The Star Tribune of Minneapolis has become the latest, and so far the largest, daily newspaper to inform The Associated Press that it plans to drop the service in two years. AP requires that member newspapers give two years' notice before dropping the service. "The region's biggest news source sent the nation's most prominent wire service a cancellation notice," says MinnPost.com's David Brauer. It will be a big change--"just this morning there were at least 18 AP stories or photos in the paper's news sections and a wire-service credit was attached to nearly all the national sports news …

Fresh from the televised interviews of presidential candidates at his megachurch, evangelical pastor Rick Warren is in talks with Reader's Digest Association to launch a magazine. The new print publication would be inspired by his book "The Purpose-Driven Life," with the working title Purpose. RDA is slated to publish the first test-issue of the magazine as early as this fall. Joe Treen, a former editor at People and Discover, will serve as editor.

To promote the fifth season of "Entourage," HBO has paired with Virgin America to rebrand one of its airline flights. The flight from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport to Las Vegas will be billed as "Entourage Air" throughout September. In addition to wrapping a Virgin America plane with "Entourage" signage, the airline will screen the season premiere of the show on the Vegas-bound flight Sept. 4, marking the first in-flight premiere of a TV series. A sendoff party at JFK will include the "Entourage" cast and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson. A party at the Palms Casino …

Is it a phone or a radio? Sprint Nextel subscribers will be able to listen to live radio broadcasts of National Football League games on their cell phones this season as part of a new partnership between the wireless provider and sports league. The broadcasts are the centerpiece of the new NFL Mobile Live platform, which will be available to all Sprint wireless subscribers who purchase the basic data plan. Premium subscribers will be able to see live broadcasts of NFL Thursday Night Football games on their phones starting Nov. 6. The deal also encompasses fantasy football, …

With the decline of newspapers and radio, Rishad Tobaccowala, CEO of Publicis' consultancy Denuo, thinks TV could be the only mass medium left in a few years. Tobaccowala also serves as chief innovation officer at Publicis, which handles about $45 billion in annual media spending globally. "For an advertiser, there is no better way of reaching 25% of the market" than using TV, he says. "It has actually become far more expensive to buy advertising on Google than on network television." He believes TV's main strength is that it's local, and TV stations should participate in local events …

What will the newspaper of the future look like? The Christian Science Monitor. Decades ago, the Monitor was forced to adapt when its circulation and ad revenue started shrinking. "We had to face up to a lot of these economic pressures well before other newspapers," admits managing publisher Jonathan Wells. Ad income is now only about $1 million. More than half of its costs are covered by an endowment and subsidies. To survive, the Monitor "cannily" picks the areas of coverage for its 20, small-format pages. When most media outlets are closing overseas bureaus, it maintains …

Coca-Cola is one of many big brand marketers spending more in the direct response TV space, contributing to a 19% jump in DRTV spot spending in the first quarter of 2008, per TNS. (Traditional TV media was up 2% in that period.) Buyers and sellers cite several reasons for the upswing, including cost, measurability, accountability and higher engagement. DRTV rates are about half the cost of traditional spots. Buyers also note the growing number of response platforms beyond the traditional 1-800 number call center, including Web destinations and mobile sites. Increasingly, DRTV ads are directing consumers -- …

The national political conventions will kick off a fall blitz of political advertising that could be massive. Evan Tracey, chief operating officer of the TNS Campaign Media Analysis Group, predicts the tidal wave of ads will be so large that campaigns will seek secondary locations for their ads because prime venue -- spots on TV stations -- will be unavailable. "Here they come, and it's getting nasty," Tracey said last week when a Republican advocacy group announced its advertising plans. Political ad spending is already in the stratosphere. Four years ago, $427 million had been spent on …