Fox and CBS are furious at the National Football League's decision to make them declare after the fourth week of games which late-season contests they want to protect from being moved to NBC. After each pick of five games they want to protect over the final eight weeks, NBC gets to pick the games it wants to show on Sunday nights as part of a new "flex-scheduling" plan. The nets say the league is making them choose what their top games will be later in the season--after teams play just a few times. "We're disappointed that the league's guidelines for …

"So hidebound and dimwitted are U.S. newspapers that it's predictable that their idea of breaking all the rules is something U.S. newspapers were doing a century ago," writes Jack Shafer. In this case, that would be running ads on Page One and section fronts, as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal now do, while more are set to follow. But although the placement of ads on the front page hasn't corrupted USA Today, which has long had them, or the European press, some industry ethicists are concerned that they might give advertisers too much power over newspapers. …

Federated Department Stores wants to capture "alpha shoppers" as it converts 400 department stores under the Macy's banner. To do this, it has launched its first national branding campaign, while distancing itself from promotional ads. The aim is to rise above a sales slump that has hurt profits, and to re-emerge as a fashion brand. But there is a question as to whether Macy's can wean from the "coupon shopper," since it is known to rely on cut-out print ads and a multitude of sales. In addition, as shoppers lose some favored department-store brands like Marshall Field's, they may defect …

The fight between celebrity weeklies just became a three-for-all, as the battle of People and Us Weekly has just been joined by In Touch. The Bauer weekly is now the second-largest title in the category, and is coming after top dog People in a big way--at least at the newsstand. The Aug. 21 issue brought In Touch within a few thousand copies--and it might even have overtaken--People as the top newsstand seller, depending on the data. According to some unnamed folks familiar with scan data, People's Aug. 21 issue with the cover story "Before They Were Stars" sold 1.24 million …

Political candidates are touting independence in their ads this election season. In competitive House and Senate races across the land, Democrats and Democratic-leaning groups are on Republicans for taking cash from--and working for--the oil industry, while consumers pay more to fill up. With the majority of Americans holding the GOP-controlled Congress in low regard, Republicans try to present themselves as independent-minded public servants who don't toe the party line. But, in one race, the National Republican Congressional Committee is still running a spot that claims a Democratic victory would lead to higher taxes, greater illegal immigration, and a "cut and …

A writer for right-wing group Accuracy in Media frets that Rupert Murdoch "may be moving left" as he notes that Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and rock star Bono were the featured stars at a recent conference sponsored by the News Corp. founder. The event, says Cliff Kincaid, "confirms our suspicion that Murdoch may be moving left as the 2008 U.S. presidential election approaches, and that he may bring his "conservative" news properties with him." While there were Republicans like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. John McCain in attendance, Kincaid says they are not "identifiable" conservatives. He does concede that …

NBC finally may show some signs of life this year, largely on the back of its new sports offering. The Peacock Network will air "Sunday Night Football," and if it can replicate what ABC has done on Mondays, it would be NBC's biggest hit. Last year, "Monday Night Football" on ABC averaged 16.2 million viewers a week, becoming the 10th-most-watched program in prime time last year. That compares to NBC programs "Crossing Jordan" and "Law and Order: Criminal Intent"--which averaged less than 11 million viewers apiece. "NBC has a lot going for them. The NFL is a proven ratings generator, …

After being ousted as head of Viacom, Tom Freston wants to collect his thoughts before weighing other job offers. The man who built MTV Networks into a global powerhouse is not ready to retire at age 60. "I want to get back in," Freston told the newspaper. "I'm open to anything." There should be plenty of options: Acquaintances and rivals alike say he isn't a man known for "vindictive tantrums," and his reputation as a good manager who knows the youth market could give him an edge in the Internet era. "Tom has built a larger reserve of goodwill than …

Hubbard Media Group and movie producers Harvey and Bob Weinstein are getting ready to relaunch Ovation, The Arts Network, and jump-start its distribution and ad sales. The two are part of a group of investors that purchased Ovation last week for about $50 million. Hubbard has a relationship with DirecTV that could help Ovation quickly increase its 5.3 million subscriber base, while the Weinsteins are expected to offer creative input. They already produce TV shows, such as Bravo's "Project Runway," as well as movies. "Are they our partners because they're going to make all the programs for Ovation? Of course …

The launch of London's third free daily this week is further evidence that the public seems less inclined to pay for a news fix. First came the price wars of the 1980s, when various newspapers cut cover prices in a bid to outsell rivals. But now there are no price wars; instead, it's the battle of the freebie, as two new free newspapers in London go head-to-head for the hearts and minds of the news-reading public. The two are thelondonpaper, published by News Corp., and London Lite, owned by Associated Newspapers. The BBC wonders if this means the end of …