Archives 2002

Wednesday, January 2, 2002

• Welcome to 2002, a better ad year
  By how much? When? For whom? Muse with us.
• NBC's Xmas gift to ABC and CBS
  Ratings recap: Cedes 18-49 viewers with holiday week of reruns
• Web's a big draw for believers and curious
  New media: Religion bigger than auctions, stocks and dating
• Targeting ads on interactive TV
  Technology: Different creative geared to unique demographics

News Shorts
College pigskin sweep for ABC
'24' and 'Alias' nominated for Golden Globes
NBC plans 25th anniversary 'Roots' special
Hey, hey, hey: It's 'Fat Albert' again on UPN
'Frasier's' Leeves reups for three more years
Judge stops EchoStar from dropping ABC Family

Web Shorts
100,000 dot.com workers lost jobs last year
Whither '02? Astrology and religion sites are hot.
AOL blocks admissions emails from Harvard
Yahoo, not Monster, will buy HotJobs.com
MediaPort will establish online ad marketplace

People

Thursday, January 3, 2002

• Tit for tat, Fox steals CNN's Van Susteren
  Television: Can't we all just get along? Not in cable news.
• Who woulda thunk? UPN pulls it off.
  Television: Never mind the mishmash lineup, ratings are up
• When a pop-under counts as a visit
  New media: Jupiter rule change affects ranking for X10 site
• Record labels' tepid Napster response
  New media: Pressplay and MusicNet cost $s and offer less
• We're better off than we think we are
  Commentary: Some real good has come from this ad slowdown

Web Shorts
NY Times beefing up its online job section
Feds put lid on faux anthrax cure-all claims
Online holiday shoppers were procrastinators
Dirty-minded Charlotte Church fan site shuttered
Number of web sites slips slightly

People

Friday, January 4, 2002

• Eisner: It hurts, it hurts real bad
  ABC parent's chief opens up in pitch to investors
• Most entertaining 2001 for cable
  Ratings recap: News led but real winners were Lifetime and TBS
• '80s radio, so hot, begins to wrinkle
  Latest vogue format settling into early middle age 
• Rescue mission for troubled shows
  Television: SaveThatShow.com, where fans vote their hearts
• Online city guides see a holiday boost
  New media: DigitalCity climbs into ranks of top web domains

Web Shorts
AOL stealthily raises ‘BYOA’ admission fee
EUniverse network snaps up marketer L90
MarketWatch.com to feature TheStreet.com news
AOL mends Instant Messenger security hole
Heavy metal band Anthrax offers disease info

Tom Rutledge appointed president of the New York metropolitan area for Cablevision
Keith Olbermann to anchor 'Speaking of Sports' and 'Speaking of Everything' for ABC Radio
David Kenin tapped to run programming for the Hallmark Channel
Michael Bloom to executive producer and showrunner for VH1’s upcoming late-night talk show
Jason Biggs to guest star on the WB's 'Off Centre' on Jan. 20

Monday, January 7, 2002

• A flusher CBS, thanks to Thursdays
  Television: 'Survivor'-'CSI' duo skims monied set from NBC
• Disney loads up the bases
  Sports TV: Leveraging ABC and ESPN to corner sports TV
• Parsons: Ah, allow me to be candid...
  Expect some sour #s in today's chat with investors
• Holidays are really about cyber-socializing
  New media: E-shopping second to exchanging best wishes
• Getting a lift out of the Olympics
  Out of home: Put your client on display at nearby ski resorts

Web Shorts
Pakistan: India stopped Kashmir net access
Windows XP problematic for AOL cable service
HGTV.com draws Rose Parade-related traffic
Eisner: Disney’s net side will turn profit in 2002
EBay misses $ goal for Sept. 11 victim fund

Bill Holland named CEO of Bates Southwest
Mark Flinn named VP and Northeast regional sales director for BusinessWeek; Paul Maraviglia to international advertising director
Prominent ad executive Thomas Parker Jones dead at the age of 59
Mark Holdreith appointed retail group president of the marketing/media and retail division at VNU Business Publications USA
Laurie Goldberg upped to SVP of public relations for the Cartoon Network
Erich Linker appointed SVP of national sales at Newspapers First
Dan Aykroyd to host 'Dan Aykroyd’s Out There' for the Sci Fi Channel

Wednesday, January 9, 2002

• Expect a strong finale for 'Survivor'
  Television: Viewer #s will be off but CBS show still has gas
• Bowl games give ABC a sip of victory
  Ratings recap: But just a sip and no relief in a parched season
• A sad adieu to SF's ad club
  Feature: Just shy of 100 years, victim of the hard economy
• The new hot web thing: Photo sites
  New media: Services that cater to the digital camera crowd
• Parsons displays his wide embrace
  Wraps arms around AOL team, amid the bad #s

Web Shorts
DoubleClick abandons ad-profiling service
DaimlerChrysler ruffled over gay site name
No dot.coms filed for IPOs in 2001
MSN will use Overture paid listings
17-year-old racked up $1 million in web scam

