Slideshow: Newsweek's most iconic covers

Courtesy of Newsweek

A look back at some of the most memorable Newsweek covers from the past 80 years. The weekly magazine is going completely digital, and as of 2013 will no longer produce printed issues.

Launch slideshow

At the end of the year, there will be an empty space on the newsstand once occupied by Newsweek magazine.

The venerable news weekly, 80 years in publication, announced Thursday that it will publish its final print edition on Dec. 31. Beginning in the new year, it will go all-digital, a sign of the rapid shift in readership to online via tablets, smartphones and desktops. 

In an announcement posted Thursday on The Daily Beast, which merged with Newsweek two years ago, the news weekly said the online publication will be called Newsweek Global. It "will be a single, worldwide edition targeted for a highly mobile, opinion-leading audience who want to learn about world events in a sophisticated context" and will require a paid subscription.  

The joint statement from editor-in-chief Tina Brown and CEO Baba Shetty said a challenging print advertising environment was the motivation behind the move. Newsweek said it was seeking to take advantage of the swift growth in the use of tablets, online and e-readers. 

"Tablet-use has grown rapidly among our readers and with it the opportunity to sustain editorial excellence through swift, easy digital distribution...." the statement said.

Getty Images

The cover of Newsweek International for the week of August 2, 2000. The venerable magazine, 80 years in publication, will publish its last print edition in the U.S. at the end of the year and go all-digital.

"This decision is not about the quality of the brand or the journalism—that is as powerful as ever. It is about the challenging economics of print publishing and distribution," the statement added.

The statement said Newsweek expected reductions among its editorial and business staff in the U.S. and overseas, but did not give a specific number.

Barry Diller, the head of the company that owns Newsweek, had announced in July that the publication was examining its future as a weekly print magazine.

Newsweek has been able to build a growing online audience, in part due to the popularity of devices such as Apple Inc's iPad and e-readers from Amazon.com Inc and Barnes & Noble Inc.

That growth has led Newsweek to a "tipping point" where it is most effective to distribute the publication exclusively through digital means, Brown and Shetty wrote.

The Daily Beast gets more than 15 million unique visitors a month, up 70 percent from a year ago, with much of that growth generated by Newsweek, they said.

Industrywide, U.S. magazine advertising pages fell 8.8 percent in the first half of 2012, according to Publisher's Information Bureau data. Newsweek fared better; its ad pages rose 7.6 percent during that period.

But Newsweek's U.S. circulation has been in decline for years, falling from a one-time peak of around 3 million to about 1.5 million now.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Evan Agostini / AP file

Glenn Beck

Talk-show host Glenn Beck certainly knows how to put his spin on things, but this particular spin is frighteningly bonkers! The pundit survived a close call this past weekend when his car rolled down a hill after he parked it, flipping over several times before coming to a stop. 

Thankfully, the 48-year-old was left unscathed and no injuries were reported.

Kelsey Grammer walks out on Piers Morgan

"So my rental car got totaled this weekend...at my daughter's wedding," he tweeted on Tuesday.

According to Beck, who later recounted the hairy incident on his radio show, he was attending his daughter's nuptials in Finger Lakes, N.Y., when, after parking his car atop a hill, he suddenly heard his wife screaming.

"I see my wife dressed in her evening gown from the wedding, and she's holding on to the door handle of the car as the car is starting to slide down the hill," he reportedly said on the show, per the New York Daily News.

"I watched my car roll down the hill, literally roll," he recalled. "It was like an action movie."

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Photos of the wrecked SUV were posted on The Blaze, which reported that after Beck's wife tried to hang on to the vehicle, a member of his security team hopped into it and attempted to stop its slide. He managed to jump out in time just as the SUV began to flip over.

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At least Beck found a way to keep a good sense of humor throughout the debacle.

"This is like the end of 'Father of the Bride,'" he said on his show. "Everything you've done. It's in God's hands now."

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Charles Sykes / AP file

Fareed Zakaria is apologizing for lifting paragraphs by another writer for use in his column in Time magazine.

NEW YORK -- Time editor-at-large and CNN host Fareed Zakaria has been suspended by both the magazine and the network for lifting several paragraphs by another writer for his use in a recent Time column.

Zakaria apologized Friday, declaring in a statement he made "a terrible mistake," adding, "It is a serious lapse and one that is entirely my fault."

In a separate statement, Time spokesman Ali Zelenko said the magazine accepts Zakaria's apology, but would suspend his column for one month, "pending further review."

"What he did violates our own standards for our columnists, which is that their work must not only be factual but original; their views must not only be their own but their words as well," Zelenko said.

