The Kraft Sports Group, which owns the New England Patriots, is selling local advertising for the new ESPNBoston.com. ESPN has launched several new websites in local markets and generally uses its local radio sales force to sell regional web ads. But ESPN does not have a local sales group in Boston, so it teamed up with Kraft Sports. Kraft Sports Group already has agreements with sports radio WEEI and television station WBZ to help sell advertising inventory for its Patriots programming. But some media analysts say the new partnership could create a conflict of interest between the Patriots and …

NBC is using mock 911 calls in a series of radio ads for its upcoming medical TV drama "Trauma." The radio spots depict an emergency call and then the aftermath, complete with voiceover from the point of view of the responding paramedic. "Part of the trick with radio is to break though and engage," says Adam Stotsky, NBC president of entertainment marketing. This ad campaign is designed to take advantage of the "lost art of radio storytelling," he says. The network is buying out two-minute blocks on radio stations in the top 13 markets with ads that will run …

Bud Light and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" have struck a wide-ranging deal that will see the beer brand sponsor the show's concert series and be featured in a series of live commercials. The deal replaces Kimmel's previous concert sponsor, Pontiac, a brand that has been discontinued. The price tag for the sponsorship is estimated at about $5 million, down from the approximate $6 million annual price for the Pontiac sponsorship. The live commercials are expected to highlight a series of special events that Bud Light is planning throughout the year. Interestingly, given Kimmel's young male audience, reps …

TBWAChiatDay has cut 15-20 positions from its New York office as the agency combines back end operations with sister unit Agency.com. The estimated 5%-7% staff reduction was achieved via layoffs and the elimination off vacant jobs, say insiders. After three years at TBWACD, Snickers, is returning to sister shop BBDO in New York, which seems to be triggering the cutbacks. In terms of revenue, the Snickers loss is estimated at $2 million to $3 million. Agency president Jamie Gallo characterized the move as a "retooling," as the shop seeks new digital talent for its Media Arts practice. …

The U.K. publisher of The Guardian and The Observer may be forced to sell assets to raise cash, including ContentNext, the U.S. web publisher of PaidContent.org. Guardian News and Media bought ContentNext last year for $30 million. A potential buyer is WebMediaBrands, formerly JupiterMedia, which bought New York-based MediaBistro.com for $20 million in 2007. "I would certainly be interested in discussing it," says Alan Meckler, the company's CEO. "We have $25 million in the bank and virtually no debt. So we're looking for sites that media professionals read." One Guardian insider says the integration of ContentNext into …

John Sturm, CEO of the Newspaper Association of America, told a congressional committee yesterday that troubled newspapers are not looking for a financial 'bailout' or any other special subsidy. However, he did offer some alternatives. Strum says the NAA supports laws to expand net operating loss provisions at papers to five years instead of two years. The group also wants regulations that would allow newspapers more leeway in the cash reserves presently required to fund pensions. In addition, Strum supports laws that allow newspapers to operate as non-profit entities while continuing to generate advertising revenue. He says such …

Fox and "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell are hammering out a deal to launch an American version of the British "X Factor" -- while locking in Cowell as an "Idol" judge for two more years, through the 2011-12 season. Cowell, in the final year of his contract on "Idol," has been open about his desire to bring to the U.S. the mega-hit British format that he created. The deal has not been finalized, but Cowell could earn about $50 million a season for "Idol" and, in success, "X Factor" might bring him an additional $50 million a cycle. …

CNN International is partnering with YouTube for a global, interactive debate to be televised in the run-up to the United Nations' Climate Change Conference in December. CNN viewers worldwide will be invited to submit questions for the hour-long debate, set to air on CNNI on December 16 with live coverage on CNN.com. This is the second collaboration between CNN and YouTube, which previously partnered for an interactive debate for last year's U.S. Presidential election. The new initiative comes as YouTube launches the "Raise Your Voice" channel. Through the channel, users will be able to contribute their own …

Newsday publisher Tim Knight has abruptly quit, ending a tumultuous five-year reign and catching many within Newsday by surprise. During his tenure he survived the aftermath of a circulation scandal and the paper's sale to Cablevision. Perhaps the hardest part of his job came in January, when he worked behind the scenes to save the job of Editor-in-Chief John Mancini. Cablevision brass wanted Mancini out after the paper covered a story about sexual harassment claims against Knicks center Eddy Curry. Cablevision also owns the Knicks. Six months ago, union members started handing out flyers in the Newsday …

Improvements in TV sets are making it feasible to run Web applications on a TV without the need for a special set-top box, such as those offered by TiVo or Apple. That opens up a whole new role for the living-room television set. Despite the reluctance of elements of the entertainment industry, tech companies are building chips and Web browsers for TVs. Plus, Yahoo, Adobe Systems and others are developing Web applications that can be accessed on these next generation TV sets. Vizio, for example, will have Wi-Fi enabled TV sets with screens measuring 42 inches or bigger …