GlaxoSmithKline is about to consolidate its $1 billion-plus North American media account at MediaCom, insiders say, with the switch to the WPP Group shop expected in the second of next year. If true, that would mean MediaCom would about double its piece of the drug giant's ad spend. Shops now sharing the account with MediaCom include Havas' MPG, OMD, Optimedia and Campbell Mithun. MPG has been handling brands with combined annual spending of approximately $430 million, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus, including Nicorett, Ecotrin and Citrucel. OMD has been on media planning for Levitra, while Optimedia does the …

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission has refused to delay a planned vote on easing media ownership rules, even in the face of stinging criticism on Capitol Hill. Members of the Senate Commerce Committee took Kevin Martin to school over the issue of his intention to go ahead with the media ownership rule change at the agency's December 18 meeting. Asked by Sen. John Kerry if he would be willing to delay the scheduled vote, Martin gave the Massachusetts Democrat a simple "no" answer. But Kerry warned Martin of a "congressional response" as the result of …

Milk processors want activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to halt a publicity campaign that plays off their legendary tagline. PETA, which advocates a dairy-free diet, is using "Got pus? Milk does" slogan on T-shirts, mugs and other merchandise. The idea is to draw attention to what the group claims are high levels of somatic cells (read: pus) in much of the milk sold here. But the California Milk Processor Board, which owns the Got Milk? trademark, which has laughingly dismissed previous knockoffs, isn't fooling around this time. "Milk is one of the most regulated, …

Spike TV is ordering up another round of late-night series "MANswers," with the cable net signing on for 10 more episodes of the male-oriented trivia show. In its first season, "MANswers" averaged 1.1 million viewers and was No. 2 among men 25-34 -- third with men 18-34 -- in the 11 p.m. Wednesday slot. And a combination of new and repeat episodes shows has been outperforming repeats of broadcast networks late-night talk shows in the same demographic since the writers strike started, Spike boasts. "A new season of "MANswers" means more answers to the questions guys really want …

Coca-Cola is thinking about another ad appearance in Super Bowl XLII, insiders say, after an apparently successful effort in last year's Big Game after a long absence. Arch rival Pepsico had dominated the event for years, but Coke scored in the 2007 edition, via especially clever creative, with one ad mimicking a video game and another taking an unusual look inside a vending machine. But if the soda-pop giant wants in, it will cost: Sales of Super Bowl ad time are brisk, with Fox seeking as much as $2.7 million -- or more -- for a 30-second …

Credit rating and analysis firm Fitch thinks cable multiple service operators (MSOs) are set to add 11.5 million new revenue generating units, known as RGUs, this year, growth of about 12% vs. 2006. But that rate is expected to slow next year. But Fitch sees growth in telephony subscribers up from 40% of total new RGUs in 2007 to 45% in 2008. It also sees the cable industry losing about 1.5% of its basic subscribers to increased local exchange carrier and satellite competition. And the impact of competition on basic subscribers will be even more pronounced …

The ONE Campaign is taking its anti-poverty message to the airwaves with a nearly $2 million TV buy in Iowa, New Hampshire and national cable nets in an attempt to get the 2008 crop of presidential candidates talking about being poor. In the group's main ad buy of the primary season, it will also roll out newspaper ads in Iowa and New Hampshire. The main 30-second spot is produced by Strategic Perception, which has also done work for Arnold Schwarzenegger, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and Bush-Cheney 2004. "One voice can make a difference," the ad claims. "But one …

Big Cable is telling federal regulators it will take them to court if they don't stay an order invalidating exclusive contracts between cable operators and apartment buildings. Two months ago, the Federal Communications Commission unanimously approved a new rule that would ban such pacts -- including existing ones --between cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner Cable and landlords. The FCC says the move would open up competition and lower prices, but the National Cable & Telecommunications Association says it is unlawful for Uncle Sam to invalidate existing contracts that give apartment dwellers better pricing and service. …

WPP Group's JWT and MindShare have snared Royal Caribbean's global marketing services account, topping out a Publicis Groupe team led by Saatchi & Saatchi and MediaVest and an Interpublic Group effort by DraftFCB and Initiative. Also gone are Havas' Arnold and MPG, both longtime incumbents. The Miami-based cruise line shelled out $90 million last year on global media and nearly $60 million through September 2007, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. WPP "truly understands our brand DNA and its growth opportunities and is passionate about our business,: says Alice Norsworthy, senior vice president of marketing for Royal Caribbean. "We …

Some advertisers are betting that bull-riding -- long a rodeo staple now seen as an extreme sport -- could be the next big thing in sports sponsorship. Already, the sport's main association, the Professional Bull Riders, has 20 sponsors, including Ford, Wrangler, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Jack Daniel's, as it stages more than 100 contests a year, some of them televised on NBC and many more available on YouTube. "Professional Bull Riders has a great story; it has live attendance growth," says David Abrutyn, a senior vice president at IMG Consulting, who matches advertisers with sports franchises. "The number …