Happy New Year: That's it for us!

WELL gang it's 1pm in the afternoon and we're calling it a year. We'll be back like the rest of the country on January 2, 2007 and man what a year we think this is going to be. Media analysts are already predicting a year of consolidation, mergers and all that other good stuff. And we are standing by to rip it all apart and report on it the way big media wish they could. On that note, HAPPY NEW YEAR kids, and may 2007 find you drunk and 06 free. -Media Wire Daily

Afternoon Wire: And now this afternoon's worthy media news, the short version

They were born celebrity crazy RedHerring yaps about blogs like Perez Hilton and PopSugar being Celebrity crazy in 2006. But as far as we know they were celebrity crazy the day they launched. Valley Wag Asks What was the worst marketing effort of 2006?

FRESH NEWS: Mike Tyson, is a drunk & a dust head, but he is also a gentleman

Stepping off our usual beat because what else do you expect when nothing interesting is going on in the media industry today, washed up one time heavy weight champion, Mike Tyson has been arrested for DUI and possession of cocaine in Arizona. However, Arizona cops said that the convicted rapist was a total gentleman. Someone save this man!

Saddamized: One of the most popular video clips of 2007 will be Saddam Hussein getting wacked, if he does

TV NEWSER asks the question "How Will TV Networks Handle Video Of Hussein's Hanging?" But seriously who cares how they will handle it if and when the former dictator gets lynched? We're all waiting for it to hit Youtube or some other video sharing site. As far as the networks, well one insider basically said Americans have weak stomachs, which may prompt networks to pass on airing the actual clip, not that we really expected them to. "I'm sure every network has had their standards and practices discussions about this already. It is inevitably going to make it onto YouTube -- and likely some other channels around the world, whose audiences have tougher stomachs for this stuff, will air whatever the video in its entirety -- then do the American nets use the excuse the 'story about the video' to air it? Which magazine show does it first? Saddam: How Will TV Networks Handle Video Of Hussein's Hanging? [TVN]

Morning Wire: And now this morning's worthy media news

Bob Iger's lucky streak continues Disney Studios will close out 2006 on a serious note, 3.26 Billion of them. The company said its studio division generated $3.26 billion in global box office revenue in 2006 and claimed the year's top two box office and top three DVD domestic releases for the first time. The Kush wants to litter New Jersey Real Estate big shot turned media mogul wannabe, Jared Kushner will get into the free paper game with plans to launch a daily hand out in New Jersey. Daily commuters from the Garden State can expect to deal with track fires and aggressive distribution. Ad execs have crystal balls Americans have been talking the talk for a while, but 2007 is the year they’re ready to walk the walk, ad executives said. Consumers want to know where products come from, how they were made and what companies and brands believe in. “Consumers are asking, ‘What do these companies stand for? How does that match my values? And how could I learn from those brands?’ said Andrew Benett, chief strategy officer at Euro RSCG Worldwide, which is part of Havas. Actually no dick head, who cares? As long as your product works. Thes ad guys can really get carried away.

US Weekly Pedophile Guilty. No shit We Say!

Janice Minn probably has more of these within her camp but have no idea. Former Us Weekly gossip columnist Timothy McDarrah, arrested in New York last year by undercover federal agents, has been found guilty of charges related to soliciting sex with a kid. He was charged with one count of using a computer and the Internet "to attempt to entice, induce, coerce and persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity," according to an indictment handed up in November 2005. He was convicted Dec. 20 after an eight-day jury trial in New York, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, according to court documents. Ex-gossip editor convicted on sex charge [AP]

Newspaper Program's Sweet for Google

Google's newspaper ad sales program is being inhaled by so many, naturally the Internet giant is looking to expand it. During initial testing with 100 advertisers and 66 newspapers, the volume of ad sales tripled Google's expectations, according to a story first appearing Wednesday in The Washington Post. That report echoed comments made earlier this month, at the UBS global media conference, by James Conaghan, the Newspaper Association of America vice president for business analysis and research. Conaghan told analysts and media at the conference that Google had sold in three weeks all inventory it expected to sell in the program's first three months. Google Extends Newspaper Program [OMD]

