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Click here to receive Mediabistro’s Morning Media Newsfeed via email. Steve Capus Named Executive Producer of CBS Evening News (TVNewser) Former NBC News president Steve Capus is joining CBS News as the executive producer of CBS Evening News With Scott Pelley and executive editor of the news division. He will begin in his new role in July. Capital New York Capus is no stranger to the evening news beat. He served four years as executive producer of the NBC Nightly News With Brian Williamsbefore taking over NBC’s news division in 2005. Capus is currently an “executive in residence” at IESE Business School at the University of Navarra, a role he will continue in after he joins CBS.HuffPost / AP Capus left NBC in 2013 after eight years as president of the news division, part of a turnover triggered by troubles at the Today show. He was Tom Brokaw’s last executive producer at NBC’s Nightly News and is close to Williams, whom he will now compete with each night. Capus will also have broader responsibilities as executive editor of CBS News, behind chairman Jeff Fager and president David Rhodes. Politico / Dylan Byers on Media His appointment has raised internal speculation that he’s in line to succeed Rhodes, perhaps as early as next year. Several CBS News sources believe that Les Moonves, the chairman and CEO of CBS Corp., tapped Capus in order to position him for that role. THR Rhodes and Capus have been in discussions for several months with more specific talks about the Evening News role evolving over the last few weeks. The broadcast has been on a rating uptick since Pelley took over; notching a gain of 6 percent so far this season among total viewers. But it is still stuck in third behind Nightly News and ABC World News With Diane Sawyer. MSNBC Apologizes for Cinco de Mayo Segment (Richard Prince / Journal-Isms) The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and the Huffington Post were among others joining in the condemnation of MSNBC’s coverage of Cinco de Mayo, and MSNBC spokeswoman Lauren Skowronski said Tuesday that the network planned to apologize. TVNewser Way Too Early‘s Monday broadcast featured a number of “cringeworthy” Mexican stereotypes. Louis Burgdorf was wearing a sombrero, shaking a maraca and taking tequila shots. Thomas Roberts, the show’s host, had a sombrero, several bottles of tequila and plastic margarita glasses on the table in front of him. Poynter / MediaWire In a statement on its website, MSNBC’s Way Too Early says the show “made sarcastic references to the way some Americans celebrate” Cinco de Mayo. “It was not our intention to be disrespectful and we sincerely apologize for the ill-advised references,” the statement says. Politico / Dylan Byers on Media Alex Korson, the executive producer for Morning Joe and Way Too Early, also called NAHJ president Hugo Balta on Monday to apologize for the segment, according to Balta. Balta said Korson told him those involved in the segment would be disciplined. Frozen Helps Disney Beat Expectations With Second-Quarter Earnings (THR) The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday it earned $1.11 per share, excluding some items, in the second quarter on $11.65 billion in revenue, beating expectations on both the top and bottom lines. Disney was expected to earn 96 cents per share on revenue of $11.24 billion. WSJ Operating income at Walt Disney Studios more than quadrupled in the quarter ended March 29 to $475 million and revenue increased 35 percent to $1.8 billion as the media giant experienced another season of growth across all its businesses. The huge increase in operating income at the film unit was primarily due to March’s home video release of Frozen, which is already the best-selling Blu-ray disc and digitally downloaded movie ever, chief executive Robert Iger said on a conference call with Wall Street analysts. NYT Disney’s largest division, Media Networks, which includes ESPN, the Disney Channel and ABC, delivered operating income of $2.13 billion, a 15 percent increase. The company cited higher affiliate fees for carriage of the Disney Channel in North America; higher affiliate fees and lower costs at ESPN, partly offset by lower ad revenue; and a higher contribution from holdings in A&E Television Networks. Variety Beyond Frozen’s unexpected success, Iger noted Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s impressive $680 million haul to date, which has far outpaced the original, the potential of Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxy to launch a new franchise, and naturally Star Wars: Episode VII, which J.J. Abrams is about to start lensing in London. LA Times Redesigns Website (LA Weekly) The Los Angeles Times unveiled its “new, completely redesigned” website Tuesday. The site no longer looks like the top half of a newspaper wheat-pasted to your screen and it implements some smart thinking. The Times now recognizes more than ever that people often come to news outlets through one story found on Facebook, Twitter or Google. The new look is meant to treat articles as “entry points,” the paper says. FishbowlNY The website revamp is a giant leap forward for the Timesand, in the shadow of Tribune Co. split entities, a most welcome cause for Tuesday cafeteria-celebration. Code