ABC has completed the merger of its studio and programming divisions, in an effort to cut costs by producing more of its own shows. ABC Studios, which produces "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy," also creates shows for other networks. Executives named to lead the combined operation include Jeff Bader, executive vice president of ABC Entertainment Group for planning, schedule and distribution. Barry Jossen will lead creative production at ABC Studios. Just under 40 existing and unfilled positions at ABC were eliminated in the combination, say insiders. It is the second round of layoffs this year. In …

Newsmax, an 11-year-old magazine and Web site, has been turning a profit for more than five years, despite the economic storm buffeting the media industry. The company, which CEO Christopher Ruddy prefers to describe as "center-right but inclusive," is expected to generate $30 million in 2009. Online traffic of approximately 3 million uniques rivals the Drudge Report. Bylines include names seen in The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. In the next six months, Florida-based Newsmax plans some key changes. Ruddy says the company will establish a Washington, D.C., office and plans to host "some big Washington …

Nielsen Media Research recounted its figures for last week's ABC "World News" and subsequently boosted the show's audience by a sizable 800,000 viewers. Nielsen issued the corrected information yesterday after ABC disputed the original figures released on Tuesday. ABC's "World News" averaged 6.99 million viewers, says the corrected report. It was the runner-up newscast to NBC's "Nightly News," with 8.27 million viewers and "CBS Evening News," with 5.40 million viewers. Nielsen had originally said "World News" averaged 6.2 million viewers for the week. It also said last Friday's edition was watched by 4.1 million viewers, well below this …

The bad news: the upfront market has moved into its third week at a standstill. The good news: branded-entertainment pacts are still getting done. Food Network, for instance, just completed three deals for the upcoming second season of "The Next Iron Chef," premiering Oct. 4. "Next Iron Chef" was Food Network's highest-rated fourth-quarter show during its first season in 2007. American Airlines, Kikkoman and Art Institutes have all signed on as sponsors for the show. Rick Wilbins, managing director at American Airlines, says that "Iron Chef" marks the first official upfront deal for his company, although the airline …

The recession and bailout have put a chill on sponsors' willingness to pay nine figures to put their names on major sport stadiums. For example, the NFL's New York Giants and the Jets still haven't found a corporation willing to pay up to $25 million a year to put its name on the shared stadium they are building in New Jersey's Meadowlands Sports Complex. But yesterday, the Giants unveiled a 15-year naming-rights deal with Timex for the Giants' new training and practice facility, near the football stadium. While Timex doesn't get the high-profile stadium name, but a major presence …

CBS News has unveiled the next generation of its Web site, which is designed to let users dig deeper into popular stories. Along with content from CBSNews.com's staff, CBS News, CBS Radio and CBS MoneyWatch, the revamped site will include stories and information from Politico, The Washington Post and WebMD. Two Web shows will also debut on the site this summer. "The Tomorrow Show" hosted by Mo Rocca, will be an interactive discussion about what the future has in store. Rocca and his guests will discuss technology, food, pop culture, the environment and more. "In Sickness and in …

Fox Mobile Entertainment has launched its first commercial application, a "Family Guy"-themed app for the iPhone. The app features Stewie, the homicidal toddler on the series. Called the "Freakin' Sweet Family Guy" the $1.99 app will include up to 20 show clips and lets users build their own video mix. Clips can be accessed via four video channels -- "Best of Stewie," "Brian's World," "Peter's Life Lessons" and "The World According to Chris." Each channel has five "Family Guy" clips. Another element, "Stewie Pin-Up" allows users to swap body parts to create a different character. Pre-roll video advertising …

Ann Moore is said to be consolidating her power at Time Inc. She recently inked a new contract that extends her stay at the company until 2012. John Squires, once hailed as an heir apparent, will focus on new business plans that embrace mobile and digital options. Moore is taking over Squires' former responsibilities running the news business, which includes Time and Sports Illustrated.

Greenspun, a Las Vegas-based newspaper and web publisher, is launching a TV show that seeks to be an alternative to traditional local TV news. Known as "702.tv," the program is designed to be youthful, hip and Web-savvy. The twice-weekly show will air at 10:30 p.m. on Cox Communications cable Channel 14, with plans to go to five days a week in the fall. "If 'The Daily Show,' the Travel Channel, the Food Network and E! were to do a daily local show in Las Vegas, this is what it might look like," says Rob Curley, president of Greenspun Interactive. …

DirecTV is likely to buy back a lot more stock starting next year -- and will eventually get acquired either by AT&T or Verizon, according to Pali Research analyst Richard Greenfield. Noting that Liberty's John Malone is an investor and not an operator, Greenfield says it is "increasingly hard to imagine DirecTV remaining a stand-alone company." Fear over the competition from cable is "perennially over done," he says. DirectTV has been able to continuously innovate, with digital channels, DVRs, TiVo interface, HD channels, and remote scheduling. "DirecTV only does one thing, video, and they do it better than …