Mediagazer: 35 years ago today, Barbara Walters became highest paid journalist (Mallary Jean Tenore/Poynter)

11:00 PM ET, October 4, 2011

Top News:

Money Dispute May End ‘Simpsons’ — A money dispute between Fox and the actors who voice the characters on The Simpsons may force the long-running hit series to shut down next spring. Lloyd Grove reports exclusively. — As Homer Simpson would put it, “D'oh!”

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Mallary Jean Tenore / Poynter:

35 years ago today, Barbara Walters became highest paid journalist — On October 4, 1976, Barbara Walters became the first female co-anchor of an evening newscast. Walters started her career as a writer for CBS News and then joined NBC's “Today Show” in 1961.

Discussion: ABCNEWS and TVNewser

Guardian:

Amanda Knox ‘could make millions from TV and press deals’ — American acquitted of Meredith Kercher's murder planning book, but must be wary of over-exposure, say PR experts — Amanda Knox can look forward to making as much as £10m from her story, with potential for a string …

Discussion: NY Daily News, The Huffington Post, msnbc.com, Forbes and Malcolm Coles

Press Gazette:
Daily Mail inquiry into ‘Knox guilty’ blunder

Discussion: Mediaite, Poynter, http://www.Stinkyjournalism …, Hollywood Reporter, Techdirt, PSFK, Digital Spy, Guardian, Media Law Prof Blog, Journalism.co.uk, TVNewser, FishbowlDC and Regret the Error

Steve Myers / Poynter:

AP adds to its ‘Beat of the Week’ contest to recognize state-level news — The Associated Press told its employees Tuesday that it's adding to its “Beat of the Week” contest with a category specifically for state-level news. National or international stories usually win “Beat of the Week” …

Jason Del Rey / AdAge:

Who Needs Netflix? Paramount Streams Latest ‘Transformers’ Directly to Consumers — ‘A Little Toe-Dip’ in New Distribution Method for Paramount and Viacom — Paramount Pictures has quietly introduced an online streaming option for “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” taking home viewing straight …

Discussion: VentureBeat, PC Magazine, AllThingsD, VatorNews, Future of Journalism and fiercecable.com/news/frontpage

RBR:

Brian Williams newsmagazine replaces Playboy Club — NBC has been staffing up for a challenger to CBS' “60 Minutes.” The nation will get its first look at the primetime newsmagazine “Rock Center with Brian Williams” on Halloween, Monday, October 31st. It will take the 10 pm …

Discussion: TVNewser, Hollywood Reporter, Mediaite, AdAge, Media Decoder, Media & Entertainment, rbr.com and TVSpy

Claire Atkinson / New York Post:
Peacock poaches ruffle CBS feathers

Discussion: WNYC News Blog and Chickaboomer

Bradley Johnson / AdAge:

Digital Takes the Jobs Lead in New Mainstream Media — Staffing at Internet-Media Businesses and Web-Search Portals Soars — When it comes to jobs, digital is the new mainstream media. Consider this: U.S. employment at digital-media ventures is on track to pass employment in broadcast TV and in magazines by early 2012.

Jim Romenesko / Poynter:

The Daily scolds UK's Daily Mail for lifting its Scientology series — Staffers from the Daily iPad newspaper spent more than five weeks of reporting, writing, fact-checking and editing a two-part report on the most prestigious boarding school in the Scientology world.

Adrianne Jeffries / The New York Observer:

From Blackout to Circus: The Evolution of Media Coverage at Occupy Wall Street — Geraldo Rivera interviewing protesters at Zuccotti Park on Saturday, Oct. 1. (Photo: Hannah Grant) — THE PROTESTERS AT OCCUPY WALL STREET have had at least one of their demands met: the perceived …

Discussion: Forbes, Gawker, Capital New York, Rolling Stone, Mediaite, Mogulite, Media Matters for America and The Huffington Post, Thanks:adrjeffries

Lynne Marek / Chicago Business:

Tribune bonus plan OKd by bankruptcy judge — (Crain's) — The judge in Tribune Co.'s bankruptcy approved a management incentive plan that will pay bonuses of as much as $42.5 million to 640 employees. — “I think it's entirely reasonable to order this relief in these uncertain times,” …

Discussion: Poynter and FishbowlLA

Martin Bryant / The Next Web:

Apple announces NewsStand partners: New York Times, Wired, National Geographic and more — At its Let's Talk iPhone event in Cupertino, Apple has just announced the launch partners for its NewsStand service, the ‘iBooks for Magazines’ announced at WWDC. — As this image from The Verge confirms …

Discussion: New York Magazine, NetNewsCheck Latest, Gizmodo and Poynter, more at Techmeme »

Jim Romenesko / Poynter:

The author of the greatest sorry-to-see-our-downsized-colleague- go letter has died — Former Chicago Tribune journalist (and occasional Romenesko Letters contributor) Steve Daley died Sunday of unknown causes. He was 62. “Daley could do sports, Daley could do politics, Daley could do media criticism …

Discussion: mediabistro.com

Charles Riley / CNNMoney:

Buffett challenges Murdoch on tax returns — NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Warren Buffett has a message for Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal: Sure, I'll release my tax returns, if you do too. — Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an editorial that asked Buffett to disclose his tax returns.

Discussion: Mediaite, New York Magazine, Business Insider, Fortune and Business Insider

Steven Jacobs / Street Fight:

Philly.com Launches Hyperlocal Site for Main Line — Philly.com, the digital face for the Philadelphia Media Network's traditional news subsidies, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News, launched a small hyperlocal site yesterday. Taking on the brand of a once-successful community …

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest and mediabistro.com

Robert J. Rosenthal / California Watch:

Part 1: Sustaining investigative journalism means finding a new model — I'm not sure I would have become the executive director of the Center for Investigative Reporting in January 2008 if I had really understood the challenges ahead of me and had thought them out carefully; I had no idea what I was getting into.

Ryan Tate / Gawker:

The iPhone 5 Failboard: How Everyone Got It Wrong — A great many Apple fans are hot and bothered that no iPhone 5 emerged today to fill the void in their souls. But you know who should really feel dejected? All the tech bloggers who wasted time typing bold proclamations about new features, designs and phones that never came.

Discussion: Globe and Mail and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »

Michael Yoch / NPR:

NPR Comes To Google TV — NPR has launched a new app for the Google TV platform. The app — featured in the Google TV Spotlight Gallery (video only works in Chrome) — makes it easy for users to watch NPR's best video and multimedia slideshows on a big screen.

TVNewsCheck:

Scripps Buys McGraw-Hill Station Group — The four ABC affiliates in Denver, San Diego, Bakersfield, Calif., and Indianapolis and five low-power Azteca affiliates go for $212 million in cash. “We are energized by the addition of good people at good stations in good markets,” says Scripps SVP Brian Lawlor.

Discussion: BtoB Magazine, Broadcasting & Cable, rbr.com, Poynter, MinOnline, MediaPost and RBR

Joe Coscarelli / New York Magazine:

Rupert Murdoch Funds Daily Reporter's Hunter S. Thompson-Inspired Vegas Vacation — Journalism. — News Corp.'s iPad-only newspaper experiment isn't exactly a runaway success so far, but it's being praised as an interesting research and development project.

Discussion: The Daily

Michael Malone / Broadcasting & Cable:

Local TV Go-To Information Source During Irene — Study says local broadcast news reigns when it rains — Local television was the go-to source for residents in specific markets affected by Hurricane Irene, with 39% of respondents learning the storm was approaching from local TV news.

Discussion: rbr.com

Roy Greenslade / Guardian:

Journalists go to prison to highlight plight of jailed colleagues — Two Swedish journalists have volunteered to go to jail as a way of drawing attention to the plight of three colleagues held in Eritrea and Ethiopia. — Johan Wirfält and Sara Murillo Cortes plan to be locked …

Discussion: Media News

Burgess Everett / On Media's Blog:

Rumsfeld's second Al Jazeera interview less cordial — Just a few days after Donald Rumsfeld praised Al Jazeera English in an interview with David Frost, the network released an interview in which D.C. bureau chief Abderrahim Foukara had an entirely less-pleasant exchange with the former defense secretary.

Discussion: Mediaite, Gawker, Erik Wemple and The Huffington Post

Kara Swisher / AllThingsD:

Federated Media Buys Lijit Networks — San Francisco-based Federated Media Publishing said it has bought Lijit Networks, a smaller online advertising analytics and tools firm. — The price for the Boulder, Colo., start-up — which was founded in 2006 — was undisclosed …

Discussion: VentureBeat, Medacity, John Battelle's Searchblog and paidContent, more at Techmeme »