Jon Chalon joins Spin magazine as publisher
Jack Wakshlag to chief research officer at Turner Broadcasting
John Failla to group president of performance, travel, entertainment, and jewelry for VNU Expositions
Kathryn Herrick to account manager for the Midwest region at Sports Illustrated Women
Bill Moyers named anchor and executive editor for public television's 'Now with Bill Moyers'
Alan Keyes to host 'Alan Keyes Is Making Sense' for MSNBC

Thursday, January 10, 2002

• Dip in overall TV viewing in fourth quarter
  Television: But cable saw a 10% gain, led by news networks
• Gruner + Jahr closing HomeStyle
  Magazines: Tumble in ad pages, despite a major redesign
• TNT 'Mummy' spree pulls in big numbers
  Cable ratings recap: Weekend movie marathon wins key demos
• Trend spotter for Generations X and Y
  Interview: Jane Buckingham on what they are really about
• Improving the look of video streaming
  Technology: New software promises to deliver a better picture

Web Shorts
Excite hits a bump under new ownership
New virus types can infect Flash files
Internet casino being named for Sammy Davis Jr.
Revived Media Grok wants subscription money

People

Friday, January 11, 2002

• 2001 magazine ad page drop: 11.7%
  Year's big loser was Red Herring, down 64.5%
• Yes, NBC is No. 1, but hardly worry-free
  Television: At midseason facing some serious schedule gaps
• Why the big stink over college bowls
  Sports TV: Arcane system for picking which teams will play
• Morphing Speedvision for NASCAR fans
  Sports TV:Fox revamps race channel to air trackside stories
• Government sites are quite the thing
  New media: Over half of wired adults visit or transact business

Web Shorts
Forrester will lay off 22 percent of its staff
Dot.com reinvents itself as stripper emporium
Napster launches beta version of indie artists
Pop singer Aguilera to online pornsters: I'll sue
Look out, Dell: MTV launches line of PCs

John Weiser to EVP at Columbia TriStar Domestic Television
Carl Dickens chosen as SVP for CMR’s Media Group
Alan Cohen to president of domestic theatrical marketing for Twentieth Century Fox
Jane Grenier promoted to associate publisher of creative services at Gourmet magazine
Michael Teicher to EVP of media sales at Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution; Paul Montoya to SVP of business development and media sales
Stephanie Leifer takes over for Julie Glucksman as ABC's vice president of comedy development
David E. Easterly steps down from vice chairman role at Cox Enterprises Inc.
Dennis Hopper joins the cast of Fox's '24'
Alan Ball signs a new contract with HBO to continue executive producing 'Six Feet Under'

Monday, January 14, 2002

• Web is the TV of the workplace
  New media: Workers' No. 1 medium, ahead of radio and print
• At midseason, CBS stands poised
  Television: Strategy of stealing yet more younger viewers
• Will DoubleClick quit selling web ads?
  New media: That's the thinking, so it can focus on serving biz
• A glimmer of light for investor titles
  Interview: Money's Kathy Kayse on the coming ad recovery
• Bagging fans at the main event
  Out of home: Put your client on seats at games and concerts

Web Shorts
TheStreet.com will sell new fee-based reports
EBay and Yahoo: We’re not merging Japan operations
Hearst is restructuring its internet operations
Hackers may have hit DrudgeReport.com
Unofficial AA owners win right to keep domain name

Pamela Wisne resigns as president of David E. Kelley Prods.
Keith Olbermann joins CNN as a contributor to 'NewsNight with Aaron Brown'
Chris Tucker to serve as host of the NAACP Image Awards
Christina Ricci to guest star on five episodes of Fox’s 'Ally McBeal'

Tuesday, January 15, 2002

• Initiative's Schultz axed over mouse-dropping
  Irked Disney taking its media business to Starcom
• Like, there's a glut of teen mags
  Magazines: As some bop might others drop? Who will falter?
• In radio, it's still Country by a mile
  Format report: Except in the South, oddly, where urban is gaining
• 'Imagine That': Let's not.
  Television review: Funny man in a sitcom that comes out of a box
• Post-Xmas rush to diet web sites
  New media: Top four see 64% traffic jump. It must be January.
• In media? Tell us a bit about yourself.
  Kindly click here to take our reader survey

Web Shorts
EBay auctions off 'Survivor' props for AIDS charity
‘Dot.name’ internet suffixes go live today
Internet access device sales climb
Holiday flicks draw visitors to ticket-sales sites
St. Pete Weekly will run Ironminds

Steven P. Murphy upped to president and CEO of Rodale Inc.
Linda Sepp promoted to publisher of Fast Company
John Miller named co-anchor of ABC’s '20/20'
Richard Hatem to write and co-executive produce the pilot for ABC's 'Miracles'
Paul Rostkowski to VP for Eastern Region sales for Interep Interactive; Joshua Simkin England to VP of operations; Sandie Milberg to VP of marketing

