Boston PBS Show Offers Provocative Commentary by David Goetzl

Those lucky enough to live in the Boston area and receive PBS station WGBH are afforded the chance to watch "Beat the Press" each week. Those living elsewhere should check out the podcast or clips on the show's Web site. Each week, a panel offers commentary in the vein of CNN's "Reliable Sources" about matters of the media's reporting, ethics and judgment. Advertising issues sometimes creep in as was the case last week in a discussion about TLC's "All-American Muslim." The most provocative topic also involved Islam: would Tim Tebow's public expressions about his religious pride go over so well ...Read the whole story

New Year, New Realities: Selling Recovery TV by Alison Hill

As the New Year approaches, many of us are thinking about how to lead cleaner, healthier lives. Some of us may even take that thought right onto reality television. ...More

  • Set-Top-Box Lexicon: Commercial Avoidance by Jane Clarke

    DVR penetration is approaching critical mass. A large part of the hand-wringing over DVR roll-out is the fear of increased opportunities for consumer commercial avoidance. In the past, viewers could avoid ads by multitasking, muting via their remote or even leaving the room. Now, with relative ease, viewers can use their DVRs to skip commercials by fast-forwarding through them in trick play (Set-Top-Box Lexicon: Trick Play) mode. Not all trick play is commercial avoidance, but the ease and facility of the DVR trick-play capability arguably contributes to it. Here are some terms and definitions concerning commercial avoidance: ...More

  • Ad Agency Big Fuel Makes Cat Videos for Humane Society in CatVent by Daisy Whitney

    If you're working today, you probably need an online video pick-me-up, rather than more stats, research or news on this fabulous and fast-growing sector of the digital ad economy. And what better form for said spirits-booster to come in than a cat video? As readers may know, cat videos are - paws down - my favorite Web videos. Plus, this one has an ad angle. The social media ad agency Big Fuel Communications, known for its work on behalf of Bravo, GM, Clorox and others, partnered with the Humane Society of NY to create a cat video calendar. ...More