The headline on Jon Fine's latest Business Week column pretty much says it all: "Life Among The Dinosaurs." Having attended last week's Newspaper Association of America convention in Chicago--part of which was held among the skeletons in the Field Museum--he returns to report that business is good if you run a small paper, not so good in the big-media towns. His characterization of the executives who attended the convention let's us know that Fine does not regard them as hip enough for the challenges at hand: "Overwhelmingly white, male, late-middle-aged, and predisposed to wear suits on Sunday, even when traveling." …

JupiterResearch analyst David Card yesterday posted his reaction to ABC's decision to make much of its prime-time lineup available online for free: "Wow." Clearly, he was taken by surprise. "So that's how networks will stay relevant in an on-demand world," he wrote in the morning, shortly after the announcement by Disney-ABC. Saying that some affiliates and actors might be "ticked off" by the move, he added, "Because I'm honest, I'll point out that Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney-ABC Television Group, says that if Disney weren't vertically integrated (i.e., Disney owns the studio and the network), this would have been …

Jane Zarem does a first-rate job of summing up the various ways consumer magazine publishers pick their cover subjects. Some magazines leave the decision almost entirely in the hands of the editorial staff, but most don't. The cover is such an overwhelmingly critical component of newsstand sales that many magazines invite executives from the circulation department into the final decision-making session. The reasoning is that they will have the best handle on what will move product. Zarem concentrates mostly on the processes at Meredith, Time Inc., and Wenner. "'Without a doubt, cover selection determines newsstand success in the celebrity category,'" …

Phil Swann is having some fun this morning. Figuring that the widespread adaption of high-definition TV might affect the way voters see the 2008 presidential candidates, he offers his personal, tongue-in-cheek analysis of who's likely to be helped--or hurt-- by the technology's ability to take us up-close-and-personal with the pols. Likely to receive the biggest bump from high-def is North Carolina's John Edwards: "Like Mrs. Clinton, Edwards looks older in high-def; no one would mistake him for Kerry's son instead of his running mate. (This could be a plus for the youthful-looking Edwards who has been accused of lacking gravitas.) …

Here's a mostly positive take on CBS' decision to bring Katie Couric to "The CBS Evening News" and "60 Minutes." There's been plenty of ink spilled on the other side by carpers who say Couric is ill-equipped, credentials-wise, to fill the seat left vacant by Dan Rather and Walter Cronkite before him. But TV is different these days, and it is especially different for the network newscasts, which must compete with myriad other distractions and, most significantly among younger viewers, the Internet. By luring a major TV star to the "Evening News," and by promising to make additional changes in …

Recognizing that cable TV's growth at this stage depends on VOD--and particularly, where it is possible, VOD combined with premium content--Comcast today will announce it has a deal with Sony to launch a VOD channel devoted to horror films and thrillers. The as-yet-unnamed channel will debut on Halloween. The channel will be supported by advertising, though it will be offered free to Comcast's digital subscribers; the AP reports revenues will be split between Comcast and Sony. "It really appeals very strongly to a fan base of 18- to 34-year-olds," says Diane Robina, president of emerging networks at Comcast. "When you're …

Fortune senior writer David Kirkpatrick says what seems increasingly obvious, but hard to stomach, these days: "Some of the biggest [media] companies seem to have stopped fighting the Web and instead fallen in love with it. They think it is better than they are--that there is no answer other than to completely submit [to it]." Newspapers and magazines in particular appear less and less devoted to the long-held contention that what they do is irreplaceable. Instead, they seem beaten down and ready to reform themselves in ways that concede they are of lesser importance than the flashy new guy …

In one of those why-would-they-give-this-subject-so-much-space pieces, the Los Angeles Times yesterday devoted several thousand words to a subject that must be on the minds of very few Americans: the upcoming recording career of Paris Hilton. What we learn from the piece is that Paris' singing is probably not as dreadful as many might expect, that setting a low bar for the forthcoming Warner Bros. pop-rock CD will probably work to Paris' benefit, the woman has an impressive work ethic when it comes to publicizing her products, and that, despite certain assertions to the contrary, she's probably not about to …

It's not the most important story in media these days, but suddenly it is among the most talked about: Who will take Meredith Vieira's seat on ABC's hit daytime talker “The View”?  Vieira has been the unofficial lead host of the show since its inception, and her saucy sense of humor and deft approach to scores of topics brought her a level of celebrity she had not previously known as a newswoman, despite an impressive resume. Media Life runs down a list of her possible replacements, starting with ABC's Elizabeth Vargas, who currently anchors “World News Tonight.”  "She is …

Gemstar-TV Guide's TV Guide Channel, which is a basic cable service, is launching an interactive mobile version of its content. Accordng to Reuters, "the mobile, on-demand version of TV Guide Channel offers shortform, original content highlighting the best shows and movies on TV." At the same time, the company is preparing to roll out the next generation of its mobile program guide, which will include a host of previously unavailable features. For example, subscribers will be able to remotely access their DVRs. Also available will be an option that allows users to send viewing tips to friends.