• Mercy, it's a killer of a midseason
  Television: Few new shows look like they'll dodge the big ax
• Slow 2002 recovery for web ad spending
  New media: Expect lift as economy revives from very grim '01
• Backwoods Home, for a simpler life
  Magazines: Much simpler. A life of liberty free of government.
• Fading promise of the SF Chronicle
  Newspapers: Hearst vowed to make it great. It isn't happening.
• Coming, plug and play for digital cable
  Technology: New standards to ensure sets work on all systems
• In media? Tell us a bit about yourself.
  Kindly click here to take our reader survey

Web Shorts
New virus posing as a Microsoft software update
DoubleClick beats fourth-quarter expectations
MSN: We're now up to 7.7 million users
Lycos and Fox team up for joint promotions
Jailbirds of a feather click together at new site

Marla Newborn upped to VP of program operation at USA Network
Mary Hall promoted to SVP of research at the WB
Jon Stewart to host CBS's Grammy Awards for the second consecutive year
Richard Lewis to join the cast of the WB's '7th Heaven' for five episodes starting this February
Ted Koppel to receive the chairman's award at next week's annual program conference of the National Association of Television Program Executives
Daniel Baldwin to star in the pilot for the WB’s 'Aces'

Thursday, January 17, 2002

• Longer, slower road for Azteca America
  Television: Out-foxed by rivals, it must build market by market
• Hey, here's a cool magazine
  ReadyMade, do-it-yourself guide for creating a life
• Surprising health of big cable networks
  Ratings recap: Delivering  #s and key demos, even with erosion
• New standards for web advertising
  New media: IAB defines page impressions, clicks, visits, etc. 
• Uh-oh Yahoo and its Cigna deal
  Commentary: Disaster lurks in scheme to build customer portals
• Who are you? Tell us a bit about yourself.
  Kindly click here to take our reader survey

Web Shorts
AOL battles fraudulent InstaKiss sites
Burger King starts internet bucks program
Free side of search engine NorthernLight goes dark
WB email blitz stirs confusion with faux summons
Colleges put the Nuremberg Files online

People

Friday, January 18, 2002

• Expect big ad $s for '02 elections
  Television: Major races and mucho contested seats to fill
• Rebuilding of ABC is some ways off
  Television: Scratch this midseason, with so much work to do
• The money of Sports radio
  Research: Audience largely of affluent, big-spending males 
• Controversy, where Maxim meets ESPN
  Magazines: Can two ex-NFLers succeed in this crowded field?
• Web's cool but not the coolest
  New media: Users still rely on traditional media for much info

Web Shorts
Internet traffic triples every year
British Airways takeover ads on NYTimes.com
New 'Wallace & Gromit' toons will be released online
Homestore.com workers sacked over accounting
Enron employees take to eBay

People

Tuesday, January 22, 2002

• What really killed Talk magazine
  Lots of things but timing played a big role
• A poem: Talk Talked
  Tim McHale on the occasion of Talk mag's announced demise
• F in Fox stands for fix-it. Can it?
  Television: Down 9% at midseason and hoping for new hits
• NBC ratings skid in San Francisco
  Television: Good-bye KRON, hello KNTV, good-bye viewers
• Put your client on the train platform
  Out of home: Commuters make great targets going to and fro
• 'Life Moments,' one hope for syndication
  Television: Show eschews tired formulas for feel of cable

News Shorts
'Fear Factor' wins for NBC
'Sex' and 'Six' win top honors at Golden Globes
On second thought, NBC scraps 'Imagine That'
Terrorist trial won't air, rules judge
Showtime readies two new series for summer
Us picks 'Sexiest Athletes' on ESPN

Web Shorts
Enron axed employees who griped online
NetRatings and Jupiter carry on with lawsuit
Women outpacing men in getting wired
Would-be shoe bomber left email footprints
EBay raises auction fees

Katherine Graham, Charles D. Peebler Jr., Hal Riney and John Smale elected to Advertising Hall of Fame
Wendy Taylor promoted to editor in chief of Ziff Davis Smart Business
Kathy Riess named financial director at Allure magazine
John Weiser named EVP of Columbia TriStar Domestic Television
Carla Pennington chosen as executive producer of upcoming talk show with Dr. Phil McGraw on Paramount Domestic TV
Maura Dunbar joins Hallmark Channel as SVP of original programming and development
Stuart Arnold leaves position as managing director of The Americas for the Financial Times

Wednesday, January 23, 2002

• CMR: Expect a slow ad spending recovery
  Media economy: Sees 1.5% rise for 2002, starting in third quarter
• What's the next hot thing in magazines?
  Think regional and ethnic, also aging baby boomers
• Pro soccer's bold bid for attention
  Sports TV: Swaps World Cup rights for ABC/ESPN airtime
• New web players emerge over holidays
  New media: Spiritual sites, as well as those for gifts and cards
• An online classroom for placing spot buys
  Technology: Teaching folks how to use new electronic systems