Morning Wire: And Now This Morning's Worthy Media News

Arabs Want Their MTV Too Ya Know Judy McGrath will soon launch MTV Mars at the rate MTVN is going. But for now she is prepping for the launch of MTV Arabiya in the coming New Year in partnership with what else, The Arabian Television Network. And Now More From Mark Cuban Mark Cuban is again criticizing companies who are not big on the things he is. This time around he thinks that major television networks are spending way too much time and money on the Internet and not enough on High-Definition TV. Hey mark they gotta focus on the big fish right now. We're sure if these networks were to turn their focus and money on HDTV, not only would it make you look smart, you would probably make a nice amount of cash too right? Ad Agencies Going Green to Make Green “When I started out in 2003 there were maybe five or six green agencies around,” said John Rooks, president of Dwell Creative, a three-person environmental ad agency in Portland, Me. “There’s got to be at least 50 of us now.”

Hey Plum Guys!,What, No Love For NYC?

THE freshly cash injected Plum TV must have some major plans for the coming new year with all that money they just landed from deep pockets like, Tom "Tommy Boy" Freston and Virgin Records' Jason "Lyor Cohen disposed " Flom. However, we hope one of those plans on the table is a Plum NYC channel. How can you not have NYC coverage on Plum? The Hamptons is cool and all, but you gotta show love to the greatest city in the world baby!

Slow News Day: Barney Threw up All Over Jossip

WHEN news is slow to come, sometimes you have to create some. In this case, during our usual morning visit to Jossip, we got an instant headache when we saw the background color being used by the site. We don't know if Barney threw up, exploded or shitted all over it.

The Post Just Had to Pull a Saddam Out of Their Ass

IN this round of "Morning Covers" we have to hand the trophy to The Daily News for having 100% respect for a dead former President and giving him the full cover. The Post on the other hand has about 90% respect for a dead former President which is clear, due to the fact that, they still squeezed a headline about the soon to be dead Saddam on the cover. Come on guys, we would have waited to open the paper to see that headline. Then again you're the Post. What else should one expect from a paper who once employed an extortionist, gets headlines wrong, and dumps truck loads of copies while claiming high circ?

Video Wire: The Logo-ization of Viacom

Viacom seems to be a company big on tweaking. Over the years Viacom has tweaked not only it's management team but it's logo and theme music as well. Today, their is no music, and the logo is so simple, you can find the font in the most recent version of Photoshop. Then agains the same goes for other media companies as well. The logo has come along way and the video clip below seems to have captured this transformation over the years.

Private Investors Continue to Take Their Share of The Media Industry

ANOTHER media property has fallen into the hands of a group of deep pocketed investors. The hard on for media businesses by private equity groups has been growing rapidly. In an unexpected move, the McClatchy Company, the newspaper publisher, said yesterday that it was selling The Star Tribune of Minneapolis to a private equity firm, Avista Capital Partners, for $530 million, citing the lagging performance of the paper and the tax advantages from the sale. McClatchy said in a statement that the sale of the newspaper, which it bought for $1.2 billion in 1998, would help reduce its debt after the purchase of the Knight Ridder chain for more than $4 billion. Guess the investors can do a better job running the paper than an actual newspaper publisher. Equity Firm Buys Paper in Minnesota [NYP]

Morning Wire: And Now This Morning's Worthy Media News

Dam! The man hasn't been dead for a week and... Already Viacom is looking to cash in on the life of James Brown. Director Spike Lee has signed on to shoot a movie about James Brown, the late "Godfather of Soul," Daily Variety reported on Wednesday. The authorized project is being developed for Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures by Brian Grazer, the Oscar-winning producer of "A Beautiful Mind," the trade publication said, adding that production would likely begin in 2008. lonelygirl15, Myspace, The Firecrotch Crown and More Ruled 06 There is no doubt that 2006 was the year of the web and it will only get better and more crazy in 07. Twenty-three years after the birth of what became AOL, a decade after Yahoo's IPO, eight years after the dawn of Google, five years after the Time-Warner/AOL merger, a year after the founding of YouTube, all but the most calcified corners of the media world (what's black and white and read all over ... ) awoke to the fact that the Internet was not just at the doorstep, it had unpacked its bag, raided the liquor cabinet and taken the family for a joyride down to Baja. Hallmark to Pimp Major Advertisers, and They Will Let Them “We’ve got these huge retail assets,” said Carol Campbell Boggs, the magazine’s publisher. “And our business model is to leverage those assets.”

