Good news for the news business: Companies are paying newspapers and magazines up to five times as much to place ads in their iPad applications as what similar advertising costs on regular Web sites. This doesn't mean Apple's tablet computer will live up to its hype as a potential lifeline for the media industry. Online ads still generate a small fraction of news companies' advertising revenue, and it's an open question whether print ads will return to what they totaled before the recession, notes AP. But early evidence suggests the iPad is at least offering publishers a way …

LSN Mobile and its network of local TV news content for mobile users, created a "Local News Weather and More" mobile app for BlackBerry that aggregates news and information from more than 250 TV stations. Consumers can access local breaking news, video clips, weather, sports scores, school closings and more from LSN Mobile's network of local media which includes ABC, NBCU-Telemundo, Cox Television, McGraw Hill, Raycom, Local TV and many more. "By providing individually branded mobile apps for local stations, LSN Mobile is helping broadcasters extend their offering to their viewers and making it easier for viewers to receive …

Frustrated with the way ABC News has covered Toyota's recall problems, the manufacturer's dealers throughout the region are cutting back advertising spending on ABC stations. Dennis Lauzon, head of the Greater New York Toyota Dealer Association, said the company was tired of their products being bashed. Lauzon's ballpark estimate put the loss to WABC/Ch. 7 at upwards of $5 million. The advertising cutback is the latest twist in Toyota's challenging year, which has resulted in millions of vehicles being recalled. Previously, Toyota dealers in the Southeast cut back on spending at ABC stations in their region because of the …

MTV Networks wants to establish its Web properties as the go-to outlets for fans to track their favorite artists' social media activities. The company today will introduce channels on MTV.com, VH1.com and CMT.com under the brand "Posted." MTV has signed AT&T as the official Posted sponsor, and is using the launch to debut a new custom ad unit. It kicks off with "American Idol" rocker Adam Lambert as the focus of Posted.VH1.com; LeAnn Rimes is featured on Posted.CMT; and the band All Time Low will be showcased on Posted.MTV.com. "There is this outpouring of social media activity in …

Nielsen Holdings BV, the television-audience rating company owned by KKR & Co., Thomas H. Lee Partners LP, Blackstone Group LP and Carlyle Group, filed to raise as much as $1.75 billion in an initial public offering. Nielsen has operations in more than 100 countries and measures audiences across TV, radio, Web sites and mobile phones and provides brand and market-research services. Nielsen will use the proceeds to help pay down its $8.6 billion in debt, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The New York-based company didn't disclose how many shares it would offer or …

The media industry is changing and many traditional news companies are struggling to adapt to it. Hundreds of daily news publications around the U.S. have closed up shop in the past several years and even Newsweek is for sale. Newer companies that venture investors are pouring capital into will do this with fresh business models geared directly toward digital platforms that use less overhead, notes Forbes. So how can traditional media companies compete with these newer companies? "It's a classic innovator's dilemma," remarks Jeff Bussbang, General Partner at Flybridge Capital Partners. "I don't think it's going to end …

Though NBCU denies it, sources say General Electric has finalized details of Jeff Zucker's exit deal from the network. Zucker will leave "a couple of months" after Comcast Corp. closes its agreement to acquire a 51% stake in the media giant from its current owners General Electric and Vivendi -- with an exit package of roughly $30 million to $40 million, under the proposed exit deal. The Comcast acquisition is expected to close in early 2011 after regulatory approval. The company denied any exit package, but souces say Zucker has told friends a deal was finalized. A few months …

Hard times in ad and media industries are creating bargains for small businesses seeking higher profiles. A Redondo Beach diner is among those taking advantage of lower production costs and ad rates. A small shop wrote and produced the 30-second spot for $5,000, then helped him broker a deal to deliver it to 300,000 homes for $1 every time it ran. Across all media, the cost of developing marketing campaigns, creating ads and placing them is down -- making marketing more affordable than it's ever been in the region. As smaller businesses test the advertising waters, they're providing much-needed …

The Federal Communications Commission is being urged to monitor "hate speech" on talk radio and cable broadcast networks. A coalition of more than 30 organizations argue in a letter to the FCC that the Internet has made it harder for the public to separate the facts from bigotry masquerading as news. The groups also charge that syndicated radio and cable television programs "masquerading as news" use hate as a profit model. The organizations, which include Free Press, the Center for Media Justice, the Benton Foundation and Media Alliance, also argue that the anonymity of the Web gives ammunition to …

A federal judge has tentatively ruled that California senatorial candidate Chuck DeVore violated rocker Don Henley's copyrights on two songs when he used them as the basis for campaign commercials posted on YouTube. In addition, the judge said that DeVore's infringement was likely willful. This decision potentially holds major ramifications for politicians throughout the nation. (Judges are free to change their minds after issuing a tentative ruling, but it's rare.) Over the past few months, several musicians have pressed copyright claims against politicians, including John McCain, Charlie Crist, and Joe Walsh. The case against DeVore was the first to …