Big Payday for News Corp.’s Chase Carey

Chase Carey will be rewarded handsomely for his decision to rejoin News Corp. as deputy chairman, president and chief operating officer, the Los Angeles Times says.

He received a signing bonus of $10 million, will earn a base salary of $8.1 million and could earn annual performance bonuses of as much as $25 million during his five-year contract, according to documents the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

--Elizabeth Jensen

How Harvey Levin and TMZ Scooped the World on Jackson

TMZ.com chief Harvey Levin isn't upset that many news organizations declined to credit his Time Warner-owned website with breaking the story of Michael Jackson's death, the media maven tells the Los Angeles Times.

"That's typical," he told the Times, referring to the lack of credit. "No matter what they say, people know we broke the story. That's how competitors handle it. There's no issue about our credibility."

Interestingly, despite owning the story on the web, the syndicated newsmagazine version of TMZ didn't make mention of the Jackson death during its opening segment last night.

--Josef Adalian

Oprah 'Gift' Cruise Gift Could Trigger Tax Bill for 1,700 Staffers

Oprah Winfrey gave 1,700 of her staff a 10-day Mediterranean luxury cruise, reportedly at a cost of $9.2 million, and now they might have to come up with more than $1,000 in federal taxes each, the New York Post says.

An Oprah spokesman said the cruise was a gift and shouldn’t be taxed, but a tax law professor said she’s doubtful the IRS will agree.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Jackson's Passing Major TV Story

By Vlada Gelman and Josef Adalian

Pop icon Michael Jackson died Thursday, not long after being rushed to UCLA Medical Center after paramedics discovered him unconscious at his home in Bel Air, Calif.

Paramedics responded to a 911 call at Jackson's home around 12:26 p.m., the Los Angeles Times reports. Jackson was not breathing when they arrived. The paramedics performed CPR on Jackson before taking him to the hospital.

It was the website of a syndicated newsmagazine, TMZ.com, which first reported the news of his hospitalization, saying that Jackson had suffered cardiac arrest. It also broke word of his death.

Other newsmagzines also rushed to cover the tragic news.

“Entertainment Tonight” broadcast what it said was the last known picture of Jackson alive. It was a picture of Jackson in an ambulance, with tubes on his face. A spokeswoman for the newsmagazine said that the show’s website, which also posted the picture, has seen more than 1.5 million unique visits this afternoon.

Rival “Access Hollywood” quickly remade much of its west coast feed to include news about Jackson, broadcasting several segments on his death. The magazine showed footage of host Billy Bush in Ireland, where Jackson was recording an album several years ago.

Meanwhile, the networks are preparing to pay tribute to Jackson with specials on his life. ABC News -- which had scored several exclusive interviews with Jackson during his career-- has already scheduled a primetime special about Jackson's life for this evening at 9 p.m.

NBC has also expanded tonight's previously announced Farrah Fawcett special to two hours and will now devoted 9-11 p.m. to retrospectives on both pop icons.

CBS has also decided to air a primetime special on Jackson at 10 p.m. this evening. The hour may also include coverage of Fawcett's passing.

Interestingly, MTV— which became an institution in part due to Michael Jackson—didn’t seem particularly interested in the passing of the icon. As of 5 p.m. West Coast time, the network was sticking with regular programs such as “Is She Really Going Out with Him.”

MTV, which once boasted a news department whose slogan was “You Hear It First,” distinguished itself with coverage of the passing of Kurt Cobain.

Variety reported that MTV was planning to air a Michael Jackson special at some point tonight.

Also avoiding saturation coverage: Viacom-owned cable networks BET and VH1. At 6 p.m. Los Angeles time, BET was airing current music videos. VH1, ironically, was airing a previously scheduled retrospective of great moments in black pop culture history; Jackson was featured several times.

Not all cable networks dropped the ball: E! Entertainment Television moved quickly to cover the story.

