Ousted Wal-Mart marketing "agent of change" Julie Roehm has fessed up to possibly taking some free food and sitting in one ad agency chief's fancy sports car, but denies rumors that she was sleeping with one her subordinates, who was also run out Bentonville by the retail giant last week. Roehm tells the trade magazine that she did not receive "any gift or gratuity," but is not sure what she had at an event at the posh Nobu restaurant, or who paid for it: "It was one of those hors-d'oeuvre-y things, so I'm not sure exactly what I ate, …

Time Warner Cable is suing DirecTV Group Inc., accusing the company of deceptive trade practices and false advertising regarding the NFL Network. A lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan claims DirecTV lied about the accessibility of football broadcasts in an attempt to grab customers from Time Warner Cable. It seeks unspecified damages and a court order to stop DirecTV from saying that Time Warner Cable subscribers cannot watch their local NFL team play games when DirecTV is showing NFL Network games. "These ads are blatantly false," the lawsuit claims, citing newspaper ads from DirectTV saying that the …

Tom Rubin, the former chairman/CEO of ad placement agency Focus Media has been sentenced to five and half years in the federal pen for stealing as much as $40 million from Sears and Universal Studios' ad accounts. Focus CFO Thomas Sullivan and Geoffrey Mousseau--an attorney who represented them before getting nailed for helping in the scame--were sent up for three and a half years and 21 months, respectively. U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess will also order the convicts to pay restitution to the victims and set a hearing for late January to determine just how much. …

Arnold Worldwide has been named agency of record for Pearle Vision, the Ohio-based eyeglass retailer. While billing were not disclosed, Adweek estimates that the company spends about $12 million a year on ads. "Pearle Vision has been quietly doing something really important for people," says Pete Favat, Arnold's chief creative officer. "We are going to help them be less quiet about it." Arnold, owned by Havas, adds that MPG will handle local media planning and buying services for Pearle.

When MTV Networks launched Logo, a cable channel for gay and lesbian viewers, in 2005, it expected a backlash from the right-wing religious fringe. Many cable operators were reluctant to carry the channel, and only three advertisers signed up as charter sponsors: the travel Web site Orbitz, Subaru and the Paramount film studio, the last already owned by Viacom. But the anticipated backlash never really happened. Instead, Logo has brought gay media out of the closet. The channel will soon reach almost 25 million homes, and MTV Networks has made distribution deals with every major cable operator. And it …

Despite their awful circulation numbers, many newspapers plan to hike their ad rates between 3% and 6% early next year. But unlike in years pass, the increases are apt to be met with strong resistance. Big spenders like Macy's are looking for rate drops in light of falling circulation--and this is especially true from papers like the Los Angeles Times, which saw an 8% circulation slump since rates were last set. "The newspapers want their advertisers to pay higher rates and advertisers want to pay lower rates. It's the oldest game in the newspaper business," says …

While Adidas' new "It takes 5IVE" basketball campaign pushes the value of teamwork over the achievements of the individual, its strategy for growing its basketball business could hurt its sister brand, Reebok International. In its biggest effort ever, Adidas wants to capture a bigger share of the basketball market dominated by Nike. And it is bringing some new weapons to the table--a licensed merchandise deal with the NBA from Reebok and new fashion sneakers designed for each of the 30 NBA teams. But Reebok, and not Nike, could be the biggest loser. Reebok's business is …

The Thanksgiving holidays left many syndicators feeling starved for attention as holiday pre-emptions trashed out ratings scores. While some series, including "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "The Insider," built viewership and touched season-long highs, most syndicated series were down week to week. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" hit a new low and "The Montel Williams Show" posting its worst numbers ever. "Ellen" had a strong week on the back of an appearance by President Bill Clinton on Nov. 21, and the show jumped 5% over the previous week to a season high of 2.2. The only other …

If U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter has his way, the law that allows the National Football League to sign television contracts on behalf of all of its 32 teams will be repealed. The Pennsylvania Republican plans to introduce a bill in the next Congress that would throw out the NFL's antitrust exemption under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. Specter says he isn't alone in his desire to take on the pros: "I think I'll have a lot of company, and that is the football fans of America, who are being gouged," he says. But NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy …

Half a score of companies are looking at the 18 Time Inc. magazine titles that are on the block, and there are some surprising names among them. The biggest may be that U2 lead singer Bono is one. The rock 'n' roller is co-founder and managing director of Elevation Partners, which is thought to be interested in acquiring the Parenting Group, which includes magazines Parenting, Baby Talk and related Web sites. Last summer, Bono and Elevation stunned the investment world when they plunked down a reported $300 million for a 40% stake in Forbes, Inc. To some, the …