Former CBS President Frank Stanton Checks Out

ONE of Les Moonves' many predecessors Frank Stanton passed away over the Holiday weekend at his home in Boston. From 1946 to 1973, they operated as probably the greatest team in the history of broadcasting, making CBS, for a time, the most powerful communications company in the world, and the most prestigious. It was under Dr. Stanton and Mr. Paley that CBS, mixing entertainment programming with high-quality journalism and dashes of high culture, earned its reputation as the Tiffany Network. As a brilliant corporate builder and a technologically minded executive, Dr. Stanton — everybody used the “doctor” — played a pivotal role in CBS’s rise. He did so despite a relationship with Mr. Paley that was often strained and an object of puzzlement to those around them. Frank Stanton, Broadcasting Pioneer, Dies at 98 [NYT]

Its Almost Here

2006 blew by so quickly we still can't believe there is only a few days left of it. One person we know is probably counting down the clock to 2007 is Sumner Redstone. Why you ask? Well, January 1st 2007 will mark the one year Anniversary of both Viacom and CBS being on their own. At the strike of Midnight January 1st 2006 was when we all thought Viacom would begin outshine CBS and Tom Freston would be a media rock star. But the story didn't quite play out that way at all. Freston got canned after about 6 months on the job and as it turns out, Les Moonves may be the better media exec. So what has the almost one year apart tought Sumner and company? Who knows? But we expect more rumors of a sale or a reconciliation with Les Moonves sitting at the top or something like that.

Lad Mags Getting Ladless?

IS the recent announcement of FHM folding a sign that publishers of so called lad mags are losing their lads? According to The New York Time's David Carr, What had been a white-hot niche in publishing has gone cold. Carr even reports that certain sources claim a buyer may be at the door of Dennis Publishing's U.S. business. However in typical corporate media fashion, Dennis's U.S. head Stephen Colvin refused to comment on what is probably true anyway. He also claimed that Dennis is doing well. Colvin would not respond to reports of a sale, saying he “doesn’t comment on rumors,” and he added that it is silly to suggest that FHM’s departure suggests that the category, or Maxim, is losing heat. “Our first quarter is up double digits, and we finished the year very strong,” he said last week. “We are the leader in the men’s category and continue to add subscribers. Maxim entered and changed what had been deemed to be a mature category, and we continue to grow stronger all the time.” He also said that the company’s early digital and mobile initiatives are paying dividends. Ok, now what's the reason the company wouldn't be for sale? The Lads Are Getting Picky [NYT]

Gawker's Lockhart Steele a Pussy? Nahh Just Smart

This morning's New York Post awaits Gawker's coverage of what happened over the Holidays between Gawker editorial guru, Lockhart Steele, his lady friend and a table of big drunk guys. We would kinda like the full story too but we wanted to point one thing out. Lockhart Steele did the right thing not to piss off a table full of big drunk dick heads, because god knows the Post' headline would have probably been different. Hey Lock we hope your lady friend is doing OK. We Await Gawker's Coverage [PageSIX]

A Village Voice Musto So So

Village Voicer Michael Musto will do the cliche and release a book this week for Village Voice-ans who got it before but can't get enough of his crazy Columns. "La Dolce Musto" is packed with comments and private conversations between Musto and well known individuals. Among the "Best of Musto" lineup: James Woods described Lynn Hirschberg, who once wrote an unflattering profile of him, as "a degenerate, scum-sucking pig. A [bleep]ing pile of unmitigated pus ripped from the [bleep] of a dead dog. " Bijou Phillips once told Musto: "I lost my virginity to [Lemonhead singer] Evan Dando. Now he's terrified of me. He thinks I'm gonna call the police on him because he slept with an underage girl." CELEB ANTICS A MUSTO READ [PageSIX]

