CBS has launched its arguments in a court challenge to its Janet Jackson "Nipplegate" Super Bowl fine, telling the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia that the Federal Communications Commission should go back to a more restrained indecency policy. CBS says the challenge, as well as one it is filing Wednesday in the case of four profanity decisions, is geared to "seeking a return to the FCC's previous time-honored practice of more measured indecency enforcement." CBS says restraint toward fleeting and isolated incidents was "abandoned" after the commission "failed to turn up even a shred of evidence" …

NBC has managed to stanch its ratings bleeding, but the Peacock Newtork now has to find a way to begin replenishing itself with programming. It is up this season in the key adults 18-49 demographic by three-tenths of a rating (to a 3.6) because of the addition of "Sunday Night Football." But NBC would be flat with 18-49s san football. A heavy dose of game shows are working well: "Deal or No Deal"" and the addition of 1 vs. 100." But some media buyers argue that long-term stability needs to come more from scripted shows than unscripted. Only …

The yearly prime-time ad auction by China Central Television drew about 1,000 representatives from Procter and Gamble, Lenovo, Bank of China an other top marketers to bid aggressively in a 13-hour event. CCTV said prime-time ad revenue for next year will hit $860 million, up lamost 16%. With spending of $53.2 million, P & G China topped the list for the fourth year in a row; it remains optimistic about the market, despite the time it had defending its Japanese-made SK II cosmetics after they were found to contain a banned chemical substance. The annual CCTV …

Even the most loyal dog will turn on his master sometimes. That seems to be happening at News Corp. Some employees are angry at Rupert Murdoch for allowing the company to tout O.J. Simpson's new book. Bill O'Reilly is among them, threatening to whack his boss where it hurts--in the wallet. He vows to boycott any company that advertises on Fox's two-part special hyping O.J.'s "If I Did It," and declares "If every American walked away from the O.J. garbage, it wouldn't happen. If any company sponsors the TV program, I will not buy anything that company sells--ever." …

ABC has pulled the plug on a church's "God Gives Hope" ad campaign, saying the message violates its advertising guidelines. The Assemblies of God had reserved space on ABC's Super Sign above Times Square that serves as a backdrop for "Good Morning America," but just hours before the ads were to air, ABC canceled the contract, according to church officials. An ABC spokeswoman says rejecting the ad is consistent with company guidelines. "This is a policy, not of years, but decades, not to take advertising for religion," she ssys. "I can only presume an eager salesman was unaware of …

Along with their prominent placement in "Casino Royale," the new James Bond film, six brands--Heineken, Ford, Smirnoff Vodka, Sony Electronics, Sony Ericsson and Omega watches--have spent more than $100 million on media and other promotional support for the movie, which opened Friday. Some have been partnering with the Bond franchise for decades, since it began integrating brands long before the practice became a hot trend. "Because we're a family business and because we treat everyone like family, we don't like to switch partners," says Keith Snelgrove, senior vice president global business strategy of EON Prods., which is owned by …

Shareholders of Aegis, the largest buyer of ad space in Europe, will gather Wednesday in London to consider a proposal they already rejected six months ago. The meeting was demanded by French investor Vincent Bolloré, the company's largest shareholder, who owns a 29% stake and wants to put two of his people on the board. Aegis, noting that Bolloré also owns a sizable stake in rival Havas--and serves as its chairman--wants nothing to do with his nominees. If those arguments sound familiar, writes Eric Pfanner, "it is because they are exactly the same ones that were made six …

A Norwegian radio station signed up a convicted murderer for an ad campaign in which she warns that if people do not listen to it, "I'll kill you." The radio spot features Veronica Orderud and is running on Oslo radio station P3, touting Mina Hadjian's show. Orderun was one of four people convicted in the 1999 slayings of her husband's parents and sister. The ad was recorded while she was on prison leave. "Hi, this is Veronica Orderud, and I listen to Mina every day. And if you don't, I'll kill you," she says in the ad. …

NBC Universal's new digital czar, Beth Comstock, and her staff are approaching key advertisers with a new proposition: Let the company's digital studios create some of the ads. While NBC executives chafe at the characterization that it will demolish long-standing notions of what separates media companies from ad agencies, the idea has corporate backing. "The next natural place to use the talents of the studio is with marketers and advertisers," says George Kliavkoff, NBC Universal's chief digital officer. As Comstock conceded at a recent international TV conference, everyone must get used to the idea that the media marketplace …

In an interview about what circulation declines at newspapers mean for media buyers, Jouette Travis, an executive vice president and managing director for Carat, notes that there is plenty of media erosion to go around--including network TV, national news magazines, even the Yellow Pages. "But newspapers are rich with content," she says. "It's what still makes them powerful. They control the people who create the content." As far as how the circulation losses affect how advertisers' dollars are spent, a big fundamental is efficiency. If newspapers' overall circulation dropped 2.8%, but some papers lost 8%, they can't …