Shortly afterward, CNN said it had removed from the network's website a blog post that "included similar unattributed excerpts," and taken Zakaria off the air indefinitely.

"CNN has suspended Fareed Zakaria while this matter is under review," said CNN spokeswoman Jennifer Dargan. She said Zakaria's Sunday foreign-affairs program, "GPS," will have its time slots filled in the interim by "Your Money with Ali Veshi" and "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer."

Earlier Friday, media reporters had called attention to similarities between passages in Zakaria's column about gun control that appeared in Time's Aug. 20 issue, and paragraphs from an article on the same subject by Harvard University history professor Jill Lepore published in April in The New Yorker magazine.

In Zakaria's column, titled "The Case for Gun Control," he began one paragraph with the sentences: "Adam Winkler, a professor of constitutional law at UCLA, documents the actual history in 'Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America.' Guns were regulated in the U.S. from the earliest years of the Republic."

A corresponding passage in Lenore's New Yorker essay, titled "Battleground America," begins: "As Adam Winkler, a constitutional-law scholar at U.C.L.A., demonstrates in a remarkably nuanced new book, 'Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America,' firearms have been regulated in the United States from the start."

In Zakaria's statement, he apologized "unreservedly" to Lepore, as well as to his editors and readers. 

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The New Republic

Those aren't Kate Middleton's real teeth, of course, and this magazine cover has angered some.

Jokes about British dental hygiene are common in the U.S. -- who didn't laugh during that "Simpsons" episode when Ralph Wiggum was horrified by Prince Charles' teeth in "The Big Book of British Smiles"?

But in reality, royal teeth are pretty good. Certainly queen-to-be and Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton has beautiful, pristine white teeth, the smile of a Hollywood star.

That's why it's so shocking to see a Photoshopped image of Middleton on the cover of The New Republic magazine. Middleton's fake choppers look like gray Chiclets that fell in the mud and were randomly jammed into her gums.

Why mess with Middleton? The New Republic's headline is "Something's Rotten: The Last Days of Britain," and as you can guess, it's not going over well with royal-watchers or the Brits themselves. NBC News spoke to regular folks on the streets of London who called the cover "not fair" and "really mean."

Camilla Tominey, a royal expert, told NBC News that "The aristocracy of Britain aren't really known for their dental hygiene, they're above such vanity concerns."

But not everyone agrees. "Look what this awful American magazine has done to our beautiful Kate Middleton's stunning smile! #outrageous" read one tweet out of the U.K.

The tweeter in question? A toothpaste company.

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Playing a fake news reporter, comic Dan Hodapp interviews an unsuspecting New Yorker in Washington Square Park,

Proving not only that people will believe anything a reporter says, but also that a lot of folks don’t pay much attention to current events, one fake journalist has fooled New Yorkers into buying some pretty fanciful stories.

“Kim Kardashian has announced her candidacy for the California State Senate, what do you think about that?” supposed reporter Mike Holland, played by comic Dan Hodapp, asks one man.

The man, surprisingly, retorts, “I’d vote for her if I was in California.”

Holland later informs another man that President Obama has “fired the U.S. Senate,” and asks for thoughts on the matter.

“Actually, I hadn’t even heard that, embarrassingly enough,” the guy responds.

The show, titled “Fake News Prank,” is part of a larger series known as “Prank News Network” on humor site Jest.com. According to editor-in-chief Jeff Rubin, his team came up with the idea to dupe uninformed New Yorkers  when they saw how little people actually knew about the Occupy Wall Street movement.

"During one of our writing meetings, we were discussing how most people probably have a strong opinion on Occupy Wall Street, even if they've lost track of the story and no longer know what's actually going on,” Rubin told msnbc.com. “That seemed inherently funny to us. We talked it through for a while, and ultimately ended up with the idea of asking people for their opinions on stories that they couldn't possibly know anything about -- because they were fake -- and seeing how they responded."

Subjects on the show range from pop culture nonsense like the Vatican granting football quarterback Tim Tebow sainthood to faux breaking news that Germany invaded Poland. Rubin says a few people were initially skeptical, but became convinced by Holland’s straightforward demeanor.

As evidenced in the final cut, people fall for the fake news often. Some targets even pretended that they were previously up to speed on the invented situations.

“The Germany and Poland thing is still pretty fresh,” a young woman observes. “I guess we’re going to see how it rides out.”

