Stand by for the newest marquee on the media landscape - Rev. Al Communications Inc. Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist turned TV star, has set up his own media company and is in talks with prominent black entrepreneurs and media execs about funding and guiding his burgeoning media biz career, sources close to Sharpton said.

Thirty-year telemarketing industry veteran Jon Hamilton started a company this month based on the idea that, for the foreseeable future, telemarketing will be used best as a permission-based tool -- much like e-mail.

The $2-million drive is lackluster and won't grip African American voters, leaders say.

The WPP Group, the advertising agency company, is considering a possible bid for the Grey Global Group of New York, the last big independent agency company. WPP, based in London, has hired bankers who are scheduled to start due diligence on the company as soon as this week, an executive close to WPP said yesterday.

Gannett Co., the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, said second-quarter earnings rose on strong advertising, including a 15.5 percent hike in advertising sales at USA Today.

The knockout blow in the increasingly nasty conflict between the Fox Network and NBC over competing boxing reality-television shows could be landed by the California State Athletic Commission, which is examining potential rule violations by the producers of the Fox show.

NBC has sued former "Access Hollywood" co-host Pat O'Brien over his new syndicated series, "The Insider."

Abercrombie & Fitch's new magazine has been available since last week in its New York store at the city's South Street Seaport. So far, it doesn't seem to be generating the same kind of buzz for the New Albany, OH, company that the old one did. But maybe things will get racy at tonight's launch party for the magazine, being held at the trendy Gansevoort Hotel in Manhattan's meatpacking district. The retail chain, which reported a same-store sales decrease of 5 percent in June, could use some excitement.

ABC and CBS said on Monday that they planned to broadcast three hours each of the Democratic and Republican conventions in prime time, matching a schedule that NBC announced on Thursday.

Group's effort to spread antiwar message lands in court. Billboard firm denies having 'agenda.'