Twenty-three percent - almost 58 million -- of all U.S. cellphone users say they have seen advertising on their phones in the past 30 days, according to a new report from Nielsen. And of all those who recall seeing mobile advertising in the previous 30 days, about half say they responded to it. The results come from a survey of about 22,000 active mobile users who accessed at least one non-voice mobile service in the fourth quarter. Among other findings, Nielsen reports that the number of users who recalled seeing mobile advertising between the second and fourth …

A passel of media conglomerates are readying bids for the Weather Channel, including NBCU, CBS, Time Warner, Comcast, Liberty and Disney. But many of them are balking at the $5 billion asking price, figuring the privately held Landmark Communications is worth more on the order of $4 billion. And while there has been interest from companies like Bain Capital, Providence Equity Partners and Madison Dearborn, the current credit market crunch may take private-equity players out of the running. While there's some rationale for Weather Channel owner Landmark Communications and its would-be buyers to use [The New York …

Canadian newspapers are making the case -- backed up by solid numbers -- that the print situation in the Great White North is nowhere near as dire as in the U.S., where dailies have been battered by steady drops in circulation and ad revenue. While American publishers like The New York Times Co., E.W. Scripps Co. and Media General Inc., have issued dismal reports, a new Canadian survey shows that their newspapers are actually managing to post readership gains. By way of example, Canada's two national papers recorded slight gains in weekday readership in 2007, according to Newspaper …

Music-oriented cable net VH1 has added four reality shows to its 2008 line-up, with two VH1 "Rock Docs" and a "VH1 Storytellers" episode with rapper Snoop Dogg. Other new fare includes seven half-hour episodes of "The Cho Show," starring standup comedian Margaret Cho, and eight versions of "Luke's Parental Advisory," which follows former 2 Live Crew rapper Luther Campbell as he tries to parent while producing porn movies. And Brooke Hogan, daughter of pro wrestler Hulk, will get her own show as VH1 has ordered 10 episodes of "Brooke Hogan Knows Best."

Mixed martial arts star -- and UFC champion -- Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is soon to receive that top athletic accolade of appearing in a Nike ad. Along with LeBron James and other sports heavyweights, the spot -- dubbed "Human Chain" -- is themed around "overachieving with victory, getting knocked down and getting back up," according to Jackson trainer Juanito Ibarra. While this will be the second Nike ad to feature an MMA star, after Randy Couture's 1996 appearance in "Scars" that featured close-ups of his cauliflower ears. It comes on the heels of other developments -- notably …

Keith Richards will be one new face of Louis Vuitton as the Rolling Stones guitarist has inked an endorsement deal with the French luxury fashion brand. It is the first endorsement deal for the 64-year-old rocker, known as much for his drug binges as his music. But in the new campaign, shot by Annie Leibovitz, he will be shown cradling his guitar on a hotel bed under the tag: "Some journeys cannot be put into words. New York. 3am. Blues in C." Richards says he will donate his take from the ads to the Climate Project, a non-profit …

WPP Group's Y&R has lost Callaway Golf, insiders say, and will no longer handle the company's branded woods, irons, golf balls, brand marketing and women's products. That business accounted for about $15 million of the company's overall $50 million in 2007 spending, according to Nielsen. The agency won the account in July 2004 and developed Callaway's current tag of "A better game by design." KSL Media is the buying and planning incumbent and there is as yet no indication that account is in play. Callaway advertises mostly on the Golf Channel and other vertical media bit does some …

Cox Communications is about to offer TiVo-based digital video recorder service in its New England markets. The DVR company's CEO Tom Rogers says his product is currently in technical trials with Cox and will soon launch in the region, where Cox covers Rhode Island and parts of Connecticut. That follows a January move by Comcast, which began marketing TiVo-based DVR service to roughly 1.6 million subscribers in the Boston metro area. "With both Comcast a reality and Cox in trial, our mass distribution strategy is making significant in-roads, effectively unleashing the power of TiVo beyond the confines of …

The day after NBC said it would use mostly original programming on Thursdays this summer, CBS followed suit, announcing plans to run 1970s-era drama "Swingtown" at 10 p.m. on the night, starting May 29. That's the same night that "Fear Itself," a scripted horror anthology is set to roll on NBC. "It's a sign that we're all taking summer a little more seriously," says Kelly Kahl, CBS senior executive vice president of programming operations. "Thursday at 10, be it July or October, is certainly a critical time period." The new "Swingtown" is already raising eyebrows for its …