Universal McCann has hired Jacki Kelley -- whose career spans two decades in the media business -- as the shop's North America president. Kelley was most recently at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia as executive vice president, media sales, where she led the creation of an integrated media team. Her hire is a sign that the agency is redefining its relationship with media owners. Matt Seiler, global CEO of Universal McCann, says that buyer-seller relationships usually lack depth and tend to focus too much on the final transaction. He believes that "early in the media planning process, [ties have …

Wenner Media exec Gary Armstrong is exiting after about 10 years at the publishing company, most recently as CMO. The company says he was not forced out. Armstrong's exit follows a restructure a month ago of Wenner's marketing department due to the decline of big-scale, multi-title ad deals. Corporate marketing staffers were reassigned to individual magazines or laid off, and Armstrong's job was eliminated. Three people remain working on corporate deals under Matt Mastrangelo. Armstrong had broad role at the company. In addition to running corporate sales, he also was involved in directing both publishing strategy and …

The U.S. Department of Labor has subpoenaed Tribune Co. in an investigation connected to the media company's employee stock-ownership plan. The ESOP was a controversial feature of real-estate mogul Sam Zell's 2007 deal to take Tribune private. Court papers only say the probe concerns the ESOP and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, a federal statute that protects pension plan participants. A Tribune representative says, "We view this as a routine inquiry." Tribune disclosed the investigation in a bankruptcy court filing last week. The company, which publishes the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times newspapers and owns …

A wide-ranging editorial reorganization is afoot at The Washington Post. A key element of the plan is a "universal" editing hub for much of the newsroom. It will be made up of a locus of editors and specialists who can process news copy and transmit it via blogs, Tweets, online articles and print stories. The paper is working out how many topical sections of the paper, such as Metro, Style, Sports, Business, will feed this multimedia hub. Post brass is reportedly working overtime on the plan because some editors are now evaluating the buyout that the paper announced …

DVR users tend to record shows between 8 and 10 p.m. to watch later -- and that many of them appear to be skipping 10 p.m. telecasts altogether. TiVo says its recent research shows that about 60% of viewers took advantage of timeshifting 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. shows. A TiVo study also found that about 30% of shows recorded on a DVR were watched within an hour of the program's live airing. That's bad new for 10 p.m. shows. It means that much of the viewing from the 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. airings stomps out …

"If the U.S. changes to a totally Democratic Washington, all those who don't like it, which is 48% percent of the country, will be turning on Fox News," according to Rupert Murdoch back in 2006. Turns out he was right. Three months after Barack Obama took the White House, Fox News is beating its rival cable news networks, MSNBC and CNN, in the ratings game. The channel had an average of 2.25 million primetime viewers, seven days a week, in the first quarter of 2009, per Nielsen. That is up 24% from last year. In all-day viewing, …

Newspaper owners across the country are using dire warnings and, in some cases, blunt threats about economic survival to press organized labor to make concessions on wages, benefits, and work rules. And it's working. Union workers at the San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe and Seattle Times are all facing pay, vacation and other concessions. Threatening to shutter businesses is an old negotiating tactic. It was used frequently in New England in the 20th century as traditional manufacturers were moving operations, says Robert Forrant, University of Massachusetts professor. But after unions made concessions, plants ended up closing anyway. …

Omnicom's top executives took significant pay cuts last year so that their underlings could continue to receive their bonuses, according to a new SEC filing. In total, the senior execs took home 63% less in 2008 than they did in 2007. CEO John Wren's total compensation in 2008 was cut from $10.4 million to $3 million. Andrew Robertson, BBDO CEO, had a pay package decline from $4.6 million to $1.8 million. Charles Brymer, DDB CEO, had his pay slashed from $3.8 million to $1.8 million. Omnicom gave this explanation: "The burden of the reduction in incentive compensation …

Angela Bromstad took the job of NBC's chief programmer of dramas and comedies early this year -- the fourth executive to hold the post in 19 months. Now the pressure is on to revive the fourth-place network. Bromstad's first big test comes this week, when NBC premieres two new programs: "Parks and Recreation," a sitcom that borrows a page from "The Office" and "Southland," a gritty police drama about L.A. One of Bromstad's early calls was to put "Southland" in the marquee 10 p.m. Thursday slot, and shuffle the lavish drama "Kings" to Sunday night. "Kings" had been …

Health and fitness publisher Rodale surveyed readers in January to gauge their commitment to spending on their own well-being. As publisher of Prevention, Men's Health and Women's Health, the hope is that the survey could bolster Rodale's standing with advertisers in a punishing ad climate. Among the findings: most respondents plan to keep spending on groceries and organic food. About 85% plan to spend at least as much on drugs and medicine as they did a year ago. More than two-thirds plan to keep spending on health clubs or gyms, more that those who plan to spend on …