In time for the election, a new Web application promising to spot bias in news stories launches this week. SpinSpotter, initially accessible only through the Firefox browser, and Spinoculars, a downloadable toolbar application, scan Web pages and spot certain potential indicators of bias. The toolbar allow users to flag phrases in news stories and opine on phrases called out by other Spinspotter users. The application uses six key signs of bias, derived from the guidelines of the Society of Professional Journalists and an advisory board of journalism experts. "It might prove some stories don't have the level of …

Hoping to remain current, Interpublic's Initiative unit has tapped a top executive from, well, Current, to head up its vaunted Innovations group. Jason Meil, who has been senior vice president-original programming, acquisitions and user-generated content at Al Gore's Current Media, has joined Initiative as executive vice president-director of innovations, effectively taking on the role created by former Innovations chief Alan Cohen, who left earlier this year to take a top post at Omnicom's OMD unit. Katy Finnin Ferguson also is on-board at Initiative's New York office as vice president, group account director, responsible primarily for the agency's CBS, …

CW is promoting the heck out of "Gossip Girl" and "Beverly Hills, 90210," even as media buyers and a prominent affiliate make preparations in case the channel is canceled. Executives at Tribune Co., which operates 13 CW affiliates, told lenders recently they had "very solid backup plans" in case the CW doesn't fare well this season and have started to downplay the CW brand in some markets, promoting local TV station brands instead. Randy Michaels, Tribune's COO, says that should the CW's hopes dim, "We can put on better programming with a more profitable business model." Other …

Vogue magazine does not have the most powerful American fashion editor. That honor goes to Glamour's editor-in-chief Cindi Leive. Vogue editor Anna Wintour ties for second place with Elle's Robbie Myers. To establish the rankings, Forbes went beyond traditional factors, such as each magazine's rate base, ad pages and ad prices. It also included,the monthly unique user numbers for each publication's Web site to,determine how well the title is transitioning from print to the online format. Glamour.com's Web traffic in July 2008 was 862,700 -- an increase of 118% from the year before, per comScore. In contrast, Style.com, …

The University of Texas is angling to become the first college in the nation with its own sports television channel. Texas has been exploring the viability of a channel for the past 18 months with such potential distributors as Time Warner Cable, AT&T and Comcast. A decision is expected by mid-November. Time Warner already has a $4-a-month video-on-demand service dedicated to Longhorn athletics, which carries replays of games and news conferences. The new channel would have a broader reach and carry more traditional programming. While a first for a university, such a channel reflects a growing trend. …

The road to marketing gold for Olympian Michael Phelps was paved years before he swam in China. Phelps and his agent Peter Carlisle of Octagon have been pursuing $100 million in endorsements. If they succeed, their strategy could become the new model for managing Olympians. Phelps' approach taps online media and other new venues and targets new geographies. His appearances are atypical for swimmers, such as an eight-city tour, endorsements in fast-growing markets like China and a stepped-up presence online. Phelps also posts to his Facebook page himself. (He has 1.5 million "Phans," nearly as many as …

The next venue for advertising? How about inside school buses. Children in Michigan may soon be going to school in buses with ads over their heads as their school districts seek ways to raise extra revenue. Under the proposal, a school district panel would screen and approve the ads. Once approved, 20 ads would be put inside the bus above the windows. The district wouldn't have to put up any money for the project, and a percentage of the profits would go to the schools. "I don't care how much money it would generate," says one parent. …