Mediagazer: ‘O.C. Register’ Parent Freedom Communications Emerges from … (Mark Fitzgerald/Editor and Publisher)

6:00 PM ET, May 2, 2010

Top News:

Glynnis MacNicol / Mediaite:

Obama Kills At WHCD: ‘Approval Ratings Are High In Country Of My Birth’ (VIDEO) — Well if his day job doesn't end up working out President Barack Obama may have a comedy career to fall back on. Obama addressed the star-studded crowd (for Washington, anyway) at the White House Correspondents dinner tonight …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Media on HuffingtonPost.com, Deadline.com and Chickaboomer

Joseph A. Palermo / Media on HuffingtonPost.com:

The White House Correspondents' Association Dinner: Nothing to Celebrate — Each year we're subjected to the spectacle of the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner where the elite Washington press corps rubs our noses in the fact that we live in a plutocracy.

Discussion: Runnin' Scared, Speakeasy, The Daily Beast, C-SPAN Recent Video, Gawker, Swampland, Agence France Presse, The Wrap, The Wire, The Caucus and TVNewser

Christine Simmons / Associated Press:
Jay Leno, Obama jockey for laughs at annual dinner

Discussion: Reliable Source, The Hill, San Francisco Chronicle, Runnin' Scared, Media on HuffingtonPost.com, USA Today, Gawker, Speakeasy, The Atlantic Online and Associated Press

Editor and Publisher:

Ohio Newspaper Chain Brown Publishing Files for Bankruptcy, Will Sell All Their Papers to Unnamed Bidder — Newspaper publishers Brown Media Holdings Co. and Brown Publishing Co. have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief and plan to sell their assets in 10 states to a bidder the companies have chosen.

Discussion: Fitz & Jen

Joe Mandese / MediaPost:

Nielsen Turns The ‘Channel’ Off, Permanently — In a move that is a bit ironic and very symbolic for the television industry, Nielsen Wednesday said it has effectively turned off the TV channel. As part of the release of an annual report on America's television audiences …

Mark Fitzgerald / Editor and Publisher:

‘O.C. Register’ Parent Freedom Communications Emerges from Bankruptcy, Minus $450 Million of Debt — CHICAGO The ranks of newspaper publishers still in bankruptcy shrank again this weekend as Freedom Communications announced it had officially emerged from Chapter 11.

Discussion: The Rural Blog

Slate:

An interactive test of how open-minded your news diet is. … - The United States Is Completely Unprepared To Fight a Cyberwar- British Candidates Woo Voters Over Artisanal Cheese at the Farmers' Market- Why Do Insurers Ignore the Most Promising Way of Cutting Health Costs?

Ian Shapira / Washington Post:

Unification Church will put Washington Times up for sale — Washington Times executives are negotiating to sell the newspaper, after the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's family cut off most of the annual subsidy of about $35 million that has kept the Unification Church-backed paper afloat, company officials said.

Discussion: Editor and Publisher, Romenesko, New York Magazine and Washington Monthly

the nytpicker:

Brave New World: Top NYT Executive Declares That NYT, Using Personal Data, Must Turn Its Readers Into “Leverageable Assets.” — In a little-noticed speech on Friday, the NYT's Martin Nisenholtz, senior vice president for digital operations, laid out a bold and disturbing new plan for the company's future …

John Eggerton / Multichannel:

Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Bill Requiring TV Coverage Of Supreme Court Oral Arguments — Court Would Vote On Case-By-Case Basis If Cameras Would Harm Due Process — Cameras in the Supreme Court took a step forward Thursday (April 29) with Senate Judiciary Committee passage of S. 446 …

Brian Steinberg / AdAge:

Big Four Broadcast Networks Set for 20% Gain in Upfront Market — Still Short of 2008 as Ad Buyers Temper Enthusiasm Over Economic Recovery — NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — The four big broadcast networks could take in as much as 20% more in this year's upfront market than they did in 2009 …

Mark Milian / L.A. Times Tech Blog:

Inside the mind of Boy Genius, whose blog sold for millions — Like that, the veil was lifted. — One boy (now, man) made such a racket for mobile industry executives over the last 3 1/2 years that he seemingly upended how mobile juggernauts approach product leaks.

Roger Ebert / Roger Ebert's Journal:

The golden age of movie critics — This is a golden age for film criticism. Never before have more critics written more or better words for more readers about more films. But already you are ahead of me, and know this is because of the internet. — Twenty years ago a good-sized city might …