The Washington Post's Patricia Sullivan is reporting this morning that Art Buchwald, a longtime syndicated columnist, died on Wednesday of kidney failure. He was 81.

There's been a whole lot of folks showing up here in the last day or two looking for Sid Rosenberg, presumably because he was on Stern on Monday morning. Well, if you are trying to figure out where Mr. Rosenberg is hiding these days, you can find him here at 790 The Ticket down in South Florida.

In case you hadn't heard by now, ESPN personality and baseball writer extraordinaire Peter Gammons has had a brain aneurysm, and is currently resting at a Boston hospital after surgery. While he is, of course, a Red Sox fan, he's always someone I pay attention to as he is clearly so very well connected that he knows what is going on with regard to the trade deadline and the "insider" stuff that the rest of us love to read.

Additionally, ESPN has set up a spot on its site for people to share their Peter Gammons stories - you can do so here.

Get well soon, Peter!

On Tuesday, a memorial service was held at New York City's Carnegie Hall for ABC News anchor Peter Jennings, who passed away in early August from lung cancer - an event that allowed for the public to attend if they were able to get one of the 800-someodd tickets that were made available. By checking out some of the coverage over on TVNewser, it looks like it was all done very well, and that hearing from Peter's friends and colleagues was very touching to all in attendance.

However, it seems that ABC News had put some significant restrictions on those in the media who were to attend the event and looked to cover it for their own outlets. Most interestingly, exactly zero television or radio crews were allowed to attend the event - kind of peculiar, considering the role in broadcast journalism that Jennings had, but perhaps there was a space issue to be concerned about. Some highlights from the memo sent to TV and Radio Assignment desks:

• Excerpts of no more than three (3:00) minutes total of actualities from the program may be incorporated in your regularly scheduled domestic network news programs broadcast within the forty-eight hour period commencing at 3:30 PM E.T. on Tuesday, September 20 ending 3:30 PM E.T. on Thursday, September 22.


• No part of the Memorial Service may be catalogued for future use.


• No use of the memorial service is permitted in promos, teases, or bumpers.


• No part of the Memorial Service may be used on the Internet.


• A video credit reading "COURTESY: ABC News" must be aired for the duration over the actualities you broadcast.


• With regard to any possible excerpting by your network Memorial Service, please note that ABC News expressly forbids the use of logos over any of the above footage. If it is not possible for you to excerpt the program without showing a logo, then there may be no excerpting.

A veteran journalist who spoke with TMD and provided a copy of the memo compared this to the types of rules put around high profile award shows such as the Emmys and Grammys - and that the memorial being "promoted" as the opportunity for Jennings' family and close friends - you know, with ABC cameras, a slew of print journalists (who were allowed in with no such restrictions), and 800 folks from the general population in the room - to mourn Jennings' passing seemed a little curious. I mean, there's no reason that a station can't put restrictions on their own footage, but this seemed a bit over the top to some.

Even if the intentions were in the right place, this almost comes off as ABC trying to control any coverage of the event in what seems a bit obnoxious, considering that there are many people sitting at home who would love to have seen what happened, in its entirety, on Tuesday.

Full memo after the jump.

From: Levine, Cathie [email redacted]
To: [redacted]
Subject: ABC NEWS/ Peter Jennings Memorial Service

TO: TELEVISION AND RADIO ASSIGNMENT DESKS

RE: ABC NEWS/ Peter Jennings Memorial Service

There will be a memorial service to celebrate the life of Peter Jennings on Tuesday, September 20th at 11:00am at Carnegie Hall in New York. No television or radio crews will be permitted inside the service.

