Although the recession and writers' strike have left TV networks losing viewers, some ad buyers and network execs think the upfront market could be even stronger this year. As sales staff hold early meetings with media buyers, "we don't really see a market slowdown in spending at this time," says Mike Shaw, president of sales and marketing at ABC. "We have marketers coming to us and talking about early deals." In recent years, some buyers have held back during the upfront and ended up having to pay more in scatter. And with prices for scatter up more …

Westwood One radio has signed up Billy Bush, currently co-host of "Access Hollywood," to host a new evening program that will launch in April and combine talk, music, celebrity guests, listener call-ins and entertainment news. At the same time, Westwood will rollout a Billy Bush Web site with interactive listener elements, exclusive content and a blog, among other elements. "People want to know everything about everybody in Hollywood," says Thomas Beusse, Westwood's president and CEO. "Billy has a reputation for making all the right connections, and we look forward to helping build one of his strongest, his …

Even as the markets wilt, Wachovia Corp.'s brokerage arm is launching a national ad campaign focused around its acquisition of A.G. Edwards. The new effort explains that the St. Louis-based brokerage is now "with" Wachovia and stresses the importance of personal relationships with clients. It is set to run in national newspapers including USA Today and The New York Times and will also be featured during CBS' coverage of the NCAA college basketball tournament. Wachovia gobbled up A.G. Edwards in October for $6.8 billion and has moved its brokerage headquarters to St. Louis from Richmond, Va.

NBC is betting that "Fear Itself" will sell, lining up an impressive talent roster for the upcoming horror anthology series. Directors on the list include John Landis of "An American Werewolf in London," Stuart Gordon of "Re-Animator" and Darren Bousman of the "Saw" series, while actors like Brandon Routh, Elisabeth Moss and Eric Roberts will also appear. "Fear Itself" is set for a 13-episode summer run on NBC and comes from Lionsgate, a big horror film producer and Industry Entertainment, the company behind Showtime's "Masters of Horror" and "Masters of Science Fiction," an ABC anthology series. "We've teamed …

According to a new study from Screen Digest, the global TV advertising market is apt to be sluggish through 2009, but could see some improvement, particularly online, from 2010 to 2012, as audiences continue to fragment and the Web gets an ever-bigger share of the marketing budget pie. Among the findings are that 2008 will be a difficult year for TV advertising, with total spend growing at a lower rate than the economy, or 1.9% in Europe and 1.5% in the U.S. Still, TV ad revenues will get a boost this year from the Olympics, the European football championship …

The Style Network is readying a new series starring celebrity stylist Peter Ishkhans, who will lend his skills to help hurting businesses turn things around via complete image makeovers. The one-hour show, "Peter Perfect," is set for an April 19 premiere. From struggling hair salons, dog groomers and coffee shops, Ishkhans will try to transform each business by training employees, redesigning staff attire or overhauling marketing materials. And he also gives their spaces -- along with owners and employees -- makeovers. Ishkhans' style has so far made him a favored choice of various Hollywood and rock stars, …

The primary battle between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has been luring record numbers of viewers to CNN and MSNBC. But the big question is whether the Nos. 2 and 3 cable news nets can keep them after the dust settles -- and mount any serious challenge to top-rated Fox News. At least one top buyer, Bill Carroll, vice prsident and director of programming for Katz TV, doesn't think so. "It's the personalities that count in cable news prime time," he says. "When a big event like the presidential primary starts to taper off, viewers go …

A local of the Transport Workers Union is rolling out an ad campaign encouraging gamblers to make sure they tip their dealers. "Most dealers rely on tips for the bulk of their income," says TWU International President James Little. "We represent dealers on the casino floor, at the bargaining table -- that is clear. Until now. dealers lacked an association, union or spokesman that could educate the pubic about the need to tip." The ad campaign is being unveiled in Las Vegas Monday, where TWU says it represents dealers at Caesars Palace and the Wynn casinos; other TWU …

Apparel retailer Gap is canning its spring TV ad campaign and eying other marketing cutbacks after a miserable fourth quarter in which its sales fell 5%. Considering the "volatile economic environment," CEO Glenn Murphy says the company will take another look at plans for the second half of 2008, once it has better understands its holiday efforts. "... not all of our marketing money is being revisited," he says. "Some portion is being re-looked at to make sure it's being used appropriately ... and that particularly applies at Old Navy." For the moment, marketing for Old Navy …

National CineMedia, among the biggest cinema-ad networks in North America, has signed on IAG Research for a three-year study that will measure the effectiveness and performance of ads, promos and other content that runs before main features. IAG will look at how movie audiences recall and like cinema advertising and help NCM figure out how it compares to TV commercials, says Alan Gould, IAG's co-CEO. The deal is another sign that marketers are looking for new ad venues as digital technology allows video to run everywhere from movie theaters to malls. For instance, MediaVest recently said it …