Web Shorts
Netscape sues Microsoft, seeking antitrust damages
Yahoo introduces pay-for-search service
Enlisting idle computers in search for ’thrax cure
Pope: The internet rules, but it needs more rules
St. Louis portal chops staff as head resigns

People

Thursday, January 24, 2002

• NBC by a mile, ABC and CBS slipping
  Ratings recap: Eases on ahead with end of 'Survivor' and 'MNF'
• Cheap Super Bowl spots. Such a deal.
  Sports TV: Sales are slow for Fox, but the value is there
• Here at last, the anti-Maxim
  Magazines: Keep your beer and boobs! Adam, for nice guys.
• 'That '80s Show,' déjà vu all over again
  Television review: A decade to remember, a sitcom easy to forget
• Traffic flurries for Winter Olympics site
  New media: Get tickets, buy your trinkets, meet the athletes

Web Shorts
Yahoo and Compaq hit the rails with onboard service
Los Angeles suburb banning new net cafes
Online auction fraud among top FTC complaints
Is Hell freezing over? Amazon turns first profit.
Dutch prince's online chat hampered by hackers

Susan C. Hunyor named account manager at BusinessWeek
Jonathan Hendriksen named vice president of sales and operations for ValueClick International
Andrea Rosengarten promoted to editor/managing editor of Jane
Paul E. Steiger and Katharine Graham to receive National Press Foundation awards

Friday, January 25, 2002

• Among men's titles, survival of the fattest
  Magazine: And youngest. But will we see one fail in 2002?
• Thank you, now that we have met
  Research: Results of a Media Life survey of its readers
• Planet, for the globally minded
  Magazine for readers whose lifestyle is the world
• Coming of age of web advertising
  Interview: Leslie Laredo on the changes she sees coming
• 'Rock' and 'Waterboy' sweep for USA cable
  Cable recap: Flix win week in 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 demos

News Shorts
NBC rolls over competitors
Rumor: Fox wants Conan for its own late show
WSJ terrorism reporter missing in Pakistan
New FTC plan limits unwanted phone pitches
Court TV won't fight TV ban on Moussaoui trial
UPN benches 'Roswell' in March 

People

Monday, January 28, 2002

• Better way to gauge reader involvement
  Magazines: New index to quantify connectedness with a title
• Changing perceptions of black consumers
  Research: Arbitron study tracks demographic's affluence
• A trove of trivia for fans of Tolkien
  Things we like: 'Rings' site co-sponsored by Times and New Line
• Women's soccer gets a time break
  Sports TV: New TV deal with PAX and set Saturday schedule
• Your client where women play basketball
  Out of home: Signage in the arenas that host WNBA games

Web Shorts
FindWhat fights Overture over search technology
Grandson fined for citing Nazi grandfather online
Golden Globes pump up EOnline.com traffic
UK group: Stay off the web for a day
Yes, even email death threats are illegal

Garry Hart upped to president of Paramount Television Production; Joel Berman named president of Paramount Worldwide Television Distribution
Brian Graden promoted to newly created position of president of entertainment at MTV
Steve MacDonald promoted to SVP and general sales manager at Twentieth Television
Louis Cona named VP and publisher of Condé Nast's Vanity Fair
Alexandra Golinkin promoted to VP and publisher of Lucky
Brenda Saget upped to VP and publisher of House & Garden

Tuesday, January 29, 2002

• Mega-shuffle of Condé Nast bigs
  Magazines: Up for Beckman, out for Hunsinger. And Ron G.?
• The real score on sports radio
  Research: It's anyone's guess. Buyers: Bruskin #s sky high.
• In syndication, it's tried and true
  Television: Bets on safe plays like 'Dr. Phil' and 'Millionaire'
• Better way to gauge reader involvement: Part II
  Magazines: What values to weigh for connectedness
• Traffic surge for book sites and clubs
  New Media: Post-holiday rectitude? We can only guess.

Web Shorts
Study: Congressional web sites are crummy
SEC posts fake site to advise against fraud
Vocal armchair sports fans find an outlet
Worm by Russian teen deceives with party message
Prof battles La Guardia Community College online

Kelly Smith Tunney and Tom Brettingen appointed VPs at The Associated Press
Amy Introcaso-Davis named VP of production and development at Bravo Networks
Charles McKeown named publisher of Editor and Publisher

Wednesday, January 30, 2002

• For Fox, some pre-Olympic glory
  Television: Original shows up it to No 1. in 18-49s--for a spell
• Fox News and CNN, two peas in a pod
  Cable: Study finds, rhetoric aside, war news reporting similar
• Still more on reader involvement
  Magazines: Print folks debate the practicality of an index
• Ratings don't tell the full cable story
  Research: Beta's findings on how networks rate with viewers
• Rich media's appeal among big shoppers
  New media: Study finds them effective in driving online sales

Web Shorts
Google: We’re not running pop-ups, ever
TheStreet.com partners with Yahoo Finance
New WSJ.com design is glitch-plagued
New Line strikes online ‘Goldmember’ references
After 4Q loss, layoffs loom for Citysearch

