BET Networks is adding lifestyle shows, an animated series and election-focused programming to its slate. The new original series for the network include "The Black Panther," a cartoon about the first black superhero, and "Brutha," a docudrama that follows five brothers in a singing group. They will join returning fare like "American Gangster," "Sunday Best" and "Baldwin Hills." And BET is also rolling out a new multi-platform effort to encourage black youth to participate in the presidential election process called YOU(th) Vote! "As the number one media destination for African-Americans and consumers of black culture, BET Networks offers our …

CBS chief Leslie Moonves paid a visit to the newsroom Friday--apparently in a show of confidence for anchor Katie Couric, as rumors about her departure swirl. "There are no plans for a change--today, tomorrow and into the future," he told employees, according to a one insider. Of course, that doesn't mean Couric will be off the hook if her ratings get even worse, but she is apt to be around at least until after the election, says the insider. Moonves and CBS News President Sean McManus were both at the Friday meeting of Couric and "CBS Evening News" Executive …

After years of double-digit boosts in ad spend, insurance companies pulled back a bit in 2007, with the category rising just over 6%, according to Nielsen Monitor Plus. That is quite a respectable number--but it does not look so high compared to the 31% increase in 2005 and the 17% one in 2006. And last year, the top three spenders--Geico, Progressive and Allstate--had flat to 1% increases. The slowdown is due to factors including the economic downturn, five years of record-breaking ad spending, and the need to cut costs. "The insurance companies had reached all-time, record highs over the …

Coming into the upfront, Hispanic television executives are counting on continued growth in that sector's ad revenue--but agencies and advertisers can expect a different dynamic from the past. NBC Universal's Telemundo and Mun2 will not host a glitzy, star-studded upfront presentation, but instead will join NBC at a special event on May 12 that will wrap up a month of client meetings in key Hispanic markets. And Azteca America, which had its fifth upfront presentation at New York's New World Stages last year, will instead do a nationwide presentation to clients and agencies. Also skipping this year's upfront week …

Less than a week after it filed for bankruptcy, Frontier Airlines is rolling out a new ad campaign, the carrier's first in six months. The effort was planned before the company went into Chapter 11, but the timing was actually moved up as "kind of a way in the community to say, 'We're here ... and we'll continue to be here in the future,' " according to Joe Hodas, a spokesman for the airline. Spots feature Frontier animals singing about how many destinations it serves. The campaign comes as high fuel costs and stiff competition ravage the airline …

While just 17.5% of General Motors customers say TV influenced their choice of auto purchases, the carmaker spent 40% of its $3 billion-plus ad budget on the small screen -- suggesting its marketing is out of whack with the current media environment, according to a study from BIGResearch. The new analysis comes as automakers reallocate more dollars to digital ads. But they may not going far enough, the survey says. The big auto companies pumped by far the highest percentage of their media dollars into TV in 2006 in a spend unbalanced compared to the medium's influence on consumers …

NBC is readying a celebrity-filled rollout of a revived "Family Feud." Set for a July 1 premiere, the game show will be hosted by Al Roker and air Tuesdays at 8, leading into a new season of "America's Got Talent." The new "Feud" will have a different format with hourlong episodes featuring four teams battling it out for charity with some consisting of celebrities and their relatives and others made up of reunited TV casts.

Canadians are deprived of American Super Bowl ads -- though not the Big Game itself -- due to the country's simulcasting rules, a system regulators are told needs tweaking. Bragg Communications, parent of cable operator EastLink, is telling the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission that it should it make an exception because the glitzy American ads are a huge part of the game and Canadians want to see them. "We believe the Canadian broadcasting system would be the net winner by encouraging consumers to remain within the regulated system if the Super Bowl was exempt from simulcasting requirements," says …