The NFL Network is close to a deal that would bring an exclusive edition of "NFL Total Access" to MyNetworkTV. The program is to air on Saturdays at 9 p.m., beginning Sept. 8, and run through mid-February. It will preview upcoming games and highlights, be hosted by Rich Eisen and specially produced for the net's audience. According to insiders, the NFL Network will sell national ad time, while MNTV affiliates get the local spots. The NFL Network will pay MNTV a fee to carry the show. An exec at MNTV insists "the deal is not done," and NFL Network …

According to a new data from Scarborough Research, the Des Moines Register is tops when it comes to newspaper market penetration for both daily and Sunday readership on a DMA basis. The sheet tipped in at an impressive 42.8% penetration in its market, followed by the Richmond Times-Dispatch at 39.5% and the Honolulu Advertiser with 39.4%. Rounding out the top five were the Post-Standard of Syracuse at 39.1% and the Buffalo News at 38.4%. The research firm also compiled a list of metro market readership, usually a smaller area than the DMA, and Michigan daily Flint Journal …

GreenStone Media, a national network for women with founders including Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda, has gone silent after being unable to get any long-term financing. While GreenStone president Susan Ness isn't saying how much money the company had, she claims it had managed to get beyond the initial $5 million it started with. Since its September 2006 debut, GreenStone had only made it into 12 markets, less than half it had hoped for. It was also losing money, with just 60,000 listeners nationwide. Some stations that carried its content have switched formats, while others still …

Fox has picked "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest to host its broadcast of the prime time Emmy Awards on Sept. 16, cementing his position as the net's favored emcee for big-time specials. (He has also been tapped for pre-game and halftime hosting duties for Fox's coverage of the Super Bowl.) "Ryan Seacrest is a consummate host of major live broadcast events and a proven talent who always makes it easy, which makes the perfect choice for this year's Emmy telecast," says Fox's president of alternative entertainment Mike Darnell. The move is somewhat unusual in that the …

Time is still losing ad pages in the face of a major overhaul earlier this year, while Time Inc. siblings Fortune, Money and Business 2.0 have all seen double-digit ad slumps in the first half. That its print properties are in a seeming death spiral is nothing new, but despite higher Web traffic and the enormous resources the company has poured into digital media, total ad revenue at the publisher was up an anemic 1% in the second quarter. Notes Alan Schanzer, managing partner of digital media planning firm MEC: interaction, "Time Inc. has yet to find a …

Virginia is dropping images of people making heart symbols with their hands in its latest tourism campaign, since the same gesture is also popular with at least one street gang. The sign, associated with the Gangster Disciples, has thumbs and index fingers forming a heart. "Our intent was to show people using their hands to make a heart to signify Virginia is for Lovers," says Alisa Bailey, head of the state tourism bureau. "For the majority of people, the heart sign is a symbol of love -- and the campaign's images intended to convey a love of travel and …

NBC has cut a deal that will put previews of its fall pilots on almost every major cable and satellite system in the U.S. Complete pilots for all four new shows -- "Chuck," "Bionic Woman," "Journeyman" and "Life" -- will be free on video-on-demand on Comcast, Time Warner, Charter, Cox and other major cable operators, while Dish and DirecTV are also on board. "It's unprecedented in terms of its scope and participation," says NBCU distribution executive Henry Ahn. The episodes will be available for about two weeks beginning Sept. 10, and cable operators will also offer a 30-minute NBC …

A federal court has barred DirecTV from airing ads touting an alleged consumer preference for its picture quality vs. cable. At the same time, U.S. District Court Judge John Grady of the Northern District of Illinois denied DirecTV's request for an injunction against ads Comcast was running, spots that cite a survey claiming two-thirds of satellite customers thought the cable operator had better HD picture quality. "We're pleased that the court has issued an injunction ordering DirecTV, its affiliates and resellers, to immediately stop airing the false and misleading ads claiming superior picture quality over cable," says a …

The Disney Channel's "High School Musical 2" pulled an eye-popping 17.2 million viewers -- the highest-ever rating for a basic cable channel and more than double the numbers of the original movie in January, according to Nielsen. The sequel also attracted the most youngsters of any telecast ever on broadcast or cable, with 6.1 million, and is now the second-most-watched entertainment telecast in the ages 9-14 demo, behind only the Super Bowl in 2004. The previous cable record holder was a Monday Night Football game last year on ESPN, which drew 16 million. "HSM2" was …

While there are a still a few months to go before MediaVest's showdown with the magazine industry reaches a climax, it looks as if some publishers are starting to blink. Earlier this year, MediaVest insisted that publishers guarantee each issue's circulation instead of averaging multiple issues. And it backed that up by telling them the agency would pull ads from magazines that don't play ball by 2008. The media buying shop's push seems to be gaining ground. One of the first to cave was Men's Health,, which agreed to a similar request from Robin Steinberg, senior vice president-director …