Zell Hacks ‘Newsday’ Staff

Sam Zell sliced 120 jobs at Newsday, including 25 editorial posts and about 10 top editors. The entire national desk was axed, with the four editors being told to accept a buyout or be faced with the possibility of being shown the door.

MRC Smacks down Arbitron, Says ‘Not So Fast’ to PPM

The Media Rating Council failed to give accreditation to Arbitron’s PPM service in Philadelphia and New York in January, Arbitron disclosed yesterday in a filing.

Local TV Websites Pull Big Audiences, Eat Small Slice of Ad Dollar Pie

Television viewers are more engaged with local news than with other news media platforms, and local TV news websites are a frequent source of information, according to a Hearst-Argyle survey.

76% of Academy Awards Viewers Had Not Seen ‘Best Picture’ Nominee Films

With no big box-office hits nominated for Best Picture this year, only 23.7 percent of the people who watched the 80th Academy Awards telecast had actually seen one of the five films nominated, according to a cross-platform study by Integrated Media Measurement Inc. (IMMI), MarketingCharts reports.

Travel and Career-Related Sites Fastest-Growing in U.K.

Unique visitors to travel, career, tax, and real estate sites in the U.K. increased from December ‘07 to January ‘08 , reports comScore, citing its World Metrix audience measurement service (via MarketingCharts).

The January data, below, also show Google Sites, Microsoft Sites, and eBay to be U.K. internet properties with the most traffic.

Newsday, Car Dealers Make Nice after 4-Year Fight over Bogus Circ. Numbers

A class-action suit that started in 2004 when more than 40 car dealers sued Newsday for fudging circulation numbers was settled this week.

Americans Eager to File Tax Returns This Year

Fatigued by rising gas prices and sinking home values, millions are eagerly anticipating a refund from Uncle Sam - and so 61.2 percent of consumers have already filed their tax returns or will file a return by the end of the month, according to the National Retail Federation, writes MarketingCharts.

Revamped Nielsen Biz Media Unit Creates Entertainment Group

With media veteran Gerry Byrne set to helm, Nielsen Business Media has created a new entertainment group consolidating all of the company’s entertainment brands under one umbrella.

CC’s Mobile Service Puts Advertisers in Customers’ Hands

Clear Channel U.K. announced a mobile service that will allow advertisers to get up close and personal to consumers who are intrigued by their out-of-home messages.

More Music Sold but Less Revenue in ‘07, Kids Still Downloading Illegally

Though the amount of music that U.S. consumers acquired increased 6 percent year over year in 2007, a sharp increase in legal digital download revenue did not offset declines in CD sales, resulting in a net 10 percent decline in music spending, according to the NPD Group (via MarketingCharts).