Looking for new income streams, CNN is courting newspapers -- and possibly competing with The Associated Press -- with a new wire service. The network is wooing embattled newspaper editors with a free, three-day summit in Atlanta in December to show off its news gathering capabilities. CNN is boasting that the new CNN Wire will tap into the network's internal arsenal of 3,800 people, 22 international bureaus, 15 domestic bureaus, 900 North American TV broadcast affiliates, a Web site and a radio network. Fees paid by the papers will help defray the cost of running the global …

Ben Silverman, chief of NBC Entertainment, is an unconventional, globe-trotting figure who isn't afraid to put brands in TV programming. Hired for his independent streak, Silverman is stunning Hollywood's old guard with the most overtly commercial approach that broadcast TV has ever seen. For instance, "Knight Rider" and "My Own Worst Enemy" feature Ford and General Motors products as de facto characters in the shows. And from Oct. 6-12, NBC took four of the top 10 spots in the list of shows with the most product placements. But so far the method has not produced ratings hits. …

Robert Thomson, managing editor of The Wall Street Journal, is still a proponent of premium business news on the Web. He believes people misunderstand what is free, or "commoditized" and what isn't on the newspaper's site. When it comes to social networks, "more of our content will be free and you'll be able to share it, but at the premium end, that's still a subscription model." What exactly is premium content? Not opinion editorials, he says. "I'm sure there's brilliant commentators, but it's become commoditized. The random comment you get today is a commodity." However, high-end …

HBO's TV series "The Sopranos," has sparked an unusual spinoff - - a line of Italian wines that will be launched in the U.S. this fall. Maybe next year it will be pasta. Sopranos Wines are being produced under a licensing agreement between HBO and Vesuvio Import Company. (Fans will remember Vesuvio was the name of the fictional restaurant frequented by the series' main characters.) "These Italian wines are the perfect complement to our other carefully planned product extensions for "The Sopranos" brand," says an HBO rep. The wines, mainly Chianti, will run from $12 to $30 a …

Top executives and editors from several major dailies in the Northeast met in mid-Oct. to hammer out a content-sharing agreement that could replace their agreements with The Associated Press. A "Northeast Consortium" of newspapers may include the New York Daily News, Newsday, the Buffalo News the Times-Union of Albany, N.Y., and the Star Ledger of Newark, N.J. An insider says the new arrangement would offer cost savings, a more timely exchange of content and "a new spirit of cooperation" among members. Lately some newspapers struggling to streamline their operations have expressed dissatisfaction with the AP.

CBS CEO Leslie Moonves says that sticking with the tried-and-true has propelled his network to the strongest season it has had since 2004. One month into the fall television season, CBS is TV's top-rated network in adult viewers 25 to 54 and 18 to 49. "Everybody was saying that the world is different, the world has changed. But ultimately, it turns out people still want to see their favorite shows," says Moonves. In an era of audience erosion, the key to CBS' successful autumn has been its veteran series: "NCIS," "CSI: NY," "How I Met Your Mother," …

Female-targeted Oxygen is a sassier, scrappier kid sister to the more stylish sibling network Bravo. Bravo's owner NBCU bought Oxygen about a year ago for a hefty $925 million. Since then, ratings among women 18-49 have soared at both nets. To understand the difference between them, consider this. Bravo's Heidi Klum and Oxygen's Tori Spelling were born just days apart in 1973, yet the valet at The Polo Lounge probably won't ever mistake their respective rides. Sales execs at Bravo and Oxygen Media also emphasize the similarities of their combined audiences. In both groups, female prime-time viewers …

Marketing agency Ideocracy, is seeking to upgrade the "FutureMe" career makeover TV show it created this year for staffing company Adecco in Europe. Adecco and Ideocracy are also seeking a co-sponsor this time around. The first season, which consisted of six half-hour episodes, ran in the spring on MTV in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The most popular episode attracted about 100,000 viewers. The agency is negotiating to change the format and broaden the target audience for season two. The unbranded show is part of Adecco's marketing outreach. People who sign up for casting calls submit resumes …

The plans to cut 75 jobs, or 10% of its news staff, in its second round of news layoffs this year. The paper made comparable cuts on its business side last week. At the same time, the LAT's debt-laden parent company Tribune is reportedly thinking about buying or partnering with the Orange County Register, which is also located in Southern California. The Tribune is considering combining some of the production and distribution operations at the two newspapers. New industry figures show the Times' average weekday circulation fell 5.6% for the six-month period ending September …