More than four out of five Internet users say it's "reasonable" for free online TV shows to include advertising, according to new research by Ipsos MediaCT. The survey, conducted last February, found respondents were a little less warm toward ads in full-length movies online, with 75% giving ads the thumbs up. Ads would be acceptable in free music videos, short news or sports clips, according to two out of three respondents. "If it's premium content, people are willing to sit through ads. It's something that consumers already expect," said Adam Wright Ipsos director. "That can …

A month after it announced it will shift from weekly to every other week, U.S. News & World Report unveiled an extensive redesign and a modified identity. "The new logo on the cover is not just a cosmetic makeover," says editor Brian Kelly. "It signals that we're changing the way we think of the magazine." The title is moving away from being a news-oriented magazine and becoming more of a consumer guide, with personal and public service journalism. The change also means more resources devoted to the USNews.com, which generates 5 million unique visitors a month. Ad …

In a new effort to attract younger fashion fans and marketing dollars heading for the Web, Vogue magazine is co-producing a Web-based reality series about the fashion industry. The magazine is teaming with the fashion and media divisions of IMG for the show, which tracks three models as they travel in New York and Europe. The first of 12 eight-minute episodes will debut August 19 on-demand on Vogue.tv, sponsored by retailer Express LLC. Consumers can click a link to buy the ensembles the models are wearing -- or to get a similar look from Express.com. With a …

Select readers of Rolling Stone are receiving a test issue of the magazine with a note from founder Jann Wanner saying the magazine is "considering a major change in the format from its current look to one more like the enclosed issue." The test issue is tighter, smaller and glossier than the issue currently on newsstands. It is about the same size as Vanity Fair, on glossy paper and perfect-bound with lots of text on the spine. The amount of content is the same, but packaged in a more condensed layout with sleeker photos. While feeling more …

Gareth Kay, chief planner at Modernista, wonders on his blog if agencies should be more worried about the sociability of a brand before worrying if it should be using social media. "Perhaps we are looking at this from the wrong end of the telescope, focusing on the delivery mechanism not the underlying spirit." Rather than trying to use communications to cover fundamental issues a business faces, the communications "force us to confront what it is that we need to do at a fundamental level," which is to build social brands. These are brands that are inherently open, generous …

The parent of USA Today is suffering. Gannett Co., the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, dropped to its lowest level since 1990 on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday after reporting second-quarter profits fell 36%. Ad sales at USA Today, the biggest U.S. newspaper by circulation, fell 27% in June for its steepest monthly decline this year. Gannett's total print ad sales dropped 16% in the same period. For the quarter, national advertising for all publications sank 14%, mainly because of cutbacks by retailers and car makers. "The economy could be tough for the foreseeable future," company …