Although there's no apparent reason this piece was published at this point in time, Forbes.com's story about the unbundling of traditional media--and all the ruckus it's causing among traditional media-- nevertheless reminds us of how fundamentally our world is changing. "Media content is increasingly becoming unbundled from its physical distribution medium, such as CDs." This disruptive technology, says Forbes, "has led to different pricing models and lowered barriers to entry for content authors, creating a challenging business environment for publishers and media companies. Historically, information and entertainment content were captive to their physical distribution medium or distribution time. Given the …

If you're fascinated by the fortunes of Katie Couric and all the TV hosts whose careers would likely be affected if she announces a move from NBC to CBS, Ad Age's rumor roundup is as good as any.  Citing various print and online sources, none of them with the credibility of a major media organization, Ad Age seems to believe that Couric will make the leap, and that Meredith Vieira will be her “Today” replacement.  Which leaves openings at ABC's “The View” and “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” both hosted by Vieira, and possibly at ABC World News …

The Newspaper Association of America, citing a couple of brand-new studies, says that newspaper readers aren't defecting, they're simply moving on to new sources of news, chiefly what's available on the Net. Obviously, the readers most susceptible to the new medium are those whom newspapers most want--the young ‘uns.  "According to NAA data culled from more than 100 newspapers in most major metropolitan markets, unique visitors to newspaper Web sites rose 21 percent from January to December last year," reports The Washington Post. "Younger demographic groups reading online editions helped local newspapers extend their reach beyond the print market …

A somewhat contrarian piece in BusinessWeek puts it right out there: "Keep an eye on Time Warner. Pretty soon investors will be coming back." Well, maybe. But that's not a unanimous opinion, not by a long shot. Even Dick Parsons, CEO of the beleaguered media giant, concedes that Wall Street is generally negative on the company, in part because of the debacle that followed the merger with AOL, in part because the company represents Old Media. Which is not the place to be right now, particularly as the Internet companies are experiencing a very nice resurgence in the markets. Business …

A senior executive at Comast has announced the company's optimism over a transformative and controversial new technology being tested by cable operator Cablevision. Network DVRs, as they're called, permit users to retrieve programming from the cable company's computers rather than from costly set-top boxes, meaning the boxes can be replaced by less expensive hardware, and premium services can be made available to more subscribers. "It's a very good idea, very well thought through," Steve Burke, chief operating officer of Comcast, told a conference in New York." If it all works out, I'm sure the rest of the industry will follow." …

Jon Friedman, it turns out, is a bit of a Hollywood fan. You can tell by his column this morning that he pays attention. Today he's landed on the topic of Rick Tetzeli, the 44-year-old editor of Entertainment Weekly magazine. Friedman calls him the "luckiest man in media." The job comes with a fat paycheck, lots of perks -- who in showbiz wouldn't take Tetzeli's call, eh? -- and a certain degree of safety: If you mess up a story, it's unlikely any angry Third World country will arise to protest. Friedman, in the course of his research into Tetzeli, …

The much-beloved but oft-battered Fast Company magazine -- now entering its third life -- appears to be in capable, passionate hands. Sold twice since it was launched in 1995 by a group of Massachusetts investors, the book recently moved from Gruner + Jahr to Mansueto Ventures, of which Jay Goldberg, late of Men's Fitness, is publishing director. "We practice what we preach," says Goldberg. "We're not about big-company practices. We're not going to recover through being commoditized, and we're not going to be able to fight Time Inc. on economy of scale. We'll do it through our own unique strategy. …

Julian Smith, an analyst with Jupiter Research, recently reported that the classified advertising business in the United Kingdom was in a precarious state, poised to be blasted by fee-free online ad sites such as Craigslist. For local newspapers, the future looked grim indeed, Smith had written. Now he returns with a somewhat more cheery point of view. Smith: "In a classic example of turning threat into opportunity, the UK Trader Media Group, which publishes more than 70 magazines and associated Web sites, is launching their very own local free site called Wooo (we own our own). It seems their business …

A trio of college students in Miami are banking on the magic of the Web to earn them some much-needed school cash and, along the way, do further harm to the U.S. newspaper industry. Following up on a clever experiment last year by a British student, the Florida group has launched ownonlinerealestate.com, which sells what is called pixel advertising -- that is, online ads, sold in small sizes, that appear on a U.S. map directly over the area where they hope to do business. In this case, the Miami students are inviting people to post real estate ads on their …