The prospect of a television channel entirely devoted to gay programs for gay people may strike some as unnecessary and others as a sign of immoral times. Media giant Viacom thinks there's money in it. Logo, launching on Thursday under the MTV Networks umbrella, is not the first channel to target gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, but it is the most widely available, on cable boxes in 10 million homes.

This week, the New York Times ran an article discussing the American Medical Association's (AMA) decision to study drug advertising and its effects on consumers. In the article, I was quoted noting that, "Somewhere between 24 and 30 million people have gone to their doctor to talk about a health problem they had never discussed before after seeing a prescription drug ad." More importantly, many of these patients are going to their doctors to discuss critical health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.

At Advertising Week 2005 there will be less Ronald McDonald and more return on investment chat. After some industry executives criticized last year's event for lacking a clear mission and focusing too heavily on advertising's famous icons --a symbol of the industry's past, not the future, they said -- one of the first things year's planning committee did was draft a mission statement.

Advertising spending will hit $145.3 billion this year, according to a TNS Media Intelligence forecast presented at the annual AdWatch conference in Manhattan this morning.

Advertising conglomerate Interpublic Group on Tuesday said Chief Financial Officer Robert Thompson has decided to step down from his post after the company determined it needed "new financial leadership."

Wal-Mart heir John T. Walton, who threw his considerable financial support behind efforts to educate low-income children, has died in the crash of a homemade, experimental aircraft. Walton, one of three sons of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton and a member of the company's board, was a major advocate of school vouchers, supporting efforts to create taxpayer-funded ways for students to attend private schools.

Hummer is a brand comfortable with its skin, or sheet metal, as it were. And it knows exactly who buys its trucks. Typically, Hummer buyers have not been pragmatists on a tight budget. Practicality and value, after all, have never been part of Hummer's appeal. The problem with aiming at such a narrow demographic, Hummer has learned, is that you can sell only so many $50,000 supersize sport utility vehicles. So last month, Hummer introduced the H3, a squatter, scaled-down version of its top-selling H2. The H3 is being billed as the Hummer for people and pocketbooks of all sizes.

Marketers will always have an affinity for print advertising. It's one of our most valuable targeting and reach-extending media. It has shelf life, and it's extraordinary in its ability to match the advertising message with the editorial content. However, the media landscape has evolved - and continues to evolve with lightening speed. For print to remain competitive within our marketing mix, we offer 10 "pleas" to get the print industry to the head of the class. The following were presented at the June 16 ANA Print Advertising Forum held at the Grand Hyatt in New York City:

One of the advertising business' hottest creative shops is heading to Madison Avenue, years after the industry largely abandoned the famed street as its power base. Strawberry Frog ? one of a new breed of independent shops that is challenging more established rivals ? is packing up its 25-person office in the Meatpacking District and moving to 60 Madison Ave.

Who doesn't love a wedding? For that reason, Anheuser-Busch Cos. is inviting Budweiser drinkers to the New Line Cinema comedy "Wedding Crashers," which opens nationwide July 15. Besides placing Budweiser in the movie, the St. Louis brewer will roll out two television spots that use clips from the movie, something A-B hasn't done for a promotion since "Backdraft" in 1991.