It wasn't enough that The News Herald in Panama City, Fla. had to endure Hurricane Ivan ramming into the Gulf Coast last night. The daily paper also felt the wrath of one of 12 tornadoes that swept through the county, ripping up trees and causing havoc in its own parking lot.

George J. Mitchell has privately complained to friends for months about the demands of being Walt Disney Co. chairman.

Fox has picked up an untitled drama about a small-town Midwestern family that is uprooted when the mother wins a seat in the U.S. Senate.

The last big batch of commercials from Royal Philips Electronics memorably showed, among other things, a stylish couple watching a thin plasma-screen television installed on their ceiling. Having made several acquisitions since then that have bolstered its presence in a variety of areas, Philips wants consumers to see it as much more than home electronics.

A close U.S. presidential race is providing a selective boon in political advertising for media companies, as candidates hone their strategies by state and even city, media buyers and analysts said on Wednesday.

Clear Channel Communications Inc., the nation's leading radio operator, on Thursday moved to strengthen its hold in Hispanic broadcasting with a plan to convert up to 25 stations to Spanish-language programming in the next 12 to 18 months.

When media soothsayers forecast the future of the industry, they mutter about News Corp. and Disney, compare the New York Times Co. and Dow Jones, and squint at Time Warner and Condé Nast. But they hardly ever say a word about a company that could teach all of them a few lessons: E.W. Scripps. With its antique Penny Press name and relatively low profile, Scripps sounds like the kind of company that was gobbled up by William Randolph Hearst in the 1920s. But it's alive and well.

Have you heard about the presentation that agencies are making to automotive clients, encouraging them to spend more? Its title: "Advertise. Because Oprah Can't Give Cars to Everyone."

In an effort to jump-start what is widely perceived as a moribund operation, the Saatchi & Saatchi division of the Publicis Groupe is shaking up its flagship New York office, installing new leadership from without and within on both the administrative and creative sides.

Beginning next month, New York magazine plans to unveil a new look and new features that emphasize its traditional strengths of covering the cultural scene and providing guides to city life.