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Discusses the column of Gridlock Sam in the `Daily News.' Details of the column; Praise for the column; How overseas incidents can affect New York City traffic; The effect of tourists on traffic, especially for the lighting of the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center; The personal history of Gridlock Sam, Samuel I. Schwartz; Schwartz's opinions on traffic.

Contemplates the image of Barneys, the tony clothing company and retail chain owned by the Pressman family. The stores filing for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in January 1996; How the press lambasted the company, which is widely perceived as shamelessly elitist and notorious for treating customers badly; Comments from Gene and Bob Pressman; The Pressman's conflict with Japanese business interests; Details.

Examines the problems of Mortimer B. Zuckerman's `Daily News.' Editorial instability; Reduction of morale due to dismissals; Hiring of inexperienced editors; Zuckerman's inability to handle powerful friends which are offended by the paper's articles; Historical background of the paper; Profile on Zuckerman.

Discusses the deal behind the television version of `Wired' magazine. Pleas from Netizens for editor-publisher Louis Rossetto not to do it; Deal with NBC and Microsoft called MSNBC; MSNBC's attempts for a hipper, younger 24-hour news channel; First episode of `Wired' as epitome of not ready for prime time; Thoughts of Rossetto; Differences between the mediums; Thoughts from those at NBC.

Discusses the implications of NBC's proposed coverage of five Olympic games from the year 2000 to 2008. Criticisms of the coverage of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia; Comments from NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol.

Gives details about sexual-harassment claims that National Broadcasting Corp. (NBC) employee Jamie McDermott considered making against her boss, Don Ohlmeyer, as she sought to be released from an employment contract. McDermott wanting to take a job at rival American Broadcasting Co. (ABC); The stir which the situation has caused in Hollywood; Strained relations between the two media giants.

Speculates on which high-technology media would be popular in home-television or the personal computer (PC).

Focuses on the decline of the popularity of horse racing in the 1990s in the United States. Popularity of horse racing in the US until the 1990s; Compatibility of horse racing with television; Fall of on-track attendance; Problem on generation perception; Absence of the sport on the television; Efforts to televise the sport.

Opinion. Reveals the author's reaction to Joe Klein's July 1996 announcement that he is the author of `Primary Colors.' Whether the issue of Klein's lie is being taken too seriously; The confluence of journalism and celebrity; Klein's underestimation of the anger at his deceit; Anger at `New York' magazine for the way Klein treated them when an article pointed to him as the author; Journalistic ethics, tribal conventions and the problem of a journalist lying to the press.

Reports on the agreement between Cable News Network and CBS Inc.'s television program `60 Minutes' to share correspondent Christiane Amanpour. Significance of the alliance; Origins of the idea; Amanpour's prominence in the correspondence field.

Asserts that book publishers in the 1990s understand that television publicity is necessary for a book to succeed, but they are not doing enough. The example of Max Arax and how he had to self-promote his book `In My Father's Name: A Family, a Town, a Murder'; The growth in the importance of book publicity; The strategy of blatant self-promotion, or BSP; Problems in the book industry, which this tactic points to.

Comments on the dispute concerning `Premiere' magazine's editorial staff and its parent company Hachette Filipacchi Magazines. Hachette executive David Pecker's demand to kill a column about Sylvester Stallone; Features of the dispute; Implications for the print media; Changes introduced by David Pecker to the magazine's editorial staff.

Considers Abe Hirschfeld's attempts to launch a daily newspaper in New York City. The publication to be entitled `Open Air PM: Hirschfeld's New Evening Newspaper'; A look at what the newspaper will and will not include; Prospects for success.

Profiles an interactive trivia game run by NTN Communications which illustrates that the digital revolution is already happening in some places. The revolution taking hold without the elitist and exclusionary edge that characterizes so much of high-tech culture; Details about the trivia game; The expected summer 1996 release of LineRunner, a joint venture between Time Inc. and Time Warner Cable, which may make network computing at home as easy as subscribing to television.

