversaw development of the popular video game Rock Band, and guided the launch of separate networks for college students and young Latinos.
DCRTV tells me that Former CNN correspondent Andrea Koppel is joining DC's M+R Strategic Services to head up their communications division. M+R is a campaign and issues consultancy. Koppel, daughter of "Nightline" legend Ted Koppel, left CNN last summer in a contract dispute, after 20 years in broadcasting. Read the entire story here.
Some suits may be getting the AX! In one of his first moves as Time Warner CEO, Jeff Bewkes is expected to lay off 75 or more people, primarily from the media giant's corporate offices, signaling to Wall Street that a new appraisal of the company is under way. The corporate unit's headcount is roughly 600 or 700 jobs.
Kevin Johnson, head of Microsoft's online business, hints that a rival bid for Yahoo could emerge from the media sector. AOL owner Time Warner and MySpace parent News Corp. are seen as contenders. However, News Corp. is not interested in bidding for Yahoo, says a company source.
Syndicated talk show host Montel Williams is being replaced by a younger version of himself. CBS Television Distribution announced Wednesday that "The Montel Williams Show" will cease production after this television season, his 17th on the air.
