NBC's research chief needs a lot of diplomatic skills, as he is the man who reviews more than 50,000 commercials, in addition to program content for the net's standards and practices division. "The thing that's challenging is that society is moving, and TV wants to be contemporary. But we have the FCC indecency thing hanging over us, and there's a bit of ambiguity," says Alan Wurtzel. He has also been in the news lately as a key player in the debate over commercial ratings, last month hosting the first commercial-ratings meeting at NBC in conjunction with Mediaedge:cia and urging participants …

In seeking carriage renewals for the Hallmark Channel, Henry Schleiff will stress the value of the baby boomer generation in discussions with cable operators. The former Court TV CEO was just named head of Hallmark parent company, and says the network's challenges are very similar to those he faced at Court TV. At that channel, he built up ratings and carriage, took down its median age, and solidified shaky distribution. Schleiff wants to lower Hallmark's median age, which is in the 60 range, aiming to target the boomer 25-54 group. While most cable networks are courting 18-49s, the older end …

A leading Indian media company has announced a joint venture with its main rival to launch a new English-language daily newspaper for the 20 million people living in and around New Delhi. After decades of competition, New Delhi-based HT Media Ltd., which publishes the Hindustan Times, said it has reached a deal with The Times of India Group to form a 50-50 venture to publish a "new and vibrant newspaper" for the country's capital. The announcement comes in the midst of what the AP called a boom in the media industry, as revenues have been growing more than 20 percent …

CNN is forming a division devoted to event marketing. The new CNN Events unit will be under the ad sales department and will put on panels, conferences and meetings on newsworthy subjects. The events will not be televised on CNN, but the network's reporters and anchors will serve as speakers and moderators. They will be sponsored by advertisers, which will get credit on invitations and at the conferences. First up is the CNN Inspire Summit, sponsored by L'Oréal Paris, which will salute women for achievements in fields like politics, medicine and philanthropy. The launch of CNN Events is "indicative of …

DaimlerChrysler's push for its Compass SUV relies heavily on branded entertainment, including a January syndicated TV show that documents the vehicle's on-the-road music program. An Aspen, Colo.-based film company will document the tour for TV, although the show could actually premiere on the Web, says Jay Kuhnie, Jeep's director of communications. For some time, Jeep has been trying to expand its sales base by luring female consumers, and it makes no exception with the design and marketing of the Compass. "Overall, it will reach outside the normal Jeep audience, with the entry-level price point, articulating speakers built into the …

British daily papers are trying lots of new approaches in an effort to survive and thrive in the current media landscape. Gone are those "gray guarantors of quality"--broadsheet newspapers--in favor of colorful tabloids that bear the familiar names, but are shrunk to fit a world where convenience is king. Yet downsizing is only the most visible of several high-stakes experiments that Britain's mainstream newspapers are trying to stem a circulation decline of more than 10 percent over the last decade. And the dramatic changes make U.S. newspapers look cautious by comparison. Not only have three of the four so-called quality …

Democratic candidates will have to overcome the high cost of TV advertising to win pivotal races in a bid to take over Congress, as they try to pick up 11 House and Senate seats held by Republicans in expensive media markets. At the same time, Republicans are attempting only four takeovers in top markets. That contrast underscores the difficulty of raising enough money to make it happen. In the Philadelphia area--where Democrats are going after House seats held by Republicans Jim Gerlach, Curt Weldon and Michael Fitzpatrick--a typical 30-second ad during a local newscast on a network affiliate costs about …

With Major League Baseball postseason play underway, there will be no repeat World Series champion. The Chicago White Sox did not even make the playoffs. It has been six years since a team won back-to-back World Series, when the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000. In the meantime, the NFL has produced one back-to-back Super Bowl champion, the New England Patriots--and the NBA had three straight by the Los Angeles Lakers. The Yankees look like a good bet to make the Series, and could meet the New York Mets in another Subway Series. But that would …

According to a new commercial, Wal-Mart saves working families an average of $2,300 a year, "which buys a lot of things--and a whole bunch of freedom." So speaks the narrator in "Sam's Dream," a far-from-typical spot from the country's mightiest and most-maligned retailer. The political-style ad actually comes from PR giant Edelman Blue Worldwide, and took an unusual route to the airwaves: It was created without the input or approval of the company's marketing department. Two distinct camps are forming inside the $317 billion retail colossus, with one being the marketing machine aimed at moving the merchandise and the other …

The combo of CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions into a new CBS Television Distribution Group may save CBS Corp. some money, but it could cause some headaches, too. And it may not have much impact on the marketplace. Says one industry watcher: "I've spoken to several executives at the two units and none of them saw this coming. I have to believe this was a move by Les [Moonves, CBS Corp. CEO] to impact the financial bottom line." If most of syndication's top-rated programs will now be under the same roof, so will the ad sales units. …