Morning Wire: And Now The Day After Christmas' Worthy Media News

The wiki-liciousness of New York Times Pollers We all have our own little predictions of where the media industry will go in 2007. We personally don't think their will be any major break throughs in media in 07, at least nothing fresh. However New York Times Pollers predicted some way out shit like cell phones with night vision to enable snapping pics through someone's clothing. But the most orginal prediction was from Tony Trippe, an associate professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology who predicted that 2007 will be the year of buyouts, mergers and consolidations. However for some reason we think we heard this one before......kinda You will pay anyway Some advertisers are getting into bitch mode due to worries of web publishers raising prices for ad space. Here is a little note for you ad buyers. The more the demand, the higher the price. You want to buy more but you're not willing to pay the price named by the website's whose audience you want to reach. At the end of the day though, you will pay for that ad space. If not there is always those old boring print ad spaces you can buy. No pun intended. The Things People/Companies do to Get The Word Out FLOGS, is in fake blogs, according to the New York Post is the latest vehicle being utilized by major companies looking to put some cool in their image and/or products. Some of these services offer money to bloggers to endorse a company or product, while others pay people to manipulate popularity rankings on sites such as Digg, Delicious and Reddit.

In today's no SHOCKER, SHOCK to join the magazine graveyard

JUST in time for the Holidays, Shock, the magazine launched by Hachette Filipacchi will be chopped down to just a website. The company will kill the print but keep ShockU.com up and running making us wonder how much sicker will this get. Here is the memo sent to Hachette troops by Hachette general Jack Kliger: From Gawker: It is difficult to make a decision to close a title, but I am announcing today that we will no longer publish Shock magazine. The final issue will be the February publication on newsstands December 26, 2006. We wanted to test the French magazine's concept in the U.S.; however, after six months in the marketplace, Shock's performance at newsstands has not produced trends that indicate that we will get the returns that we are looking for. On the other hand, the web site has shown real energy and connection with this young demographic and the 41 page-views-per-visitor-session is one of the highest for web sites at Hachette. The company will maintain the web site ShockU.com and will work toward a redesign and relaunch of the web site in Spring 2007. We are very appreciative of the dedication and hard work of Editor-in-Chief Mike Hammer and the editorial and business teams who have put so much into producing Shock. Jack Kliger Merry X-Mas Jacky 'Shock,' Magazine for Illiterates, Closing [GAWKER]

Wait a minute, Our prayers have been answered. Tom Freston has surfaced

AFTER begging Tom Freston to re-surface and make his post Viacom move, an article in today's Wall Street Journal has the media cool cat joining forces with fellow former media-ite Bob Pittman and many others to back upstart, Plum TV. When music executive Jason Flom stays at his vacation house in Aspen, he likes to check out a morning TV show about local happenings and weather in the upscale ski town. The show airs on a local station that is part of a fast-growing network called Plum TV designed for tony vacation spots. Mr. Flom, chairman of EMI Group's Virgin Records U.S., liked the TV show so much that he has joined several other big names -- including former Viacom Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tom Freston, former AOL President and Chief Operating Officer Robert Pittman's investment firm, Starwood Capital CEO Barry Sternlicht, Kraft Group CEO Robert Kraft and singer Jimmy Buffett -- investing a total of $20 million into the network as it charts an expansion. Upstart Plum TV PursuesWealth of Opportunity [WSJ]

MEDIA QUICKY: Any day now Tom

Hey Tom Freston, you got fired over about 3 months ago now, can we please get a hint of what you plan to do next? We are eager to see where you land what you launch, who you partner with, we're just seriously waiting on you to come back to the media surface. Don't keep us waiting too long because we may turn against you and start calling you names, and we really don't want to do that because we kinda like you.