Rubin says the show isn’t intended to be a criticism of the media, though he realizes people might interpret it that way. More so, it’s an aim to create original and imaginative online entertainment that relates to viewers and the issues being discussed in the social community. The videos provide a quick and witty spin on daily news, and are often produced in less than a day’s time.

“That's about how long you have before people have moved on from that story and onto something else,” Rubin added. "There are so many choices for online entertainment that it's not enough to just be funny, you also have to make sure that your content has a point of view that people relate to and will want to share with friends.”

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Evan Agostini / AP

Glenn Beck will remain a force in radio for at least five more years. The conservative firebrand has inked a new five-year, $100 million deal with Clear Channel's Premiere Networks. The pact, roughly double the size of the previous five-year deal he signed in 2007, is a vote of confidence for the syndicated "Glenn Beck Program," which regularly lures 10 million listeners a week.

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The morning show, behind only to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity's radio programs in typical audience size, is carried by more than 400 stations. Since "The Glenn Beck Program's" official launch in early 2002, Beck has used the mutliple-hour format to peddle all part of the Beck brand, from books to Web shows to comedy events.

The news, first reported by The New York Times, comes about a year after Beck signed off on his popular if ever-controversial Fox News show. In the months since, he has continued to grow his subscription-based Internet-only network, GBTV, which a recent Wall Street Journal article estimated would bring in at least $40 million in revenue this year.

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Reporter Doug Brauner was filming a report on crosswalk safety for Sacramento's KOVR-TV when the danger of being a pedestrian was truly brought home.

As Brauner prepared to demonstrate when a pedestrian would have the right of way at a busy intersection, a black pickup truck zoomed up to where he was standing. The truck didn't stop for the red light, didn't yield to Brauner who was stepping into the street, and wheeled into a dangerous right turn at high speed.

"Really? Really?" said Brauner.

"Light 'em up!" called the anchors watching the video on a later broadcast.

And that's just what happened. A black-and-white California Highway Patrol car had been parked at the intersection so officer Adrian Quintero could offer safety tips for Brauner's news segment. But when the truck tore through, the officer took off after the driver, all caught on camera.

Brauner later reported that the driver was being held on suspicion of drunk driving. At eight in the morning.

Photos of the driver taking a breathalyzer test and being arrested can be seen here.

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Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

Donna Summer in 1978

Rush Limbaugh expressed grief on his radio show over the passing of Donna Summer Thursday, stating, among other things, that she was a “right-winger” and “one of us.”

The conservative talk show host began his tribute to the disco icon, who died of cancer Thursday at the age of 63, by playing some of her music, then later providing his own personal take on her life and work.

“I met Donna Summer one time and her husband on an airplane. She and her husband, after the flight took off, came up to me and introduced themselves, and we had a nice conversation,” Limbaugh recalled. “They were one of us. They were. That's what they wanted to come tell me.”

Further elaborating on Summer’s apparently similar mindset, the radio figure added, “She came to hate the smut on the radio. She was not a fan of rap music at all.”

Summer became a born-again Christian in 1979, and even refused to perform one of her biggest hits, "Love to Love You Baby," which includes sexual moans. But according to People magazine, she changed her mind and recorded the song for a fragrance ad in 2011, complete with moans.

As far as Summer's opinion of rap and hip-hop, her nephew is the hip hop artist O’Mega Red, and in April, she was featured on a track with him. Red, who is also a record producer and actor, is a two-time recipient of the New England Urban Music Awards Rap Artist of the Year, and has spoken about his famous familial connection in the past.

“It’s certainly great to be associated with my aunt, and we have done some records with her,” the artist said in an interview with Rap N’ Blues. “But there’s certainly no golden ticket nor did I ever expect that there would be.”

Following the news of her death, the rapper responded to notes on his Twitter page, “Thank You twitter and everyone for your blessing I'm doing the best that I can right now.”

Slideshow: Donna Summer: 1948-2012

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

Launch slideshow

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May is Motorcycle Safety Month, and reporter Stephanie Berzinski of WXII-TV in Winston-Salem, N.C., learned first-hand how tough the big bikes can be to handle when she tipped over a new Harley-Davidson live on the air during a safety story.

A leather-clad Berzinski, who'd taken a safety course and earned her motorcycle license, slowly drove the bike through a mostly vacant parking for the 5 p.m. live news broadcast. Riding was fine, it was parking that gave her issues. As the reporter approached the camera, she tried to stop the bike, seemingly forgot how to put the kickstand down, and ended up tipping it over, engine still rumbling. A crew member came immediately to her aid.

 “Okay, so it really isn’t as easy as it looks," Berzinski laughed. “That bike is a lot heavier than the one I was using in the motorcycle safety course. I apologize…That was not supposed to happen.”

