Countering an Appeals court ruling, the Bush administration says the Federal Communications Commission is justified in its new policy of slapping fines on broadcasters for so-called fleeting expletives. The Supreme Court will take up the issue in late 2008 in its first broadcast indecency case in 30 years. In March 2006, the FCC issued an order to fine broadcasters for one-time expletives uttered in live settings. The order cited Fox for profanities on two live broadcasts and ABC and CBS for a single broadcast each. An Appeals court barred the FCC from enacting the policy and at the …

The conglomerate that owns the world's largest-circulation English newspaper, the Times of India, is making its first foreign acquisition. The Indian company is buying Scottish-owned Virgin Radio Holdings for $105 million in a move that experts say could be sign of the future. Traditional media companies in the U.S., Europe and Japan are struggling, but healthy newspaper, TV and radio companies in emerging markets are eager to expand with foreign acquisitions. "The opportunity to acquire a valuable radio asset couldn't have come at a better time," says A. P. Parigi, chief of Times Infotainment Media, which made the deal …

Paris-based Renault-Nissan is reviewing its $1 billion Pan-European media account, seeking to consolidate the two car brands at a single shop. Contenders will include incumbents OMD, which handles Nissan's $200 million account, and Carat, which handles Renault's $800 million business, per Adweek sources. Nonroster agencies are expected to also pitch the business. The review reportedly does not affect the U.S., where the $800 million Nissan account is handled by OMD. Renault owns 44.3% of Nissan, while Nissan owns a 15% stake in Renault; Carlos Ghosn is CEO of both companies.

The single biggest advantage Web video has over television is that it allows you to listen to your viewers. Unlike old-school TV, Internet TV producers can access data, practically in real time, on how their videos perform, who they reach and when they reach them. Are you using all the data at your disposal to fine-tune your videos, your content, and your distribution strategy? Do you track who watches your video via RSS, or when your creations are embedded on other blogs? Advertisers are demanding this information, and there is enough information, free and otherwise, to go the …

Felix Dennis' The Week will give advertisers a comparison of their ad's performance in the magazine versus rival publications Forbes, Fortune and The Economist. The data comes from Affinity Research and is offered to marketers that buy at least three pages in The Week. While various magazines make similar ad effectiveness comparisons, this new program offers deeper data, says Brenda White, Starcom director. Critics at other agencies and magazines point to limitations in the research and the lack of factors, such as correct placement, quality of creative and audience demos. Some buyers, however, are more supportive. "I …

Bids for the Weather Channel are in, and despite reports that a consortium of NBC Universal, Blackstone Group and Bain Capital are in the lead; sources tell CNBC "talk of a front runner is premature." The cable network that reaches 96 million U.S. homes could end up in the hands of NBC, Time Warner or private-equity buyers. Bids are reportedly coming in at about $3.5 billion in stock and debt. So what's the Weather Channel worth? It's one of the last remaining independent cable assets, and it is a strong vertical brand -- "a go-to destination …

Metro newspapers may be struggling, but college print newspapers are thriving, according to research by Alloy Media+Marketing. More than 80% of students read their campus newspaper, more than double the rate of most major metro dailies. Most students are also open to newspaper ads, with only 13% saying they avoid the ads in their school paper, per the online study of 1,200 students. Samantha Skey, marketing exec at Alloy says, "Marketers trying to get the 18-34 demographic without using college newspapers are missing out." Coupons and promotions were particularly effective in gaining brand affinity, says the study. …

British publisher Reed Elsevier is approaching banks about a $1.5 billion loan for the eventual buyer of its trade magazine division, which includes Variety. By arranging such a loan, Reed is trying to increase the odds it can sell the division in one piece, rather than bit by bit. UBS, BNP Paribas, JP Morgan, GE, Bank of Ireland and Lloyds TSB are among those expected to join the consortium offering the loan. Equal to around 4.75 times Reed Business Information's underlying earnings, the loan would only be available to those bidding for the whole group. Reed Elsevier chief Sir …