CBS is re-upping "Survivor" for next season, ordering the 17th and 18th installments of the reality series. Jeff Probst will still be on board as host. The show "has become an expected treat every Thursday at 8 p.m. The series' 16th run, "Survivor: Micronesia," is set for a Feb. 7 premiere and casting for "Survivor 17" is underway. In its most recent installment, "Survivor: China," the show pulled an average of 15.2 million viewers and a 5.1 rating/14 share among adults 18-49. And if the franchise has been waning in the ratings since its early heyday, it still dominates …

While the Fur Council of Canada has been touting the environmental benefits and sustainability of its product since the mid-'80s, the marketing arm of the industry is launching a print ad campaign in the U.S. to drive home the point. With executions in magazines like Harper's Bazaar and several newspapers, one ad features a model in white fur and notes that synthetic furs are made from petrochemicals. "With all the push on green and green fashion, we thought this was a good time," says Alan Herscovici, head of the group. The "green" message is just the latest in …

Federal Communications Commissioner Michael Copps says he is still considering his stance on forcing cable programmers to offer wholesale channels on an individual basis to cable and satellite TV operators. But the Democratic commissioner adds that he is still "trying to get a full understanding of both sides of the issue before we opine much further on it." Republican FCC chairman Kevin Martin is proposing rules that would deny companies like Disney Co. from bundling ESPN into a package with affiliated networks and offering the whole batch to distributors on a take-it-or-leave it basis. Martin has …

ESPN is set to roll a new campaign sponsored by Domino's Pizza as part of its "ESPN Shorts," a series of four, 90-second advertorials that are supposed to resemble sports-related mini-films. "Planner presented by Domino's Pizza," will break this week during SportsCenter and air over the next eight weeks. ESPN Shorts first launched in 2004 with "The Scout presented by Sears," to promote Craftsman products. In 2005, the sponsor was Miller Brewing. Domino's approach features a party planner and his assistant as they travel the country. "We are always exploring new, innovative ways to deliver brand-building solutions for our …

Folks who watch "The View" or any of ABC's three soap operas are going to an earful of women and heart disease -- along with Campbell Soup -- next month. The Alphabet Network and the food behemoth have inked a deal for an integrated campaign promoting both healthy hearts and soup via programs and commercials during February, which happens to be American Heart Month. Financial terms were not disclosed, but it is the first deal for ABC that has all of its daytime shows focusing on a single issue. Heart-related story lines will surface in different ways on …

As writers and producers resume negotiations, hopes are up that the three-month-old Writers Guild of America strike that is crippling the fall TV season could soon be over. But the next season is already feeling the effects as production of both current programs and those under development has stopped. And that could throw a monkey-wrench into this year's spring upfront selling season. While a quick end could let broadcasters go to market with original episodes of returning series, production on new scripted series would have to go on in a compressed window -- and the nets might …

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has bought the most TV spots in Florida over the last year, although former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has outspent him over the final month coming into today's Sunshine State primary. But all that cash hasn't done much for their standing in the polls: Romney is running a close second, while Rudy is a distant third. According to Nielsen Media Research, Romney bought 4,475 ads over the last year, including 1,392 in January. But the latter figure was swamped by Giuliani, who bought a almost 2,900 TV spots …

After just eight months, Wendy's has dumped its latest ad campaign under pressure from franchisees that have been asking for more product-centric ads for nearly a year. The chain finally responded, losing its "red-wig" ads and moving some creative duties on its $435 million account from Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi to MDC Partners' Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners. A new product-based campaign from Kirshenbaum will begin airing next week with "It's waaaay better than fast food. It's Wendy's" as the tagline. "Through the past year, we've learned more about each agency and ourselves, how to manage two different …