Some investors are getting restless over how long it is taking NBC Universal to get back on track, as the broadcast network has fallen to fourth place among total viewers after a strong start last fall. Revenue at NBC Universal, which encompasses the flagship net, along with Universal Studios, USA, Bravo and SCI FI, were off 22% in the first quarter -- or 8% if the impact of the 2006 Winter Olympics is factored out. That's contrary to what the CEO of parent company General Electric was saying in January when he said revenues should be "basically flat" …

A congressional debate on direct-to-consumer drug advertising is set to start this week as ad and pharmaceutical lobbies step up efforts to defend the $4.5 billion business. Legislation introduced in one Senate committee would allow the Food and Drug Administration to ban DTC ads for the first two years a drug is on the market, while requiring additional warnings and the statement that a drug has just recently been approved and all risks may not be known. Ad groups, afraid the FDA would just ban ads for all new drugs, argue that would hurt consumers, while violating the …

The decision to fire Don Imus is going to cost CBS, as the company faces a soft radio advertising market and ongoing recovery form the departure of Howard Stern a few yeas ago. Imus' show added some $15 million to the CBS radio unit's roughly $2 billion in revenue, and its loss leaves a hole for CBS and syndicator Westwood One. "It takes a while to develop that [popular talk show] talent," says A.G. Edwards analyst Michael Kupinski. "I don't know if there's anyone waiting in the wings." While Imus didn't get canned until Thursday, the end may have …

Fox News and the Congressional Black Caucus will still hold Democratic and Republican presidential debates, even as top-tier candidates refuse to participate. The latest two to drop out of the debates sponsored by Fox, a cable channel that serves as a Republican Party mouthpiece, are Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The Congressional Black Caucus Institute says it is "proceeding with these agreements" to sponsor the debates, some of which will be shown on CNN. John Edwards was the first to bail on the Fox debates, prompting Fox News chief Roger Ailes to say that "any candidate for …

Jolt Cola, once the hot, super-caffeinated beverage of cramming college students and other night owls is readying a comeback to try to take on the new breed of "energy drinks." Owned by Wet Planet Beverages of Rochester, N.Y., Jolt has tapped its first lead creative agency in Omnicom Group's Colangelo Synergy Marketing. The new brand plays down the cola aspect, going by the name "Jolt Energy" instead. Advertising is due out in June and will be supported by point-of-sale, online and promotional efforts. Insiders say that Jolt will back its marketing efforts with ad spending similar to …

Former Wal-Mart ad chief Julie Roehm will be calling on some big Madison Avenue names in her legal fight battle with the world's largest retailer. The company claims she had an affair with a married co-worker while trying to get them both jobs at an ad agency in contention for Wal-Mart's $580 million account. She is suing for severance pay, and her list of potential witnesses includes David Verklin, president of Carat; Bob Jeffrey, chairman and CEO of JWT, and Jon Bond and Richard Kirshenbaum of Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners. She hopes they will help her get the $350,000 …

Staples will keep its $128 million media-buying account at MediaCom after a review that also included Universal McCann and Zenith Media. The WPP Group shop has had the retailer's U.S. account since 2002, and one insider says the win could mean the agency's responsibilities will expand overseas. The review began two months ago and was "considered a normal, periodic review of agency relations by the Framingham, Mass.-based marketer," the trade magazine reported. MediaCom refers referred calls to staples, while Universal McCann and Zenith both declined comment.

In a new report to Congress, the Federal Trade Commission claims the movie, music and video game industries are mostly in compliance with self-regulatory efforts on the marketing of violent products. And while some improvement is still needed, the FTC touts more self-policing instead of government intervention. The FTC concludes in the report that the industries do not target their more violent entertainment fare to those under 17, although some advertisers are violating the industry's voluntary guidelines. The new report is a follow-up to one seven years ago, when the FTC said advertisers routinely targeted kids with such …

Actress Drew Barrymore is soon to be the newest face behind the CoverGirl makeup brand and also be co-creative director for a TV spot set to air early next year. "Drew is a wonderful addition to the CoverGirl family, and her role--both in front of the camera and behind the scenes as co-creative director-is new and different for the cosmetics industry," says Esi Eggleston Bracey, vice president and general manager for CoverGirl Cosmetics in North America, which is owned by Procter & Gamble. Barrymore is well known for her roles in films like "Everyone Says I Love You," …

CBS has hired right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson to host a game show pilot called "Who Do You Trust?" In the show, strangers bet on how much they trust each other, as they build relationships through playing games, a concept loosely based on the experiment "prisoner's dilemma," in which participants weigh cooperation against betrayal for reward and punishment. The project is shooting this month. Carlson has appeared on "Dancing With the Stars" and hosts the political gabfest show "Tucker" on MSNBC. Duties for the host of "Trust" include interviewing guests to get information about their motivations, in theory, bringing his …