Evan Messinger named SVP of sales development and marketing at Univision Communications
Danielle Gelber named VP of original programming at Showtime Networks
Aaron Ashe appointed political sales manager at National Cable Communications
Genevieve Fernandez and Angel Linares named deputy managing editors at People en Español
Burt Reynolds to guest star on upcoming episode of 'The X-Files'

Thursday, January 31, 2002

• Don't bet it all on a Rams rout
  Super Bowl: Boon for buyers with 2nd-half spots if Patriots score
• Why some hit shows survive syndication
  Television: Fourth fend off decline, and a new study tells why
• Broadband kids, the new hot demo
  New media: They surf more, they buy more, they spend more
• 'Blue Planet' less than red hot
  Cable recap: Discovery sea saga falls short of 'Dinosaur' pull
• Mel and Sumner in chilly embrace
  Feuding Viacom duo: Okay, we'll try to get along

Web Shorts
‘Dot.coop’ domain registrations commence
Bush puts kid version of speech online
Salon: Maybe some day we’ll do a print thing
WeatherBug.com launches pick-your-own ads
IVillage toys with subscription fees

People

Friday, February 1, 2002

• Going into sweeps, ABC's got big hurts
  Television: In fourth place and facing an even deeper slide
• Telemarketer crackdown could be an ad biz boon
  Media economy: Feds looking to build free do-not-call registry
• Skinny on who really buys online
  New media: Spenders are not young-uns but 35-54 year olds 
• Salon makes a go of premium service
  New media: Claims 35,000 paying subscribers at $30 a head

Web Shorts
SuperBowl.com traffic up in advance of game
Judge: Hyperlinks not valid for domain name disputes
Sotheby’s migrates online services to eBay
FTC and Truste get deputized as spaminators
Money site Motley Fool to charge for boards

Greg Mitchell promoted to editor of Editor & Publisher
Brian Moran appointed editor of Mediaweek
Michael Keaton to guest star on 'Frasier'

Monday, February 4, 2002

• Super Super Super Bowl
  Sports TV: And hats off to advertisers who bought 2nd half
• Readers' tastes are lightening up
  Magazines: Interests return to sports and celebs post-Sept. 11
• ABC's all a-lather in the afternoons
  Television: 'Port Charles's' novella style pulls in the young
• Tracking channels of the giant portals
  New media: JMM compares with stand-alone sites for traffic
• Putting your client where seniors meet
  Out of home: Advertising at recreation centers for the elderly

Web Shorts
World Economic Forum web site forced offline
Priceline and eBay in travel-selling deal
British ISP gets hacked to death
KaZaA snubs court order to halt music downloads
More than half of Americans are online

Brian Tierney to become founder and chairman at Tierney Communications; Scott Franks promoted to CEO
Luke Hayman named creative director of Travel + Leisure magazine
Francis Coombs promoted to managing editor of the Washington Times

Tuesday, February 5, 2002

• Buyers: NBC will make its Olympic #s
  Sports TV: Viewership should top 1998 Nagano winter games
• Yes, a great Super Bowl but . . .
  Sports TV: Thrilla game had 4th smallest audience in decade
• A Mr. Fix-it for Sports Illustrated
  Magazines: Us's Terry McDonell hires on as managing editor
• Hello, email, and soon good-bye
  New media: Instant messaging becoming way to communicate
• Scoop! Consumers do like ITV gizmos.
  Technology: Study finds strong response after demonstration

Web Shorts
No surprise here, tax sites are hoppin’
Kids' new favorite toy: the web
Playboy Playmate wins domain-name case
Dial-up connections are getting slower
Russian monks busted for spamming

Ron Arnold named SVP and group creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi
Peter King Hunsinger to become president of Condé Nast's new bridal division
Jim Beall and Dave Bird named marketing managers at National Cable Communications
Jana Bennett named to top post at BBC Television
Gene DeWitt appointed president of The Syndicated Network Television Association
Kevin Lavalla joins Communications Equity Associates LLC

Wednesday, February 6, 2002

• Bowl gives Fox nifty sweeps boost
  Ratings recap: No. 2 for February and likely for rest of the season
• Spin editor quitting to launch a new title
  Magazines: Alan Light mum on what sort of music it will cover
• Up from the dead for quirky Bust
  Magazines: Founders reviving women's title post-Razorfish
• Heeb, alas, a fine idea
  Review: But as a magazine it lacks both voice and identity
• Bowl was a big web attraction too
  New media: Traffic rose 'til kickoff and then again during game

Web Shorts
Search engines sued over paid search placement
Weekly World News: Don’t log on, buy our rag
Earthlink offering ‘Star Trek’ ISP service
Texas rock stations in domain-name war
EBay CEO gives Princeton $30M for swank dorm

