Draft rules for allocating CPB Community Service Grants to public TV stations recommend a new wave of incentives for mergers and other joint operations. The incentives -- ranging from $500,000 to $1.5 million per station -- plus economic pressures from the recession, could give an extra push to CPB's ongoing matchmaking efforts. Four stations in the Los Angeles area, for example, have been discussing possible collaborations since January. Another proposed provision would require stations to apply noncommercial underwriting rules to Web site advertising if they want to count the revenues as "nonfederal financial support" in calculating their CSGs.

The biggest stars in Hispanic television, movies, music and sports will descend on Miami for Univisión's Premios Juventud (Youth Awards) show, broadcasting live Thursday at 8 p.m. For young viewers, the show is a pop-culture popularity contest, with appearances slated by Shakira, Pitbull and Disney Channel's Selena Gómez. For No. 1-rated Spanish-language U.S. television network Univisión, it rates as the prime opportunity to target the coveted 18-to-34 year-old Hispanic viewer bracket with ads from Dr Pepper, Burger King, Chevrolet and Verizon. For Univisión, the show is also an important way to get younger viewers to check out the network …

British state broadcaster BBC is launching its first U.S. focused news site at BBC.com, which will see it go into more direct competition with local broadcasters and newspapers. BBC has recruited journalists to bulk up its coverage of general news, sports, business and entertainment on the site which launches with advertising partner HP. The BBC receives a guaranteed $5.4 billon each year from the license fee, paid by every British household. While BBC's TV, radio and Web operations in the UK do not feature any advertising, the bbc.co.uk global Website features ads when viewed by users in the U.S. …

Microsoft is canceling "1 vs. 100," the live game show it launched for its Xbox Live online gaming service a year ago, which was a pioneer in bringing TV style entertainment to video game consoles. In a short statement, the company says that "after two successful seasons" the show won't come back and that the "1. vs. 100 team is now focusing their skills and applying the technology used to develop "1 vs. 100" to new projects that will be unveiled in the future." The show was part of a larger initiative by Microsoft to broaden the appeal of …

Piers Morgan reportedly stands to make $5-6 million per year over the next three years if he takes Larry King's seat at CNN. The "America's Got Talent" judge is on the verge of signing a deal with the news network to take CNN's 9 p.m. slot. Morgan would keep his seat on "Got Talent" if he accepted the job, with his NBC duties having top priority, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Last month, King announced that he would retire in November after hosting "Larry King Live" for 25 years. In an interview with Forbes, King said Tuesday that …

The online video advertising market is poised for rapid growth over the next few years, according to eMarketer. The research firm estimates online video advertising spending will grow more than 48% this year, reaching $1.5 billion. By 2014, it expects the video ad market will top $5.5 billion. "Video fulfills branding objectives better than any other current online ad format -- with the sound, motion and emotion of TV, but with better measurability and targeting," said David Hallerman, a senior analyst at eMarketer. Still, spending growth does not necessarily correlate with current market importance. While video ad spending growth will …

With its ePort having just passed the $1 billion mark in order volume, the Television Bureau of Advertising is celebrating another milestone in the evolution of the "electronic bridge" for buying and selling spot TV. But at the same time, per industry sources, it's looking for someone else to run the 3-year-old effort. Software vendors have failed to complete the interfaces needed to integrate their systems with the Web-based ePort as quickly as TVB had expected. Even some broadcasters have lagged in implementing the software upgrades necessary to engage fully with ePort. Now Steve Lanzano, an …

After a tumultuous 2009, during which a measly 18 consumer magazines grew their advertising pages in the face of the economic downturn, the first half of 2010 is shaping up. According to the Publishers Information Bureau's second quarter and first-half magazine advertising reports, a whopping 130 titles increased ad pages during the second quarter. According to PIB, all but one in the category (Us Weekly) reported double-digit page gains. The biggest jump came from Bauer's Life & Style, which saw pages grow 40.4% to 242.51. Celebrity powerhouse People reported a 15.8% gain during the period (to 1,768.68 pages) …

Following his death Tuesday at the age of 80, George Steinbrenner will be remembered by many as the bullying team owner parodied so brilliantly by Larry David on "Seinfeld," but the Boss' legacy in media and entertainment will extend well beyond those Thursday nights on NBC. In taking a team he paid $10 million for in 1973 and turning it into a $1.6 billion sports juggernaut, Steinbrenner, a shipbuilding heir from Cleveland, had a surprising understanding of media. That savvy enabled his Yankees to be at the forefront over nearly four decades of brand marketing, team rights, TV distribution …

Time Warner has struck a multiyear advertising pact worth as much as $300 million with consumer products giant Unilever, says the New York Post. The three-year renewal deal spans Time Warner's magazine, television and Internet properties and includes a digital tie-in with Time magazine's iPad app. The ads will feature Unilever brands ranging from Dove and Caress soap to Hellmann's mayonnaise and Bertolli pasta. The deal was struck by Time Warner's Global Media Group, run by Mark D'Arcy. The Time Warner deal is worth an estimated $300 million, based on Unilever's past spending. Kantar Media, which tracks …