Gannett named Travis Fore vice president of local digital sales for Gannett's U.S. Community Publishing. Fore joins Gannett from Network Solutions, where he was senior vice president of sales and service. Fore will lead U.S. Community Publishing's local digital sales strategy, including the implementation of the newly-signed Gannett-Yahoo local advertising partnership. He reports to Michelle Krans, senior vice president of strategy and development, U.S. Community Publishing. Prior to Fore's work at Network Solutions, he was vice president of sales and service at Citysearch.com and director of local sales at Yellowpages.com.

Analyst Craig Moffett of Sanford C. Bernstein has a name for it -- "NBC purgatory." Six months into the regulatory review of its proposed deal for NBC Universal Inc., Comcast Corp. is spending tens of millions on lawyers, accountants, lobbyists, and bankers to gain approval for a $30 billion deal that is being fought in the political trenches of Washington. The merger has become such a hot topic in the nation's capital that the cable giant has published full-page, pro-deal ads in The Washington Post, Roll Call, the Hill, the National Journal, Politico. Comcast's tab for the merger, which …

Tribune Chairman Sam Zell can't be made to pay for Tribune Co. retirement fund losses, a judge ruled, rebuffing workers who claim the billionaire caused the company's employee stock ownership plan to lose value. The workers sued Zell and his closely held company, EGI-TRB LLC, in 2008 after he took the Chicago-based newspaper publisher private in an $8.3 billion transaction. They alleged Zell used their plan to buy back shares, burdening it with unsustainable debt. While the workers seek disgorgement of payments made to Zell and EGI-TRB by Tribune in the acquisition, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer in Chicago ruled …

Pressure is mounting to find a new editor-in-chief of Newsweek, as the staff defections continue in the wake of the sale to stereo mogul Sidney Harman. Jon Meacham, the current editor-in-chief, is hopes to pack it in by Labor Day. The most logical inside candidate, Fareed Zakaria, is said to have told Harman he is not interested in the job. Neither is Walter Isaacson, current CEO of the Aspen Institute think tank, a former editor of Time and onetime head of CNN. Ditto for Newsweek assistant managing editor Evan Thomas, book author and 24-year mag vet, is going to …

The focus on corporate budget cuts has changed to a demand for sales growth, and to achieve that goal, CMOs must transform their communications to address consumer mind-set shifts, often with flat or declining budgets, says Adweek. In fact, "expectations for marketing have never been higher" at a time when "the challenges have never been greater," according to a new Accenture survey of global marketers. Three in five execs believe the marketing function will "fundamentally change during the next five years" because of the battering consumers have taken in the economic downturn. The most lasting impact will be …

Levi Johnston's proposed reality show will chronicle his attempts to follow in Sarah Palin's footsteps -- running for mayor in Wasilla, Alaska. Johnston is partnering with reality production veterans Stone and Co., which confirmed it is shooting a pilot -- "Loving Levi: The Road to the Mayor's Office" -- with him and pitching the concept to networks. The show's focus: Johnston vying for office, being a father to Tripp (his child by Bristol Palin, with whom he recently split up) and attempting to pursue a career in Hollywood. Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla from 1996-2002. One reality producer …

Endemol has agreed to acquire a majority stake in L.A.-based reality production outfit Authentic Entertainment, responsible for such cable shows as Bravo's "Flipping Out," Food Network's "Ace of Cakes" and "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," and TLC's "Toddlers and Tiaras," among others. The deal follows the acquisitions of several reality companies by larger entities in recent years, such as Endemol's deal for a controlling stake in 51 Minds and Shine Group's purchase of Reveille. The companies didn't provide financial details, but sources said the value of the deal was more than $60 million.

HBO, which helped launch the boom in cable-TV drama, fires back this season with Bruce Springsteen, Martin Scorsese, Dustin Hoffman, Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini, Carrie Fisher and Tracy Morgan. Cable executives say they are excited to have landed "The Promise: The Making of 'Darkness on the Edge of Town,'" a documentary about the making of Springsteen's 1978 album. "Boardwalk Empire," from "Sopranos" alumnus Terence Winter and Martin Scorsese debuts Sept. 19. HBO also likes "Luck," a drama series that stars Hoffman and is set in the world of horse racing. It is expected to …

Art and contemporary culture-themed network Ovation will premiere two originally-produced shows beginning later this month: On August 16, "Scenic Route," a series starring journalist David Keeps who takes viewers to several cultural treasures off the beaten track, and, on Sept. 27, the documentary "Faces of a Vanishing World." "Faces" is about 19-year old photographer Joey Lawrence who capture images of ancient tribes on the verge of extinction. "Our programming mandate is to make sure everything on our air is smart, surprising and fun, and these two original shows are certainly excellent examples," said Kris Slava, senior vice president of …

Hollywood studios are getting closer to a deal to make new movies available to cable and satellite TV operators like Time Warner Cable as early as 30 to 60 days after their theatrical debuts, for a premium price. Under terms discussed so far, cable or satellite customers choosing to watch first-run movies at home would have to pay around $24.99 for a movie 60 days after its theatrical release, and up to $50 for a 30-day window, says Reuters . Those terms are not yet finalized but studios have held talks in recent months with pay-TV operators including DirecTV …