WSJ UPPS LONDON'S ORWELL

Bruce Orwell, Wall Street Journal London bureau chief, has been named senior editor for Europe/Middle East and Africa.

He is to oversee combined operations of the WSJ and Newswire staffers, as well as regional bureau chiefs.

Before taking the U.K. post in 2009, Orwell was in charge of the paper's Los Angeles office, covering entertainment, aerospace, defense and immigration news. He joined the WSJ in 1995, reporting on gambling and the hotel business.

Orwell reports to Thorold Barker, EMEA editor.

MSNBC FORTIFIES RANKS

MSNBC.com has recruited a trio of reporters in anticipation of this year's re-launch.

Adam Serwer, a veteran of Mother Jones and The American Prospect, will cover civil rights, social justice and equity issues, according to a memo by Richard Wolffe, VP/executive editor.

Suzy Khimm of the Washington Post, who covered the fiscal cliff, sequester and immigration beats, joins along with Benjy Sarlin, first D.C. correspondent for the Daily Beast an alum of the defunct New York Sun. 

ALLBRITTON MULLS SALE OF TV STATIONS

Allbritton Communications is exploring the sale of its eight TV stations to focus on Politico.

The ABC-affiliated stations are in Washington, Harrisburg Little Rock, Tulsa, Roanoke-Lynchburg area, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Anniston, Ala.

They generated an estimated $220M in 2012 revenues. In a memo, CEO Robert Allbritton wrote: "My plan is to use the resources and expanded mindshare that such a move would make available to increase my commitment to Politico.

"Then we can plunge in further on a variety of other potential investments that intrigue me as I contemplate the next chapter for our business," he wrote. "As you might imagine, this is a thrilling moment for me – and for the entire Politico team."

Allbritton's father, Joe, got into the TV business 30 years ago when he acquired the stations as part of the deal to acquire the Washington Star.

He died in December.

The son noted that Politico carries no debt, funds investments with operating capital and will turn a profit this year.

Ridding the TV group will enable Albritton to participate in the "Golden Age of new media innovation," says the memo.

T-P LAUNCHES TAB

The Times-Picayune, which retreated to a three-day a week print schedule last year, is launching TPStreet tabloid to fill the days when the full paper isn't published.

Editor Jim Amoss says the new newsstand-only pub will be printed on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. It will cost 75 cents.

The paper is aimed at "hard-core" print people who aren't happy with the electronic version of the T-P.

Advance Publications, owner of T-P, trimmed 200 staffers with the decision to drop daily circulation and beef-up reporting on the free nola.com site.

AP expects its new publication to break even due to the lack of home delivery.

Following the T-P retrenchment, The Advocate of Baton Rouge expanded into New Orleans, opened a bureau there and billed itself as the city's only daily.

It says 20 percent of its circulation is in New Orleans.

BONNIER SELLS SKI, SKIING

Bonnier Corp. is selling Ski and Skiing magazines, Skiing Business and Warren Miller Entertainment to Active Interest media.

Ski and Skiing will join AIM titles that include Backpacker, Climbing and National Park News.

Bonner acquired its soon to be divested titles via its $200M purchase of Time Inc.'s enthusiast and parenting magazine group.

It says he deal will allow it to focus on magazines that are focused on New York, California and Florida.

The transaction is expected to be complete by the end of the month.

ROLL CALL SETS ELECTION TEAM

CQ Roll Call, part of Economist Group, has promoted Emily Pierce and Shira Toeplitz in a move to get its 2014 election team in place.

Pierce was Senate and White House editor and is now deputy editor for newsgathering and content creation. Political reporter Toeplitz becomes editor.

"Both are long-time RC staffers, consummate newswomen and natural newsroom leaders," said David Rapp, RC editor, in a statement. "They are both creative thinkers, so they will be instrumental to RC's growth, especially as we continue expanding our digital offerings and moving into new content platforms."