Erin Lempriere and Jacelyn Swanson promoted to director of current series programs at NBC
Evan Sternschein named SVP of national advertising sales for Discovery Networks
Arthel Neville tapped as host of CNN's 'TalkBack Live'
Its' official: Galotti to VP and publisher of GQ
Ewald Walgenbach named to the newly created position of COO for Bertelsmann AG

Thursday, February 7, 2002

• Big Tobacco kicking its magazine habit
  Ad economy: Philip Morris yanks $s from 80 titles, in big retreat
• Boston stink bomb over people meter
  Television: TV stations to Nielsen: Count us out of the count
• Growing respect for online news
  New media: Americans rely on web for more and more info
• Fox News widens its lead over CNN
  Cable recap: 1.2M average primetime viewers versus 836,000
• wsj.com steps in it, design-wise
  Commentary: New look lacks the class of paper's print version

Web Shorts
Faux eBay email socks the gullible
Vivendi launches online video business
Dot.com deaths slowed down last month
EUniverse’s L90 acquisition will be delayed
Google dabbles in paid search services

People

Friday, February 8, 2002

• New year but old woes for magazines
  Magazines: Ad pages are down nearly 16% from last January
• Boffo launch for TeleFutura
  Television: Young-skewing Univision net pulling new viewers
• NBC's bid to woo young to Olympics
  Sports TV: Expect edgier coverage and more speed sports
• The broad ambitions of Taste
  Magazines: Williams-Sonoma food title aspires to be a big player
• Tough guidelines for email marketers
  New media: DMA rules to separate good guys from spamsters

Web Shorts
NPR won’t post heated Simmons-Gross talk
FuckedCompany.com sells e-commerce tools
Rock band launches computer game on web site
ABC News cuts off Yahoo’s video
Emails soothed people after Sept. 11

Will J. Wright appointed executive producer of BET Nightly News
Joyce Parente named marketing director of National Geographic Adventure magazine
Sam Paisley named president of ValueClick Media
Paul Beck appointed VP of sales at Bigfoot Interactive; John Mathew to VP of operations
Steve Soldano resigns as president and COO of Publicis and Cordiant Communications' Optimedia U.S.
Nancy Travis to guest star on CBS's 'Becker'

Monday February 11, 2002

• Come the upfront, think flat
  Media economy: Least for now. Jitters keep expectations in limbo.
• 'First Monday,' a Friday stinker
  TV review: CBS copycats 'West Wing,' save for the substance
• Relix, for lovers of jam music
  Magazines: You know the Dead. Heard of the Disco Biscuits?
• Where else fans surfed on Bowl day
  New media: You guessed it: Gambling and astrology web sites
• Putting your client in building lobbies
  Out of home: News kiosks with ad messages to big-$ workers

News Shorts
NBC's strong Sunday night
BizWeek and USA Today team up
'Felicity' will conclude with commencement
A new way to assess the cost of talking heads
PVR opponents go for the kill in court

People

Tuesday, February 12, 2002

• Behind Olympics' very hot numbers
  Sports TV: NBC's youth push may be paying off, and big-time
• Super Bowl's wandering eyes
  Sports TV: Blame it on the partying. Viewers are less tuned in.
• Sunset, with a view of the West
  Magazines: Lifestyle title for folks who like their spaces open
• 20-somethings fleeing papers for the web
  Newspapers: Mucho big headache, with no solutions in sight
• Hi-def TV takes off at last, no joke
  Technology: Set prices falling and more cable ops offer service

Web Shorts
LATimes.com ranked best newspaper site
Ooooops, CNN forgets to pay German site fee
Yahoo gives FTD ad room to bloom
Longtime free site Netsurfer starts charging
Economy.com thrives amid recession

People

Wednesday, February 13, 2002

• Fox's still strong, even as Olympics soar
  Ratings recap: Holding onto sweeps lead, thanks to Super Bowl
• For next season, the tried and true
  Television: Expect little risk-taking on the part of the networks
• Sports predictions worth pondering
  Sports TV: Panel of gurus on what 2002 will likely bring
• A younger voice for Working Mother
  Magazines: A new editor freshens up title for moms who work
• Traffic to Olympic sites is building
  New media: Hot places to go for backgrounders on athletes

Web Shorts
MSN signs up Overture search technology
NPR’s Gross swamped with KISS email
Airlines hanker for high-speed in-flight net access
‘Dot.us’ domains hitting market soon
IVillage.com snaps up Promotions.com

Jerry Roberts exits as VP and managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle
Peter Price named president of National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Marjorie Scardino to be given the title of Dame
Marty Toole promoted to national team sales manager at National Cable Communications; Pat Baughman and Chad Hoker to account executives
Ira Rubenstein named SVP of Sony Pictures Integrated Network
Brendan Fraser to guest star on NBC's 'Scrubs'

Thursday, February 14, 2002

• Olympics a modest ad $ boon for NBC
  CMR: Will pull $700M, up nearly 12% from 1998 games
• Michael Jordan magazine goes pssst
  Magazines: From inspirational lifestyle title to Nike catalogue
• Cable feels little of Olympics' bite
  Cable recap: Overall household primetime viewership is up 5%
• Sports predictions worth pondering: Part II
  Sports TV: Panel of gurus musing on what 2002 will bring
• Web's emerging role as a fat farm
  New media: Traffic surge in January to dieting and health sites

