Steady and reliable programming appears to be working for CBS. Between Sept. 1, 2008, and May 17, 2009, CBS won more ad dollars than its broadcast competitors, per TNS Media Intelligence. CBS secured about $4.03 billion during that time period, compared to ABC's $3.67 billion and NBC's $3.02 billion. As a result, next season's slate is very reassuring. Gone are experiments like "The Ex List," a female-aimed drama, and sci-fi cult favorites like "Jericho" or "Moonlight." It's part of a must-win formula that ad buyers and Wall Street analysts largely attribute to CEO Leslie Moonves. "Moonves is really …

"Super Spot," a new initiative from ABC Family, lets media buyers purchase inventory on the linear network and online at one negotiation point. The first execution of the silo-busting concept is for The Sims 3, a video game from Electronic Arts. The deal includes a two-minute game trailer, a 30-second spot featuring characters from the TV series Greek and a 30-second integrated tune-in. The first custom spot ran on last night's installment of Greek. Wieden+Kennedy handled the buy. In addition to the Greek-centric spot and the Sims 3 trailer, a tagged on-air 30-second spot drives viewers to …

It turns out Platinum Equity's recent deal for the San Diego Union-Tribune wasn't a one-in-a-million event. HM Capital is also pursuing a newspaper transaction -- for Blethen Maine Newspapers, which owns the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, and two smaller Maine newspapers. HM is teaming up with Richard L. Connor, editor and publisher of the Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Times Leader, which HM bought in 2006 from McClatchy Co. The HM deal is good news for a business that has seen its biggest stars in trouble. HM's plan is to add more pages and increase the local content of the …

Gary B. Pruitt, chief executive of McClatchy Newspapers, is slashing costs and playing chicken with bondholders, hoping the competition goes bankrupt before he does. The owner of the Sacramento Bee, Fort Worth-Star Telegram and the Charlotte Observer, is being crushed under $2 billion in debt -- double that of The New York Times Co. Pruitt has rolled out a two-phase survival strategy. First, he eliminated 4,000 jobs since last June, ended the company's 401(k) match for employees, cut stock dividends, canceled bonuses and shrunk exec pay. Second, Pruitt is offering to pay bondholders a mere 20 cents on …

A meeting hosted by the Newspaper Association of America last week brought together top newspaper executives to discuss charging for online content and other topics. The summit raises key questions: Can newspapers collectively decide to put content behind a pay wall? And if they did, would that violate antitrust laws? Based on the industry's track record -- such as its inability to standardize ad formats and billing -- it would be a miracle if newspapers managed to simultaneously erect pay walls. But if they did, the courts might uphold it. Northwestern law professor Fred McChesney says it's possible …