The worsening condition and subsequent death of Pope John Paul II forced the producers of the smash hit "Desperate Housewives" to quickly edit out a reference to Catholics in Sunday night's episode. While it would have been hard for anyone to find the line offensive (nor did it mock Catholics), ABC officials and the producers agreed it was better left out.

The new Sony PlayStation Portable handheld device is an extension of the same imperative on viewer choice that has led to the popularity of digital video recorders, according to Comcast Communications Chief Executive Brian Roberts. "There's going to be a very huge proportion of viewers that isn't watching [TV programming] live, and the industry is going to have to work together to find ways to deal with that," said Roberts, speaking during a panel discussion at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association National Show Monday in San Francisco.

For Bob Schieffer, the interim anchor of the "CBS Evening News" since March 10, no viewer's opinion has been more important than that of Leslie Moonves, the chairman of CBS and co-president of its parent company, Viacom. It was Mr. Moonves who told a gathering of television critics in January that he wanted the permanent successor to the "CBS Evening News With Dan Rather" - whatever form it ultimately takes - to avoid the "voice of God" tone that, he said, had long characterized the network evening newscasts.

An Australian who opened a boutique creative agency in China and found fast success in Asia before expanding to Europe is now hoping to persuade Americans to buy more chocolate snacks from Mars. The game of advertising geography being played by the Australian, Chris Clarke, and his agency, Nitro, is indicative of a trend that is rapidly remaking Madison Avenue. Giant marketers like Mars, Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola and Unilever are increasingly bypassing their giant agencies to award assignments to smaller, presumably nimbler, independent shops that specialize in nontraditional creative ideas.

All You, a 6-month-old magazine from Time Inc. sold only in Wal-Mart stores, is literally helping advertisers place products in the hands of consumers. The monthly, which offers practical tips for the value-conscious woman, has created a six-hour event April 9 called "Your Fresh Start for Spring." The promotion will have 2,000 All You brand ambassadors staff tables at 1,000 Wal-Mart Supercenters nationwide to educate customers about the value of the All You sponsor brands to help make an easy transition to spring.

While the networks went live with extensive coverage of the death of Pope John Paul II yesterday, CBS had to bounce away from the historic event to meet its contract for the NCAA basketball tournament. CBS News broke in shortly before 3 p.m. - as did its rivals - to announce the Pope's passing.But just 30 minutes later, CBS pulled out to carry 2-1/2 hours of a pregame show before the 6 p.m. contest between Illinois and Louisville.

Cable television will incorporate an increasing number of Internet features such as music downloads, video games and instant messaging over the next several years. That was the theme at the cable industry's annual meeting, which began Sunday in San Francisco.

Ted Koppel, who during a quarter-century as the host of "Nightline" on ABC has provided a hard-news alternative to the monologues and banter of Johnny Carson, Jay Leno and David Letterman, will leave the network when his contract expires in early December, ABC News announced yesterday.

The cornerstone principle that underscores all marketing is commercial free speech. When commercial messages for legal products are truthful and non-deceptive, marketers should be completely free to market their products and services unencumbered by government regulation - or the threat of such regulation.

A veteran cable TV programmer has been hired to breathe new life into the Lifetime cable channel. Betty Cohen, who helped launch the Cartoon Network, on Thursday was named president and chief executive of Lifetime Entertainment Services, which operates women-oriented channels owned jointly by Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. and Hearst Corp. of New York.