Fox TV executives are confident that 60% to 70% of local stations would carry a late-night talk show with Conan O'Brien. Other stations have commitments that would prevent them for signing onto any prospective show. O'Brien, who will consider all offers, would prefer to stay on broadcast TV and is interested in News Corp.'s Fox network, a source said. He was released from his NBC contract after refusing to host "The Tonight Show" in a later time period. As "The Tonight Show" host, O'Brien has done well among 18-to-49 year-old viewers.

Super Bowl advertisers must know add a robust presence in social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to their marketing lineups. The focus is promoting spots in the game and give them life beyond Super Bowl Sunday. YouTube plans for a third year to offer its Super Bowl Ad Blitz channel, where consumers can watch all the commercials after the game. In a survey by Venables Bell & Partners in San Francisco, which is creating a commercial for Audi to appear during Super Bowl XLIV, 41% of respondents said they would re-watch the spots online on Web sites …

Cablevision Systems Corp., Comcast Corp. and other cable-television operators may have to share more sports programming with satellite and phone companies, due to an FCC vote that presumes companies such as AT&T and Verizon are harmed when they are unable to buy access to cable-owned sports shows. After receiving a complaint the agency can order cable companies to provide the programming. Cable companies can contest the accusation. The vote could bring new sports programming to some television viewers this summer, with service from Verizon, AT&T, DirecTV Inc. and Dish Network Corp. Comcast withholds its SportsNet coverage of professional …

Recently, "geek culture" started to connote something even more - something cool, curious. It is from this world that Mediaite founder Dan Abrams will be launching a new site covering geek culture on Jan. 25, aptly titled "Geekosystem." According to Abrams, "when it comes to Internet culture, readers already know where they can go for in-depth technology coverage or cool photos. Our goal is to create a broader interest site that will celebrate and cover everything from technology and science fiction to video games and comics." The site promises to merge the content aggregation of popular Web culture destinations …

Lucky Publisher Gina Sanders, who is married to Steven Newhouse, who runs the online arm of Advance, will succeed Richard Beckman as head of Fairchild Publications, publisher of Women's Wear Daily. Beckman, a longtime Conde Nast vet, recently departed the trade division to head e5 Global Media, which bought various business-to business titles from Nielsen Business Media, including Adweek, Mediaweek and The Hollywood Reporter.

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs is betting his e-Tablet can reshape businesses like newspapers and television much the way his iPod revamped the music industry. The company envisions that the tablet can be shared by multiple family members to read news and check email in homes. Apple is betting that its tablet can revitalize television, magazines and newspapers in the way iTunes changed music. The company has recently been in discussions with book, magazine and newspaper publishers about how they can work together. The company has talked with New York Times Co., Condé Nast and and its …

With NATPE ready to open its doors in Las Vegas next week, only a handful of first-run shows hoping for fall debuts are still trying to land station spots. The most prominent is Nate Berkus, a cash-plus-barter show from Harpo Productions. The show is hosted by interior decorator Berkus, a frequent "Oprah" guest. Program Partners expects to announce its first round of clearances for "Steven and Chris," a lifestyle show, while Trifecta Entertainment's "Judge Heck," Entertainment Studio's "America's Court" and Twentieth TV's new "5th Grader" companion game show are eyeing fall openings.

Advertisers and agencies, as well as kids TV activists, will get till Feb. 24 to weigh in on the FCC's wide-ranging notice of inquiry on kids TV content-control strategies in a digital world. The agency reply will come March 26. Dan Jaffe, executive vice president of government relations for the ANA, said the notice of inquiry is the most extensive he has ever seen out of the FCC. It covers everything from obesity and indecency to ratings and program blocking, including suggestions of a rating/blocking system for advertising.

Pilot season is picking up speed. ABC OK'd two dramas and one comedy project Monday, Fox and NBC added comedies and CBS is circling a drama. ABC's pickups include a project from Shonda Rhimes' Shondaland banner and ABC Studios. "Off the Map" is about three doctors who work in a medical clinic in a tropical setting. Fox has greenlit a 20th Century Fox TV pilot penned by Ajay Sahgal revolving around two brothers from a traditional Indian background. One defies his family's expectations by dating a Caucasian woman, while the other agrees to enter an arranged marriage. NBC …

Nearly half of the users of Google News skim the headlines at the news aggregator site without clicking through to newspaper Web sites, according to a survey by Outsell Inc. Google, responding to past criticism from media tycoons like Rupert Murdoch said it drives "about 100,000 clicks every minute" to media sites, generating ad revenue for the news outlets. "Though Google is driving some traffic to newspapers, it's also taking a significant share away," Outsell analyst Ken Doctor Doctor said. "A full 44% of visitors to Google News scan headlines without accessing newspapers' individual sites." 30% surveyed said they …