The pilot for ABC's new "Cavemen" is being overhauled, at least partly, because of questions about stereotypes -- and the problems of turning an ad into a series. The Geico TV spots that inspired the show feature evolved, albeit shaggy cavemen annoyed at misconceptions about their level of intelligence. The series is set to roll in October, and it follows a trio of Cro-Magnons trying to make it in contemporary society. Moreover, there was no intention to have the Cavemen represent any minority. But the pilot is being re-shot, ABC says, because it jumped too far …

A new ad campaign from Bacardi spends less time on branding than it does promoting the idea of responsible drinking. Tagged "Whatever Your Reason," the ad merges sex and chic with responsibility. Bacardi's fruit bat logo appears briefly in the ad, which is running on national cable nets. Says Darren Moran, group creative director at Young & Rubicam, New York, producer of the ad: "We wanted to be true to the 'Drink responsibly' message and not use it as a way to oversell our product." Bacardi continues to run branded spots, but this is far from a …

While the younger set is often thought of as spurning traditional media, that isn't always the case. As new media consumption patterns change with the rise of Web surfing, downloading and time-shifted TV viewing, a new study from Deloitte finds some commonalities between the old and wise and young at heart. The consulting firm's data shows that every generation -- from ages 13 to 24 to 25 to 41 to 42 to 60 -- and even 61 to 75 -- still like reading magazines. And almost three-quarters still pick them up even when they can get the same …

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin sees no need to bring back the "Fairness Doctrine." He thinks the last two decades have brought "access to an ever-expanding range of views of opinions." In his letter to Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), Martin says the necessity of such a tool has waned with the advent of the Internet and satellite broadcasting. Pence has introduced the "Broadcaster Freedom Act," which would prevent the Fairness Doctrine from being reinstated by the FCC. With 143 co-sponsors, the bill was prompted after an outcry from Democrats about the conservative slant of talk radio. …

Boston-based ad agency Arnold is using a homemade video it found on YouTube as part of a campaign for McDonald's. The footage, created by two men who play comedy clubs in their spare time, features one of them and another friend rapping about Chicken McNuggets. It's another display of how user-created content is getting more popular in the ad business. The production values are poor for a client like the Golden Arches, which spends tens of millions on it creative, but the company decided to throw out their usual approach and go for it -- at least in a limited …

ESPN is going all out for the weekend return of NASCAR to the network, with promotions and special programming starting weeks ago. The channel will kick off its new coverage with a Nextel Cup race in Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. It's bombarded viewers with a blitz of reminders, scrolls and commercials, along with 66 hours of NASCAR-related content just this week. NASCAR is hoping the deal with ESPN and ABC can prop up its sagging ratings, with one recent race's numbers falling 8% from last season. ESPN has an eight-year contract that splits the 36-race season between ABC/ESPN, …

In October, Lord & Taylor's will roll out its latest effort with a Hearst, a McEnroe, and an Eastwood romping through the pages of major fashion magazines. The company spent $10 million on the spreads, created by David Lipman, known for his work on Burberry and Zegna. They feature Lydia Hearst (Patty's daughter), Sean McEnroe (child of John McEnroe and Tatum O'Neal) and Clint Eastwood's son Scott Reeves. The company was recently bought by NDRC Equity Partners LLC last year, has switched over 85 percent of its merchandise to new labels and is now ready to go public …

The alternative weeklies are still consolidating, with the latest buyout coming form Tampa, Fla.-based Creative Loafing, which has cut a deal to acquire the Chicago Reader and the Washington City Paper. The purchase, which also includes the syndicated column the "Straight Dope" and its Web site, will bring the two papers onto the company's roster of weeklies in Atlanta, Tampa, Sarasota, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C. "We are more grateful than we can say to the readers and advertisers who have supported us in both Chicago and Washington, and especially to the extraordinary writers, editors, photographers, artists and staff …

ABC is shifting the time slot of its newsmagazine "20/20" after almost 20 years. Staring this fall, the show will be seen at 8 p.m. on Friday instead of its long-held 10 p.m. position to make room for new drama "The Women's Murder Club" and the returning "Men in Trees." ABC News only found out about the change this week, but "20/20" executive producer David Sloan says it will do just fine in its new time. "The network recognizes and acknowledges that "20/20" has been the top-rated show on ABC -- and sometimes on all networks -- …

In its first on-air pitch for an advertiser, CNN Headline News talk show host Glenn Beck was plugging for one of his radio sponsors, breaking from the network's standard practice. The right-wing host touted Select Comfort mattresses during three different shows that aired earlier this summer. The on-air plug was part of a media buy by Select Comfort and required no additional fees to CNN. Select Comfort is a sponsor of Beck's nationally syndicated talk radio show. A Headline News spokesman says Beck's program is a "point-of-view" show and not a traditional newscast. And the network …