MAYBE SIX SIGMA IS A GOOD THING, AFTER ALL? - The only one to come out of Thursday's NUDG meeting looking really smart was NBC, which took a pass on the whole affair. Officially, NBC said it was because of the timing of the meeting, coming just on the cusp of 2004-05 upfront sales negotiations, but we think the peacock network may simply have known how things were going to turn out and decided it was better not to be involved in the first place.

HAS FOX BEEN COUNTING THEM IN? -- In an ironic turn of events, News Corp.'s Fox TV unit is now being accused of statistical bias against people of color.

APPARENTLY, THEY DON'T WANT NIELSEN TO COUNT THEM IN, EITHER -- After complaining that Nielsen's local New York people meter system under- represented viewers of color - that's African Americans and Hispanic Americans, not necessarily people who use a color TV - Don't Count Us Out is taking a new tack. Claiming that Nielsen's plans to add "more people to the system will not fix the problem," Paul Williams, president of 100 Black Men of New York went on to assert, "It's a further indication that Nielsen has no clue how to accurately measure African-American television viewership.

A BIG IDEA, OR JUST THINKING SMALL - "Have you ever thought about what it is when you have a thought?" Normally, the Riff would have to answer that question with an honest, "no." But hearing it raised this morning during the Advertising Research Foundation's annual conference in New York made us think.

WEATHER CHANNEL ROCKS - One of the Riff's diversions during the upfront season is trying to figure out the connection between the musicians who perform at the upfront presentations and the networks who sponsor them.

FEARLESS LEADERS INSPIRING, GUESS WHAT, FEAR - We always knew that digital was giving analog a run for the money, but based on comments being made by government leaders this week, we're beginning to wonder if the situation isn't reaching some kind of tipping point. First the nation's media- commander-in-chief spooks the broadcast industry with his not-so- cheery "adapt, evolve or die" pep talk during the National Association of Broadcasters conference in Las Vegas, then U.

WHO'S THE NEXT RENETTA McCANN? DAVID VERKLIN? DAVID MARANS? - The really cool thing about having covered the media business so long is that the Riff got to know so many big shots before they shot up. We remember meeting a young Hal Riney & Partners media director by the name of David Verklin and pegging him as a "rising star" right off the bat.

HAS THE SUN SET ON NETWORK EVENING NEWS? - It may just be a coincidence that the same week Tom Brokaw announces plans to retire as anchor of the "NBC Nightly News" the researchers at Ball State University have unleashed a new study showing the dramatic migration from network evening news to other news dayparts, especially early morning news shows, but we think Tom may have seen something coming. "Morning television news programs are growing more popular with viewers, possibly signaling the end to the dominance of early evening newscasts," concludes the Ball State study, which was conducted as part …

STAND AND DELIVER -- Arthur Anderson knows how to deliver a good speech. Especially if it's about deliverables.

AEGIS, WPP TAKE A BITE OUT OF MEDIA MARKET SHARES -- The U.S. accounted for 44 percent of worldwide media billings among the top 12 media networks in 2003, according to estimates released today by The RECMA Report.