As it languishes in its seventh straight year of little or no growth, the terrestrial radio business is hoping that a spike in political advertising and revenues from nontraditional sources will give it a boost in 2008. "I think it would be shortsighted to view the industry as hopeless," says Barrington Research analyst James Goss, who adds that even in the tough current environment, radio companies can throw off a lot of cash. "Chances are 2008 will be better, due to Internet dollars or nontraditional revenues and political dollars." Revenue from Web sites, concert promotions and the like are …

Boston ad agency Modernista is suing the Rockport Company, a unit of Reebok, charging that the shoe and apparel company has played deadbeat when it comes to paying its bills. Modernista alleges that Rockport has yet to pony up for advertising services the agency provided while negotiating for a 2007 contract extension. The companies had in place a "bridge agreement" during those talks, the lawsuit says, and Modernista not only wants $500,000 worth of damages but claims Rockport intentionally misled it into signing the agreement to get its services on the cheap. Money is part of the issue …

The Chicago Tribune is the latest paper to announce that it will run ads on the front page and some section fronts. The color ads will be an inch and a half deep and run across the bottom of the page and the paper will start hawking them this week at "premium prices for brand and image advertising to key clients," says Tribune Publishing President Scott Smith. "This is a common ad size across the industry and will be common across Tribune newspapers to attract more business from national advertisers," he adds. "They will also be sold …

While its Touareg model may be a big star in Universal Pictures' upcoming "The Bourne Ultimatum," some top execs at Volkswagen are less than thrilled about the marketing pact the company signed with NBC Universal two years ago. "Bourne" will be the 11th movie placement for the carmaker, but insiders say it is only the second -- along with "Knocked Up" -- that has met its expectations. "The placements we've had so far are not up to the standard we had expected when getting into this deal," says Martin Biswurm, international entertainment marketing manager at Volkswagen. Universal, however, says …

Horizon Media has signed on Sheri Roder as its new senior vice president-consumer insights director at the agency's Marketing Insights Group to offer a strategic focus for clients that is "consumer-cognizant and brand-relevant," a spokeswoman says. A 20-year veteran of strategic planning, consumer insights and marketing on both agency and client sides, Roder has also worked for JWT, Diageo and Pepsi and most recently was strategic planning advisor for Saatchi & Saatchi Consumer Healthcare's Pfizer and Merial accounts. "Sheri will become an extension of Horizon's brand teams charged with helping to deliver the full array of …

The Audit Bureau of Circulations board is tackling what some media buyers believe is a potential abuse of magazines' verified circulation numbers, creating an unpaid public-place copy category with a reporting period covering the first half of 2006. The board decided last week to bar the practice of serving back copies, insiders say. It also determined that when a publisher reports as verified an issue to a location or individual, it must also disclose subsequent issues it serves to the same places or people for the length of the verified subscription term. The measure is designed …

Restaurant chain Applebee's has tapped McCann Erickson for the creative portion of its $180 million account. The shop topped TBWAChiatDay in a review and, according to insiders, both had pitched a "younger, more energetic" branding for the restaurant chain. Media planning and buying duties, currently handled by Starcom, were not in review, Previously, the business had been at DraftFCB, which did not try to keep it. "We believe the concept McCann presented to us fits perfectly with our brand strategy," says George Williams, the company's chief marketing officer. "It will break through the category clutter, drive traffic to …

The newspaper industry's ad woes are apparently getting worse, with one top broadsheet seeing advertising plummet 27% in the second quarter. The Los Angeles Times had "one of the worst quarters we have ever experienced," publisher David Hiller told his employees. Total sales fell 10% as slump in ad pages more than offset gains from online operations and newspaper supplements. The Times is owned by Tribune Co., which is being bought for $8.2 billion by a group led by Sam Zell. "Results were similar across Tribune, but overall, Tribune was worse than the industry," Hiller says. The declines …

Spike TV is nearing a multi-year renewal of its pact with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in a deal that will keep the country's fastest-growing sport on the network, according to insiders. The new deal is expected to cost Spike in excess of $100 million and cover both its Ultimate Fighter reality series and add more live events than the last agreement, which expired at the end of 2006. Executives from Spike decline comment, while the UFC could not be reached. The UFC and other mixed martial-arts programming has exploded in popularity over the last two years. …

After being stopped in their efforts to block a fuel economy bill in the U.S. Senate, automakers are trying a softer approach with legislators after an aggressive ad campaign came up empty. Earlier this summer, ads implied new fuel standards would keep mothers from driving kids in larger, safer cars, while also preventing truck owners from buying new pickups. But a new million-dollar print and radio effort from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, takes a different tack. "We don't have all the answers to questions about reasonable fuel economy standards," the ads say. "No one does. Together, we …