NBC really wants you to watch "30 Rock"

Today in "We will do anything" the folks at NBC have come up with yet another way to stuff their shows down your throats. Mr. Bush, it's Alec Baldwin for you NBC's (GE) using VariTalk LLC to promote it's "30 Rock" TV show. The push includes a Web site where you can plug in some information and create a script to be read over the phone or delivered by e-mail from the show's Alec Baldwin. Mr. Bush, it's Alec Baldwin for you [Frank Barnako's Media Blog]

Morning Wire: And now the morning's worthy media news

King Rupe grabs 75% of NGC Rupert Murdoch probably sees great financial gains in science an history. His News Corp monster is slowly swallowing the National Geographic Channel. News Corp. said Wednesday it is acquiring NBC Universal's 25 percent stakes in two entities that run the international operations of the National Geographic Channel on cable TV. News Corp. said in a regulatory filing that it was buying the stakes in NGC Network International and NGC Network (UK) for an undisclosed sum. Gifts for that book worm in your boring life The New York Daily News gives last minute gift ideas to the procrastinators who just didn't make it to Best Buy. But will the raccoons fight if a fight breaks out before a commercial Tech companies are creating some Google like technology where commercials will somehow relate to what you're watching. Targeted commercials delivered through digital cable systems could have more than 100,000 versions, as advertisers use different songs, punch lines and actors to reach different customers. Advertisers will use databases, like those used in direct mailings, to determine which houses to deliver which TV ad to. [Photo: by Sarah D. via Flickr]

Big media's 2007 TO DO's

BIG media saw some ups and downs this year and we were there for almost all of it. We saw people get fired and people get hired, but still no clear agenda from some of the media bigs. In 2007 we only want the best for big media, however we still welcome the worst as well. With that said we came up with a TO DO list of what we think the leaders of America's big 5 should do to make their businesses more effective, attractive, nimble and all the other cliche shit associated with the media industry these days. So without further adieu, the 2007 TO DO's BOB IGER/DISNEY-Continue to do what ur doing because clearly ur doing something right. However Wall Street may want to see you bring someone under you who can help you take Disney to the next level.....what is the next level? Who knows but Anne Sweeney would sit well in the office next to yours. DICK PARSONS/TIME WARNER- Either sell or continue to revamp the AOL unit because it has been the knife in Time Warner's side for years. Also stop the bleeding at Time Inc, not by canning employees, but by selling and/or closing down products that haven't performed well in years. Also, can you tell Ann Moore to have a corporate website created and launched for Time Inc? How does the world's biggest magazine publisher not have a website? Oh yeah spinning off 100% of the cable unit may not be a bad idea either. Continued>> RUPERT MURDOCH/NEWS CORP- If and when the whole Judith Regan thing dies an awful death, then here are some things to consider for the New Year. Revamp the company website, re-install Lachlan Murdoch in a senior post and start planning for when you check out or retire, which ever comes first, we hope the latter. Continue to build the Fox Interactive Unit by expanding the myspace brand and making other properties under FIM better. Don't launch a Fox business channel, it will be a money loser. BOB WRIGHT/NBC-UNIVERSAL-Bobby, you gotta make clear by the end of 07 who your successor will be. Your bosses at GE seem to be big fans of Jeff Zucker, but you should have at least two other people on the table as well. Jeff Zucker could get hit by a bus you know. We have no doubt that he will be the new head of NBC Uni but just so it looks like you had a choice and you thought long and hard about it, just include two other names with the Zuck's. Also you can't beat Youtube so follow Viacom's foot steps and back off the "Youtube Killer" talks. SUMNER REDSTONE/VIACOM- Now Sumner, we all know that on paper you gave up the CEO title, but come on who are you kidding, you are still CEO of Viacom. Phil Dauman is just the hands on guy making sure the company doesn't over pay for paper clips and shit like that while you call the shots naked from your swimming pool in Beverly Hills. 2007 should find Viacom on a path to fulfilling a clear digital strategy because right now you guys seem to be all over the place. Poor Mika Salmi has his work cut out for him as your new digital guy. Keep in mind, less is more. -Shomari Hines