and Theory, the LAT’s redesign partner, has an informative summary of what went into the joint effort. It all started from a very sound and logical journalism place. Poynter / MediaWire Precooked tweets: They’re called “sharelines,” and a Times spokesperson told Poynter the ready-to-share tidbits won’t just be the responsibility of social media editors — reporters will contribute them, too. It’s a cool idea. Not only do these pre-written lines at the top of each story facilitate sharing, but they also serve as handy bullet points like those in the NYT Now app. You don’t have to tweet them to get something out of them. BBC Trust Chairman Chris Patten Resigns, Cites Health Reasons (BBC News) BBC Trust chairman Lord Chris Patten has announced he will be standing down with immediate effect on health grounds following major heart surgery. In a statement, Patten said he had been admitted to hospital with chest pains on April 27 and had successful heart surgery the following day. Doctors have advised him he “cannot continue to work at the same pace.” TheWrap Patten’s term began in May 2011 and was due to end in April 2015. Vice chairman Diane Coyle will take over Patten’s duties until a successor is chosen. The Guardian Patten leaves the £110,000-a-year job after three turbulent years in which the BBC was hit by the fallout from the former Top of The Popshost Jimmy Savile sexual abuse allegations, and with ministers having to appoint a successor before the general election. The new chairman will have the task of steering the BBC through the general election — and possibly the Scottish referendum — as well as lead negotiations to renew the BBC’s royal charter and license fee. News Media Challenge Ban on Journalism Drones (The Associated Press) More than a dozen media organizations challenged the government’s ban on the use of drones by journalists Tuesday, saying the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) position violates First Amendment protections for news gathering. TVSpy The group filed a brief with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in support of aerial photographer Raphael Pirker who was fined $10,000 for using his drone to shoot a commercial near the University of Virginia. The Verge The policies were put into effect — and also previously overturned — because they were not instated using the proper rule-making process, and the news organizations’ brief reiterates that this means that they and other citizens did not have the opportunity to provide input. “The federal government, through the FAA and with the NTSB’s encouragement, should move forward with the development of polices that protect, rather than hinder, freedom of speech and of the press,” they write. Maker Studios Launches Video Streaming Platform (THR) Maker Studios is asserting its independence from YouTube with the launch of its own streaming video platform. The Culver City digital media firm, led by executive chairman Ynon Kreiz and newly appointed head of content Erin McPherson, took the stage at the Digital Content NewFronts to unveil Maker.tv, a destination for windowed and exclusive original content from Maker and its roster of online talent. Variety Maker.tv will include premium content produced by Maker Studios that is not available on YouTube. The content on the website will be windowed. As part of Disney, which is acquiring Maker for up to $950 million, Maker will work with all of Disney’s brands, said Kreiz, including Lucasfilm, Pixar, Marvel, ESPN, ABC and Disney itself. The combined Internet reach of Disney and Maker Studios will be behind only Google and Facebook, he said. Deadline New YorkMaker promoted its 23 networks, Maker.tv and an ad product it calls Maker Offers. Maker also aimed a spotlight on a new channel, smartish, from documentary maker Morgan Spurlock described as “a new type of channel for brands to partner on clever content.” Crisis at French Daily Le Monde As Chief Editors Resign (AFP) France’s prestigious daily Le Monde plunged into crisis Tuesday after most of its chief editors resigned from their posts over a conflict with management. Le Monde is France’s newspaper of record. The editors said they remained available to help out until a new team is appointed to replace them to avoid damaging the daily running of the newspaper, but would then take up other unspecified positions. The Local The editors’ gripes center on Natalie Nougayrede, the newspaper’s managing editor, whom staff say is “very difficult to talk to,” according to a source. Nougayrede took up her post in March last year, succeeding the highly respected Erik Izraelewicz who died suddenly of a heart attack in his office in November 2012. Le Monde is not the only French newspaper in turmoil at the moment. In February the head of the left-wing Liberation paper quit after staff revolted over a plan to turn it into a “social network.” Jimmy Kimmel Gets Two-Year Contract Extension (NYT) ABC has affirmed its commitment to its late-night star Jimmy Kimmel, extending the host’s contract for two more years. The new deal, announced Tuesday, will keep Kimmel on ABC through January 2017, locking him into what is shaping up as a long-term, three-pronged network battle for late-night supremacy. Variety CBS’ David Letterman recently announced his retirement