Stacey Wilson, former associate editor of Portland Monthly, is joining The Hollywood Reporter as a television features editor. Byron Beck has an interview:

How did you hear about the job?

I saw it posted on Mediabistro.com two weeks ago and thought, ‘Wow, that sounds like the perfect job for me.' But knowing the climate and how many talented journos are out of work right now, I felt the site would be utterly flooded with resumes, so I got sneaky. I asked my friend who reviews films for Us Weekly (with whom I used to work in New York), if she knew anyone there and she did. I wrote him, and he referred me to the Editor in Chief, who referred me to the Executive Editor in charge of hiring. That was Monday two weeks ago. By that Wednesday, he’d asked if I was going to be in L.A. anytime soon; funny enough, I was. I changed my ticket to arrive a day sooner, and that was that. Honestly though, I felt like I’d won the lottery just getting an interview.

Byron Beck, formerly of Willamette Week, launched a new website this week and talked to OMC about what he's up to. Beck started writing online under the title "Byron Beck's Window" after being laid off from WW last November. He had been a staff writer and "Queer Window" columnist for the paper, and had previously been special sections editor for the newsweekly.

OMC: What was your plan when you started writing at Byron Beck's Window?

BB: It was what I call a "heavy sigh" moment. I wasn't sure I wanted to do a "blog"—such a nasty word in the print journalism world—but I knew I wanted to continue reporting and commenting on the people, places (and, yes, the parties) that I had covered for Willamette Week. The best way to put it is: "same show, different stage."

OMC: What are the biggest differences between writing for a newspaper and writing for yourself? Are there more challenges or benefits?

BB: Editors. I miss having someone to kick my ass into gear or challenge me to do better. I also miss the news room. There is nothing like a good news room. Nothing.

I love the instant adrenaline rush of the blog/twitter/facebook "breaking news" world. But the challenge is to go beyond that and see what kind of real reporting you can do via a blog.

OMC: Are there any websites you're looking at as a model for success?

BB: Sure, but I am not going to tell you that.

OMC: Are you hoping to make this your main source of income?

BB: For the last year I haven't made a dime off the old site. So, to answer that question, no, not yet.

OMC: Many people say that they hate gossip and that it's irresponsible. Is there a difference between a good gossip columnist and a bad gossip columnist?

BB: Get your facts right. Don't burn your sources. Don't be a jerk. And, drawing a penis on a face is so 2008.

OMC: Do you have any additional plans for your site's future?

BB: I do, but first I am just thrilled to finally have the new one up and running. Blogging isn't for babies.

OMC: If you're ok with sharing, what sort of traffic is your site getting?

BB: The old site was averaging about 10,000 visitors per month.

You can visit the new ("and improved!") Byron Beck website at byronbeck.com.

Whew! The last day or so has been exhausting, but certainly nothing compared to what people at the Statesman Journal have been going through. Our heart goes out to them.

A few other items today:

• As we first reported July 1, Brian Barker is leaving KATU and television news. His last day is today. Best of luck to you, Brian!
• Former Willamette Week columnist and current Portland gossip blogger Byron Beck has landed his first big story for a major magazine. Congratulations, Byron!
• OMC loves its fans, and they love us back. Thanks, Fatboy!

I'm sure there were plenty of other things that happened while we were liveblogging. If anyone can fill us in, that would be great. Later today, we have a story about major staff changes at a local TV station that are so complex, we may actually need to come up with a flow chart to follow it. And we've got another big story coming very soon that we can't even hint at. Stick around!

Byron Beck has the details on PDXposed, the locally produced arts and entertainment program hosted by Jon Olson. The show, which earlier made the switch from Comcast to KGW, will move again to Meridith-owned sister stations Fox 12 Oregon and PDX TV in September. In a statement, Olson says, "We are excited to become a part of the FOX12 and PDX TV Team and with their commitment to high quality, entertaining content, it's a perfect fit!”

We lied, Press Clippings took much longer than an hour to produce. We blame our terrible, awful, slow computer.

• KMHD host Al Evans tells OMC it will be "a couple of weeks at least" before the station moves into its new studio at OPB.
• Portland Sucks calls out Matt Davis for his BlogTown post, "Rape Allegations: Another Side Effect of Big Soccer?" The Mercury's Kiala Kazebee comes to Matt's defense in the comments. Also up for Portland Sucks' wrath is KGW's Breedlove exclusive. As always, there's strong language.
• OMC reader skihoodoo sends in a photo of KGW's other Skycam in Newport at the Embarcadero resort, a followup to a story in our last Press Clippings. Skihoodoo has been doing a lot to contribute to OMC, thank you!
• A variation on an idea from @newsjunkie60 via @PortORTraffic: When an event like Wimbledon disrupts the TV schedule, why not put regular programming on a digital subchannel?
• Local blog I'm in your water offers a Portland media roundup, including former Willamette Week columnist Byron Beck calling Cort of KUFO's Cort and Fatboy "Lars Larson."
• We almost missed this: The Alliance for Community Media is holding its annual conference in Portland, discussing ways to "protect community media at the national and local levels." The event runs July 15 through 18 at the Oregon Convention Center and Doubletree Hotel.

Beyond our region:

• The climbdown is complete: Washington Post editor Katherine Weymouth has apologized over the paper's pay-for-access scandal.
• NYU's Jay Rosen notes that CNN's Reliable Sources relegated that controversy to a commentary in the final moments of the show. Howard Kurtz' status as a media critic while under the employ of two major media organizations has long been a source of its own media criticism.
• And heavy criticism doesn't always lead to apologies: Columnist Connie Schultz is more resolute than ever that her idea to ban linking and summaries of news stories is a good idea. Should Press Clippings be worried?
• If you somehow missed it over the weekend, Sarah Palin has threatened to sue bloggers and traditional media over their handling of her sudden resignation.
• Newsroom veterans may be more likely to get promotions to general manager lately.
• There's a $3 billion gap between declining TV station revenue and online ad income.
• Layoffs of copy editors mean more complaints about typos at The Washington Post.
• The Saturday Evening Post is returning to its roots, differentiating itself on the newsstand by offering more creative writing and fiction.
• The Library of Congress now offers a searchable database of news stories from 1880 to 1922.
• Web video is evolving beyond the two-minute clip.
• Instead of non-profits, The News & Observer has an idea to operate newspapers as low-profits. Insert joke here.
• Most poll respondents said they wouldn't miss their daily newspaper if it went away. I believe there was a poll to the contrary that we posted recently. Once we add tags to our old stories, that sort of thing should be easier to find.

And another big thank you to our new contributor over the weekend! Donations are all that are making this site possible. As you may have seen in our last post, we're working on ways to increase traffic so we can get some ad revenue coming in. But even then, it's unlikely to be enough to keep us afloat. The slow holiday weekend did some serious damage to our average daily visitor count. If you'd like to help us out with any amount, there's a big shiny button on the left.

This is an open thread, what's on your mind?