Procter & Gamble Co. is the first pet food marketer to launch ads about the nationwide pet-food recall tied to contamination that may have killed or sickened thousands of cats and dogs. The company took out full-page ads in 59 daily newspapers on Tuesday that feature a letter from employees of its Iams and Eukanuba brands. The aim is to reassure pet owners that food still on the market is safe and that none of the dry food ever contained wheat gluten -- the suspected culprit -- or were affected by the recall. The ad campaign is described as …

Monsanto Corp. wants the feds to investigate what it says are false and misleading advertising claims made by many dairies. The chemical giant's knickers are in a twist because the dairies boast their milk comes from cows that are not given growth hormone recombinant bovine somatotropin, or rBST, which is manufactured by Monsanto. The company, in letters to the US Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said the ads falsely suggest there are health risks tied to milk from cows treated with the drugs. "Consumers, many of whom are misled by the deceptive advertising, …

MTV will add sponsor-branded segments to some shows -- an experiment aimed at getting tuned-in throughout a night's programming and advertising. The eight-week test will run on its Thursday Night Block and the net will spotlight one sponsor each week in hosted segments. The first hosts will be "Three 6 Mafia," subjects of a new reality show "Adventures In HollyHood," and will include info about sponsors' products, along with branded previews and recaps of other shows. Universal Pictures will be the first sponsor and plans to promote the film "Knocked Up." The hosts will break into Thursday shows …

Bernie Mac has linked up with producer Ben Silverman to do "Welcome to the Family," a reality pilot for NBC. The idea is to feature couples in love who are ready to take the next step and become engaged, but they come from wildly varying religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Mac will narrate the show in which the couples meet each other's families for the first time. Silverman says the concept is "both intriguing and addictive. "It's all about falling in love, family and learning how to accept someone, despite cultural, economic or social differences." Mac is no …

Google has taken its first step into selling TV ads on a deal to deliver them to ads to millions of EchoStar subscribers. The new pact moves forward Google's goal to broker advertising in media other than the Internet. The company will sell some of EchoStar's TV time via an automated auction system similar to the one it uses to tout Web-search ads. "We think that TV is becoming more like the Web," says Keval Desai, Google's director of product management for TV advertising. "If you think about TV, you have hundreds of networks. . . If you're …

Whirlpool Corp. has selected a Virginia man to be the character that promotes the reliability of its Maytag brand. Clay Jackson was the winner of a nationwide search to replace Hardy Rawls, the ever-lonely repairman. "The new Maytag Repairman will help revitalize the Maytag brand and its heritage by keeping one foot in our past while putting the other in our future," says Maytag Vice President Jeff Davidoff. About 1,500 people participated in two months of auditions. Jackson had been working as a real estate agent, and entered the contest on a whim. He had done some acting …

BBC America is changing its programming schedule to make it easier for advertisers to decide when and what they should buy in. The cable net will now target one specific demographic each night in a move taking place just before the upfront and right after it named Garth Ancier president of U.S. operations. Each prime-time block will get its own name, and will be filled with new and current shows. Mondays, for instance, will become "Murder Mondays," with thrillers "Wire in the Blood" and "Murphy's Law." Next will be "Tuesday Nitro"--male-targeted reality and drama--while "Wicked Wednesdays" will run female-focused shows …

Frank and Ed, the duo who helped make Bartles & Jaymes Wine Coolers a big brand of the 80s, are back. While auditions to replace the original actors--one of whom is dead--are ongoing, classic ads will kick off a new two-year ad campaign. The brand and competitor California Coolers are targeting women over 35, the same folks who helped make the category in the first place. "There are millions and millions of lapsed users," says Blair Owens, a manager at Gallo. And at California Coolers, "we want to get them to try it again and bring them back to the …

Actress Glenn Close will take on her first-ever starring role in a TV series in the new legal drama "Damages," set for a summer premiere on FX. Her most recent foray onto the small screen was on the same net when she played a police captain in the fourth season of "The Shield," a role that garnered her Emmy and Golden Globe award nominations. The pilot for "Damages" is already in the box, and FX has 13 episodes on order. Close plays an attorney who goes after corporate malefactors, including one played by Ted Danson. The show will be shot …

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco has snagged the huge Sprint Nextel ad account as the cell phone company tries to pump up sales. The third-largest in its industry, Sprint forked over more than $1 billion in measured media last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence--although a spokeswoman has indicated that number would likely come down. It has been putting a strong investment into sports sponsorships, and has two big long-term deals--one for five years and $600 million with the National Football League sponsorship and a 10-year, $700 million Nascar pact. "Goodby's sterling reputation and creative talents are …