Dish Network's satellite TV service will now provide interactive advertising capabilities to NBC television networks and NBC owned-and-operated stations. Dish subscribers can use their remote controls to access more information, coupons and discounts from NBC advertisers, which will be offered ways to use the new medium. The hope is that advertisers will pay a premium for the certainty that their ad was watched clicked on. "Inserting on-screen triggers in the suite of NBCU networks is a powerful proposition that will be valuable to both advertisers and viewers," says Dish exec Michael Finn.

Daily conversations about Fox's "American Idol" have sunk sharply since last year, according to a survey of Americans 13 years and older conducted by the Keller Fay Group, word-of-mouth consultants. The drop in people talking about the program--from 9.9 million to 5.9 million per day--seems to bolster a general feeling the nation's most- watched TV show has lost some steam. (Ratings have also dipped a bit since last season.) The network and producers "really want to see what we can do to inject the show with new levels of energy," says Fox entertainment chief Peter Liguori.

Robert Thomson was named the managing editor of The Wall Street Journal and editor in chief of Dow Jones late Tuesday. The announcement by Dow Jones Chairman Rupert Murdoch was at pains to emphasize that Thomson's appointment had been "unanimously endorsed" by the Special Committee of prominent outside journalists installed to preserve the independence of top editors from Murdoch's meddling. Thomson replaces Marcus Brauchli, who was essentially forced to resign after a meeting with Dow Jones executives. CEO Les Hinton admits, "It would have more been appropriate to have advised the Special Committee in advance of reaching an …

Paul Rossi, publisher of "The Economist," told media pros at the MediaBistro Circus conference this week that social media can actually help print publishers. Inviting readers to comment on stories, blogs and submit their own material can create a community in a way that print publications never could, he said. "The Economist" has introduced a popular interactive debate to its site, where experts present opposing viewpoints on a hot-button issue of the day, and viewers vote on who won. The magazine is also packing its Web site with audio content, including audio files of the entire content of …

3D isn't just for the movies. Filmmaker James Cameron hopes that there will be 5,000 theaters with three-dimensional technology when his 3D movie "Avatar" debuts next year. He says the digital projectors in theaters will also be able to show sports and events, along with travelogues and other content. "The real revolution comes as live sports, games and television also start appearing in three dimensions," he says. "We're on the cusp of that, and people need to have a strategy for it," he says

Last week, while everyone was watching CBS purchase CNET, Condé Nast bought Ars Technica, a small influential Web tech site; Webmonkey, a site for Web developers and Hot Wired, the brand that ran the first ever banner ad. With its "fat, luscious magazines" Condé Nast would seem the antithesis of "the sneaker-wearing run-and-gun aesthetic" of the Web. Not so. The fashion empire wants to be a digital player and is committed to constructing a viable digital business.