AT&T has given lead agency responsibilities to BBDO, which had the Cingular Wireless account, now AT&T's mobility unit, according to insiders. GSD&M had been the main consumer and branding agency for AT&T and Southwestern Bell and remains on the AT&T roster with the same duties, but it now reports to BBDO. According to an AT&T spokeswoman, the company "continues to work with its current roster of key advertising agencies who collaborate on planning and execution" for AT&T. "That has not changed," she adds, as "all of AT&T's key advertising agencies work together in a collaborative and integrated fashion …

Concerns that a new BET series is guilty of racial stereotyping has led at least two advertisers to yank their spots from the show. State Farm Insurance and Home Depot have both pulled ads from "Hot Ghetto Mess." BET declines to name names; it says "a few of our clients have asked to move to other programming dayparts, and we simply accommodated their request." Critics have attacked the show for things such as having a logo of an animated blackface character with a red slash through it. A mix of viewer-submitted videos and man-on-the-street segments that show …

According to some new research from OMD, one engaged viewer is worth eight garden variety ones. The study could move the concept of viewer engagement forward by proving it moves the sales needle. The data seems to show that consumer engagement with media and advertising not only leads to sale but does so more than media spending levels. That means even a small outlay could work well when the ads draw attention from consumers in media they find engaging, says Mike Hess, director of global research and consumer insights for OMD. But it is still early and …

Ad time in NFL games on CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN is selling briskly this year, with as much as 75% apt to be sold by the end of next month -- at average price increases in the high single digits. Demand is particularly strong from automakers, telcos, financial services, beer companies, restaurants and film studios. "Last year at this time, there was a lot of skepticism in the marketplace, a wait-and-see attitude" says Seth Winter, senior vice president of NBC Sports. "Buyers were worried that football fatigue would set in by the time NBC came on the …

Energetic tunes and dance moves seem to be in vogue for TV ads, as marketers, including Apple, Carnival Cruises and Church & Dwight, try to leverage a renewed public interest in dance. Series like "Dancing With the Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance," are pulling good ratings on TV, while dance plays a key role in recent films "Dreamgirls," "Hairspray," "Mad Hot Ballroom" and others. "Dance is universal; it's something everyone relates to," says Stacey Feldman, vice president for marketing of the women's health and personal care brands at Church & Dwight in Princeton, N.J. …

An Arizona TV station is losing ground in the ratings in key categories even after its switch to high-definition broadcasting of its local news. At the 10 p.m. slot, KVOA slipped from an 8.7 rating in February to just 6.3 in May, and it saw similar slides at both 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Said Gary Nielsen, president and general manager of KVOA Communications Inc.: "I find it hard to believe that our newscasts went down." And even in the face of it, he adds there are no plans to change the format. He is "confident that in …

ESPN has big plans for its daily coverage of the 15th edition of the Pan American Games, set to run live from Rio de Janeiro July 13 to 29. The net will offer a total of three weeks of programming across virtually all of its assets, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN360.com, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN Deportes La Revista. ESPN will produce more than 160 hours of Pan American Games-related fare, a record for the United States, while ESPN Deportes will have at least 10 hours of daily coverage. It starts with opening ceremonies beginning at …

The Federal Communications Commission has given CBS until next month to respond to its letter seeking information on the 2004 broadcast of an episode of "Without a Trace" that drew a proposed multimillion-dollar "indecency" fine. The Parents Television Council, a fringe group, had challenged the license of the network's Salt Lake City affiliate, charging that it failed to honor the terms of a consent decree following an FCC's issuance of a proposed fine against the show. Now, the Feds want CBS to document its compliance with the decree. The net says it did not violate the …

In a sign that big food and beverage marketers may be ready to make major concessions in how they market to kids, a task force report on child obesity is being postponed. Sens. Sam Brownback [R-Kan.] and Tom Harkin [D-Iowa] say the joint kids and obesity task force they formed with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin and Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate will now come out in September. The stated reason is that it will be outdated as the result of initiatives from food marketers that will be unveiled July 18. "The extension will allow for a more …

When Barry Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's home-run record, both ESPN and Fox Sports want to air the steroid-fueled slugger's feat live. The two cable nets are negotiating with Major League Baseball for the rights to run his at-bats -- and perhaps a whole game. For Fox Sports, that might mean an extra game over its Saturday afternoon exclusive while ESPN would carrying live at-bats each time he nears the record. "Do we have an interest? Absolutely," says Fox Sports president Ed Goren. The net has exclusive rights to the Giants' July 14 game against the Dodgers, and that …