Analysts are having a field day with all the rumors brewing about the new Apple TV. Shaw Wu of Sterne Agee chimes in by noting two aspects supposedly crucial to the product's success: the device format itself, and content. Wu thinks Apple should produce both a set-top box and an integrated smart TV solution, but Gigaom's Daniel Etherington begs to differ: "Apple would also have to contend with the risk involved in offering a low-cost device with essentially the same feature set of a high-priced one, with the added challenge that its own integrated smart TV will come in a …

"It’s relatively common for a newspaper to be ordered to pay damages as a result of an injurious piece of reporting," writes Craig Silverman. "It’s rare, however, for the nature of the injuries to be physical." But La Tercera,  a newspaper in Chile, must pay the equivalent of $125,000 to 13 people who said they suffered burns while following a flawed recipe for churros ("a popular Latin American snack of dough fried in hot oil," according to the AP) printed in the paper.

"The Federal Communications Commission has announced it will try again to undermine independent local journalism by weakening media-ownership rules," begins an editorial in The Seattle Times. "That is not how the FCC describes loosening restrictions on cross-ownership of television stations and newspapers in the same market, but the public, Congress and the courts see it exactly so." The FCC's move "tried to put a happy face on media consolidation that erodes news gathering and further denies access to ownership by minorities and women," the editorial continues.

In the second high-level departure at struggling celeb pub Us Weekly this month, the photo director Brittain Stone has left, to be replaced by the promotion of deputy photo editor Jennifer Hapler. "Photo director is a key role at the picture-heavy Us, which depends on its cover image to move its significant newsstand volume," writes Lucia Moses. Us' earlier masthead change was executive editor Catherine Romano's departure for Glamour.

The first of Apple's new TVs, set to roll out in Q2 or Q3 next year, will be surprisingly small -- 32 and 37 inches, according to reports from supply chain sources, writes Darrell Ehterington. "The smaller size displays might help keep costs down, and reduce the sticker shock effect on consumers, but I doubt mainstream TV shoppers in the U.S. will be smitten with those relatively small screens," he writes. "Other reports say that Apple will have several models going up to 55 inches, which would seem to be smarter considering that the market for new HDTVs generally is …

Veranda, Hearst's upscale home-deccor magazine, is making some editorial changes and "tiptoeing into e-commerce "-- at least partly to compete with its new sister pub, Elle Decor, which Hearst purchased this year from Lagardère, writes Lucia Moses. The January/February issue will feature three new front-of-book departments and add price info and sourcing info for items -- something the pub has never done before. It's also run sales on luxury Web sites like One Kings Lane and "will have a storefront on Dering Hall, an online design store backed by Hearst," writes Moses.

For all you Scrooges and Grinches sick of seasonal sweetness and light, here's  a mean-spirited but witty post by Steve Crescenzo that skewers some major media figures, all in the service of discussing "the worst examples of corporate communication." Crescenzo's main target is an easy one: Dr. Phil, whose "asinine and patronizing" tips on dieting were featured in a company's internal publication. (Actually, we don't rank them quite as low as Crescenzko does -- they're fairly generic tips, one or two of which we've found helpful in our own, um, battle of the pounds.) We laughed at the part about …

"After talking to people inside ESPN, it’s clear that the network’s relationship with women is complex and fraught with peril," writes Kelly McBride in this thoughtful analysis of ESPN and the female sports fan. McBride says that the network's latest effort to serve this demo,  espnW, "mostly a website at this point," is "a low-risk dip of the toe by a media giant, when a bolder move could yield bigger results." But she does credit ESPN "for much of the hard work it does behind the scenes to raise the profile of women in the sports world," and for investing …

The Federal Communications Commission proposed a rule change that would ease restrictions on one company owning both a TV station and a newspaper in a top U.S. market. Under the new regulations, existing caps on joint TV and radio station ownership would remain. The FCC has not set a date to vote on the proposal yet. "Approval of the FCC action may spur acquisitions, increasing the value of media companies," write Eric Engleman and Chris Strohm. 

CBS is considering live-streaming its new "CBS This Morning" show -- a move that would "undoubtedly raise some hackles with CBS affiliates, because it could draw viewers away from local stations," writes Sam Thielman. And it would be a first for a regular network show, wouldn't it? No final decision yet, but the show, with anchors Charlie Rose,  Gayle King, and Erica Hill, is set to debut Jan. 9.