NBC Begins to Strike Integration Deals for Fall

Silverman: 'Going to Start Locking In Pricing' During Coming Weeks

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The upfront market hasn't started officially, but that hasn't stopped NBC from forming plans with ad buyers and marketers. "A number of the agencies and advertisers have started to connect with us about specific business, and we've begun a number of discussions," Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, told Advertising Age in a brief interview Tuesday. FULL ARTICLE

It's Official: Time Warner to Spin Off Cable

Bewkes Sees More Value as Separate Companies

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- AOL struggled, cable networks thrived and magazine publishing found itself affected by the economic downturn, said Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes, reporting the company's first quarter earnings. And, as promised three months ago, the company made a decision on the future of Time Warner Cable -- and it will be on its own. FULL ARTICLE

The 2015 Media Plan: A Work of Fiction

MediaWorks Viewpoint: Group M Interaction's Rob Norman

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Group M Interaction's Rob Norman extrapolates to a future where old media metrics are obsolete with this media plan that takes into account everything from screen size, mobile delivery, "Jobs Law of Media" and President Winfrey's re-election plans. FULL ARTICLE

P&G Lets Consumers Act as Media Planners

Asks Customers to Weigh in on Gay Kissing and Hip-Hop Programming

BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- The nation's largest advertiser is inviting consumers to weigh in on its controversial media decisions. Last week, Procter & Gamble set up an option on its main consumer toll-free line over whether it should stop sponsoring hip-hop programs on MTV and BET. This week, P&G set up a second toll-free option asking callers to register support or criticism of the "story line" on "As the World Turns," from P&G Productions, which featured fairly passionate kisses between daytime TV's only gay couple. FULL ARTICLE

3 Minute Ad Age: April 30, 2008

Warner Bros. Launches Websites for Cartoons and Teen-Friendly Shows

NEW YORK (Adage.com) –- On Monday, Time Warner's Warner Bros. studio announced plans to launch two online video sites in May. WB.com and KidsWB.com will showcase some of the former WB TV network's most popular programs, from Looney Tunes cartoons to hits such as "Friends" and "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." Warner's effort to roll out these two video portals comes just weeks after NBC Universal and News Corp. launched the online video site Hulu.com. In other news in this 3 Minute Ad Age report, candy giants Mars and Wrigley announce a $23 billion merger and GM's Saturn brand creates an online social hub. FULL ARTICLE

Media Guy's Pop Pick: Gregory Crewdson

Our Columnist's Current Media Obsession

You don't have to give a whit about contemporary art to be able to deeply engage with the photographs of Gregory Crewdson, whose show at New York's Luhring Augustine gallery is a knockout. FULL ARTICLE

What You Should Have Read, April 30, 2008

WSJ Editor's Resignation Is Criticized By Committee

Once again, The Wall Street Journal finds itself in the awkward position of reporting on itself, this time about the shock expressed by the special committee established to oversee The Wall Street Journal's editorial integrity that it was not informed earlier that the newspaper's managing editor, Marcus Brauchli, had been pressured to resign. The five-member special committee was created as a condition of News Corp.'s agreement to acquire Dow Jones & Co. last year. The body is responsible for safeguarding Dow Jones's editorial independence and integrity. The committee said it relayed its concerns to officials at News Corp., which in December acquired Dow Jones, publisher of the Journal. The officials pledged to keep the committee "thoroughly informed" during the search for Mr. Brauchli's successor, the committee said. FULL ARTICLE