Mediagazer: Andy Rooney's Final Broadcast Draws Largest October Audience Since 2007 (Sophie Schillaci/Hollywood Reporter)

Roger Ailes: I Hired Sarah Palin Because She Was ‘Hot And Got Ratings’ — NEW YORK — As the most powerful man in the universe, or one of them anyway, Roger Ailes can look back on the first 15 years of his crowning achievement, Fox News Channel, with satisfaction. And he does.

Discussion: Business Insider and New York Magazine

Daniel de Vise / Washington Post:

What if the rankers ranked newspapers? — Here we are in the middle of ranking season. The signature U.S. News & World Report rankings came out last month, and the Times Higher Education global university rankings are due later this week. — Lots of people rank colleges these days, and most of the rankers are in the news business.

Discussion: Poynter

Charles Riley / CNNMoney:
Buffett challenges Murdoch on tax returns

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

Lynne Marek / Chicago Business:
Tribune bonus plan OKd by bankruptcy judge

Discussion: Poynter and FishbowlLA

Nina Burleigh / Guardian:

Amanda Knox, Meredith Kercher and the media | Nina Burleigh — The Italian media, cowed, lazy and compliant, allowed a bullying prosecutor to frame Knox and Sollecito for the Kercher murder — As an American journalist covering the Knox case for 10 months in Italy, I was surprised by a number of things.

Discussion: Guardian, New York Times, newsfeed.time.com, The Week and Telegraph

Discussion: Law Blog, NY Daily News, The Huffington Post, Forbes, paidContent and msnbc.com

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: Ars Technica, Forbes, Erik Wemple, VentureBeat, Crikey, Digits, Apple, CNET News, Business Insider, Cult of Mac, ZDNet, International Business Times, Globe and Mail, This is my next, BGR, ReadWriteWeb and Wall Street Journal, more at Techmeme »

Lucia Moses / Adweek:

‘Spin’ Magazine Going Bimonthly — Spin magazine is making the move from monthly to bimonthly—it will publish only six issues next year, down from 11 this year, Adweek has learned. The magazine also plans to cut its rate base to 350,000 to 450,000, an acknowledgment that the Web …

Discussion: Media Decoder and Poynter

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

Leena Rao / TechCrunch:

Twitter Now Has 1,600 Advertisers — Twitter's Chief Revenue Officer Adam Bain took the stage at IAB's Mixx Conference today and revealed a few milestones for the communications platform, specifically in the advertising area. Bain said that Twitter now has 1,600 advertisers using the platform …

Discussion: eMedia Vitals, NetNewsCheck Latest and FM Blog

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:

The Gray Lady's True Colors — The proof of the pudding is in the tweeting. — Some readers thought we were too generous to Kate Zernike of the New York Times last January. Zernike had come under attack for a story titled “Bloodshed Puts New Focus on Vitriol in Politics,” …

Discussion: ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

Josh Halliday / Guardian:

BBC news chief seeks government action over Iranian ‘intimidation’ — Peter Horrocks says Tehran has intensified blocking of Persian TV channel, and arrested staff's relatives and friends — The BBC's head of global news has called on the UK government to rebuke Iran after relatives of 10 …

Discussion: Journalism.co.uk and BBC

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.

Ryan Lawler / GigaOM:

Are web originals finally ready for primetime? — The creation of a viable business model based on video that originates online rather than on TV or from the Hollywood studios has been a long time coming. Our earliest NewTeeVee posts appeared five years ago, back in 2006 …

Discussion: Mixed Media and ClickZ

Liliane Landor / BBC:

Talking to Haqqani: How it was done — How and why would you interview a key leader of one of Afghanistan's most feared anti-Western militant groups? — The Haqqani network has been blamed for a series of recent deadly attacks in its home country. — So its leaders' thoughts and motivations …

The Independent:

Hugh Grant: ‘The phone-hacking scandal has only just scratched surface’ — The actor tells Oliver Wright there's worse to come on politicians, police and the press — Corrupt policemen tipped off journalists about celebrity victims of crime before other officers had time to respond …

Discussion: Deadline.com, Guardian and Jon Slattery

Frances Martel / Mediaite:

Jon Stewart Defends Hank Williams, Jr. From ESPN Censors: ‘Have You Met Him?’ — Football/country personality Hank Williams, Jr. may have gotten himself kicked off of his regular stint singing about football on Monday Night Football, at least for now, but while his comments didn't find much support …

Amanda Natividad / paidContent:

Industry Moves: Bravo Digital; Bookish; CCC; FRWD —Bravo Digital Media Suejin Yang has been named VP of Bravo Digital Media. She'll manage strategic development, content, operations and new business opportunities for BravoTV.com and report to Lisa Hsia, EVP of Bravo Digital.

Discussion: paidContent:UK

Andrew Pugh / Press Gazette:

Huffington Post steps up UK recruitment — Huffington Post UK has appointed new editors for its media and business sections as it presses ahead with its UK expansion. — Former head of content at metro.co.uk Stephen Hull has joined the website as media editor and Peter Guest has been appointed business editor.

Sophie Schillaci / Hollywood Reporter:

Andy Rooney's Final Broadcast Draws Largest October Audience Since 2007 — “60 Minutes” ranked No. 4 for the week with 17.11 million viewers. — Andy Rooney left 60 Minutes with a bang on Sunday, drawing the largest October audience for the CBS newsmagazine in four years.

Jim Romenesko / Poynter:

McCormick Foundation awards millions to journalism organizations — The Chicago-based Robert R. McCormick Foundation has approved $5 million in grants to 22 organizations, including Investigative News Network ($225,000 over two years); Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. ($90,000 over 18 months) …

Discussion: PR Newswire

Richard Sandomir / New York Times:

The NFL Network and Time Warner Continue to Spar — Karen Waldkirch, a freelance writer in Wauwatosa, Wis., owns shares in the Green Bay Packers and buys season tickets to their games at Lambeau Field. — Yet if she wants to satisfy her hunger for news about the Packers on the NFL Network, she cannot.

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.

Discussion: eMedia Vitals and NetNewsCheck Latest

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” …

Jack Neff / AdAge:

As Devices and Distribution Compete, Content Enjoys Renaissance — With Challengers to Apple, Netflix and Hulu, Emerging Media Creators Are in the Catbird Seat — Anyone still doubt content is king? Take a look at the power content owners once again hold as Amazon introduces viable competition to Apple's walled fiefdom.

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

Discussion: Company Town and Chickaboomer