Alex Bogusky, advertising Dadaist, postmodern media manipulator, pop-culture Houdini, daddy of 21st-century advertising, and now a seeker of meaning on the dirt path of life, has left the hot agency he built -- Crispin Porter + Bogusky -- to discover the next leg of his journey. Working in a modest house in Boulder, Colo., known as The Fearless Cottage, a hub for entrepreneurs and activists, Bogusky says he is finding his true self. The rich man who built his career pushing sugary sodas for Coca-Cola and greasy pizza for Domino's now recommends documentaries like "The Future of Food," …

Gannett reported a 20% revenue increase in its broadcasting division for 2Q, with "very positive revenue trends" at its TV stations perking up the multifaceted media giant, according to Chairman/ CEO Craig Dubow. Gannett owns 23 stations, and recent deals with Yahoo on the ad side and DataSphere on the content side further expand its reach. Gannett Broadcasting President Dave Lougee spoke with B&C Deputy Editor Michael Malone about what makes the Gannett stations, including KUSA Denver and KSDK St. Louis, among broadcasting's best. Lougee defines a Gannett TV local prototype as "a culture of quality, local …

Fox News Channel is a force to be reckoned with in cable TV. So why does the network continually get its digital clock cleaned-by CNN, of all rivals? Millions of Americans turning to the Web for more of their news on a more frequent and immediate basis, eroding Fox's influence. Foxnews.com averages around 12 million or 13 million monthly unique users, according to Nielsen Online, rarely approaching the 35 million to 40 million uniques that leaders Yahoo News, MSNBC and CNN regularly deliver in aggregate. Some of that disparity can be explained away, as both Yahoo and MSNBC draw …

Keith Olbermann's MSNBC bosses are said to be behind the move to remove him from his high-profile spot on the pre-game show, "Football Night In America," after complaining that it was distracting him from his job on the cable news network. Apparently, Olbermann missed several Friday night editions of his MSNBC show "Countdown" due to his commitment to the football show, and NBC news execs were unhappy. NBC officials assured reporters that Olbermann's politics and tendency to rail against Republicans is not the reason for his departure. Olbermann has been appearing in one capacity or another on the Sunday …

Thank the auto and financial services ads. The TV advertising market continues to be red hot even amid continuing macroeconomic concerns about a sluggish recovery. Quarterly earnings reports in recent days generally showed strong -- often double-digit -- TV ad gains, particularly at cable networks units and in local TV divisions, notes The Hollywood Reporter. Plus, some of Corporate America's biggest marketers, including Procter & Gamble and General Motors, have in recent days made clear that they are increasing their ad spending this year. Those two companies were the biggest and third-biggest spenders of 2009 with $2.7 billion …

Online content provider Demand Media Inc filed with U.S. securities regulators on Friday to raise up to $125 million in an initial public offering of its common stock. The company relies on more than 10,000 freelance contributors to churn out content on topics ranging from becoming a better photographer to making small talk. It generates revenue mainly through advertising. Demand Media said in a regulatory preliminary prospectus that it reported revenue of $198 million in 2009 and $114 million for the six months ended June 30, 2010. The company said that 18% of its revenue in 2009 and 26 …

Ty Pennington's contract with "ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" ends in spring of 2012. So he and his management team are working on a daytime format they are getting ready to take out for a fall 2012 start date. Managers Bill Stankey and Drea Bock are currently exploring other networks besides ABC, as well as syndication and cable partnerships. Alternative revenue streams are a major component to the show. Discussions are taking place with several major sponsors. Stankey took Joy Behar from daytime to prime time and kept her in both time slots. Team Ty hopes to do the same; …

Federal regulators are abandoning efforts to negotiate a compromise on so-called "network neutrality" rules intended to ensure that phone and cable TV companies cannot discriminate against Internet traffic traveling over their broadband lines. The announcement comes as two big companies that have been taking part in those talks - Verizon Communications Inc. and Google Inc. - attempt to hammer out their own separate proposal for how broadband providers should treat Internet traffic. Network neutrality -- or open Internet rules -- a centerpiece of the Obama administration's technology policy, but the issue has divided the technology and telecommunications industries. Without …

Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese said he's been attracted to cable, specifically HBO, to make a foray into television because the medium is making long-form, narrative television that is "thoughtful, intelligent and brilliantly put together." Scorsese is executive-producing "Boardwalk Empire," a drama series focusing on Prohibition era gangsters in Atlantic City. Scorsese called Prohibition a "noble experiment," noting that during the time frame of his movie "Gangs of New York," alcohol helped nearly decimate American society. "Boardwalk Empire" is based on a novel of the same name, which is being adapted by "The Sopranos" scribe, Terence Winter. The …

News Corp is trying to offload its mobile businesses, collectively know as Fox Mobile Group, after stating it was a loss-making venture. The planned sell-off would include Jamba, the company behind the Crazy Frog ringtone, which News Corp bought for an estimated $388m in 2008 and now operates under the Jamster brand, reports New Media Age. Fox Mobile Group was formed in an attempt by News Corp to leverage the mobile distribution rights of its entertainment brands, such as "The Simpsons." However, repeated attempts to launch a Hulu-like VOD service for smartphone users have yet to be successful. …