Mediagazer: Times-Picayune reporter jumps off the ‘sinking ship’ (Jim Romenesko)

2:25 PM ET, August 13, 2012

Top News:

Michael Shain / New York Post:

Saving CNN — Suffering its worst ratings in 20 years, CNN is going Hollywood. In the past few weeks, the No. 3 cable news channel has started seeking out reality-show ideas and big-name stars not afraid to talk politics. They have even begun working on a late-night talk show, The Post has learned.

Discussion: Mediaite, The Huffington Post, Daily Mail, TVNewser, TVWeek.com, Capital New York, New York Magazine and @brianstelter

Bill Carter / Media Decoder:

CNN to Promote Nonfiction TV, not Reality TV, Network Says — CNN says it is not getting into the reality television business, though it is considering adding weekend programs that are similar to a documentary-style travel show hosted by Anthony Bourdain that it will begin showing next year.

David Carr / New York Times:

Wondering How Far Magazines Must Fall — Making a weekly newsmagazine has always been a tough racket. It takes a big staff working on punishing deadlines to aggregate the flurry of news, put some learned topspin on it and package it for readers. But that job now belongs to the Web and takes place in real time, not a week later.

Discussion: PandoDaily, LA Observed and eMedia Vitals

John Clarke / Forbes:

Despite Criticism, NBC Scores Big Ratings With London Olympics Closing Ceremonies — Despite criticism for cutting acts and interrupting the London Olympics Closing Ceremonies with a comedy series preview, NBC scored high ratings Sunday night. — NBC's prime-time games coverage drew …

Discussion: Radio & Television …, Rolling Stone, Home Media Magazine, Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, www.wnyc.org and Deadline.com

Chelsea J. Carter / CNN:
Viewers outraged after NBC cuts away from closing ceremonies

Discussion: Poynter, @jayrosen_nyu, Seattle Times, GigaOM and Guardian

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

AOL Bets Big on Web Video News With HuffPost Live (and on Tape) — After a very long drum roll, the Huffington Post launches HuffPost Live, its streaming Web video news operation, this morning. — If you've watched the streaming video that other newspapers and Web sites have put out …

Discussion: Media Decoder, MediaFile, Lost Remote, NetNewsCheck Latest, The Huffington Post, paidContent, VentureBeat, MediaPost, FishbowlNY, Forbes, @producermatthew, @marksluckie and WebProNews

Jim Romenesko:

Times-Picayune reporter jumps off the ‘sinking ship’ — The Times-Picayune reporter who shared with Romenesko readers the letter she wrote to her bosses in early July ("I can't just keep my mouth shut and pretend everything is okay or that it doesn't matter") has left the paper.

Discussion: Erik Wemple

Kara Swisher / AllThingsD:

Not All Yahoos Headed Out Door: Mayer Makes Filo a Direct Report and Bell Permanent GC — While new Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has ushered some longtime employees out the door of late — most recently, HR head David Windley last week, with more to come — that does not mean she is not keeping some longtime Yahoos around.

Steve Myers / Poynter:

Science writers: Jonah Lehrer's scientific errors worse than fabricated quotes — Jonah Lehrer's fake Bob Dylan quotations detract from a more serious problem flagged by scientists while he was a rising star: his habit of misstating and mischaracterizing scientific facts.

Robert D. McFadden / New York Times:

James M. Naughton, Reporter and Editor, Dies at 73 — James M. Naughton, a prank-loving White House and national correspondent for The New York Times during the Nixon, Ford and Carter administrations and later a senior editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer for almost two decades …

Discussion: Poynter, Word on the Street, Plain Dealer and Poynter

Jeff Bercovici / Forbes:

Google Buys Frommer's. Can We All Just Agree It's A Media Company Now? — Every few months, some Google watcher pens a chin-stroker asking whether it's fair to call the Mountain View, Calif.-based internet giant a media company. See, for instance: — GigaOm, 2007: “Is Google A Media Company?”

Discussion: TechCrunch and Wall Street Journal

Josh Sternberg / Digiday:

Why New York Magazine Sees Responsive Design as the Future — New York Magazine launched a fashion site this week called The Cut. What's interesting is that the publication is using the site as a pilot of sorts to join the now-trendy responsive design movement.

Tanzina Vega / New York Times:

MundoFox to Enter the Latino TV Market — LOS ANGELES — The correspondents were on camera and on location in Mexico City, Washington and Los Angeles. Rolando Nichols, the lead anchor, listened intently to the microphone in his ear as he stood in front of the bright red walls of the news studio.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, mediabistro.com and Los Angeles Times