Toyota Motor Corp. has pulled all advertising from FX's popular--and sexually provocative--"Nip/Tuck," according to a letter from the giant automaker addressed to the advocacy group Parents Television Council. PTC had mounted an aggressive letter-writing campaign in which it asked the show's sponsors to drop their support because "Nip/Tuck" was fueled by too much sex and violence. According to PTC's executive director, his group has successfully persuaded "dozens" of advertisers to abandon "Nip/Tuck" since its debut in 2003. A Toyota spokesperson, speaking to the Los Angeles Times, said the decision to drop the popular FX program was based on several factors, …

MSNBC anchorman Keith Olbermann, unloved by many, even at his own cable channel, has finally received a rave. SFGate.com's Tim Goodman has gone to bat in a big way for the curmudgeonly Olbermann, writing in his column that the "Countdown" host has "always been a bit of a misunderstood visionary on television. Part journalist, part comic, equal parts dry, silly, skepical and angry, there has been no traditional role for him and thus he has either been an outcast or a noble failure" for much of his on-air career. Citing the various problems that have beset TV news in recent …

In a move that is more surprising than a mid-winter hurricane, perpetually dyspeptic stand-up comic Lewis Black has signed with The Weather Channel as a nighttime contributor of meteorological shtick. Perhaps best known for his frequent rants on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," Black will appear on TWC late Wednesday nights on "Evening Edition with Dave Schwartz." He says he's already taped "five or six" two-minute segments. By signing diatribist Black, TWC is hoping to insert some offbeat levity into its overly familiar storm-clouds-are-overhead mix of news and information. E! Online says Black got the gig because, in his view, …

One of the concerns that might have been raised by yesterday's announcement that viewers will be able to purchase brand-new television programming for as little as 99 cents per episode--the fear among Hollywood studios that widespread copying would devalue the value of their intellectual property--will be somewhat allayed by the disclosure that invisible watermarks will be imbedded in the shows to help studios trace illegal copies to their source. Widevine, a Seattle-based company that owns the watermark technology, said it is working with four major cable operators: Comcast, Cox, Charter, and Adelphia. According to an Associated Press report, the watermarks …

Liberty Media Corp., the cable-TV company headed by John Malone, has chosen its next chief executive. He will be 45-year-old Gregory Maffei, the departing co-president of Oracle Corp. Maffei, a onetime Microsoft finance chief, will join Liberty as CEO-elect until next spring, at which time he will be named CEO and president, according to the Wall Street Journal. The announcement of Maffei's hiring came against the backdrop of news that Liberty had posted a third-quarter loss of $94 million despite a rise in sales. The net loss was 3 cents a share, after net income of $372 million, or 13 …

The four syndicated first-run game shows all hit season highs in the national ratings for the week ending Oct. 30, although they were down from this time a year ago. King World's long-time money-maker, "Wheel of Fortune," improved by 5 percent for the ratings period, but it was down 8 percent from a year ago. The company's "Jeopardy!" was up 3 pecent, but down 26 percent from the year-ago period. Why such a sharp fall-off for the "Jeopardy!" franchise? Last year, you may recall, the program was in the thick of a national phenomenon--the unprecedented Ken Jennings winning streak. The …

In yet the latest sign that once-formidable newspapers are struggling to remain vital, the Plain Dealer, Cleveland's dominant paper, announced today that it will drop its self-published Sunday Magazine. The last edition will be bundled with the Dec. 18th newspaper. "While we are saddened to see this high-quality section cease publication, we must employ our resources to maximum advantage," said Plain Dealer editor Doug Clifton. The paper said it would continue to include Parade magazine with its Sunday edition. According to a report by Cleveland.com, "Clifton said Sunday magazines used to be a regular feature of most metropolitan newspapers. However, …

XM Satellite Radio, looking for ways to differentiate itself from rival Sirius in the hypercompetitive and fast-developing satellite radio business, announced that it is working on a concept that would show drivers the number of spaces available at a parking lot through a vehicle's onboard navigation system. XM is cooperating with two companies in the development of the technology, which it announced yesterday at the ITS America World Congress, an auto-industry event, according to Edmunds.com. While no mention was made of advertising opportunities, the so-called Dynamic Parking Information system, if launched by XM, would ostensibly help it retain its leadership …

Demonstrating that a star's reputation with his public--and thus his underlying commercial value--can only take so much of a hit before he recognizes the damage being done to his career, Tom Cruise has finally decided to ditch his sister as his personal publicist. According to The New York Times, Cruise this week fired Lee Anne DeVette and replaced her with Paul Bloch, one of the industry's most respected veteran personal publicists. Under DeVette's management, Cruise was brutalized in the press both for his relationship with actress Katie Holmes and his avid advocacy of Scientology, particularly its views concerning psychiatry and …

In yet the latest evidence that broadcasters are thinking imaginatively--some might say desperately--about ways to reach viewers, CBS and NBC yesterday said they would allow individuals to order episodes of some of their top series for 99 cents each. CBS' deal is with Comcast Corp., the country's largest cable-TV provider, while NBC has signed with News Corp.'s DirecTV, a satellite provider. The announcements represent a significant shift away from the traditional TV prime-time model, an acknowledgement that technology is not only making time-shifting possible but also, increasingly, an option that *must* be offered audiences. Speaking about the CBS pact, Brian …