Marilyn Pugh Davis, a female TV sitcom pioneer as one of the main writers of the iconic "I Love Lucy," died last night at the age of 90. Check out the write-up at TV Series Finale, which includes a clip where Davis explains that because she was the sole woman on the creative team, she often tried out Lucille Ball's stunts in advance -- like putting eggs down her blouse. When Ball did this on-camera it elicited the longest recorded audience laugh in television history, according to Davis' writing partner, Bob Carroll, Jr.

Viacom stock hit its highest price since the company split from CBS in 2006. "Viacom currently sits at an operating sweet spot given strong ratings growth over the past several quarters at MTV, a robust kids' upfront market, a solid film lineup and an attractive valuation," wrote Davenport & Co. analyst Michael Morris in a report titled "Viacom's Time to Shine." Other favorable aspects include an upsurge in ratings at the company's cable networks, which should help the company make upfront deals "from a position of power," added Morris.

Poynter Review Project's Kelly McBride and Regina McCombs analyze ESPN's new endorsement guidelines for commentators, giving high marks to some rules but concluding ESPN doesn't go far enough at avoiding conflicts of interest.Their biggest beef: "too much wiggle room carved out to accommodate big stars." The "one whopping exception" to most endorsement guidelines are those folks"who typically played or coached a sport, and they make up more than half of the 1,000-plus public-facing individuals ESPN refers to as 'talent.' That means most of the talent it employs can enter into the very type of contract that prompted the outcry in …

Many pubs reported on the New York Times Co. earning statement for Q1, with the biggest news seemingly about the pay meter for its Web site, which garnered more than 10,000 paid subscribers since March 28. That figure, however, "remains wide open to interpretation," writes Ad Age's Nat Ives. "The Times Co. earnings announcement didn't address how the fledgling pay wall, for one thing, has affected traffic and ad revenue." As Paid Content's David Kaplan notes, the Times "expects that incremental costs associated with the paywall will be $13 million over the course of 2011. But that's just …

Chris Colfer, who plays Kurt on "Glee," apparently can write as well as sing and dance. He will pen the pilot for the Disney Channel based on Florence Laughlin's children's book "The Little Leftover Witch," about a young witch who gets adopted by a new family after a flying broom accident.

As part of its plan to focus more on consumer news, wire service Thomson Reuters is adding staff and restructuring, announced Reuters News editor in chief Steve Adler, who joined two months ago.Among the new hires is Paul Ingrassia, set to become deputy editor in chief after stints as a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for The Wall Street Journal and a chief executive of Dow Jones Newswires. Adler said the company is also separating its news and operations divisions and working to develop in-depth investigative stories.

The Washington Post Company today launched Trove, a free, personalized, social news site that aggregates news from more than 10,000 sources. The site uses Facebook likes and dislikes to help personalize each version. Trove is in public beta, so more social media elements should be added in the months to come, the company promises.

Thursday DirecTV will finally launch its premium video-on-demand program. The first movie title on the service could be a message from DirecTV and movie studios to theaters owners concerned about shortening the window of cinemas' movie exclusivity: "Just Go With It," the Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston feature.

USA Today announced its first uptick in daily circulation figures in more than two years -- a teensy one, just a tenth of 1% for the last six months through March as compared to the same period a year ago -- but still one its strategists are touting as encouraging. The boost is said to come from increases in digital sales of the paper to schools, along with growth in business travel (which led to more travelers at hotels buying single copies, and hotels buying more in bulk to provide as a service to travelers.)

Reader's Digest Association just added to its stable of shelter pubs by purchasing Haven Home Media, a network of more than 60 Web sites for the do-it-yourself reader. Haven Home Media founder and CEO Dan Meehan will become vice president of integrated solutions and digital development within RDA's Lifestyle Communities, a new position.