In 1898, the Southern Pacific Railroad opened new routes to California and needed to change the state's image from a place to get rich quick to a one more family-oriented. So the railroad started Sunset magazine, filled with pictures of wonders like Yosemite and picturesque streets of Los Angeles. Now, the 108-year-old monthly wants to capture the West again and will undergo a makeover to build awareness of the brand while slicing its rate base to push a higher-end image to advertisers. It will also go from saddle stitch to perfect-bound, and adopt a wider trim size and …

An environmental group has borrowed Victoria's Secret own tactics --using ads with models wearing little but angel wings--to coax the company not to print catalogues on paper manufactured from endangered forests. The deal between Limited Brands, the parent company of Victoria's Secret, and ForestEthics is a triumph in a high-profile campaign by environmentalists to encourage the catalogue industry to use recycled paper. Limited sends out more than 350 million Victoria's Secret catalogues a year and has promised to stop buying from a Alberta pulp mill that logs in Canadian boreal forests. This comes after ForestEthics went after …

Consumer groups are now urging the Food and Drug Administration to step up its oversight of food marketing. With health-related claims for water, teas and food products on the rise, the groups told the FDA that its system of examining ad claims is outdated, broken and illogical. Consumers are not getting the information they need. The FDA is "creating increasing legal uncertainty," says Michael Ruggio, an attorney for the American Association for Health Freedom/Alliance for Natural Health. "A new regulatory framework is urgently needed." Both the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Institute of Food …

The Federal Communications Commission claims that broadcasters have "only limited First Amendment protection" and that it gave the industry notice it would change its policy on swear words as it tries to defend its profanity findings against cursing in Fox's Billboard Music Awards --and the underpinnings of its entire "indecency" enforcement approach. The defense comes in its filing to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals of a brief that responds to a broadcaster challenge of four profanity rulings issued last March. The FCC insists that the Pacifica case--more commonly known as the "seven dirty words"--that once upheld its …

In yet another sign we are becoming a nation of oldsters, AARP The Magazine's readership jumped 7% to reach 29.9 million adults--or 14% of the entire adult populaton of the U.S., according to the fall 2006 MRI report. The book is also up 3.4% in household income to $53,453, while home value rose 13% to $277,038. The 50-59 age-segmented edition, which reaches over 12.5 million readers, has a household income of $70,106. The magazine thus holds on to its No. 1 position for the third year in a row for "read in home," often considered the metric that …

ESPN will buy cable channel NASN as it tries to broadcast more American sporting events in Europe. The channel, based in London and also known as the North American Sports Network, is currently the only European net dedicated to North American sports. ESPN is majority-owned by Disney's ABC, and the deal will allow the parent to expand ESPN in Europe, now limited to its ESPN Classic channel, a soccer Web site and a business that sells some sports shows to other European networks. "Growing our business in Europe is a key strategic initiative for us," says …

Along with the Federal Communication Commission's two Democrats, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) has asked FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to ensure the commission completes "localism" proceedings--including more meetings--and issues a public report before rewriting media ownership rules. Though Martin said after the media-ownership review was launched June 21 that he would incorporate the localism proceeding "fully" into the record, many legislators worry that only includes comments submitted to date. "Folding the comments or any part of the inquiry into the media ownership proceeding simply is not sufficient to thoroughly address the important issues that need to be …

If the Oxygen Network claims its mission is to bring women edgy and innovative entertainment, why is the network putting on bad shows like "The Bad Girls Club?" The program is a waste of time and tape that, to paraphrase the film "Billy Madison," makes "us all dumber for having watched it." A reality show in name only, the program is a cross between "Fear Factor" and the worst seasons of "The Real World" and traffics in ugly stereotypes. The tired clichés of party girls in crisis simply insults the intelligence. The endless shots of bikini-clad …

NBC News' experiment with more stories and fewer ads seems to have been an initial success. The networks evening news broadcast saw a ratings boost for its single-sponsor experiment. On Monday night, "NBC Nightly News" was watched by 10.33 million people, up 800,000 from its November average and well atop newscasts on ABC and CBS. The show was sponsored by a single advertiser--Phillips--and only two short commercials were shown during the 30-minute newscast. That let NBC feature longer stories, and garner thousands of supportive emails. On Tuesday night's show, anchor Brian Williams said he hoped …

Some advertising contributes to many problems kids face, from obesity to anorexia to having sex too soon--and Congress should crack down on it, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The medical group has issued a new policy statement in response to what it sees as a rising tide of advertising aimed at children and suggestions to limit ads. "Young people view more than 40,000 ads per year on television alone and increasingly are being exposed to advertising on the Internet, in magazines and in schools," reads the statement. Examples cited include TV spots for sugary breakfast …