The Fresno Bee is shipping some of its ad production work overseas, cutting almost one-third of its ad design department and moving their jobs to India.

Express KCS, with offices in San Jose, London and near New Delhi, will get the work and most of the newspaper's advertising services will not be affected. A spokesman said job cuts will begin in September, but customers will continue to work with sales, marketing and design employees in Fresno.

The Bee is owned by McClatchy Newspapers and is so far the only one using KCS in favor of American workers. Read the whole story...

The Breeders' Cup is the real championship of thoroughbred horse racing, and while it is in the shadow of the Triple Crown, it hopes to change that by establishing "The Breeders' Cup Challenge." The event will feature 24 stakes races at six venues and be televised by ABC/ESPN. It is touted as a "Win and You're in" format, with the top pony in each preliminary race getting a slot in the championship stakes.

"The importance of having the races at different premiere courses throughout the U.S. is to create a direct linkage with the Breeders' Cup brand and the brands of top racetracks," says Greg Avioli, president and CEO of the Breeders' Cup. "It's never before been connected to the rest of the industry like this."

Emirates Airlines is the presenting sponsor for the Breeders' Cup Challenge and other backers include Dodge, Grey Goose, UPS and Century 21. And it has retained sports marketing agency Velocity to recruit more. "We want to extend our brand through sponsorship into other corporations, such as those that offer luxury and financial services," says Avioli. Read the whole story...

Spike TV is pulling out all the stops to promote its new bank-heist limited series "The Kill Point." In what director of marketing Todd Ames calls a "bigness" approach, the Viacom cable net will have traveling billboards on 18-wheeler trucks in top markets, including Los Angeles and New York. It will also hand out thousands of $1 bills with stickers of "Kill Point" star John Leguizamo's face replacing that of George Washington. The cash will be randomly distributed in delis, bars, malls and restaurants in Los Angeles and New York.

"One of my philosophies is to try to deliver the program in the marketing itself," Ames says. The push -- similar to what it has done behind other top series like "The Ultimate Fighter" and "Blade" -- will also feature ad buys on national and local television, along with radio.

"Kill Point" is also getting outdoor exposure on subway platforms, phone kiosks and bus shelters. The show's premiere, set for Sunday night, will have limited commercial interruption with DirecTV and upcoming film "The Bourne Ultimatum" as the exclusive advertisers. Read the whole story...

CBS confirms that it is talking with comedian Drew Carey about hosting "The Price is Right," but the network is keeping its options open in the search to replace the recently retired Bob Barker. "Hopefully we'll make a decision soon," says CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler. "We're in talks with Drew, but it would be stupid for us not to be in talks in Drew."

Carey is already set to host a prime-time game show on CBS called "Power of 10" that premieres next month. Tassler declines to discuss other possible hosts because "it wouldn't be fair to other people in the search," since Barker has "the biggest shoes in Hollywood to fill."

Barker steeped down in June after a run that dated back to 1972. CBS is currently showing reruns. The first episodes with a new host are set for broadcast in September. Read the whole story...

Overture Films has tapped Omnicom's PHD as its media agency for an account that could run to $80 million to $100 million in the next year. The unit of Liberty Media is just 6-months-old and plans to develop, produce, acquire and distribute movies worldwide.

Among its projects are "Righteous Kill," starring Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino, while the studio will start shooting "Last Chance Harvey," starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson this fall.

"Our goal is to offer our filmmakers a fresh approach to marketing and media," says said Elana Sulzer, senior vice president-media at Overture. "In PHD, we have found an innovative partner with a strong strategic sense." Indeed, the shop is well-regarded for its work on other entertainment accounts, including HBO and Discovery Networks. Read the whole story...