A branded Web series designed to shill Suave hair-care products and Sprint wireless services to females has become a full-fledged broadcast TV sitcom. "In the Motherhood," an ABC series about working moms that was adapted from the Web, is debuting today. TV executive producers Jennifer Konner and Alexandra Rushfield adapted the Web series, which averaged 3 million online visitors per episode. Konner says ABC "really wanted to take an honest approach to mothering using the same tone as the Webisodes." Both producers say they could foresee networks using the Web more as an incubator. "With the Internet, …

The penny-pinching ways of Comcast CEO Brian Roberts -- long a sore spot for investors -- have made Comcast likely to be one of America's few corporations to get a debt-rating upgrade by Moody's Investors Service. While most media companies are drowning in debt, Comcast has a debt ratio of 2.5 times net assets, as well as nearly $4 billion in annual free cash flow. The company recently said it would raise its dividend by 8%, or a total of $60 million, and yet it still remains in line for a debt upgrade. While insiders don't think …

Richard Beckman, head of the Condé Nast Media Group, is shifting to another branch of the company. He will become president and CEO of Condé Nast's Fairchild Fashion Group, replacing Dan Lagani, who is leaving the company after three years at the post. Only a few weeks ago, Beckman was seen as a possible successor to Walter Anderson, the 31-year vet of Condé Nast's Parade, who is retiring. Lou Cona, senior vice president, will succeed Beckman at the Media Group, which handles the company's big, multiplatform deals.

In the aftermath of CNBC's recent image calamity via Jon Stewart, rivals Fox Business Network and Bloomberg Television could win by capitalizing on CNBC's misery. With about 355,000 total viewers, CNBC looks like an appealing target for investors who are depressed and furious. Fair or not, the network suddenly represents everything that is evil about capitalism. The priority for Fox Business and Bloomberg is to become the anti-CNBC and strengthen their own identities. Fox Business is well-suited to serve the interests of the outsider of the stock market, the "little guy." Its commitment to impressing Main Street underlays its …

One part of the traditional media has continued to grow robustly: National Public Radio. The audience for NPR's daily news programs, including "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered," reached a record last year, hitting 20.9 million a week, a 9% increase over the previous year. The weekly audience for all the programming fed by Washington-based NPR -- including talk shows and music -- also reached a record last year, with 23.6 million people tuning in each week, an 8.7% increase over 2007. NPR's surge continues a trend that goes back to the fall of 2000. Its audience has grown …

The NBC affiliates board has launched an exhaustive study of viewers regarding Jay Leno's new show at 10 p.m. A committee that includes Scripps TV senior vice president Brian Lawlor and Post-Newsweek Stations CEO Alan Frank ordered the research and is hoping to use it for unprecedented input into Leno's fall program. Affiliates were split on the idea of Leno taking over the 10 p.m. slot, fearing it will never be a ratings smash and won't be a good lead-in to the local news. The study asks viewers about their favorite elements of "The Tonight Show With Jay …

Marking the first time Showtime has used a major retailer to promote one of its shows, Macy's is offering displays touting "The Tudors", a Showtime show based on Henry VIII. This week, six Macy's flagships, including its New York City's Herald Square store, will exhibit table settings and window scenes that conjure up the opulence of the Tudor king's reign. Gourmet magazine orchestrated the multiplatform deal for Showtime. The campaign includes a four-page gatefold in the April issue, with photos of an elegant table overflowing with platters of food. At a companion microsite, visitors who feel inclined to recreate …

Bertelsmann AG, Europe's largest media company, will refrain from large acquisitions as it predicts profit will decline this year. The degree that profit and sales will drop this year will depend on the "intensity and duration of the economic downturn," says CEO Hartmut Ostrowski. As a result, Bertelsmann, which competes with Vivendi and Time Warner, will refrain from "bigger acquisitions" or divestitures. Last year, net income fell 34% to $193 million, while adjusted sales were little changed. As a result, the company sold under-performing assets, such as club businesses, while bolstering services and television. In November Bertelsmann …

Former Time Warner chairman and CEO Richard Parsons will step down from the board by its next annual general meeting. Parsons, who has been on the Time Warner board since 1991, helped the company negotiate the difficult aftermath of its controversial merger with AOL in 2000. As chief executive and later chairman, he also helped soothe activist investors, such as Carl Icahn, who were seeking to break up the company in a bid to boost value. Parsons stepped down as CEO in December 2007 and relinquished the role of chair last December. As the recently appointed chairman of …

As a streamlining measure, Media General is reorganizing its business around geographic markets rather than traditional operations. The present divisions of publishing, broadcast and interactive will be replaced by five geographic markets, plus a sixth operating segment called Interactive Advertising Services that includes Blockdot, Inc., DealTaker.com, NetInformer and other ventures. The new structure will follow the example of the company's Tampa Bay properties, in which The Tampa Tribune newspaper and other print products are produced from the same newsroom and offices that handle the WFLA-TV station and TBO.com online offerings. CEO Marshall N. Morton says, "Media …