At 3:00pm ET on September 20th ABC News will feed excerpts of the service on:

Please note the following usage restrictions:

* Excerpts of no more than three (3:00) minutes total of actualities from the program may be incorporated in your regularly scheduled domestic network news programs broadcast within the forty-eight hour period commencing at 3:30 PM E.T. on Tuesday, September 20 ending 3:30 PM E.T. on Thursday, September 22.
* No part of the Memorial Service may be catalogued for future use.
* No use of the memorial service is permitted in promos, teases, or bumpers.
* No part of the Memorial Service may be used on the Internet.
* A video credit reading "COURTESY: ABC News� must be aired for the duration over the actualities you broadcast.
* With regard to any possible excerpting by your network Memorial Service, please note that ABC News expressly forbids the use of logos over any of the above footage. If it is not possible for you to excerpt the program without showing a logo, then there may be no excerpting.

ABC News reserves all of its rights and remedies in the event of any violation of its rights.

ABC News Media Relations: Cathie Levine [email / telephone redacted]

-- ABC --

Over the weekend, the NYT's Katharine Seelye writes about the departure of Washington Post associate editor Steve Coll, who is taking on a role at the New Yorker.

On Sunday, there was a lot of speculation about ABC World News Tonight anchor Peter Jennings being "close to death" - speculation that unfortunately came to fruition late last night when Jennings succumbed to lung cancer, which he announced that he had been stricken with last April. And the manner through which I found out about Jennings' passing was almost completely indicative of how today's new media has changed the way people get news and information, and how the ability of the anchor position to grab hold of monstrous parts of the country's television viewers is so different in today's world. I had returned home last night after spending the day at Monmouth Park at their annual million dollar meet, The Haskell, and promptly fired up my TiVo to catch Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in Indianapolis, after spending time avoiding any and all NASCAR-related information on the way home. The race ran about three hours or so (sans most of the commercials), putting me somewhere in the 11 o'clock hour. At that point, I watched a bit of Sunday's X Games coverage from ESPN on the DVR, finally heading off to bed after midnight sometime. Flipping through the various ESPN channels to find something enlightening to watch before going to sleep, I caught an item on the bar on the bottom of the screen that looked curious, where it usually says things like "NL," "AL," "AUTO," and other sports-specific denotations - this one said "NEWS." Waiting about 10 seconds for it to reach that point, I was totally shocked to see that it held the details of Jennings' passing - and amazed that having not flipped open my laptop before going to bed or passing through a news network on my channel surfing had left me out of the loop for awhile - something I'm not so used to because of all the amazing technological toys I have. In a way, it kind of made me feel like most people would had they not been privy to the nightly news on a regular basis - out of touch.

What struck me most about Jennings' death was more that while he outlasted Brokaw and Rather on the airwaves, he was never given the opportunity to leave on his own terms. As I read many accounts of his life and people's experiences watching him do the news, I can't help but think that many people felt the same way. As I recount seeing that broadcast from April, I remember thinking that Jennings sounded pretty bad, but at least we finally learned why he had missed a few newsworthy events, such as the Pope's passing earlier in the year. As I re-viewed the footage a few times this morning, I can't say that the pain isn't clearly drawn on his face as he fought through the newscast. Sure, it's Monday-morning quarterbacking, but it is so amazing how things like this happen and it makes you feel a bit different about a situation, based on the facts you know now.

As a kid, I always seemed to have an affinity for ABC in general, with the local WABC channel spending a lot of time on the television in my house. In high school, I always had the ABC channel set to turn on as my alarm clock (neat TV feature, huh?), as their early morning news was full of factoids as the commercial breaks began and ended. In the evenings, I typically watched Jennings' newscast much more than the other two - something that at the time I probably couldn't have explained why, but it just worked out that way. As I begin to think about today's nightly newscasts, I realize that there are probably significant portions of Americans who have almost no "feelings" towards the anchors making their careers in the chair these days.

So while I can't say I've been tuned in every day to ABC's nightly newscast for the last few years, I'll definitely agree with many others that Jennings will be missed - and that a point in our relatively short history of television news has been reached, way too quickly for my own feelings - and we might not be able to ever go back.

Additionally, the BBC has published a bunch of comments and tributes to Jennings, in a way proving how today's world of media has gone from local to global, almost with the snap of fingers.

