At the two-month mark, the ratings for CNN's latest experiment, "Parker Spitzer" are stagnant. The show has been troubled by backstage tensions that have spilled out in gossip columns. In its first seven weeks, "Parker Spitzer" averaged only 140,000 viewers ages 25 to 54, a drop of 2,000 from the seven weeks before it started, according to the Nielsen Company. "Countdown," on at the same time on MSNBC, reaches twice as many people in that demo. Neither Spitzer nor Parker had regularly hosted a show before, are learning how to do so in front of its viewers. Neither …

Comcast Corp. president Neil Smit said the cable giant has no plans to start charging broadband subscribers by their level of bandwidth consumption, a model that recently received the blessing of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski. Usage-based billing for broadband service, which enables providers to charge heavy bandwidth users more than subscribers who use less, is viewed as a potential hedge for cable companies who may lose subscribers. Online video and other rich media content on the Web uses far more bandwidth than more traditional Web content, like email. As video content proliferates online, broadband network owners …

CBS has been remaking its online presence with initiatives that build on the television company's presence in traditional media, a footprint including 29 television stations, 36 radio stations and numerous digital operations. Through those intertwined operations, CBS television and online radio programming reach at least 80% of people in their markets with both offerings every day, according to Ezra Kucharz, president of CBS Local Digital Media. Beginning in January, all of the company's sites will offer a local "answers platform" featuring recommendations for restaurants and service providers. That will meet consumers' need for "great content and information, business listings, …

Do women need their own place on the Web to follow sports? ESPN is going to find out as it launches espnW.com, a sports site dedicated to carving out a place for women to read about sports news and stories. "There isn't a place devoted to perspective of females," says Laura Gentile vice president of espnW. "In women we talked to, they feel like on other sites you always have to prove you're a fan if you're a woman." EspnW.com will look like a blog, with a running flow of stories. Coverage will be equitable across men and female …

Time Inc. is revamping its corporate sales and marketing structure, promoting Stephanie George to executive vice president and chief marketing officer and Paul Caine as executive vice president and chief revenue officer. In her new role, George will manage overall positioning of Time Inc. and expansion of marketing services. She also oversees Time Inc. Content Solutions, Media Networks Inc. and Targeted Media Networks, Research & Insights and corporate communications. Caine will lead corporate sales, while continuing to serve as president of the Style & Entertainment Group, which includes People, InStyle, Entertainment Weekly and Essence.

Comedy reigns at ABC. The network is firming up its midseason plans, scheduling Matthew Perry's new comedy "Mr. Sunshine" and Elisha Cuthbert's sitcom "Happy Endings." "Sunshine" will get the network's best comedy slot, taking over for "Cougar Town" with a "Modern Family" lead-in on Wednesdays for nine weeks starting Feb. 9. "Cougar" will return April 13 and air through the rest of the season. Once new drama "Off the Map" has its last airing on April 6, "Happy Endings" and a "fan favorite" episode of "Modern Family" will run in the 10 p.m hour -- that's right, the network …

The recession is starting to fade from memory, in the online ad world at least. Online advertising revenue will surge by 13.9% to $25.8 billion in 2010 in the U.S., according to the latest forecast from industry researcher eMarketer. That's at least the third time that eMarketer has revised its 2010 spending estimates upward. A year ago the company predicted 5.5% growth this year. By May of this year that estimate had swelled to 11%. The next several years should be robust for the online ad space as well, according to eMarketer. Next year, spending will climb by 10.5% …

HBO could one day be offered as a standalone service, not tied to any specific level of pay-TV subscription, says Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes. Such an a-la-carte offering by the leading premium pay-TV channel could boost HBO's subscriber level above its stagnant 30 million and add some ka-ching to its bottom line. The 38-year-old channel has been a part of cable packages since it started, but with over-the-top platforms like Netflix, Google TV and Apple TV gaining in popularity and overall cable subscriptions falling -- HBO is expected to report the loss of 1.5 million subscribers this year …

Shock jock Howard Stern's contract with Sirius/XM ends this year -- and rumors are starting to surface about him heading elsewhere. Oe claims Stern is close to signing a three-year, $600 million deal with Apple to host a show on iTunes. None of the stories so far have featured official comment from either Apple or Stern. The real question would be whether Stern could get a big enough audience when sold by the download to justify that kind of money. He got $500 million from Sirius because they desperately needed to land a big name at the time. Jobs …

For years Colgate-Palmolive Co. defied odds as it held or gained share in the U.S. despite being massively outspent by bigger rivals, particularly Procter & Gamble Co. But in a growing number of categories -- including toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, dish soap and pet food -- Colgate has been losing share. First, its rivals are upping spending and second, Latin American immigration to the U.S., where it has market-share leadership, has almost ground to a halt in recent years. Goldman Sachs analyst Andrew Sawyer projected in a recent report that Colgate will need to boost ad spending by $150 …