For a 47-year-old advocacy group, AARP is acting a lot like a for-profit corporation these days. But now, more companies are waking up to the fact that the 76 million baby boomers - those born in the United States from 1946 to 1964 - are moving into old age in huge waves. Indeed, some 10,000 boomers turn 50 every day, and they are entering their later years with bulging wallets and a sense of adventure.

In an effort organized by the nonprofit advocacy group Commercial Alert, more than 200 medical school professors have signed a document calling for the end of direct-to-consumer prescription drug ads.

Goldman Sachs issued a chilling note today on trends in the newspaper industry raising severe doubts about near-term ad and revenue growth. It said revenue performance for 2005 will be at its worst level since at least 2001-2002.

Men aren't rejecting magazines -- but they're drifting away from print.

XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. on Thursday posted a wider third-quarter loss on escalating programming costs, but subscriptions to its pay-radio service doubled to more than 5 million and it expects solid fourth-quarter growth. Both companies are growing rapidly but losing money as they spend freely on both technical innovation and entertainment, such as professional sports leagues and celebrity radio hosts, to help gain new customers. They aim to build a base of long-term users who will pay a monthly fee for years to come.

When Chili's Grill & Bar rolled out its "I Want My Baby Back" ribs campaign, the promotion's jingle quickly became a reliable punchline for comedians. The casual dining chain is now looking to stay onstage as a regular location in comedies on television and at the multiplex. Rather than go the reality-TV route, the Brinker International-owned chain has recently appeared as part of the set of NBC's The Office, the WB's What I Like About You and Gilmore Girls, where the restaurants' ubiquitous ribs could be written into storylines.

Coca-Cola Co. awarded Wieden & Kennedy its hotly contested global advertising assignment over WPP Group's United Group following a presentation yesterday in Atlanta. Coke spent an estimated $2.17 billion in advertising in 2004, according to the marketer's annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In 2004, Coke vowed to add $400 million to the marketing budget for 2005.

The future of television news is being decided week by week, network by network. But in what is perhaps the most roiling period of transition in the history of network news, yesterday's appointment of Sean McManus as president of CBS News answered only one of many questions facing the industry.

The ANA expressed strong opposition today to a child protection registry being developed by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth.

To reintroduce a struggling brand, the Campbell Soup Company is giving consumers a song and dance - literally. A campaign that began this week for the Campbell's Select line of higher-priced soups features the actor John Lithgow singing and dancing in commercials that offer humorous tributes to the brand. The campaign, carrying the theme "Why settle when you can Select," is being created by BBDO Worldwide in New York, part of the Omnicom Group.