Former DNC Chair Howard Dean will become a regular contributor for the business news network CNBC. Dean started this week as a guest host on the station. Dean worked on Wall Street after graduating college and has family ties to the financial sector. He was an early critic of the business practices that contributed to the current recession. "I like CNBC because I can offer them a different perspective that they would find useful," says Dean. Currently CNBC has been under pressure to change its format and has been criticized for failing to report or foresee today's …

WPP Group has been downgraded from "Buy" to "Hold" by Citigroup Global Markets. Even though Citi does not think WPP shares are "especially expensive," it believes the current valuation is not "sufficiently compelling to support a 'Buy' rating." Citi cited the seasonality of sector performance for companies like WPP, noting that agency groups typically see the bulk of their relative share price performance between October and the release of full-year results in Q1. "Revenues and profits are concentrated in Q4, and especially November/December," says Citi. Despite the downgrade, the investment bank describes WPP as the "best positioned agency" …

Omnicom Media Group is handing over oversight of its branded entertainment unit Full Circle Entertainment to RDF Media USA. RDF produces nonscripted reality series, such as "Wife Swap" and "Secret Millionaire." Under the new venture, Full Circle Entertainment will operate as an independent entity under RDF and will continue to be led by CEO Robert Riesenber. RDF, headed by Chris Coelen, becomes the majority stakeholder in Full Circle. Riesenberg will report to Coelen in the new setup. Omnicom will also help with product integration across RDF's TV and digital slate. The partnership gives Omnicom and Full Circle access …

The Washington Times has partnered with Talk Radio Network to launch a nationally syndicated, three-hour, morning-drive radio show aimed at showcasing the paper's reporting and investigative journalism. The radio program is slated to debut in the spring. The move into radio is part of the Times' strategy to transform itself into a multimedia, multiplatform news company. Mark Masters, CEO of Talk Radio, says the arrangement of print journalists tapping into "radio's ability to give the time and context needed to flesh out breaking stories, will make for a powerful combination." Instead of commenting on yesterday's news, the new …

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 …

Most TV viewers see less and less of a distinction between TV giants such as NBC, ABC and CBS and cable cousins such as USA, TNT and MTV. "Kids and teenagers and even adults under 35 don't really differentiate between cable and broadcast. It's just TV," says Jim Spiropolous, research director at MediaVest. He predicts that all but the most premium broadcast shows will end up with ratings on par with cable in just a few years. Indeed, the number of viewers who watched broadcast network programs within seven days after airing fell in every significant demo category between 2007-2008 …

Prominent California business leaders including investment banker Warren Hellman made an overture last week to Hearst Corp. about helping the troubled San Francisco Chronicle become a nonprofit. Hellman and San Francisco attorney Bill Coblentz discussed the idea; then Coblentz conveyed it to William R. Hearst III, who is a Hearst Corp. director and an affiliated partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. The proposal would be for a nonprofit corporation "to take over the Chronicle," with Hearst Corp. continuing to provide some philanthropic support. Other details remain sketchy. The paper has reportedly been losing $1 million or more a week …

Numerous rival papers--some that have battled for scoops for generations--have forged shared-content deals in the past year. From Florida to California, the arrangements are emerging among dailies with no common ownership or JOA ties. The idea is even taking on a regional tone, with new Midwest and New York area content swap deals that cross state lines. Generally, the business editor, city editor and sports editor at each paper share story lineups each day--which include most, but not all, of the paper's articles. There is a downside, however. "The real loss is in the number of different [reporters] watching the …

All 14 Hearst magazines are giving their spin on pro-environmental topics as part of a "30 Days of Green" joint editorial and ad campaign in April. It's the latest manifestation of Hearst's cross-title advertising programs, and it is the first program to run across Hearst's entire portfolio and include editorial content. eBay is sponsoring the entire package, which includes a gatefold ad that wraps each title's green edit. The content of the ad is customized for each title. This Hearst initiative is similar to one at Time Inc., in which five dissimilar titles including Time, People and Fortune served up …

Donald Fries, publisher of Time magazine, is resigning at a crucial time for the Time Inc. title, as its rival Newsweek--a Washington Post Co. magazine--is undergoing a reorganization and redesign. Mark Ford, president of Time Inc.'s newsmagazine group--which also includes Fortune and Sports Illustrated--will take over ad sales for Time. The departure of Fries follows the retirement last fall of Edward McCarrick, the worldwide publisher of Time magazine, amid a broad restructuring at Time Inc. McCarrick, a 35-year veteran, was not replaced. Time's newsstand sales rose more than 28% in the six months ended Dec. 31 from a year earlier, …