Nevertheless, the blooper led perfectly into the segment, as Berzinski continued, “It’s still a little nerve-racking. It’s very easy to make a mistake like I just did, which is why I was very surprised to learn the motorcycle safety foundation is not mandatory. …You can see why it’s to your advantage to take that course.”

 She later wrote about the incident on her Facebook page.

“I have to laugh this one off,” Berzinski wrote. “Yes, I am forever embarrassed and yes I was totally mad at myself, but hey -- that’s live TV for you. Mistakes happen. Obviously. Either way I still passed and have my motorcycle endorsement. I think I’m gonna start off with a Vespa.”

In response, viewer Art McMorris commented, “Don't feel bad, even bikers who have been riding for years have done it.”

You can watch the segment here.

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A group of Greek protesters found an alternative use for their classic food staples recently, ambushing a local news anchor with eggs and yogurt during a live broadcast of his news show.

According to the New York Daily News, 17 rioters masked by handkerchiefs broke into the Epiros TV1 newsroom April 6 and opened fire with food. The group was angered by journalist Panagiotis Bourchas’ recent interview with Chrysi Avyi, a spokesman for far-right political organization, Golden Dawn, and apparently felt the need to demonstrate their displeasure explicitly.

Bourchas, who was mid-interview at the time, remained calm despite the unexpected events. While his guest immediately walked out of sight, the news anchor stood up, brushed the goop from his jacket and wiped any carnage off his laptop. He took the beating for about a minute before finally unclipping his earpiece and exiting the stage.

In addition to the grocery assault, the protesters chanted loudly. Their message was, “Keep neo-Nazis off your show,” Epiros TV1 told multiple sources.

Greece has seen a rise in neo-Nazi affiliates such as Golden Dawn since last year’s economic crisis unfolded. Foreign Policy describes Golden Dawn as “a fringe Fascist group despised by most Greeks.” Members of the organization have publicly proposed violence as a means of removing undocumented immigrants from the country, Athens News reports.

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A Los Angeles weatherman has filed a lawsuit claiming he was passed over for jobs at two prominent stations because he wasn't a young, good-looking woman.

Kyle Hunter, who has worked as a meteorologist in various southern California markets during a 23-year career, filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against CBS Broadcasting and its owned-and-operated Los Angeles stations KCBS and KCAL on Thursday. He's represented by Gloria Allred.

Hunter alleges "that within the past few years, KCAL and KCBS decided to hire young attractive women as weathercasters in prime time rather than men in order to induce more men to watch their prime time newscasts," according to the suit. That means there was no place for Hunter, an over-40 male meteorologist with impeccable credentials, he says.

Hunter claims he learned in 2010 that KCBS' longtime weatherman Johnny Mountain would not have his contract renewed, so he informed the station that he would like to be considered for the job. But according to the complaint, the station wasn't interested in him and instead brought in a younger female, despite Hunter being "far more qualified, and far more experienced, [than] the female hired to replace Mr. Mountain."

The woman that replaced Mountain was brought in from KCAL, according to the suit, so Hunter assumed a position would be open at KCAL. But again he was turned down and the job went to a younger woman, "whose age and gender were key considerations in the hiring decision," he claims. The female hired didn't even have a certification from the American Meteorogical Society (Hunter does).

Hunter says he later asked a manager at KCAL why he hadn't been considered for the job and he was told that the station aired a lot of sports broadcasts aimed at male viewers and "You wouldn't be the type men would want to look at," the complaint alleges.

Hunter is seeking unspecified damages. A call to the stations' PR executive was not immediately returned.

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Technology is supposed to help us out at work, but when it gets in the way instead, it's easy to get frustrated. That happened Wednesday to Rachael Plath, meteorologist at KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs -- but her reaction wasn't supposed to be aired.

In the video clip below, Plath is seen giving the weather forecast on air, when the graphics behind her change, apparently prematurely. Plath suddenly exclaims "Son of a b----, why is this happening!" and walks off the set.

The video was quickly picked up by The Huffington Post and the U.K.'s Daily Mail, leading to numerous viewers posting sympathetic notes on Plath's Facebook page. 

Plath told readers that the segment was prerecorded, not live, and the clip in which she swore was not supposed to be used on-air.

Wrote Robert Borges, "No need to ever feel bad or apologize for being a human being, I once inadvertently dropped an F-bomb at a convent."

Plath gamely responded to the feedback, thanking viewers for their support and noting that she was "trying to shrug it off."

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