When NBC programming head Ben Silverman, recently said, "We're managing for margin and not for ratings," media insider Shelly Palmer heard one thing. He says it was a signal that this is the end of broadcast television. Investing in programming and ratings, not margins, is the only thing that will turn the business around, Palmer writes. "The recipe for profitable broadcast television is simple: Develop large audiences that you can accurately measure, and sell them to advertisers who need to reach them." If, on the other hand, "you want to sunset an organization and squeeze every last …

When "The Dark Knight" star Christian Bale was arrested Tuesday on allegations he assaulted his mother and sister, Warner Bros. execs scrambled to assess the impact on the movie's marketing efforts. Bale's arrest coincides with a major ad campaign for the film and for Burger King, which urges consumers to give in to their "dark side." In one ad, a young man refuses to give up his seat to an old lady carrying heavy bags. Bale canceled a London promotional press session slated for Tuesday, but is expected to be ready for interviews in Barcelona on Wednesday …

The upcoming installments of CNN's "Black in America" series have signed on McDonald's and Geico as sponsors, reaching beyond the network's regular stable of advertisers. "We are attracting new category advertisers because of relevant, audience-connecting programs like "Black in America," says Greg D'Alba, CNN executive. Having an African-American candidate for president undoubtedly helps fuel the interest among both viewers and brands. Upcoming installments anchored by Soledad O'Brien are "The Black Women & Family," airing Wednesday night, and "The Black Man" on Thursday. The sponsorships include encore presentations airing over the weekend.

TNT has given the green light to "Night and Day," a pilot from Joel Surnow, "24" co-creator, and Todd Robinson. The gritty drama about the life of an ATF agent marks Surnow's first series project since he departed "24" in February after seven years. Emmy winners Surnow and Robinson penned the "Night and Day" script and are executive producing. On the feature side, Surnow also has romantic comedy "That Face" in the works at Morgan Creek Prods. and Universal Pictures.

Media companies, worried about protecting their content, are clamping down on how their kid-friendly characters are used in the outside world. Parents planning birthday parties for their children with costumed characters like Hannah Montana are now facing stumbling blocks that include trademark infringement. Lately, Marvel Entertainment Inc., Scholastic and other corporations that own the rights to popular characters have sent cease-and-desist letters, threatened lawsuits and in some cases received settlements from unauthorized character impersonators.

By trying to play up the potential of its massive revamp, OMD paints a not-so-flattering picture of its old way of doing things. The reorganization is designed, in part, to trim a layer of mid-level account staffers who "spend too much time doing clerical work (like resolving time-buy discrepancies) and not enough time focused on client strategy," says an executive. The reorganization has shifted some of the agency's most senior executives into group account director roles. "Clients want more dedicated people and more senior people on their business. They don't want a bunch of bodies running around that …

In an effort to avoid the sharp criticism that met Conan O'Brien's awkward 1993 "Late Night" debut, the first months of Jimmy Fallon's venture into late-night hosting will be posted online, rather than airing on television. Starting in the fall, Fallon will produce five to 10 minutes of content every night, which will be posted online at 12:30 a.m. "We think this is a great idea!" quips New York's "Vulture" blog. "There's no medium more open-minded and polite than the Internet, which of course is available only in a limited number of American households." Fallon can …