The rules that media companies can't charge for their work or block others from linking to it are starting to look stupid, writes tech editor Daniel Lyons. The media companies that follow these rules are going broke and are casting about for a new business model. An intriguing idea is being advanced by Mark Cuban, billionaire Internet entrepreneur: declare war on the "aggregator" Web sites. He says media companies should kill off these parasites by using a little piece of software that blocks incoming links from aggregators. Cuban says that very few readers actually click through from the aggregate …

The Economist is introducing a trial program today that lets New Yorkers use their cellphones to order overnight home delivery of the new issue of the magazine at the regular newsstand price. This is how it works: New Yorkers who have signed up for weekly texts announcing each issue's topics will also receive a URL for a web page they can visit to order the issue. Those who order by 9 p.m. are guaranteed a hand-delivered copy by 6 a.m. the next morning -- in time to beat the commute. In England, where The Economist first tried the …

NBC is developing a new take on the groundbreaking U.K. drama series "Prime Suspect." The project is the first output from a pact sealed by NBC and ITV Studios. The deal includes two more pilot commitments over the next two years for ITV fare at NBC. Earlier this year, ITV signed on to produce and air a U.K. version of the long-running NBC procedural "Law and Order." The partnership was sealed by NBC Primetime Entertainment president Angela Bromstad, ITV Global Content managing director Lee Bartlett and U.S.-based ITV Studios CEO Paul Buccieri. Hank Steinberg ("Without a Trace") …

AT&T is serving up free TV shows and movies to any Internet user via the beta version of its new video portal, which includes content from more than a dozen programming partners. The AT&T Entertainment site also promises U-verse TV customers "bonus content" if they log in but doesn't spell out what that extra content is. The free section of the AT&T site offers shows and movies from CBS; ABC and ABC Family; NBC and NBC Universal's USA, Bravo, Syfy and CNBC; MTV Networks' MTV and VH1; Lionsgate; MGM; Universal Studios; PBS; and Current TV. The site also lists …

As part of a global consolidation of its marketing and media accounts, Virgin Atlantic airlines has awarded its $30 million-plus traditional and digital global media business to OMD. The agency obtained the business without a formal review from Mediaedge:cia, which ran media for the airline in the U.S. The U.S. portion of the media business is estimated to be worth $5 millon to $10 million. OMD previously held the media account in the U.K., Virgin's biggest market. Insiders say the account will be run out of OMD's London and New York offices. Paul Dickinson, marketing director at Virgin …

Discovery Communications and its kinetic CEO David Zaslav, are on the move. Zaslav plans to launch a women's channel with Oprah Winfrey in early 2010, and a kids' channel with Hasbro later next year. He's also talking with director Steven Spielberg about producing high-profile shows about science. The initiatives may prove too extravagant if ad sales, which account for 45% of his company's revenue, don't pick up. Still, Wall Street is optimistic. Discovery's shares have rocketed 55% this year. Investors like the fact that Discovery owns almost all of the predominantly non-fiction programming it airs. These shows appeal …

When it comes to advertiser offerings, radio giant Clear Channel is boosting its integrated media department. The department recently set up a location in New York to complement its original Los Angeles office and boasts custom work for brands like Ford and McDonald's. Since Michele Laven, vice president of integrated media, started the department three years ago, it's grown from two people in L.A. to a bicoastal staff of around 26 sales managers, project managers, designers and developers. In New York, the department is hiring a digital marketing and social platforms intern and an integrated media project manager, …

Lenders are breathing down the necks of some debt-burdened radio broadcasters. Radio companies are being forced to renegotiate loan terms, often resulting in higher interest or other penalties. Citadel Broadcasting, for instance, got a waiver for its leverage requirements through the end of 2009. But the company skipped a $2 million interest payment on its subordinated debt due Aug. 15 and is negotiating with senior debtholders about "what the next step should be," says Citadel CEO Farid Suleman. "All options are on the table," including prepackage bankruptcy, debt restructuring and another amendment to the company's credit agreement. Emmis …

Syfy has signed Orbitz.com as a full-season sponsor of the unscripted series "Destination Truth." Orbitz.com will receive 18 exposures over the course of "Destination Truth"'s nine-episode third-season run. Each week, host Josh Gates will turn to Orbitz.com to book his travel itinerary. The Orbitz.com partnership marks the first time the network will have engineered an integration for one of its unscripted programs. Along with the twice-weekly integrations, Orbitz.com will receive the usual trappings of an on-air package, including banners and tagged tune-ins. Mullen handles media-buying and planning for Orbitz. In its second season, "Destination Truth" averaged 1.6 million …

As expected, Freedom Communications, owner of the Orange County Register in California, became the latest publisher to seek bankruptcy protection. The filing is part of a prepackaged plan approved by a majority of Freedom's lenders. Burl Osborne, a newspaper veteran who became Freedom's CEO two months ago, says the company still has ample cash to finance its operations and pay its bills. Freedom lists debts of more than $1 billion and assets of $500 million to $1 billion. The debt includes $770 million owed to a group of banks led by JPMorgan Chase. For the past year, …