Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising continues to be controversial. On the Friday before the Fourth of July Congressional recess, Senate Majority Leader (and noted heart surgeon), Bill Frist (R-TN) took to the floor and called for a two- year moratorium on advertising of any newly approved DTC drug products. Senator Frist stated that this moratorium was necessary among other reasons because "...drug advertisements are fuel to America's skyrocketing prescription drug costs." In addition, Senator Frist called for pre-approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of all DTC advertising.

The American Legacy Foundation today hailed a Delaware judge's decision as a victory in its legal fight over whether its Truth anti-tobacco ad campaign has "vilified" tobacco companies.

The American operations of a leading British agency, Bartle Bogle Hegarty, will for the first time be led by an American. Advertising people, where do they get their clever ideas?

Jim Robbins is shaking up the status quo once more before he retires from the helm of Atlanta-based Cox Communications at year's end. He is pursuing an industrywide wireless alliance to transport cable's bundled services outside the home and placing retransmission reform back on the Washington agenda. "The one thing I want to accomplish before I retire, if I can, is a wireless deal for the industry," Robbins said in an interview.

After drawing a near record-low audience last year, the organizers of the Emmy Awards are plotting a 20-minute commercial to be shown in-flight on United Airlines to help reverse a dramatic ratings slide.

Men's fashion has hit a new low - and it's really, really low. An ad for the Dolce & Gabbana fall men's line featuring extremely low-riding jeans - nicknamed "pubic pants" by the fashion press - is an attention grabber, even in New York.

The idea of a presenting sponsor taking ownership of a media channel is not new. As a tactic it enjoyed its broadcast heyday between 1930 and 1960, and has popped up periodically across all media ever since. Still, as I flicked through the August 22 issue of the New Yorker it dawned on me that it's time is now. As many will have read, that New Yorker issue had only one advertiser. Retail giant Target, abetted by Hayworth Marketing & Media and Peterson Milla Hooks, bought every ad site in the issue and then populated those spaces with exclusive images …

Looking to buy a live read ad on Howard Stern's Sirius Satellite Radio show? Be prepared to shell out about the same as what advertisers pay for his current radio program -- for a considerably smaller audience.

It was impossible not to snicker a little at the notion of Al Gore creating a hip, youth-oriented cable network, and sure enough, Current TV is at first glance a punch line: MTV without the music. But after only three weeks, Current is not a joke. It actually lives up to its billing as a slick, commercial cable network that gives its audience a voice in the programming. The advertising reflects the network's target audience: Sony gear, sneakers and L'Oréal hair products. CBS and other network evening news broadcasts are bracketed by commercials for Cialis or rheumatism pills. Current has …

Thirty days hath September, but that may not be enough time to look through the month's advertising-stuffed magazines. Marketers of products like apparel and cosmetics, which seek to reach consumers as the fall fashions begin to appear, have been joined by automakers, whose new-model years begin Oct. 1; retailers, hoping to stimulate demand ahead of the holiday season; sellers of products like sneakers and video games, sponsoring promotions tied to National Football League games; and marketers of children's merchandise, taking aim at parents as school starts.