The newspaper warrior

After having the balls to stand up to his bosses at Tribune Company, naturally Dean Baquet was eventually booted as Editor. Apparently his bosses didn't see the newspaper business the way he saw it. Big media is all about the dollar, not necessarily what's right. Mr. Baquet did what many newspaper editors wouldn't even think of doing and told his bosses no, when they ordered him to make cuts in his newsroom budgets. However unfortunately for Mr. Baquet, even though such a stance is honorable in some eyes, other newspapers may think twice about hiring him because at the end of the day, newspaper owners are all about the cash before anything else? He may have to go the DIY route and launch some kind of online venture. Hey all former print editors do it. Well, he didn’t quite quit. Dean Baquet spit into the eye of the hurricane. In September, the editor of the Los Angeles Times let it be known that he would not be making any new cuts in his newsroom budget, even if the owners at the Chicago Tribune Company asked. He then gave a speech on Oct. 26 to Associated Press managing editors in New Orleans about an “irrational era of cost-cutting.” He said that editors should “put up a little bit more of a fight than we have put up in the past.” He told editors, “Don’t be shy about making the public-service argument.” And he said, “We need to be a feistier bunch.” Media Mensch ’06 [NYO]

So who do you think it is?

Some media big shot dropped $280,000 on the original hand written "'Twas the night before Christmas" poem. Who do you think would do something like this? Here is a clue, the person bought it just in time to read it to relatives and business associates at a holiday party in his Manhattan apartment. Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

WHO IS IT? Which media big shot dropped $280,000 on a useless poem to stroke their ego

Which CEO of a media company with a serious napoleon complex, dropped a huge load of cash on the original "'Twas the night before Christmas" poem? Could it be one of the CEO's of the big four? Well we are setting up a poll as you read this, asking you to vote who you think spent that much on this piece of paper. Stay Tuned.....

Live from New York, its SNL on your cell phone.....Yawn!

NBC has entered an exclusive deal with Cingular Wireless to bring the dieing SNL show to mobile phones. We're not sure however, if somone would really take time out of their life to stop and watch a clip on their phone of SNL. NBC, which recently launched a "Saturday Night Live" section on its Web site full of clips from the classic show, is producing some original "SNL" material to be streamed on Cingular phones, along with video clips from its archives and current episodes. In addition, the new offering will include content created by "SNL" specifically for mobile viewers. It also features an array of extras, including ringtones and graphics from "SNL." The product will be available to subscribers of Cingular's video service. Live From, Well, Just About Anywhere, It's 'Saturday Night' [MDN]

Morning Wire: Ann Moore butchers again, more Judith Regan drama, Viacom knows when to not play ball

Viacom knows a tough battle when they see it Phil Dauman and company have backed out of talks with other big media firms to build a possible Youtube killer. Hey you gotta know who you can take. The Suing Goldmans By the time all this shit is over, former Regan Books queen Judith Regan will have a sweet book of her own to publish. Not only did King Rupe drop her from his empire, she may now have to deal with Ron Goldman's family as well, who will sue anyone and anything to show how much they loved their son. Ann "The Butcher" Moore strikes again just in time for the HolidaysThis week, Time Inc. Chairman and CEO Ann Moore once again tossed aside one of the few sacred rules left in corporate America: Do not fire people the week before Christmas. She lowered the boom on 27 more people in the company's consumer-marketing department yesterday. The hit list includes three directors: Josh Orenstein at Money, John Reese at Time and Hank Fifield at This Old House.