Web Shorts
Enron’s old networks are spewing spam
Comcast: We're mending our Big Brother ways
Hey Alanis, you have a radio station
‘X-Files’ fans can insert their names in credits
Stink over charitable use of idle computers

People

Friday, February 15, 2002

• Dire forecast for print's future
  U.K. study: New technologies already eating away
• TV ad clutter worsens, and buyers grouse
  Television: 'It’s diminishing the value of television advertising.'
• Behind NBC's Olympic push for 'Ellie'
  Buyers: No guarantee of success for new Louis-Dreyfus sitcom
• Looking for gold in Salt Lake City
  Magazines: SI Women hopes to capitalize on women fans
• Study: Less idle web surfing these days
  New media: Users know where they want to go and go there

Web Shorts
Amazon.com introduces wedding registry
Marriage proposed and accepted on Slashdot
Free online cards trump fee-based greetings
NextCard shutdown squeezes web sites
Freedom in Afghanistan brings-what else-porno!

Geoffrey Dodge appointed VP, advertising director and associate publisher for BusinessWeek
Melinda McLaughlin promoted to VP of research and sales strategy at A&E Television Networks
Ken Kaess and James R. Heekin nominated to the board of the American Association of Advertising Agencies
Matthew Perry to guest star on Fox's 'Ally McBeal'

Tuesday, February 19, 2002

• Newsstand rebound for many magazines
  Not just newsweeklies, either. Real Simple +25%.
• Ado over Olympic viewer tallies
  Sports TV: Xing national ads gooses NBC's #s. Buyers balk.
• Satellite radio gets Sirius, at last
  Better late than never. But will folks pay to listen?
• Web-wise, week of snow and roses
  New media: Last-second V Day shopping by Olympics viewers
• Wrapping malls with your message
  Out of home: See-through vinyl for arenas and stadiums as well

News Shorts
Olympics slip on Monday
Who will take up the pencil at People?
Daytona 500 sets ratings record for NBC
Britney Spears vamps it up on 'Sex and the City'
'Fear Factor' contestant chokes on cow's eye

Web Shorts
Online Holocaust memorial opens virtual doors
Salvation Army to pin-up Sarah Jane: Oh, stop
Texas GOP: Don’t mock us as Enron stooges
Pair-skating dustup boosts Olympic web traffic
RealNetworks adds NASCAR to RealOne slate

People

Howard K. Smith dead at age 87
Brad Westermann promoted to SVP of national advertising sales at A&E Television Networks
Richard Cook promoted to chairman of Walt Disney Studios
Richard Tunkel named manager of new business development for TV, cable and multimedia services at Arbitron
Pat Wechsler appointed editor in chief of Treasury & Risk Management magazine
Richard J.V. Johnson to retire as chairman of the Houston Chronicle
Narda Zacchino named assistant executive editor of the San Francisco Chronicle; Kenn Altine to associate managing editor
Allison Janney to guest star on 'Frasier'

Wednesday, February 20, 2002

• Court whammies TV cross-owner caps
  Television: Major win for media congloms. Let buying begin.
• Up next: Newspaper cross-owner cap
  FCC rule bans owning paper and TV stations in a market
• Nielsen delays national sample weighting
  Television: Puts off a full year after networks question data
• Pondering a cable future for curling
  Sports TV: Can Olympics' hot niche sports hold their fans?
• A hot web thing: Online training
  New media: Users flock to sites offering career advancement

News Shorts
Kwan delivers NBC a big Olympic bump
Piercing pop quiz proves costly for 'Survivor'
Rosie's 'I'm gay' moment on 'Primetime Thursday'
More info on the New York Sun
Study: Watching TV is addictive, for real

Web Shorts
FTC axes Jupiter MM NetRatings merger
Love beats sports as Lycos search term
Survey reveals public anxiety over privacy
Popcorn maker blasted for breaching kid privacy
Coffers emptying, Garageband.com shuts down

People

R.W. Apple named associate editor of The New York Times
Sid Bedingfield promoted to newly created position of executive editor of CNN News Group; Teya Ryan to EVP and GM
Rob Pellizzi upped to SVP of consumer, promotional and advertising sales marketing for TV Land and Nick at Nite
Nick Garramone promoted to VP of eBusiness at National Cable Communications
Steve Rosenberg to head a combined syndication studio at Vivendi Universal
Crystal Holmes appointed EVP of sales at Monster
Michael John D'Alessio named director of business development and strategy at Interference Inc.

