SIX DEGREES OF BOB BRENNAN -It's been a while since we checked the Bob Brennan rumor mill, but seeing as it's almost a new year, we were curious about the latest buzz on Brennan's next-new-job prospect. Last we heard, Brennan was up for running a joint venture that would have combined Havas' and Interpublic's media operations.

NIELSEN: IT'S NOT OUR FAULT, IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR - Lately it seems difficult not to find some kind of fault where Nielsen is concerned. But concerning the matter of faults, well, it's not actually so clear where the blame actually lies.

THIS JUST IN -- The personality of television news anchors is a major factor influencing whether U.S.

ALL IN THE FAMILY -- Media agency operating units within the big holding companies boast of their collegiality when pitching, or defending business, but that mutual admiration society apparently dissipates once the business is won, or lost, as winners and losers spin the spoils of media services account reviews. That was apparent this week by the official announcements in two high-profile media reviews: Nestle's global media consolidation, and General Motors' $700 million media consolidation in Europe.

HAS BILL GATES BEEN SEARCHING FOR SOME INSURANCE? -- Is there more to the Riff, er rift, between GEICO and Google? We can't help wondering. Especially now that Warren Buffet has tapped old friend Bill Gates to join the board of Berkshire Hathaway, a company run by Buffet that just so happens to own GEICO.

WARNING! ICEBERG AHEAD - When it comes to the next assault of a new and potentially disruptive medium, observers are apt to use a Titanic metaphor to describe the way planners and buyers deal with the situation. "They're busy rearranging the deck chairs," is how the criticism goes.

NBC REDISCOVERS T-COMMERCE - Talk about the mother of all product placement deals. NBC Universal, which last week announced plans to get jailbait Martha Stewart back on the air this fall, has a new partnership with a company called Delivery Agent.

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO HOUSTON - Arbitron discovered it may not need Nielsen, after all. Well, not the "Nielsen" brand name, anyway.

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO HOUSTON - Arbitron discovered it may not need Nielsen, after all. Well, not the "Nielsen" brand name, anyway.

IT'S TOO BAD NO ONE HAS FOUND A WAY TO RECORD THE NEXT EPISODE OF THE DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDER BUSINESS -- Because then we could fast-forward to find out which of the many predictions about their impact on advertising prove to be most accurate. Meanwhile, two very different pieces of research released this week suggest that despite all the dire predictions about the impact of DVRs, marketers apparently have little to fret about, at least not in the near term.