The AP's Geoff Mulvihill reports Tuesday that journalist Al Aronowitz, perhaps most well known for his coverage of rock music in the 60's & 70's, has died at age 77.

On Saturday, the Associated Press reported that journalist Dick Schaap, known for his work covering sports for ABC and ESPN, actually died of negligent medical care by his surgeon during hip replacement surgery in 2001. I remember that he had passed away by what was originally reported as complications, but hadn't heard anything about a pending lawsuit.

The doctor, Neil L. Coplan, is now responsible for a $1.95 million jury award to Schaap's family.

Westport Now has the story about the death of William Brink, who worked as New York Daily News managing editor until 1981. For those looking for a historical perspective on him, he was responsible for the hed of "FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD," describing how then-President Gerald Ford had chosen to handle some financial difficulties that New York City was in the middle of.

The Associated Press reports that former CBS News anchor Dan Rather said that the proof is in the pudding when it comes to the value of investigative reporting to the public, specifically citing Watergate as an example.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Lisa Stiffler writes about former Seattle-area journalist Don McGaffin, who died on Sunday at age 78. McGaffin was well known to locals for his investigative reporting and specific style, as exhibited in a tough interview he had with President Richard Nixon in 1972.

Last weekend, Washington Blade editor Chris Crain was beaten in Amsterdam for being a homosexual. On Tuesday, Crain wrote about the incident on the Blade's weblog. Thankfully, he doesn't seem to have any permanent physical injuries, although the mental toll of this experience has got to be horrifying.

Earlier this week, the Associated Press reported on the passing of Howard Benedict, who spent 37 years working for the news bureau. The focus of much of his career was on the NASA space program, and he was reponsible for much of the important coverage of space missions in this country. Benedict died early Monday at his home, just two days after his birthday.

Betty Brighton, former editor of the Portsmouth Herald, died on Sunday at 81. Brighton served as editor for 35 years, from 1944 until 1979, when she moved on to the Burlington Free Press in Vermont. The Herald's Shir Haberman has more on Brighton's life and career.

Talker Laura Ingraham, who learned just last Friday that she had breast cancer, had an operation on Tuesday to treat the disease.

TMD wishes Ms. Ingraham all the best for a full recovery.

fishbowlNY's Rachel Sklar sez that Elisa Lipsky-Karasz is heading to Women's Wear Daily from the New York Post. No confirmation available at this time.

Bill Horner Jr., former publisher of North Carolina's Sanford Herald, died Thursday, a little more than seven years after his retirement from the paper.

The Associated Press reports that David Riley, editorial page editor of the Kentucky New Era, died yesterday from cancer. Riley, who worked at the New Era since 1981, was 52.

Saturday's Washington Post has a fitting tribute to former chief diplomatic correspondent and "old-fashioned generalist" Chalmers Roberts, who passed away Friday at his home in Bethesda, Maryland. He was 94.

Reuters reports Thursday that Wine Spectator founder Robert Morrisey died this past weekend in San Diego. He was 78.

The AP reports Thursday that Judith Ann Bruhn Serrin, 58, onetime Detroit Free Press and New York Times reporter, died last weekend in New York.

I was saddened to hear last night about the death of "gonzo journalist" Hunter S. Thompson last night after returning home from a weekend out of town. Thompson, 67, apparently shot himself on Sunday at his home near Aspen, Colorado. Love him or hate him, you've probably read something he wrote - or at least you've seen "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," which starred Johnny Depp.

While not necessarily agreeing with everything he had to say, he was always an interesting read to me. I was further exposed in recent years by Thompson's presence on ESPN's Page 2, where he had been a fixture since 2001. Page 2's front carries a message on Thompson today, "Goodbye, Good Doctor."

Interestingly, as I key this in, I'm thinking that he wouldn't want everyone to be hemming and hawing about the situation. He lived his life the way he wanted to, and would expect the rest of us to do the same. He left on his terms, so I'll just keep it short and say Goodbye and Thanks.