Anchor Ryan Seacrest rushed to the E! studios in Los Angeles even before Jackson was officially pronounced dead, according to a post on Seacrest's Twitter feed. The network aired previous documentaries on Jackson, along with new reports.

Fox is planning to honor Jackson by repeating an episode of "American Idol" devoted to his music, website Reality Blurred said.

As for reaction to Jackson’s passing, Debbie Rowe, Jackson’s ex-wife, said through her lawyer she was "inconsolable," the New York Daily News reports.

Mark Lester, godfather of Jackson's two older children, said he was “absolutely devastated” by the news, while musical mogul Quincy Jones said, “I lost my little brother today and part of my soul went with him.”

"I was lucky enough to know and work with Michael Jackson in his prime," John Landis, the director of Jackson’s famous "Thriller" video, said in a statement, the New Jersey Star Ledger reports. "He had a troubled and complicated life and despite his gifts, remains a tragic figure. My wife Deborah and I will always have great affection for him."

Jackson’s spokesperson denied reports last month that Jackson had cancer, the New York Daily News notes. The pop icon was readying for 50 sold-out concerts in London this summer.

The New York Times is keeping track of reports and remembrances here.

Some notable Jackson TV moments below:

Michael Jackson performs "Billie Jean" on "Motown 25 Live" (1983).

The VH1 special “Michael Jackson’s Greatest TV Moments.” View all the parts here.

Michael Jackson and Britney Spears perform “The Way You Make Me Feel” together at the "Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Celebration" in 2001.

Hot List: Amy Chiaro

Name: Amy Chiaro

Title: Co-executive producer of “The Dr. Oz Show,” produced by Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures Television.

Age: 35

Big Break: Ms. Chiaro said her big break occurred at NBC News a month out of college. She received a phone call about a barge fire off the coast of Long Island. She said she thought it could be more, and made some calls. She was right. The fire turned out to be TWA Flight 800, which crashed on July 17, 1996, killing all 230 passengers and crew on board.

Ms. Chiaro is taking the reins of the largest first-run syndicated show next season with “Oz.” The show, starring Dr. Memhet Oz, has a lot of steam behind it due to the Oprah-backed pedigree.

Ms. Chiaro has an extensive news background, serving in multiple roles within NBC News over the past 13 years, including senior broadcast producer position with “Today” and executive producer of “Today Weekend.”

“I love working,” she said. “So six or seven days a week at the office never fazes me.”

That drive occurred even earlier in her career. Ms. Chairo said she pushed to get her driver’s license in three weeks, not to hang out with friends but to grab an internship at an Albany television studio.

As for “Oz,” Ms. Chiaro is excited about the growing medical talk show genre, but is also interested in the amount of important information being presented to viewers.

“People know they need to make a change and they’re hungry for the tools to do it and for someone caring who understands their struggle,” she said.

It’s not all work for Ms. Chiaro. She said she has a knack for cooking, and makes a fantastic apple pie.

“As a kid, I spent every non-school moment in my family’s bakery making my grandmother’s recipes for apple cider donuts, pies, muffins,” she said. “You name it, I can bake it.”

—Andrew Krukowski

Hot List: Brett Bouttier

Name: Brett Bouttier

Title: Senior VP, digital, Warner Bros. Television Group

Age: 33

Big Break: Being promoted to his current title in May 2007.

Who Knew?: Mr. Bouttier did the interview for this piece from Cedars-Sinai two days after he and his wife welcomed their newborn son into the world.

The worlds of television and digital media may be blurring, but Brett Bouttier is navigating the murky waters just fine.

As senior VP of digital at Warner Bros. TV Group, Mr. Bouttier has overseen the transition of Web properties to television—the successful launch of TMZ.com as a syndicated TV show—and TV properties onto the Web.

