The upfront is still ahead, but networks are poring over how best to bring assets to the market while agencies fret over measurement issues, from engagement to commercial ratings to the continuing "live plus" ratings debate. Still, even before the program-development slates are out on March 19, many executives suggest a market similar to last year's, when the TV networks brought in around $9.1 billion. But don't expect a fast-moving market, as packages for everything from prime time to online will require more heads at the table. And the biggest issue could well be the ratings the industry …

Jerry Springer will take over hosting duties from Regis Philbin on NBC's summer show "America's Got Talent." Springer last appeared on reality television on ABC's "Dancing With The Stars." Philbin says he steeped down due to difficulties in traveling between New York, where his syndicated show with Kelly Ripa is taped, and Los Angeles, where "Talent" is based. "Unfortunately, since the show is taped in Los Angeles, I underestimated the impact the heavy travel schedule would have on my daily syndicated talk show." "Talent" was the No. 4 summer series among adults 18-49 last year. Like "American Idol," …

ABC was riding high earlier this season with a win in the November sweeps among the 18-49 year-old demographic, but it has hit a rough patch. February was a difficult month for the Alphabet Network as it faced stiff competition from CBS, with the Super Bowl, and Fox, which brought back "American Idol." Making things worse is that ratings for former hit "Lost" have plummeted since the show came back after a long break and in a different time slot. In addition, "Desperate Housewives" is down, and ABC has only two new hits: "Ugly Betty" and "Brothers and …

The Geico "cavemen" are finally getting some respect in the form of a possible television series of their own. ABC says it has ordered a pilot for a comedy, tentatively titled "Cavemen," featuring the same characters used in ads by the insurance company. In those spots, cavemen get insulted by a Geico pitchman's claim that the company's Web site is so easy to use that "even a caveman can do it." The potential series, one of 14 pilots to be produced by Touchstone Television this spring, features them as they "struggle with prejudice on a daily basis …

Signaling that a deal may soon be final, DirecTV has told the federal Communications Commission that a planned exclusive pact with Major League Baseball for out-of-market games could result in "more baseball being available to more fans in a more compelling format." Likening it to deals such as "Sunday Ticket" and "NASCAR Hotpass," the company says its "Extra Innings" package would result in more content and features, while "no one would be denied access." But to see the programming, consumers will have to switch from cable systems and competing satellite operators to DirecTV. If they do, …

Columnist Al Ries loves radio, but always turns it off at the top and bottom of the hour because they are "black holes" with way too many ads. "For every ad that radio stations used to run, it now seems like they run two," he writes, noting there is a link between ad volume and effectiveness and the greater the volume, the less effective any individual spot will be. He notes that magazine readership studies have shown that an ad in a thin issue is more likely to be noticed and read than the same one in a …

Univision grabbed the No. 2 spot among the six major broadcast networks on Thursday, the most competitive night of the week -- and during sweeps, no less. The Spanish-language net pulled off the feat last week among kids 2-11 with its "Premio Lo Nuestro 2007," a Latin music awards show that boosted Univision above all the networks except "American Idol"-fueled Fox. "Premio" pulled a 2.2 rating in the demo, behind Fox's 4.1, but 0.4 ahead of second-place CBS. The show drew more Hispanic kids than the Academy Awards, Emmys, Golden Globes and Grammys combined, while ranking higher …

For contemporaneous coverage, comments and observations of the American Association of Advertising Agencies' Media Conference & Trade Show in Las Vegas this week, periodically click on this special edition of MediaPost Raw.

Heineken USA tapped Berlin Cameron United as lead agency on its Heineken Lager and Heineken Premium Light brands, ending a marathon review that began last summer. The shop was the final contender for the $80 million assignment, following the withdrawal of Wieden + Kennedy this week, when that agency cited "strategic differences" with the client. Berlin was already the incumbent on Heineken Light. Publicis USA's New York office had handled Heineken and Amstel Light since 2003, but was cut from an earlier round of the current review. "Throughout the review process, Berlin Cameron brought to their work a …

The next two episodes of NBC's "30 Rock" may well determine whether the low-rated, but critically acclaimed show will make it to a second season. The show goes on a six-week hiatus after next week's episode, giving the Thursday 9:30 p.m. slot to"Andy Barker, P.I.," before returning in April. These two weeks are key because "Rock" will be up against reruns of competitors "Grey's Anatomy" on ABC and "CSI" on CBS. Networks are beginning to narrow down new and returning shows for their fall schedule, and NBC is expected to pick up only one of its freshman series, likely …