Afternoon Wire: We didn't even know Dick Cheney knew what Googling was

Apparently whenever Dick Cheney spends time in that infamous undisclosed location, he Googles like the rest of us. However it’s what he Googles that is so different than the porn we like to pull up. Here are some items Dick find's interesting. riglyceride onion rings cholesterolHDL "good cholesterol"HDL fried onion ringsHDL freedom friesosama bin laden pakistanosama panamaosama yucatanGoogle Maps: tora boraGoogle Maps: cheney houseGoogle Maps: cheney marylandbirdshot pellet removalquail hunting "involuntary manslaughter"hunting accident manslaughterhunting accident manslaughter pleasfirearms disposalsmoking gunsmoking gun mushroom cloudhot lesbos vinyl black bootsbunker dungeon black bootsbunker decorbunker refurbish HDTVosama peshawarosama cabosaddam "al qaeda" Dick Cheney's Google searches [VF]

New Martha Stewart logo is not a big deal at all

We came across an article about the new design of the Martha Stewart logo and if you ask us, it’s kind of a step back. The former logo was more attractive in our opinion and has been associated with the Martha name for some time now. We just don't get what all the hoopla is about. It’s a fucking circle with the woman’s name in it. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has a new logo that will soon grace most of its properties. The circular mark, designed by Steven Doyle of Doyle Partners, has already popped up on the company's Web products, including the Martha Stewart page on Kodak.com. Martha's new logo a better thing [NYB]

Exactly who is AOL's new number two with the crazy eyes

Since taking over AOL, former NBC exec Randy Falco has wasted no time in cleaning out the old and bringing in his new. Some AOL execs who worked under former CEO Jon Miller have opted to leave on their own, smartly seeing the writing on the wall. Falco seems to be in the final stages of Falconizing the place with key appointments. However the new structure points all the business heads, not to Falco but to his short crazy eyed number two Ron Grant. Who is this well dressed crazy eyed little man running the show under Falco? We had to ask because the picture of him and Randy Falco in this morning's New York Times got our attention because of those eyes. Funny enough Grant isn't a former NBC-er. According to his bio on the AOL corporate page, he spent quite some time between AOL and parent Tim Warner. Before he was named to his current position with AOL in 2006, Grant was Senior Vice President, Operations, for Time Warner, AOL's parent company. In that position, he worked closely with Time Warner's President and Chief Operating Officer in areas including strategy, digital initiatives, and operational efficiencies for Time Warner divisions and played an important role in the development of the business plan launched by AOL in 2006. Before moving to Time Warner, Grant was Senior Vice President of Business Affairs and Development for AOL and managed a team responsible for business development, negotiating key alliances, and operational investments. He joined AOL in 1997. Ron Grant Bio [AOL LLC]

Conde Net set to launch hang out for teen girls

Not sure if we get this, but Conde Nast's internet unit is planning to launch what is being called their answer to News Corp's Myspace. We didn't even know Myspace asked a question. Flip.com will offer girls a forum to create "flip books": multimedia scrapbooks of photographs, home-made music videos and other postings. CondeNet hopes to tap into the same creative flair that girls show when they decorate their school lockers or textbooks. The site is Conde Nast's answer to News Corp.'s MySpace, which -- along with similiar sites such as Facebook -- is drawing millions of young users and has made it difficult for magazine publishers to keep teenagers' attention. Flip is scheduled to debut in February, but 200,000 girls will be invited to a test launch today. To Lure Teens to Its Latest Web Site,Conde Nast Turns to the 'Flip Squad' [WSJ]

Morning Wire: And now the morning's worthy media news

Ousted Judith Regan about to fight the power Judith Regan, canned over love for OJ and allegedly saying some stupid shit, isn't about to go away quietly. The former Regan Books pimptress has hired a power lawyer and will take the fight to her former employer. Forbes Freeze Forbes Inc. has joined a growing list of companies cutting back future pension liabilities and blocking new employees from joining their plans. Chairman Steve Forbes told employees about the news in a year-end package that went out late last week. A spokeswoman insisted yesterday that the Forbes plan "is frozen; it's not being scrapped." The Falconization of AOL Randy Falco finally gets to run his own company and fire his own employees. If AOL were being dressed up for a sale, as has been rumored on and off for several years, Randy Falco is an odd choice to be the new chief executive. As Mr. Falco notes, he is hardly a short-term guy. Before starting at Time Warner’s AOL unit this month, he spent every day of his career since college — 31 years — working for NBC Universal. And he has been married for the same number of years.