Who will be at the top of the
Newsday food chain, once Tribune Co.
unloads
the
Long Island, NY, newspaper? Some staffers,
apparently terrified of Isaiah Tomas being appointed editor-in-chief, say they
prefer
Rupert Murdoch to James Dolan and Mort Zuckerman. Meanwhile, legendary newsman
Jimmy Breslin could
care
less, as long as the checks clear. Also from
Chicago, Tribune is
launching
a political opinions magazine, in collaboration with Amazon.
In the spotlight: Deals
and no deals
Media outlets are widely reporting that the proposed $19
billion sale of Clear Channel is
near collapse. Negotiations between private equity firms Thomas H. Lee and Bain
Capital Partners, on one side, and a group of banks including Citigroup, Morgan
Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, RBS, and Wachovia, on the other, went
sour over financial terms. Regarding radio that operates beyond the surly
bounds of Earth, the Department of Justice approved
XM's merger with Sirius; the Federal Communications Commission is expected to act
quickly. Meanwhile, Hearst is
now the proud owner of a relationship site.
Also:
Pinch Sulzberger took
a pay cut last year.
Rumors fly that Bradlee successor Len Downie may retire
from the Washington Post, with
staffer reaction quotes.
Almost-Sen. Harold Ford (D-TN) jumps
from Fox News Channel to MSNBC, while Brian Sullivan leaves
Bloomberg for Fox Business Channel.
New York Giants fans will have to watch their team open its title
defense around Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) acceptance speech at the Republican convention.
Get ready for more
Paris, Britney
stories from the Associated Press.