Miller Brewing Co. has tapped Bartle Bogle Hegarty to be its agency of record for flagship Miller Lite after a review in which the shop beat out Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, and Y&R, Chicago, in the final round. Miller Lite got $106 million in media spending last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence. "BBH demonstrated great insight into the character of our brand and our core consumers," says Randy Ransom, Miller's chief marketing officer. "They have shown an ability to work collaboratively and to engage our consumers creatively." The brewer's network of distributors played a big …

The Princess Fiona character in the "Shrek" movies is pitching Hewlett-Packard as part of a pair up the PC maker made with DreamWorks Animation SKG to promote the third installment in the series. HP features Fiona in an ad for notebook computers now airing both on TV and on "YeTube," a "Shrek"-inspired channel it bought on YouTube. And the YeTube channel also features various other cross-promotions using movie characters to hawk sell its gear. "We're witnessing a shift in entertainment consumption and how people want to immerse themselves," says Anne Globe, head of worldwide marketing and consumer products …

The thinking at ESPN must be: just keep churning out new programming. Among its more ambitious new projects for next season is "ESPN Reports," an hourlong news magazine that will air for four weeks at various periods of the year with a format much like CBS' "60 Minutes" and HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel." Says David Berson, ESPN's executive vice president of programming, planning and development: "This will be a sports news magazine with high-quality journalism, investigative journalism, good storytelling, a lot of behind-the scenes footage. We anticipate it being very fast-paced and young-skewing. A lot of …

Saturn wants car buyers to "Rethink American" in a new ad campaign that breaks this week. The spots, from Deutsch, mix imagery with a rock beat and product shots and contrast stereotypes with cultural flashpoints. But there is no voiceover and titles drive the message, points of which include the company's 100,000-mile and claim to offer the most affordable hybrid. The tag extends beyond the tube to print, outdoor and online. "Saturn is seen as a new car company," says Eric Hirshberg, CCO at Deutsch. "We know it has been around for a long time, and we think of …

TV newsman Dan Rather caused a fuss at ABC's upfront presentation when he showed up as actor in clips for "Dirty Sexy Money," a drama about a wealthy New York family. Rather portrays a reporter who pushes a politician (William Baldwin) about his future plans. While Rather initially turned them down when approached, he had second thoughts. He realized it could help remind people he is still in the game, with a weekly news show on HD Net. He also did some research and found news folks including Eric Sevareid, Howard K. Smith and Walter Cronkite had done …

GolTV, the soccer network, is going through something of a makeover, with new branding and an on-air redesign to emphasize the programming. It will use new on-screen graphics with faces of stars, including Ronaldinho, Raul and Pavel Pardo, and other top players in European leagues. They are going for a more artistic and dynamic look, along with new music. And the logo has also changed: New branding uses the recognizable "ball and arch," but tweaked to show the link that brand mark and the net's name. At the same time, GolTV also says it has exclusive English-language broadcast …

Media companies are pushing back at the Federal Communications Commission and D.C. politicians with the help of an academic report claiming there is no evidence that TV violence causes children to be violent. An issue paper from University of Toronto professor Jonathan Freedman, while conceding a correlation between violent media and aggression, says that is not the same as causation. The report was issued by a Washington think tank funded by major media companies. The FCC's recent report to Congress says that research shows TV violence is harmful to youngsters, but Freedman insists that's not true. He says …

The CW will be heavy on the reality genre next year with returning hits like "America's Next Top Model" and "Beauty and the Geek" both returning. They will be joined by new shows "CW Now" and "Online Nation." And three more are ready for midseason: "The Pussycat Dolls Present" as well as a mother-daughter beauty contest "Crowned" and "Farmer Wants a Wife," a dating show. "Model" is expected to stick with its 8 p.m. Wednesday slot followed by scripted newcomer "Gossip." Meanwhile, "Beauty" will hold down the Tuesday 8 p.m. time, succeeding "Gilmore Girls."

Telemundo is moving into late night with the launch of "Mas Vale Tarde," a new weekly series hosted by Alex Cambert next week. The show is part of a new schedule for the Spanish-language broadcaster that includes telenovelas, news shows and sports. "Our focus has been original content, and it continues to be about original content," says Carlos Bardasano, executive vice president of programming at the NBC Universal-owned network. "Mas Vale Tarde" is set to air Thursday nights from a window-front studio at Universal Studios in California. "It's going to be a show based on comedy, sketch comedy and …

Zurich Financial Services Group is building on its "Because Change Happenz" campaign with a new round of ads in Europe and the U.S. that focus on its various insurance lines. In the new effort, the company touts its "ability to deliver insurance solutions for a changing world." According to Arun Sinha, Zurich's Group chief marketing and communications officer, "recent brand tracking research revealed that, following the brand campaign, more consumers in our target markets recognize Zurich as an insurance provider, understand what we do and what makes us different." The campaign is directed at a global …