Newspapers have long complained that the main way of measuring their audience--i.e., paid print circulation--is unfair when it is compared to television and radio, which tout audience share. And now the industry is moving toward tracking total audience, rather than just the people who pay for a print edition. The new system will be on display next week when the Audit Bureau of Circulations puts out its numbers for more than 700 dailies. And it couldn't come too soon--as paid circulation continues its inexorable slide. According to insiders, daily circulation for reporting papers in the six-month period ending in …

The former creative director for the U.S. unit of Dentsu is suing the firm, charging that he was pressured to have sex with prostitutes and placed in other sexually charged situations on business trips to keep his job. And Steve Biegel claims that his boss--Toyo Shigeta, CEO at Dentsu Holdings USA--became enraged when his employees refused to go along. Among the allegations in the suit is that on a 2004 trip to the Czech Republic, Biegel and a colleague were tricked into going to a brothel with Shigeta. And when they declined to indulge in the fare that was …

Worries that consumer spending may be pinched this year have No. 1 retailer Wal-Mart rolling out a new holiday ad campaign that attempts to elevate saving money from a necessity to a virtue. The goal of the effort, via the Martin Agency, is to tout low prices as a means rather than an end. One spot asks the question: "What will you do with your savings?"--and then shows a happy youngster riding a new bicycle. Meanwhile, a print execution has a house ablaze with Christmas lights and the headline: "With great holiday decorations at unbeatable prices, we've got two …

Westwood One may have had a down quarter, revenue- and profit-wise, but the radio titan's boss is upbeat about the future. According to CEO Peter Kosann, Westwood is "done cutting costs and streamlining costs," and has entered a "mode now of selective reinvestment." Kosann repeatedly said cost reductions that began in 2006 are done for now, and that they were related to the uncertainty surrounding talks with CBS Radio. "Clearly, the most meaningful event that occurred during the third quarter was the signing of a definitive agreement with CBS Radio for continuation of programming and distribution across all the CBS …

More than half of Americans think it should be against the law for one company to own a newspaper and a television station in the same market, according to a survey commissioned by consumer and telecommunications advocacy groups. According to the report from the Media and Democracy Coalition, 57% pf respondents feel this way -- and the level of support was about the same among political liberals, moderates and conservatives surveyed. Further, the survey found 70% of respondents think media consolidation is a problem. The data comes as FCC Chairman Kevin Martin pushes the agency to decide by Dec. 18 …

Hotels.com has tapped TargetCast for its $68 million media account after a review, according to insiders. The independent shop topped out Horizon and Optimedia to get the business, as incumbent Doner declined to try and keep it. This the latest in a string of losses for Doner that include Six Flags, Sylvan Learning Centers and La-Z-Boy. Doner still handles the creative for Hotels.com but that is also in play, with Saatchi & Saatchi, TBWA/Chiat/Day and Y&R all in contention as they ready final presentations for the second week of November. Consultancy Ark Advisors is managing both reviews.

Wisconsin legislators have fast-tracked a bill that would deregulate Wisconsin's cable TV industry, replacing franchises long awarded by local governments with state-issued ones. While the bill would not apply to Milwaukee, which has its own pact with telecommunications and cable companies, supporters say the change would open up competition and befit consumers. On the other side, opponents say the new bill was basically written by AT&T, which has 15 lobbyists pushing it through. They add that it could pinch local public, education and government channels now paid for with money cable companies give to local governments. "This is a direct …

In a new report called Cable Futurecast: A 10-year Detailed Outlook For Cable TV Industry Revenue Streams, SNL Kagan is projecting that overall residential cable revenue will be north of $121 billion by 2017 -- a 77% increase from 2006 levels. The data indicates that residential revenue per subscriber will climb to an average of $143 per month, up 64%, while adding in commercial services and other incremental revenue will push the total revenue mark to $109 million annually by 2011 and $138 million by 2017. And those gains will come even despite anticipated declines in cable's domestic video market …

Interpublic was back in the hole in the third quarter as higher costs drove the troubled advertsing and marketing services into the red. The company said it lost $21.9 million in the period even as revenue rose 7%. That is a sharp turn from the third quarter of 2006, when it reported a modest profit of $3.7 million. Salary and related expenses at the company jumped about 8%, to $1.03 billion -- but despite the overall loss, "organic" revenue - which knocks out the impact of acquisitions, divestitures and foreign currency benefits -- grew 5.7T on the back of higher …