While the Wall Street Journal is continuing to offer some "separation agreements" to newsroom staffers,  "there is no across the board buyout offer to WSJ or Newswires employees," according to a member of the WSJ newsroom union quoted by Jim Romenesko. Rumors had started after some reports of more across-the-board arrangements.

Magazine publishers are looking to "jumpstart sales at supermarkets by advocating for data-driven partnerships and focusing on innovative product launches," according to top execs quoted by David Orgel while at the 2013 MPA/PBAA Retail Marketplace Conference. One idea was "embracing the ability of smartphones to use location abilities to message consumers while they’re in the stores," said Efrem "Skip" Zimbalist 3d, chairman and chief executive officer, Active Interest Media.

Gannett will buy its competitor in the broadcast realm, Belo for $2.2 billion, "in a deal that will make Gannett the fourth largest owner of major network affiliates in the U.S., reaching nearly a third of U.S. households," writes Roger Yu and Kim Hjelmgaard. Although the company "currently derives more of its revenue from the print business - 82 newspapers it owns nationwide... after the transaction, the broadcast segment is expected to contribute more than half of the company's total earnings before interest, taxes and other items," they write. The move will provide a "significant shift in our business mix," …

The drop in daily print newspaper readership in the U.S. has been deeper in the South and Southwest, with Atlanta, Houston, San Antonio and Las Vegas the cities with the fewest readers. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh takes top honors in readership, with Albany, Hartford/New Haven Ct, and Cleveland next on the list. Tied for next on the list: Buffalo, N.Y.; Honolulu; New York; and Toledo, Ohio.

Internet radio station Pandora just  bought KXMZ-FM in Rapid City, S.D., a small-market terrestrial radio station, for a special reason: to lower ASCAP fees. Pandora is attempting  "to take advantage of the performance royalty fees available to broadcast radio stations and Internet radio services operated by owners of broadcast radio stations," writes Glenn Peoples.

Two news items today from ESPN, both on the minus side: First, the network's next round of layoffs is expected to begin today, according to a source cited by Deadspin's John Koblin. And ESPN will shut down its 3DTV network at year's end. The enhanced channel was launched three years ago, "initially to bullish prospects," though now ESPN says "there was not enough interest in the service from a consumer perspective," writes Multichannel News. ESPN3D "had carriage deals with six top distributors making the channel available to some 75 million households, though only a limited number of …

There's "a new spirit of cooperation between networks and their affiliates on local stories of national interest," writes Diana Marszalek in this analysis of the trend. "Close collaboration has been evident in the coverage of recent big events," including the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas in April.

Though it worked with YouTube to provide online coverage of last year's London games,  NBC Sports Group has decided not to partner with the video site again to show digital footage of the 2014 Olympics games in Sochi, Russia. "Sources familiar with NBC’s plans for Sochi said it is preparing to build its own content management system for the Games," writes Tripp Mickle. "It’s unclear if it will develop a video player on its own or partner with another provider in the coming months."

Time Inc. is debuting ad unit Double Snap this week on the mobile websites of People, Sports Illustrated and Entertainment Weekly. First product up: the Toyota Avalon. Double Snap works by following users as they scroll down a page, with a mini banner that "'snaps' into a larger ad. A few bolts of lightning later, the whole thing transforms into a richer, interactive spot—it's large, but doesn't take over the whole page," writes David Taintor.

Vibe Media is selling "downtown culture and nightlife magazine" BlackBook back to its original owner and founder Evanly Schindler, "with plans to take it mostly digital," writes Joe Coscarelli. "The new emphasis will be on up-market video, shows, and TV content," Schnidler said.