PUBLIC TRUST - Harry Pappas is a smart man and, from what we can tell, has always been a conscientious broadcaster operating in the best interest of the communities his Pappas Telecasting group has been licensed to serve. But we're beginning to wonder whether two of those words - "licensed" and "serve" - have slipped from his vocabulary.

14 MONTHS, SEVEN DAYS -- and depending on when you are reading this, a certain number of minutes and seconds. That's how long the countdown on Howard Stern's Web site says he has left on his contract with Viacom's Infinity Broadcasting unit.

PRODUCT DEBASEMENT - Rick Sirvaitis doesn't go public very often these days, but when he does, the General Motors media buying chief likes to stir things up. During a session at the American Magazine Conference in Boca Raton, Fla.

WHAT, WE WORRY? - Here we were sitting around, fretting about the precarious state of the world, the economy, and especially the media business, and about things as micro as clutter, ad effectiveness, and just what the heck "ROI" actually means. We were worrying about issues as macro as the geo-political climate, terrorism, and whether the price of oil will hit $50 a barrel, all of these things, when the reassuring investment banking team at The Jordan Edmiston Group (JEGI) came along and gave a reason to stop.

THE TWITCHING POINT - Madison Avenue has always been a touchy/feely kind of place. Lately it's become focused more on touch.

TO HELP THE TASK FORCE, WE'D LIKE TO ASK THE SOURCE (YOU) -- If you're anything like us, you've been chomping at the bit as the debate over local people meters raged in the media, among civil rights groups, and ultimately, on Capitol Hill. Well, now's your chance to be heard in a way that could actually influence the outcome of that debate.

LET'S SEE IF WE HAVE THIS STRAIGHT - CBS News, an organization some still believe to be among journalism's best, has retained a former state attorney general to investigate a story by its premiere investigative news team, "60 Minutes," which cited false records in its investigation of President George W. Bush's military career.

REAL NIELSEN RANTS -- The Riff would like to take this opportunity to officially announce a name change. From this moment on, we will no longer be known as "Real Media Riffs" (as if we've ever had any fake ones?).