Profiles radio host Don Imus. Description of his hosting style; Political influence on his listeners; Anecdotes about his politician guests; Comparison with Howard Stern.

Focuses on the reasons behind the growth of popularity of all-news cable channels in the United States. Companies launching news channels; Audience share of news channels; Features of NBC's venture; Benefits of having an all-news cable channel.

Discusses the role that online journalism will play in the 1996 presidential elections. Author's belief on electronic journals; Tribal cultishness of the cyber people; Deceit and manipulation in campaign politics.

Reports on the appointment of Norman Pearlstine as editor-in-chief of Time Inc. Pearlstine as the first outsider to be appointed to the position; Appointment of Walter Isaacson as the top editor of `Time' magazine; Shut-down of Time Inc. Ventures; Warner Communications' acquisition of Time Inc. in 1989; Pearlstine's career history.

Focuses on developments pertaining to journalists and television in the United States. Signing of a deal between Readers Digest and PBS; Consolidating of Tribune Company operation in one headquarters; Production of television shows on the subjects print journalists traffic in; Hostility at Time Warner against turning magazines into television programs.

Focuses on the PBS and cable channels in the United States, and their efforts to produce good shows. Cable channels as including Bravo, A&E, Discovery; Profit aspects of cable television; Importance of brand identity.

Focuses on the popularity of the mass media industry in the United States. Prevalence of stories on the activities of big mass media companies; Influence of big mass media companies on politics and the entertainment industry; Importance of the mass media industry in the country.

Discusses how the `Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' phenomena made Disney chairman Michael Eisner decide to spend $19 billion on Cap Cities/ABC in 1995. Eisner's parochial worldview; Background on Fox's franchise of the `Power Rangers'; Disney's previous efforts to produce ABC's entire Saturday morning line-up; Eisner's realization of the importance of getting Disney its own distribution network on television.

Focuses on businessmen Clark Enslin's and Martin Burke's discovery warehouse audiotapes containing recordings of Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and other artists. Enslin's and Burke's financial problems; Potential benefits of the audiotapes; Value of content to the media and entertainment industries.

Reports on the changes in the writing staff of the periodical `Sport Illustrated,'. Writing competition between prospective editors by editor in chief Norman Pearlstine; Pressure on the periodical's staff for producing memorable issues; Changes on the magazine's image to target a younger audience.

Profiles Hollywood's power broker, Michael Ovitz. Rumors that he was hired by Japanese giant Matsushita Electric Industrial Company; Why he was hired; Background information on Ovitz; Reason why he is called king of Hollywood; His relationship with the press; Ovitz's reward for running MCA.

Reports on the problems of the television network CBS. Drop of the network from first to third place in the ratings; Loss of football and some of its affiliated stations to Rupert Murdoch's Fox; Poor performance of the news team of Dan Rather and Connie Chung; Cost-cutting by chairman Larry Tisch.

Focuses on Walt Disney Co. chairman Michael Eisner's relationship with the media. Robert Sam Anson's portrayal of Eisner in his book `The Rules of the Magic'; Eisner's temperament and unwillingness to compromise; Dispute with Ken Auletta of `The New Yorker.'

Discusses the competition between Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp. in garnering support for their incompatible digital video disc (DVD) formats. Capabilities of DVDs; Comparison of the competition with the Betamax-VHS format war; Plan for DVDs to replace videocassette recorders; Speculations on the final result of the DVD format war.

Focuses on the sale of New York City's radio broadcasting assets. Comparison with television broadcasting; Corporate consolidations; Entertainment concerns; Feedback from industry executives.

Reports on the plan of MCA/Universal Home Video President Sid Sheinberg to leave the company on December 1995. Possible effect on DreamWorks SKG, MCA/Universal's animation company formed by director Steven Spielberg and his pals Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen; Spielberg's personal loyalty to Sheinberg.