from the covetedLate Show desk in 2015, which Stephen Colbert will take over. Shortly thereafter, Late Late Showhost Craig Ferguson announced that he would be departing CBS at the end of the year. After Jay Leno’s recent exit, NBC managed a relatively smooth transition that installed Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers as the hosts of The Tonight Show and Late Night, respectively. ABC News Headquarters to Be Named for Barbara Walters (TVNewser) On Monday, the ABC News building at 47 W. 66th Street will be named in honor of Barbara Walters. Walters, a pioneering newswoman — the first woman to co-host network morning and evening newscasts — has called ABC News home since 1976. HuffPost There have already been other tributes to Walters, who announced her impending retirement last year. New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has declared May 16 “Barbara Walters Day,” and all the former and present hosts of The Viewwill reunite next Thursday for a farewell special. Marie Claire to Cover Politics, Following Similar Announcement From Cosmopolitan (FishbowlDC) Less than two weeks after Cosmopolitan announced that it had hired Jill Filipovic to cover the hard news beat, Marie Claire Tuesday announced that Audrey Gelman, a political and media relations strategist at SKDKnickerbocker, has joined on as a contributing editor. Marie Claire confirmed that the focus of Gelman’s work, who has also served as deputy director of communications and press secretary to New York City comptroller Scott M. Stringer, “will include — but not be limited to — the political realm.” Discovery First-Quarter Profit Stays Unchanged, Misses Estimates (THR) Discovery Communications on Tuesday reported improved first-quarter revenue but virtually unchanged earnings that fell short of Wall Street expectations amid costs tied to recent acquisitions in Europe. Earnings of $230 million were flat compared with $231 million in the year-ago period. The company said higher revenue and lower stock-based compensation expenses were offset by higher amortization costs for acquisitions, such as SBS Nordic in Scandinavia. Number of Reporters Identifying as GOP Collapses to 7 Percent (Mediaite) While most journalists in the United States decline to identify as political partisans, a new study reveals that those who do identify themselves as such overwhelmingly side with Democrats over Republicans. According to a regular study conducted by two professors with the University of Indiana, only 7 percent of journalists identify as leaning toward the GOP. That is down dramatically from just 12 years ago when nearly 18 percent of reporters said they were Republicans. The study also found that 28 percent of journalists consider themselves Democrats. This is also down from 2002 when nearly 36 percent identified themselves as supporters of the Democratic Party. Meteorologists Interview Obama on Climate Change (TVSpy) Eight meteorologists were in Washington, D.C. Tuesday to interview President Obama on climate change. The interviews were timed with the release of a new study assessing the effects of climate change in the United States. Participating in the interviews were six meteorologists for local broadcast stations as well as NBC News’ Al Roker and ABC News’ Ginger Zee. Four Wall Street Journal Twitter Accounts Have Been Hacked (Poynter / MediaWire) Wall Street Journal spokesperson Colleen Schwartz says “We believe the @WSJD, @WSJEurope, @WSJAfrica, @WSJVintage Twitter accounts have been compromised,” and that the Journal is “still investigating.” CNNMoney On Tuesday afternoon, the @WSJD account tweeted a headshot of Ira Winkler, a security expert in Annapolis, Md. The photo was placed on the body of a cockroach. “@Irawinkler is a cockroach,” the account tweeted. Winkler is the go-to guy when companies get hacked by the Syrian Electronic Army, a ragtag group that defaces news and social media websites. Mediabistro Blogs TVNewser Steve Capus Named Executive Producer of CBS Evening News TVSpy The Disruptive Technology of Drones in Newsgathering AllTwitter The State of Twitter in 2014 PRNewser Trust: The Five-Letter Word That Says it All Lost Remote Forrester: Brand Engagement Rates Highest on Instagram FishbowlDC Emails Show Google Execs Cozy With NSA Prior to Snowden Leaks FishbowlNY LA Times Unveils New Website, with a Little Help from Abu Dhabi SocialTimes Social Media Best Practices for Marketers in 2014 GalleyCat Topless Reading Parties in NYC Aim to Make Reading Sexy AllFacebook LittleCast Announces Direct-to-Fan Video Marketing Solutions for FB Pages Inside Mobile Apps 9 Things to Look for in a Premium Mobile Publisher Solution AgencySpy Updates on Leah, the BBDO Lego Intern Inside Facebook According to SocialBakers, Facebook Rules for Customer Care MediaJobsDaily Four Reasons Why You Didn’t Get the Job UnBeige Smithsonian Joins Forces with the Great Courses for Decade-Long Deal Advertise on Our Blog Network Mediabistro Chats What do you think: Should newsrooms invest in drones for newsgathering? spopalzai yes! Used my own for reporting and convincing org to invest as well fchloupek Dont they already? asmoore Make #drones legal! Follow Mediabistro on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

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