Hachette Filipacchi Media's defection from the Magazine Publishers of America may trigger a wider exodus. French-owned Hachette, home to Elle, Car and Driver and other titles, said it wanted to save money on dues. Now there's talk that other publishers may quickly follow for the same reason. Hachette's MPA dues totaled approximately $1 million, although the MPA says that number is "highly overstated," without giving a specific amount. Hachette is far from being MPA's biggest source of revenue. Membership dues for U.S. companies are based on circulation revenues and ad revenues, says the MPA. Insiders estimate Hearst Magazines …

Now that newspapers have stopped generating profits, some folks want to transform them into tax-deductible organizations that chase after donations. With tongue partly in cheek, Slate suggests the press could secure its future by declaring itself a religion. The tax advantages and other benefits "would be substantial." Historians note that the nation's first reporters were men of the cloth, so there is a precedent. A modern-day church paper needn't rely on massive infusions of foundation money. It could instruct readers to tithe. As congregants, it would be their sacred duty. New York University's Jay Rosen points out …

Standard & Poor's has placed its long-term ratings for Omnicom Group, on "CreditWatch with negative implications." The move comes two days after Omnicom reported a rough fourth-quarter in which its net income fell 14% to $271 million, from $314 million a year earlier. "The CreditWatch placement is based on our view that the company's leverage will likely rise further beyond our threshold for an 'A-' rating and is unlikely to return within our threshold over the next one to two years," says S&P analyst Heather Goodchild. "We are also concerned about Omnicom's overall funding flexibility as a result …

Moving NBC's Jay Leno to a 10 p.m., weekday slot is a sign of an old television order dying and a new one starting to come into focus. It will be the first of many such moves. Amid an economic downturn, the first casualty is likely to be the profusion of lavishly produced, scripted television that we've all taken for granted. Behind the trend are two realities. First, the economics of scripted television is expensive and risky. Second, people today have cultural attention-deficit disorder, which afflicts consumers bombarded with a wave of entertainment choices. This is compounded by …

Mainstream media's coverage of Washington, D.C., has shrunk to the point where big stories are being left uncovered while niche media outlets catering to the interests of the wealthy few are moving in. These specialized media outlets offer more detailed information than the general media to smaller, elite audiences, often built around narrowly targeted financial, lobbying and political interests. Some of these niche media companies are financed by high-priced subscriptions, others by image advertising from big companies like defense contractors, oil companies and mobile phone alliances trying to influence policymakers. The number of local TV and radio …

The Golf Channel and the LPGA Tour have signed a 10-year agreement, making the network the exclusive cable home of the tour beginning in 2010. The LPGA will get a rights fee agreement for domestic broadcast coverage. The deal means nearly all LPGA Tour events televised in the U.S. will be carried by the Golf Channel. Golf Channel also will have feeds of international LPGA events. The network will have early round coverage, which will be featured on other networks during the weekend. In addition, the deal gives Golf Channel continued exclusive rights to the biennial Solheim Cup, …

Writers Guild of America West is still considering disciplinary action against Jay Leno for "Tonight Show" monologues he delivered during the writers strike a year ago. It's unclear if the guild is pursuing strike-related disciplinary proceedings against any other members. The guild brought disciplinary proceedings against Leno, who is a member and writer, for writing his script. There was much back and forth between Leno's camp and the guild about the monologue issue, but it was assumed that the dispute became moot after the strike ended on Feb. 12. Apparently, the disagreement is still alive. Leno was a …

Advertising is the Chicago Transit Authority's largest revenue generator aside from fares. Transit officials are looking to expand that revenue base by reconsidering the long-standing policy of sparing riders advertising on the Metra commuter rail service. This week Metra rolled out a coach covered with an ad for the Illinois Bureau of Tourism. The coach is covered with a vinyl plastic that features the likenesses of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Ronald Reagan and newly minted President Barack Obama. Train officials say the car will be used on several rail lines in an effort to gage public …

Paul Allen's foray into cable television may be coming to an end. Wall Street expects to see him lose his roles as controlling shareholder, which he has held for more than 10 years, and chairman of Charter Communications. With a Sunday deadline looming, the cable operator is trying desperately to convince debt holders to let it avoid a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. But Moody's analyst Russell Solomon says bankruptcy "is increasingly likely." In such a case, stockholders, including Allen, would have to yield to creditors who would take control of the process. "We wouldn't expect [Allen] to have …

Local television stations dominated the TV business for more than half a century. Because the stations owned the licenses to the airwaves that broadcast TV signals, big networks couldn't distribute content without them. As a result, the stations became the vehicles for a blitz of mass-market advertising. No more. Nationwide, TV-station ad revenue may fall 20% to 30% this year, per Bernstein Research. Last week, Walt Disney Co. reported a 15% drop in revenue at its TV stations. Executives are beginning to talk about a once-unthinkable option: Cutting local TV stations out of the picture and taking shows …