• by January 5, 2004

If you asked the Riff, we'd tell you the biggest story impacting the advertising and media industries during 2003 was the economy in general and corporate profitability in particular. But no one asked the Riff. So we asked our readers. And here's what they had to say about the top media stories of 2003. A few of them even made some lists and appear to have checked them twice, though much to our surprise, not one of them mentioned the meltdown of conservative talkshow host Rush Limbaugh.

It's a two-parter. First is CBS' ascendancy this year as Jeff Zucker fumbled away one of the most dominating programming blocks in network television history. Second is Zucker's subsequent promotion.
- Dave Woodall, media director, Smith/Phillips/Dipietro

High on my list would be Jayson Blair. I think there should be courses on him in colleges across the nation and that editors should have to take the classes, too. It's too easy to rush to print. We can't forget the mission of our publications, all of which must include allegiance to the truth.
- Sheila Noone, Lifestyle Ventures

The top story for me in 2003 was the suspicious trend toward electronic voting machines that are easy to hack, leave no paper trail and are produced by a trio of Republican fat cats. The media began to wake up to this in the fourth quarter of 2003, but it's died down again in the wake of Iraq, Saddam, Orange, etc. People need to start paying attention to this issue.
- Thomas Siebert, Arnold MPG

My picks for big media stories of '03:

Nielsen's missing-young-men mystery

Rosie vs. Gruner + Jahr (probably ending publishers' pursuit of celebrity-tied mags, at least for a while)

Martha Stewart's insider-trading case (which could give her multimedia empire a negative makeover)

The 2003-04 mega upfront

Reality TV's rebound

Cable programmers vs. MSOs on sports (though that may be a bigger story in '04)
- Jim Forkan, Multichannel News

I think the whole Interep/Clear Channel fiasco was truly memorable.
- John Schwab, Metro Networks

Top stories of 2003:

The war in Iraq and capture of Saddam Hussein

Columbia space shuttle disaster

The Northeast blackout

California wildfires

The War on Terror

Mutual fund and corporate scandals

California's financial and gubernatorial crisis

Economy heads north and stocks rebound

Medicare adds drug benefit

Rupert Murdoch gains control of DirecTV
- Fred Maia, The W5YI Group

With the growing interest in product placement and integrated programming, it was inevitable that independent third party companies would emerge to valuate the $4 billion product placement market.
- Frank Zazza, founder of iTVX, which along with IAG and Nielsen, have created services to measure exposure to TV product placements.