The storm-battered ship Norwegian Dawn was coming back to New York through gale-force winds to make a scheduled TV shoot for "The Apprentice" - a product placement that cost the cruise company more than $1million, sources said yesterday.

Tom Touchet, executive producer of NBC's "Today," has been relieved of his duties on the top-rated morning show, which has seen its lead erode in a strong challenge by ABC's "Good Morning America."

The city that wants to be known as "the world's second home," to quote a trademark application recently filed by the Bloomberg administration, is about to be inundated by a marketing blitz from a company that promotes itself as "the world's local bank."

The National Football League's Sunday and Monday Night Football rights have been acquired by NBC and ESPN, the organizations announced last night. The total value of the TV deals is estimated at $12.5 billion.

Sumner Redstone has a new wife, a new house, and a plan to divide Viacom. Has he finally found his bliss?

Not with cartoons.

Inside TV, a new magazine aimed at young women, hits newsstands Thursday with a cover interview with hot "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria. The question is: Will all the publicity be enough for a new weekly with a budget price of $1.99 a copy to start to carve its own niche in the booming but increasingly cutthroat celebrity magazine field?

Television's share of global advertising spending is expected to slip by 2007 as more ad dollars are diverted to the Internet, according to an industry forecast released on Monday.

High school detective Veronica Mars is so good at what she does, other students have called her "the human Google." CIA agent Sydney Bristow answers a cell phone that likely has Cingular service. Attorney Kevin Hill has season tickets for the New York Knicks. Rory Gilmore and Larry David drive the environmentally conscious Toyota Prius - David even drives one when he's not playing himself.

The news that Peter Jennings will be absent from "World News Tonight" for an indeterminate period while he is being treated for lung cancer has, at least from a business perspective, had its most profound impact on Mr. Jennings's ultimate boss, David Westin, the president of ABC News.