Last August, Warner Bros. TV Group brought The WB network and its kids programming block to the Web with the launch of TheWB.com and KidsWB.com. Mr. Bouttier and the WBTVG team secured DailyMotion, Joost, Sling Media, TiVo and Veoh Networks as distribution partners, as well as TV talents such as Josh Schwartz, McG and “The Colbert Report’s” Rob Corddry to create original content for TheWB.com. The Web site has become a destination for digital watercooler conversations and TV writer-producers looking for the freedom that the Web allows. It’s even attracting interest from the networks.

“Several of the original shows on TheWB.com have generated interest from television networks,” Mr. Bouttier said. “They saw an audience start to follow the programming and now want to develop it into a television show. We have people coming to us.”

Meanwhile, “KidsWB is growing at an immediately fast clip, reaching tons of kids and boys through the D.C. side of it.”

Mr. Bouttier also oversaw the launch of another digital venture—MomLogic.com, a content site and ad network aimed at mothers that could one day make the leap to TV.

“All of those [ventures] share the same DNA in that it’s about building great brands that connect with the user on a day-in and day-out basis, but in a digital way, which is on-demand,” Mr. Bouttier said.

The business, sales and distribution operations for all of these digital initiatives is a lot to manage, but Mr. Bouttier feels prepared to handle the responsibility thanks to an opportunity that turned into something more. While still a junior at UCLA, Mr. Bouttier’s internship at Studios USA/Universal Television turned into a full-time job as a research analyst.

“It was as if I got two degrees. One in economics and one in TV,” Mr. Bouttier said of the experience.

—Vlada Gelman

Lindsay Lohan and Ryan Seacrest Spotted Together in Hollywood Hot Spots; No, It's Not What You Think

The Hollywood gossip sites were all a-Twitter late last week as Lindsay Lohan and Ryan Seacrest were seen together at several hot spots.

The mystery was solved when Seacrest himself  tweeted to tell the world that the meetings were to talk about a new reality show.

Seacrest wants Lohan to be a part of it. Here’s the premise, according to TMZ: “A million bucks will be doled out to people who are on the wrong track and are looking for a second chance.” Lohan could be on a panel that decides which contestant gets the money.

—Chuck Ross

'PM Magazine' Creator George Resing Passes Away

George Resing, who as general manager of San Francisco’s KPIX created the “PM Magazine” format in 1975 died of a brain tumor at age 80, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

After the format was syndicated by Westinghouse, “PM Magazine” was carried on more than 400 stations.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Cronkite's Death 'Not Imminent,' His Longtime Assistant Says

On Friday the newswires were full of reports that legendary CBS newsman Walter Cronkite, 92, was "gravely ill." In one report his friend Andy Rooney, 90, said he had just visited Cronkite on Thursday, and that Cronkite was not doing well at all.

Now, however, Cronkite's longtime assistant, Marlene Adler, tells Newsday that "only God knows when life will end and for Walter, it's not imminent."

The respected veteran TV reporter Verne Gay, who wrote the piece we linked to on Friday, wrote this latest report as well.

—Chuck Ross

Bob Cook, President of Twentieth's Syndication Division, Is Leaving

Bob Cook, president of Twentieth Television, is leaving the company, a company spokesperson has confirmed.

Cook, who the company said is leaving on his own volition, will be working on new digital initiatives for Twentieth and other studios through a company he has formed, MBN Inc.

Cook's contract does not run out until November, so he will be around to aid in the transition to whoever replaces him. A search will be conducted both inside and outside Twentieth, a spokesman confirmed.

Joe Flint, of the LA Times Company Town blog, broke the story this morning, and speculated that syndication veteran Greg Meidel, who is President of My Network TV, will take over Cook's duties, but a company spokesman said that has yet to be determined. Both Cook and Meidel report to Fox Television Stations CEO Jack Abernethy.

In a career that has spaned more than three decades--all in the TV business--Cook has been involved in sales and marketing efforts that have brought in more than $10 billion. He's been with Twentieth since 2000. 

Said one colleague of Cook's at Twentieth, "Besides being a great executive, he's truly one of the nicest people in the business." 

--Chuck Ross