On July 16 Arbitron will publish its first portable people meter ratings in Miami, San Diego, and Phoenix, three top Hispanic markets where Univision Communications has not subscribed to the service and has refused to encode its signals. In order for the PPM to measure a radio station's audience, the station must be encoded, leaving Arbitron dependent on the kindness of its customers. But Univision, which has seen ratings slide in PPM in markets such as New York and Los Angeles, has declined to cooperate. Ceril Shagrin, Univision executive vice president says Univision will "work with advertisers, look …

The allure of Hulu.com's rapid success using traditional television ads has spurred some online brands into putting significant marketing dollars into ads in offline media. Kayak is among a handful of online brands, including Zappos and Amazon, that are seeking TV ads and other offline tactics to create mass awareness and define more broadly what they do. Apparently, online efforts are falling short in the eyes of companies with ambitious growth plans. In an RFP Zappos issued two weeks ago, the company said it was seeking "traditional mass advertising (print, TV, OOH, etc.)" Robert Birge, Kayak …

NBC and CBS are at odds about how best to proceed at a time when the future of their business is under serious assault. Is the future of broadcast TV generating big audiences from early morning to late at night? Or is it picking the right spots, focusing across a multitude of screens in exchange for advertising and other revenue. "The two networks are definitely on the opposite ends of the spectrum," says Wachovia analyst Marci Ryvicker. NBC Universal plays up the importance the company's broader cable assets, warning that the broadcast medium faces wrenching technological change. CBS …

In the conflict unfolding in Iran, the international media is struggling to work around an official ban on firsthand reporting. At the same time, government authorities are seeing the difficulties in controlling information in the Internet age. Many major news outlets must now rely on phone calls, e-mails and Web chats to contact Iranian protesters and officials for information. Editors and journalists must quickly decide what to pursue from the avalanche of rumors, tips and observations on social-networking sites. Thomas Warhover, associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, says the social networks are serving as a "counterpart" …

Since the beginning of the year, American Business Media has trimmed its staff by about 40%. The most recent cuts include business development executive vice president Nick Ferrari. The trade association currently carries a staff of 12. ABM is eyeing a "new strategic plan" to help prepare the group for when the economy begins to turn around, says Gordon Huges, CEO. ABM will now outsource its Webcasting operations and showcase the best of what our members are doing in digital, he says. Earlier this year, ABM downscaled its annual Digital Velocity conference, transforming it into a half-day …

"Tweens" have made the Disney Channel a reliable profit engine for the Walt Disney Co., thanks to Rich Ross, senior vice president of programming. Ross has led TV's pursuit of the 9-to-14-year-old tween audience, creating popular personalities and shows that dominate the age group's attention and have muscled their way into mainstream culture. The latest example is the Jonas Brothers. Before Ross' efforts, no network courted the age group, which influences roughly $43 billion in spending annually. In creating programming for tweens, Ross also has helped launch the careers of many of today's most celebrated figures in young …

CBS Radio will debut the industry's first 100% user-controlled, on-air radio program on June 28. Every Sunday between 10 p.m. and midnight on KITS-FM in San Francisco, listeners will take over the airwaves. The program uses a new social Web service called Jelli, which gives listeners complete control, just as if they were in the station studio. Using Web-based, real-time voting, listeners create the playlist, determining what is broadcast over the airwaves seconds before it plays. The community can even vote to pull a song off the air instantly. The user-controlled program will also be available on …

Comcast has purchased the 50% portion of New England Cable News from struggling Hearst that it didn't already own. Hearst created the news outlet as a joint venture in 1992 with New England cable operators that Comcast eventually acquired. The price was undisclosed. Comcast says the acquisition, combined with the Comcast SportsNet New England regional network, strengthens the company's position as a regional source of news and entertainment. Bill Bridgen, GM of Comcast SportsNet New England, also will oversee New England Cable News. Facing declining revenue at its various newspapers and magazines, Hearst ended the print edition …

CNN.com's iReport is seeing a major boost in submissions from citizen journalists in post-election Iran, as restrictions have been slapped on mainstream media. More than half the total iReport submissions in the last week have come from the Iran area. From June 13 to June 17, iReport.com received nearly 1,600 citizen-produced reports from Iran-mostly photos along with some video content. Plus, the site has added over 3,000 new members over that period, more than double its normal rate. The restrictions placed on the media in Iran have created an ideal scenario for citizen journalists to contribute to CNN. …

TiVo has been hemorrhaging subscribers ever since the cable companies began rolling out their own digital video recorders a few years ago. This year, TiVo will shed about 400,000 subscribers, leaving it with 2.8 million, down from a high of 4.4 million in 2006. However, by leveraging its brand name and its cache of patents, the company is trying to remake itself as the Google of television-helping viewers navigate the crush of entertainment choices and selling ads to boot. "Like Google, TiVo will bring that ease of use to TV sets," says CEO Thomas S. Rogers. Where cable's …