How will viewers feel about "program placement" in their commercials? On John King's new early-evening news show on CNN, every commercial runs with a small window at the bottom of the screen offering a live view of the show's set. "John King, USA" continues into the commercials, with viewers able to see activity between producers and talent. With marketers now paying for TV ad time based on the number of people watching commercials, networks are working to diminish the sense that advertising interrupts programs. To keep people hooked, they are maintaining a show presence alongside adds. CNN's foray comes …

Dish Network subscribers will get some of the latest movies from three major Hollywood studios when Epix joins the lineup. Epix, the pay TV channel owned by Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., made a deal with Dish for its 14 million customers. Dish will begin offering the channel, Epix Premium HD, this month to all subscribers who add Dish's platinum high-definition service. Epix offerings include new movies and the catalog of 15,000 films from the studios, original programming and special comedy and concert events offered in HD and standard formats. Also to …

In moving to TBS, Conan O'Brien reportedly secured a personal salary in line with what he had at NBC for his abbreviated "Tonight" show run, and a show budget, which, while lower, gained ownership of the show. But TBS, which is owned by Time Warner, has something else going for it: a substantial and remarkably young audience. TBS is almost always among the top cable networks in terms of total audience. It is also the No. 1 cable channel among viewers ages 18 to 34, the Conan audience. But putting O'Brien on at 11 p.m. pits his show directly …

There was a time when most major journalistic investigations were carried out by newspapers, when revenue was abundant and "I-teams" were all the rage. But with nearly all papers hurt by cutbacks and some in bankruptcy, ambitions have been downsized. And that's left a vacuum for enterprise reporting. Two years after setting up shop in lower Manhattan, ProPublica has earned respect and a top-tier list of partners: It's written nine stories with The Washington Post, 27 with the Los Angeles Times, eight with USA Today, six with the Chicago Tribune, six others with The New York Times, 13 with …

Bloomberg.com completely redesigned its site, scrapping its black background for a traditional black text on a white screen look. Bloomberg is trying to turn its site into the only page someone who cares about business visits. It will have a sampling of Bloomberg's troves of data, breaking news, insight, commentary, as well as aggregation of the best business writing on the web. Bloomberg.com hosts 500 stories each day, only 10% of all the news that hits the terminals. It's also focusing on aggregation, linking to third-party sites if relevant to its audience. And it is committed to the …

Morgan Stanley analyst Ben Swinburne downgraded shares of Time Warner saying the factors that could boost growth at the media company are largely past it. He lowered his rating to "Equal Weight" from "Overweight." He said any return on the stock would be in line with its peers. The end of the "Harry Potter" films also makes prospects at Warner Bros. unclear. Swinburne prefers Walt Disney Co., CBS Corp. and Omnicom Group Inc., which he rates as "Overweight." The analyst said he sees more growth in local advertising going forward instead of on cable networks, which held up …

Warner Bros.' Telepictures division is developing two new shows for syndication, according to industry sources. One stars Steve Ward, who with his mother, JoAnn, has had two seasons on VH1's "Tough Love." The Wards run a matchmaking service out of Philadelphia, called Master Matchmakers. The other is a new twist on "Lifechangers," which the studio has been developing out of a segment on its TV entertainment magazine "Extra." Telepictures is working with another VH1 star, Dr. Drew Pinsky, to host. Pinsky is a VH1 veteran with "Celebrity Rehab," "Sober House" and "Sex Rehab With Dr. Drew." He also hosts …

McCann Erickson has filed a lawsuit against Lori Senecal, the CEO of Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners (KBS), charging her with recruited former colleagues from the Interpublic Group unit and solicited business from McCann clients in violation of her contract with that shop. Since Senecal took her new post, the agency and MDC have poached McCann execs with offers of up to a 50% increase in compensation to join KBS and MDC, sources said. Those claims are made in court papers filed by McCann against KBS and its corporate parent, MDC Partners. According to the suit, filed in February, Senecal, …

Congress late Thursday extended the satellite license yet again, this time to May 31, which lets operators deliver distant network TV signals. The Senate and House passed, and the president late Thursday signed, H.R. 4851, the "Continuing Extension Act of 2010." For the past several months, the extension has been wedded to extensions of jobless and medical benefits, which like the satellite license, would have expired at the end of last year without federal action. Congress could not agree to a five-year renewal.

Britain's ITV is in discussion to transport it programming to the U.S. through Hulu. The broadcaster is committing 125 titles to the effort, including hits like the original "Prime Suspect" (starring Helen Mirren) and "Cracker" (with Robbie Coltrane) and the '60s puppet action show "Thunderbirds." The goal is to roll out the ITV programming over a six-month period. There are some potential problems associated with the deal, including issues of music clearances and content and compliance concerns.