TV networks traditionally base their sales pitches to advertisers on the demographics of their audiences, but that is no longer enough, says David Poltrack, CBS chief researcher. Better than the demo approach are new techniques that allow marketers to link their ad placement to the buying behavior of the viewers watching the ads and related programming. He points to the experience of his own network. For the past year, CBS has been working with TRA, a service that combines second-by-second TV viewing data with shopping behavior provided by frequent shopper cards. "For the first time you can measure …

Ad executives and recruiters expect the large ad agency holding companies to hand out a new flurry of pink slips early next year as the ad downturn worsens. Executives estimate that the holding companies--Interpublic, Omnicom and WPP--have already cut at least 1,000 jobs this year. WPP agencies are bracing for cuts across the board in January after the company acquired UK research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres. The $2 billion deal raised concerns about WPP's debt load just as the ad downturn hit. Industry watchers also expect Omnicom agencies BBDO, DDB and TBWA to make deep cuts next year. …

Here come the Brits. As U.S. newspapers struggle to survive, the British Guardian News & Media is expanding across North America. Digital veteran Caroline Little is being tapped as chief of the Guardian's U.S. operation. Little, who joined the company in August as a special adviser, will take on her new role in January, working out of New York and Washington, D.C. Her previous job was CEO of the digital division of The Washington Post, overseeing washingtonpost.com, newsweek.com, slate.com and theroot.com. She will be responsible for Guardian's ContentNext network and sales and marketing for Guardian America. …

With its ad-supported media clobbered by the economic downturn, Steve Lacy, Meredith CEO, says his company will now focus on the newer revenue streams of licensing and custom marketing. Speaking Dec. 8 at UBS' annual media conference, Lacy outlined a plan to grow market share by increasing sales of Better Homes and Gardens-licensed home products at Wal-Mart. The publishing company will double in number the 550-plus BHG licensed products that Wal-Mart began selling earlier this year. Lacy also plans to use the broad reach of Meredith magazines to build integrated media packages that can be measured. In …

Comcast continues to see the effects of the slowing economy on its business, especially in add-on services such as pay-per-view. It says more customers are calling to ask for relief from their monthly cable bills. The nation's largest cable operator plans to appeal to these cost-conscious customers with a slew of lower-priced plans, says Dave Watson, Comcast executive. The company just introduced an economy video tier that costs less than $30 a month with 50 TV channels plus music channels. Comcast also offers a cheaper Internet plan at DSL speeds. In addition, Comcast is introducing bundled packages …

WPP chief Martin Sorrell says it's just a matter of time before French financier Vincent Bolloré merges France's Havas and England's Aegis. Bolloré is a major shareholder in both advertising companies. The recent departure of Aegis's chief executive, Robert Lerwill, plus the depressed value of Aegis shares suggest the merger will come sooner rather than later. Analysts say merging Aegis and Havas makes sense now, because scale matters during an economic downturn. They also warn that a prolonged corporate standoff could hamper any integration. Sorrell says the question is when Bolloré will scoop up Aegis. "He has …

Media conglomerates are shedding jobs at a furious rate, but the deep cuts they're making are as much about ditching their old media models as they are about the tough economy. The media industry is blaming the economy for the loss more than 30,000 jobs in 2008, which is about 3.5% of the total media work force of 858,000, per the Department of Labor. But privately, executives say the recession is giving big media cover as it undertakes Detroit-like restructuring, shedding the remaining vestiges of broadcast-level staffing in favor of a lower-cost model. One permanent change: smaller …

NBC Universal has been blowing up its executive teams and repositioning its programming strategy while struggling to pull out of fourth place. In the latest chapter, the company is pushing Universal Media Studios chief Katherine Pope and NBC Entertainment executive vice president Teri Weinberg out of their jobs. Weinberg is expected to take a different post somewhere else in NBCU. Pope may land at ABC, say insiders. The move comes as NBC looks to toss out its traditional network-studio structure, particularly in light of its rough fall performance. As part of the reorg, a newly merged network …

Once-unstoppable, Nascar is watching its fan base erode, TV ratings slip and marketers slam the brakes on sponsorships. CEO Brian France says Nascar's sponsorship revenue in 2009 will be flat. In comparison, sponsors spent $150 million more last year than the year before. France and others are fretting over whether the organization could actually lose money next year. Of Nascar's 42 full-time drivers, 12 currently do not have primary sponsors for the 2009 season. That's a big problem, since at least 75% of Nascar's budget comes from sponsors. Top sponsors pay $18 million to $20 million to be featured …