WISN-TV out of Milwaukee has the story about the passing of Milwaukee journalist Mattiebelle Woods, 102, who died Thursday evening.

Just catching this now as I read up on what I've missed today. FOX News Radio's Tony Snow has come out to say that he has colon cancer. More here at the Tony Snow Show website.

Thanks, James, for pointing this out. Well wishes go out to Snow and his family from me as well.

On a side note, what's up with this? One article, and it's not even the hed?

[update 3/27/2007] If you're looking for new news on this story, you can go here.

The Journalists Network informs about the accidental death of Diana Seale, an editor for the English edition of Kathimerini, a paper from Athens, Greece. Seale, 31, was mountain climbing in a group when they were caught in an avalanche.

FishBowlDC informs that New York Times Washington Bureau correspondent Christopher Marquis passed away Friday from complications related to AIDS.

The Lexington Herald-Leader's Cassondra Kirby writes about the career of Guy Hatfield, publisher of multiple community newspapers in Kentucky. Hatfield, 54, died Friday after fighting diabetes for most of his adult life.

The Washington Post has a story Wednesday about Leo Meidlinger, an ABC News senior producer, who died Friday at 61.

The Associated Press reports Monday that longtime radio and television journalist Bill Shadel died on Saturday at age 96. Shadel had a wide ranging career, stretching from CBS Radio anchor during D-Day coverage in World War II to anchoring the ABC evening news.

After being engrossed in the football this afternoon, I totally missed the passing of longtime TV talk show host Johnny Carson, who left NBC's "Tonight Show" in 1992. Carson, 79, died at home on Sunday, with first reports stating that emphysema was the cause. Michele at A Small Victory has posted a solid roundup of information about Carson and his career.

The Washington Post's David Von Drehle offers some details in to the life and times of columnist Marjorie Williams, who died Sunday at age 47. The Post also features an editorial about Williams, expressing the thoughts and feelings her colleagues and the newspaper community have today.

ESPN.com informs about the death of Joseph Durso, formerly a sportswriter for the New York Times. Durso covered both the New York Yankees and Mets, as well as thoroughbred horse racing for the Times before writing a number of sports books. He passed away on New Year's Eve as a result of cancer.

Asheville's Citizen-Times has an article by Tony Kiss about the departure of Scotty Rhodarmer from the airwaves of 570 WWNC, where he had been a fixture in the mornings for forty years, and at the station for a full fifty.

The Associated Press is reporting that columnist Jack Newfield died Monday evening at age 66. Newfield most recently wrote for the New York Sun.

Eric Fossell writes about the death of television producer Dustin Opell on Thursday. Opell, a television producer for WOWK-TV, was killed when her vehicle hit a tanker truck on Interstate 64 in Huntington, West Virginia. She was 25.

KGO-TV picks up a Bay City News report about the death of journalist Beverly Kees. Kees, 63, was struck and killed by a large truck while crossing the street in San Francisco on Friday.

The New York Daily News' Phyllis Furman informs us in Thursday's "Plugged In" that ABC Radio has signed Sean Hannity to a new five-year contract for "about $25 million," according to her sources.

The News & Observer's Jane Stancill recently sat down for a "Q&A" with Chuck Stone, journalism professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. In the piece, Stone discusses his censorship class at UNC-CH, his career, and journalism.

You can learn more about Chuck Stone here in his profile and here in a December 2002 article by Jeff Reed in the Carolina Communicator, a student-run publication at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Lots of blogs are covering Tom Brokaw's last day in the anchor chair at NBC, and I'm going to do my part by chiming in with a few items I thought would be a little different than the usual fare.

NBC6 out of Miami has a story about how Brokaw wanted to work for that Florida station, WTVJ, back in the early 1960s. But after the news director, Ralph Renick, saw a poor review of Brokaw's abilities, he took back his job offer to Brokaw. Brokaw went to Atlanta and Los Angeles, and here we are today. NBC6 even has a "Brokaw-Renick Correspondence" page set up with copies of the typed (on a typewriter!) letters scanned in.

