The print model for newspapers is definitely broken, says John Paton, CEO of Digital First, which runs several newspaper publishers (though with a corporate name like that, what else would he say?) Paton is quoted in a roundup of reports on what various newspapers are doing to survive, made during  BIA Kelsey's Interactive Local Media West. Among the most interesting: "The Journal Register's (Torrington[,Conn.]) Register Citizen has opened its newsroom to residents, creating blogging stations for the community and streaming its news planning meetings online," writes Mike Swift. Other California newspapers -- …

Ten out of 23 magazine group publishers had increases in ad pages from January to September 2011 compared to last year -- and Wenner Media topped this list, according to min. Wenner had a total of 290.37 additional ad pages for its three magazines: Us Weekly, Rolling Stone and Men's Journal. The next four publishers showing the biggest gains in ad pages were, in order: Source Interlink (whose best performer was Power & Motoryacht, which shows that targeting rich people can continue to be lucrative); American Express Publishing (due to a 98.34 additional ad pages for its  bimonthly travel pub, …

With Don Imus having just celebrated his 40th anniversary on the New York radio airwaves, speculation has now turned to his possible retirement once his contract expires next December.  The 70-year-old’s WABC show is also simulcast each morning on cable’s Fox Business channel.

How else can newspapers make money? Um, how about going into one of the oldest Christmas businesses on record? The L.A. Times just launched a service where, for $3.99 a pop ("about the cost of a Christmas card," according to the Times' announcement), parents can arrange to have Santa call their kids "and surprise them by already knowing (because you told him) what they want for Christmas," writes Steve Myers.

If you thought there was no possible spinoff left for the venerable "Law & Order" franchise, well, surprise -- there's now a video game, "Legacies," to be launched this winter for iPhones and iPads, and later on for PCs and Macs. To play the game, which will sell for $2.99 per episode, users can take either the attorney or police role, and come into contact with such characters as NYPD detectives Lennie Briscoe, Mike Logan and Rey Curtis, as well as "L&O: SVU" detective Olivia Benson.

CBS Television Stations is set to buy New York City independent channel WLNY (channel 55), which will give it a "duopoly in the country's biggest media market" since it already owns WCBS (channel 2), writes Tim Molloy. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. CBS' plans for WLNY include lengthening its current half-hour local news broadcast and strengthening its current Long Island news bureau.

Lowe's pulled its ads from the TLC reality series "All-American Muslim," claiming that it reviewed all the news coverage and blogs responding to the show and found "concerns, complaints or issues from multiple sides of the viewer spectrum." But among the most prominent complaints was from the conservative Florida Family Association, which called the show "propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda’s clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values." So Lowe's is still receiving outraged responses to its decision, writes Georg Szalai. Meanwhile, TLC says "AAM" has "strong advertising support."

In an end-of-the-week burst of sentimentality, we're directing you to this tribute to an iconic TV star who died earlier this week, Harry Morgan. Or as David Bianculli writes: "Harry Morgan, whose crusty yet friendly Colonel Potter on M*A*S*H was the pinnacle of a show-biz career that stretched to the early days of television and encompassed film and theater as well, died yesterday at age 96. What a character. What an actor. What a character actor." In this most-appropriately titled "'M*A*S*H' Note to Harry Morgan," Bianculli dissects the actor's long TV career, which included a stint on "Dragnet," and highlights …

Executives at Oprah Winfrey's struggling network, OWN, are considering targeting the channel more specifically to the demo that's tracked its highest ratings -- African-Americans, responsible for the success of its most popular show since October, the reality series "Welcome To Sweetie Pies." But this would represent a shift from Oprah's brand, with its broad-based appeal to a female demographic that cuts across racial lines. So OWN execs admit they need to strike a balance, looking to advertisers who target African-Americans, for example, without diluting Oprah's more inclusive fan base. Tough challenge, but a balance that may have been struck with …

Entertainment trade pub Variety debuted Flixtracker, a paid subscription database for film and digital entertainment still in development, as part of its campaign to create a profitable data and research division. The Variety Group earlier this year bought the model for Flixtracker -- TVtracker, a broadcast TV database -- and in 2012 plans to launch Incentives Tracker and VScore.