Thursday, February 21, 2002

• New top editor for People magazine
  InStyle's Martha Nelson replacing Carol Wallace
• NBC's big Olympic win: 18- to 24-year-olds
  Ratings recap: Demographic up 36 percent over Nagano games
• And now, television's 'worst' advertisers
  Clean-TV group cites biggest sponsors of raunchy shows
• Yes, hope for reality TV after all
  TV review: Cable's 'It Factor' and 'Greenlight' revive the genre
• The mainstreaming of online casinos
  New media: Aggressive ad push pulls in millions of gamblers

News Shorts
U.S. medal wins another boost for NBC
A&E cancels much-praised '100 Centre Street'
Goldman denies plans to create magazine unit
Executive shakeup at Infinity Broadcasting
Computer code for good and evil on '24'?

Web Shorts
AltaVista dumps free email services
MSN: Our traffic’s growing faster than yours
Consumers spent $10 billion online in 4Q
For sale on eBay: Advice from sellers
Taiwanese film rental site is shut down

People

Carl Portale retiring from Hachette as SVP and Elle Group publishing director
Gina Garraubo joins Oxygen as EVP of advertising sales and marketing
WSJ's Alan Murray named Washington bureau chief of CNBC's business news channel
Tom McGrath to president of Viacom Entertainment Group's Paramount Enterprises
Alex Coletti named MTV2 executive in charge of programming and production
Jason Young appointed SVP and GM of Ziff Davis Internet

Friday February 22, 2002

• Still a tough job market for media folks
  Recruiters look to second half for hiring to pick up
• Way big plans for Span-lang titles
  Magazines: Major titles intensify drives to build readership
• Cable holds up well against Olympics
  Cable recap: And for a second week yet. Dogs and decorating.
• There's a bright side to Skategate
  Sports TV: All the melodrama and bad press may help skating
• Rising clout of travel sites
  New media: Expedia and Travelocity, with Orbitz coming up fast

News Shorts
Hughes' gold gives NBC its second-highest night
Officials: Video shows WSJ's Pearl is dead
'Amazing Race 2' gets second airing on UPN
Condit's wife hits Nat'l Enquirer with libel suit
ABC plans reality series on anti-terror troops

Web Shorts
Web surfers land at travel sites in droves
For a limited time, MGM OKs movie downloads
Yahoo by Phone now voice-activated
Windows Media Player is watching you
Royalty system set for online tunes

People

Punch Sulzberger retires from The New York Times board
Peter Stothard resigns as editor of London's The Times
Former Boston Globe publisher William Davis Taylor dies at age 93
Jeff Lehman appointed SVP of sales and chief revenue officer at AltaVista
Steven Gross named U.S. VP of marketing at Terra Lycos
Mary Silverman upped to SVP of programming at Court TV
Jane Fritsch named assistant bureau chief of The Associated Press in Chicago

Monday, February 25, 2002

• Expect ad spending to lag recovery
  The good news: The recession is about at an end
• Infinity to Arbitron: A better deal, or else
  Radio: Nose-to-nose contract tiff. Will it walk? Dare it?
• Remembering Danny Pearl
  Newspapers: Fine man and a writer known for his quirky stories
• April 15's closer than you think
  New media: Beginnings of a traffic surge to tax prep web sites
• Hang your client from a RR trestle
  Out of home: Or better, his message, to reach driver eyeballs

• All the big #s for NBC's Olympics
  Sports TV: ratings up 18% over Nagano, with 18-34s rising 28%
• Coming, Binn's Los Angeles Confidential
  Magazines: Lifestyle title from Hamptons publisher, sans sin
• Syndie belly-flops into sweeps pool
  Television: Few old favorites jelly-float, with the rest sinking
• BoyCrazy!, for teenage girls
  Things we like: Where the advice comes from just the cutest boys
• Expect little pluck from hockey's puck
  Sports TV: It's unlikely Olympic gold will boost NHL viewing

News Shorts
CBS takes back Monday night
'West Wing's' Sorkin: The media drool for Bush
Report: Disney wooing Costas from NBC
Holdout 'Malcolm' mom forces shutdown
'Rosie O'Donnell' boob-flashing mystery solved

Web Shorts
CNN big says online news fees are inevitable
ElleGirl.com offers instant messaging for teens
The Shat is back, shilling for Priceline
Virgin shutters its money-losing portal
Lycos will charge for prominent search results

People

Carol A. Smith named SVP and Elle Group publishing director at Hachette Filipacchi
Kate Rodler named Northwest regional advertising manager for Fast Company
Bela Bajaria promoted to SVP of movies and miniseries at CBS
Lachlan Murdoch to head up TV operations at Fox TV
David Goldhill named COO of USA Entertainment
Jasmine Alexander appointed SVP of sales planning and analysis at Ziff Davis Media
Bari Goldsmith joins Deutsch as associate director

Wednesday, February 27, 2002

• Wenner names Fuller to edit Us Weekly
  Magazines: Ex-Glamour pencil's task: Push checkout sales
• Fox and ABC up in 2nd Olympic week
  Recap: Numbers improve, even as NBC seals sweeps win
• 'Ellie' could break the Seinfeld curse
  TV review: This show works. Credit craft, talent and timing.
• Intriguing promise of the surround session