The New York Times deserves the most criticism for its disclosure of a secret taxpayer-funded program to monitor financial transactions, even though two other newspapers reported the same story at almost the same time, White House spokesman (and former Fox News operative) Tony Snow tells Editor & Publisher. But, he adds, the newspaper of record will keep its White House press credentials even as some right-wingers call for them to be yanked. Snow, along with his bosses, has attacked the Times for publishing the story despite administration efforts to spike it. He tells E&P that the paper deserves the …

Sex may sell, but in Playboy Enterprises' case, that doesn't apply to its stock, reports Andrew Bary of Barron's, who points out the shares have actually lost ground since going public in 1971. The company is bedeviled by losses at its flagship magazine, competitive pressures in the U.S. TV business and the proliferation of porn, Forbes notes, but it still has some fans. "Playboy has a wonderful franchise and brand," says Mark Boyar, head of an eponymous New York investment firm that owns some of the stock. "I don't think there's a single global media company with such a small …

By most standards, Anderson Cooper looks like a winner, reports the New York Observer. The CNN anchor and new “60 Minutes” correspondent has two hours of live TV a night, adorns magazine covers and wrote a best-selling book. “But there is one pesky measure of victory that Mr. Cooper doesn’t quite satisfy,” notes Rebecca Dana. “He doesn’t actually win.” She points out that the viewership of “Anderson Cooper 360” is  tiny and often below that of his predecessor, Aaron Brown. In April, for instance, Cooper’s ratings were down more than 20 percent--and 36 percent in the 25-to-54 demographic--from Brown’s …

Sirius Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin would like to buy rival XM--apart from the price and regulatory issues, reports Reuters. However, speaking at a conference in New York, Karmazin stresses that that his plan for the company "doesn't really involve our doing a deal." He adds, "We'd love to buy them. Price would matter, so that would be an issue... (and) there would definitely be the regulatory issue." An XM spokesman declined comment "on our competitors' wishful thinking." While XM leads Sirius in the market for nationwide pay-radio, the latter's growth has been powered over the last year by the …

Right-wing opinion magazine National Review says that regular media--specifically one big newspaper--"are undermining our ability to win the War on Terror" with the latest alleged blow coming from the exposure of a secret government program to track private financial transactions. The government "must demand that The New York Times pay a price for its costly, arrogant defiance," the publication says. The newspaper should at least lose its White House press credentials "because this privilege has been so egregiously abused, and an aggressive investigation should be undertaken to identify and prosecute, at a minimum, the government officials who have leaked national-defense …

One of Marc Berman's favorite memories in his time at Mediaweek was a "shoot-for-the-moon" interview he once got with the late Aaron Spelling. He was asked to write a feature story that involved an interview with a TV producer, and knowing that Spelling's wife was getting his column, he asked if he could speak to her husband for a few minutes. "To my amazement, I received a call that night," he remembers. "And we spent over one hour reminiscing about Alexis and Krystle fighting in the mud on "Dynasty," "Charlie's Angels" fever, guest stars popping up on "The Love Boat" …

This could be the year when the digital revolution finally takes a bite out of the network upfront, reports Ad Age, as "TV's take could be down as much as $600 million." While deals are still being negotiated, agency executives and industry watchers see the market ending up anywhere between $8.5 billion and $9 billion--down from $9.1 billion the last go-round. One big reason is the explosion of digital options, which has given marketers more to bargain with: "The power has shifted back," one big advertiser tells the trade magazine. "It's cyclical ... because of all the pressures in the …

American Media renewed Bonnie Fuller's contract, reports The New York Times. Editorial director of a company best known for its supermarket tabloids, Fuller signed the new three-year deal late last week, and will continue to rake in a $1.5 million annual base salary--but can earn more in bonuses over the next three years than she has in the past, as she is guaranteed an annual bonus of at least $500,000, based on the performance of Star. The new contract is a sign that her job--and that of David Pecker, chief executive of American Media--are safe for the time being, the …

Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes is on the warpath following a recent ratings slump, reports Broadcasting & Cable, and he won't hesitate to clean house to turn things around. So far this quarter, the No. 1 cable news outlet is down 22 percent in prime time for its core 25-54 demographic--and 8 percent in total viewers. And the first quarter was even worse. Rival CNN is also off, by 18 percent in the same demo and 2 percent in total. Ailes is fuming over what he sees as "complacency" among his staff, the trade magazine says. Production values are slipping, …

While most of the ad money is still being spent offline, how well traditional media companies adapt to the digital age is apt to determine their ultimate future. In a story republished in the International Herald Tribune, Richard Siklos of The New York Times runs down a few of the current efforts by "old media." He gives News Corp. points for "their speed and resolve to gain traction online, as evidenced by its purchase of MySpace. Disney is notable for being the first to stream TV shows onto the Web with sponsor support, while Time Warner has the AOL "paradox" …