Dave Mason writes in The Gleaner about what made Brokaw the newscaster he was eventually recognized as. The key, Mason points out, is that Brokaw "remembered the importance of making the news clear and relevant to people living today in places like South Dakota."

Columbia, South Carolina's WIS-TV Channel 10 (an NBC affiliate) publishes an NBC story about Brokaw's career. One highlight from his time at Sioux City, Iowa's KTIV-TV comes from the station's program director during Brokaw's tenure, Don Stone. Stone recalls an instance when Brokaw was doing voiceovers on commercials - live. "He was supposed to do a commercial for Kidder-Knoepfler, and he missed one because he was answering a call of nature. So, I told him to try and schedule those a little better." Oops.

Brian Stelter has video at TVNewser of Brokaw's signoff from tonight's newscast, along with the text. Goodnight, Tom. Best wishes.

Just read over at L.A. Observed that journalist Leroy Aarons, known for founding the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and his time at the Washington Post and Oakland Tribune, died Sunday at age 70 from bladder cancer.

More here at the San Jose Mercury News.

Have a story to tell about Tom Brokaw's time as a newsman? MSNBC and "Dateline NBC" are asking for input to publish on their site.

The Springfield Republican has an obituary Tuesday for John Bart, who held roles as reporter, copy editor, and columnist at the paper. Bart died Saturday at age 62 from cancer.

On the Knoxville News Sentinel's website, there is a blog written by staffer Michael Silence. On Monday, Silence wrote that sportswriter Gary Lundy passed away after suffering a heart attack while in the newsroom, and left the comments open for people to pay their respects. What happened next is amazing - readers, former co-workers, people who were students with Lundy at the University of Tennessee all wrote in, even a former pastor at the Methodist Church he attended shared his thoughts and prayers.

Please, read the whole thing.

[Thanks, Mark]

MaineToday.com posts an Associated Press story about the passing of Peter Cox, an influential Maine journalist and co-founder of the Maine Times, a weekly publication that folded in 2002. Cox died Thursday at 67 from esophageal cancer.

Over at RatherBiased.com, Matthew Sheffield put together a fantastic piece in tribute to Reed Irvine, the man behind Accuracy in Media. Many who make their wage (or their blog posts) being critical of the media owe a great amount to Irvine - regardless of individual political affiliation or belief.

RatherBiased provides a wealth of links to others' thoughts about Irvine as well. Also, the Washington Post's Patricia Sullivan penned an obit for that paper.

On Monday, the New York Times Company announced that January 24, 2005 would mark the date of the last opinion column by William Safire - just 10 Mondays from today. The Sunday Times Magazine column, "On Language," will still appear regularly - about which Safire says in the press release "I couldn't resist continuing as Sunday language maven." (BW)

In Boston University's B. U. Bridge, Tim Stoddard writes about the announcement that ABC newsman Ted Koppel, host of "Nightline," will be awarded the school's first ever Hugo Shong Lifetime Journalism Achievement Award on Friday, November 19.

In Monday's Long Beach Press-Telegram, Dianne Smith Glei wrote a beautiful tribute to her friend and colleague at the P-T, Joyce Christensen, who passed away earlier this week at 77.

In late October, NBC anchor Tom Brokaw requested that the state of Montana change its mind about allowing big game hunting next door to his ranch, as it was hazardous to his family. On Friday, a district judge agreed with the anchorman and stated that a "permanent injunction" against the hunting outfitter was appropriate.

In Friday's News Tribune from Tacoma, Washington, Adam Lynn writes about the life and times of longtime Tribune reporter Jack Pyle, who died Wednesday at 84 years old after a fall.

Maybe it was a veteran reporter’s intuition. Maybe it was just a wistful reminiscence.

Either way, Jack Pyle remarked to his son, Paul, Tuesday about what a great life he’d had reporting for The News Tribune.

I must say that the above opening to the article seems to be something we should all aim for - being happy with what we've done.