MTV has long prospered because it looked like what a network would be if a 16-year-old were doing the programming. But the channel is now trying to make its way in a multiplatform world and the velocity of change has left it "occasionally looking as if were being programmed by an 83-year-old - namely Sumner Redstone." At 25 years, MTV is suffering a decline in both ratings and cachet; finding the edge was easier before competition from video games, social-networking Web sites and amateur online video clips. Being the coolest thing on television is a feat, but not …

ABC and Jimmy Kimmel are close to a contract extension that would keep the network's late-night star past the 2009 season -- just when NBC's Conan O'Brien is scheduled to take over from Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show." The deal means ABC is upping its bet on Kimmel, whose ratings are up double digits in both adults 18-49 and total viewers season-to-date. "We all feel like we're growing this thing," says ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson. "He wants us to bet on him, and we want to bet on him, so now we are moving forward." …

One of the best known icons in advertising, the Aflac duck, is about to clipped -- even though it has an 85% brand awareness level and has firmly made it way into pop culture. Jeff Herbert, the company's first CMO and a longtime package-goods marketer, wants the duck, created by Kaplan Thaler Group, New York, to be less visible so he can focus marketing on what the company actually does: sell supplemental insurance. "Our industry is a difficult one for the average consumer to understand," Herbert says, "We want to move our brand from being known …

Mitt Romney will air the first presidential campaign ad from a major contender this week in an attempt to introduce himself to voters in several early primary states. The 60-second spot describes the former Massachusetts governor as a "business legend" who "rescued the Olympics" and "turned around a Democratic state." Romney, who declined to run for reelection in the Bay State when facing almost certain defeat, says in the ad: "This is not a time for more talk and dithering in Washington. It's a time for action." The spot will air Wednesday in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, …

Energizer Holdings has tapped Mediaedge:cia for its $115 million media-buying and -planning business in North America. The move ended a review launched last fall when the company decided to consolidate its account at one agency. Previously, Energizer split the business between Omnicom Group's PhD, which bought media for batteries, and Aegis Group's Carat and Vizeum agencies. Carat was the media buyer on Schick razors, while Vizeum did the planning. Now, Mediaedge will buy and plan media for both divisions. "The consolidation of the batteries and blades media planning and buying in North America reflects our ongoing commitment to …

Rupert Murdoch says his new Fox Business Channel will be "more business-friendly" than CNBC, turning back to a political tactic he used in launching Fox News Channel a decade ago, i.e. trying to define the opposition. Shortly after Murdoch's statement, Fox News business anchor Neil Cavuto claimed, "we're going to be a channel for America -- not for old white men with money." Roger Ailes, chairman and chief executive for Fox News, tells The New York Times he sees things on CNBC where they aren't as friendly to corporations and profits as they should be. "We …

ABC has sold out the Feb. 25 telecast of the Academy Awards. And although the alphabet network would not reveal what they are charging, insiders say 30-second spots were going for around $1.7 million. This year's advertisers include AT&T, Bank of America, Coca Cola, General Motors, JCPenney, Kodak, L'Oreal, MasterCard, McDonald's and Microsoft. Last year, the show garnered an 18-49 demographic rating of 13.9 and a 33 share, with the overall audience averaging 39 million viewers. ABC says it was also the highest-rated telecast in 18-49; with viewers who earn over $100,000 annually; college graduates; and among those …

After initially sticking with its decision, Volkswagen pulled an ad Thursday that features a distraught man standing on the ledge of a tall building when suicide prevention groups objected. In the spot, which broke on network TV Monday, the fellow eventually decides not to jump after finding out that Volkswagen offers three vehicles for less than $17,000. "While our current ad campaign is all about the optimism inherent to the Volkswagen brand, sensitivity is also a key element. With that sensitivity in mind, we have withdrawn this television spot," says Volkswagen spokesman Keith Price. It is …

A top MSNBC franchise is locked in place for at least four more years as "Countdown" host Keith Olbermann and NBC News have agreed to a contract extension through 2011. "It is obviously an incredibly important franchise for us," says NBC News President Steve Capus. "It is something that has really put MSNBC back on the map." In addition to his nightly newscast/talkfest, Olbermann will contribute occasional "essays" to the "Nightly News with Brian Williams" and host two "Countdown" specials a year on the Peacock Network. Those essays will be different from his "special comments," which …

It wasn't a scare tactic, but the guerilla-marketing devices for Aqua Teen Hunger Force caused panic in Boston on Jan. 31. In an exclusive interview, Sam Ewen, founder of Interference Inc., the New York marketing agency hired to create and execute the program, says signs were supposed to turn on at night and turn off during the day. Plus, the "making of" video posted on YouTube was not part the campaign. It just chronicled the work for the client, Turner Broadcasting Co.'s Cartoon Network. Ewen says the campaign had been up in several markets for weeks without causing alarm. …