In what could be one of the biggest TV deals of the year, "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry has signed a four-year, eight-figure pact with ABC Television Studio. The agreement, which keeps Cherry on board until May 2011, will ensure creative continuity for the hit show in its seventh season. The studio has also made deals with all key members of the cast, which will keep them around at least as long as Cherry. While neither the studio nor Cherry's people would comment on financial particulars, it is believed the pact exceeds the $15 million, 3½-year deal …

Gambling giant Harrah's Entertainment is changing its ad policies for the World Series of Poker, given the shift in the legal and political landscape. Specifically, it will bar advertising from all online gambling sites that still accept bets from U.S. customers. Gary Thompson, a spokesman for the WSOP, notes the company is licensed in more than a dozen jurisdictions in the United States and abroad and has to follow the guidance of federal law and state gambling regulations in conducting its business. "In this regard, the 2007 World Series of Poker venue will not contain advertising from …

After failing to secure a $25 million cash infusion, start-up TV-ratings firm erinMedia has laid off most of its workers, while it continues fighting a legal battle with Nielsen Media Research. erinMedia blames Nielsen Media's move to start a separate unit to process viewing data from set-tops for having "chilled" its efforts to get financing and find partners, as it follows a similar set-top strategy. Earlier this month, there was news that a Boston-based consortium led by Spark Capital was ready to provide support and up to $25 million in capital to erinMedia. But when Nielsen …

The Weather Channel is pushing new research it says shows that a combination of ads on its cable network and Web site lead to higher recall than those of other networks. As part of its upfront pitch, Weather Channel has worked with media buyer OMD on a study on ad recall by research company ASI. But unlike past studies, this one looks at both cable and the Web to measure their combined effectiveness. It found that ads on Weather Channel were recalled by 19 percent of consumers participating in the study, compared to 14 percent for USA Network and 14 …

Media buyers have long groused about placing national clients in local newspapers, since those clients are usually charged more than local advertisers -- by as much as 30%. And while that national premium is not going away, at least on paper, it is being severely trimmed. Over time, it could eventually disappear. Papers in major markets are seeing the premiums negotiated down under pressure from media buyers concerned about big drops in circulation and by the rise of new competitors in their markets. "Newspaper advertising prices are increasingly being determined by negotiations between the newspaper and agency or …

A new ad campaign tagged "Volunteering is Sexy" for a nonprofit backed by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newson and launched by his former campaign manager Alex Tourk is raising some eyebrows. While the media push for San Francisco Connect has been in the works for months, it was created with the help of Tourk, who recently resigned after learning that the mayor was sleeping with his wife. Newsom fessed up to the dalliance this month, then said he had a drinking problem. In December, at a meeting held for SF Connect supporters and donors, Newsom …

A study from the University of Missouri has found that newspapers are underspending on newsgathering activities, while overspending on circulation and advertising. And researchers analyzing financial data of small to medium-size newspapers with a circulation of 85,000 or less found that news quality most directly affects the bottom line. That assessment was made using a mathematical formula that breaks down revenue and expenditures from news, advertising and circulation departments, then predicts profitability. Esther Thorson, a professor of advertising and associate dean for graduate studies at the School of Journalism and one of the study's leaders, also notes …

Maytag is looking for a new repairman -- and about 200 men recently auditioned to take on the cap and uniform of the iconic advertising character. In an open casting call Tuesday, one husky salesman sang "One Is the Loneliest Number" to an imaginary washer and dryer, while a hospital worker tried to fit the cap over his dreadlocks and a young actor talked to an appliance like it was an underappreciated wife. Clearly, the next Maytag Repairman is going to look different from the older fellows with hangdog expressions. Whirlpool bought the brand last year, and …

John Deere & Co. has bid adieu to Interpublic's DraftFCB and is launching a review of its ad account. FCB, Chicago, has been creative agency for Deere since 2000, while Draft came onboard in 2004. The shop will not participate in the review, which is being handled by consultancy Hasan & Co. in Raleigh, N.C. Deere is looking for an agency to handle national brand strategy, creative and direct-response advertising for its commercial- and consumer-equipment division. Spending for that unit is about half of the company's total media budget of $40 million. A final decision is expected …

There are a lot of people that don't like advertising very much -- and they will do whatever it takes to get away from it, according to a recent study by Microsoft and Starcom. Said report, tabbed "Lifestyles of the Ad Averse," finds that 10% to 15% of adults 17-35 fall into the "ad avoiders" category. After a series of interview and observation sessions with dozens of self-proclaimed avoiders in Denver and New York, the study found they fall into two types: Passive avoiders who can't be bothered with ads, and active avoiders, hose who say "be good …