I'd say that what the industry does best -- what everyone has in common, whatever our role is in the ecosystem -- is tell creative stories. But the biggest challenge for all of us in the media business has always been to identify the right audiences for our stories: for networks to find viewers who connect with their programming and for agencies and advertisers to find the narratives that most matter to their brands. With the abundance of analytics now available to networks and marketers -- second-by-second ratings, household purchasing data, census-level demographics -- it should be easier than ever …

AMC's "The Killing," which concluded its first season last Sunday, simultaneously engaged and enraged viewers and critics alike with its story of the investigation into the brutal murder of a teenage girl in rain-soaked Seattle. Some of this had to do with the subject matter: a challenging and uncommonly dark blend of murder, madness, grief and desperation. But much of the mixed reaction to the show had more to do with its execution. Was "The Killing" a well-made, meticulously plotted drama that deserved the tsunami of critical praise it received at the time of its premiere -- or was it …

Addressability is a fairly recent concept in our current understanding of Set-Top-Box data capabilities. But it has gained understanding and interest in media buying circles as a way to optimize the scheduling and targeting of marketing messages to the right audiences of interested consumers.

Having seen what digital media did to the music and newspaper businesses, the television industry has understandably viewed the Internet with a certain amount of dread. The fear has long been that viewers will start watching television shows online and bypassing the traditional cable, satellite and over-the-air broadcast platforms. This, in turn, would undermine the industry's ad-supported business model. With the release of Nielsen's new Cross-Platform Report, television executives can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for another quarter. Despite a few warning signs, the report indicates that for now at least, traditional television remains king.

Positioning is a concept that's been defined and mapped. There have been books written about it (thank you, Jack Trout and Al Ries) and multiple processes created to develop it. When I moved from the agency to the client side, I did a thorough study of the various ways to think about positioning and to develop it for my brands. It always came down to three essential elements: an intimate understanding of your target; an intimate understanding of the competition for your target; and a sustainable way to beat the competition.

Last week, to celebrate our wedding anniversary, my wife and I went for a walk on the High Line, the incredible park that's been created from an old elevated freight-train track on the southwest side of Manhattan. It's a dramatic experience, and to my mind, one of the best projects in New York City going back decades. But what strikes me most about the High Line is its story of reclamation: The park transformed a dilapidated old train track -- a blight on the urban landscape -- into a world-class destination in its own right. How does this relate to …

TNT's signature crime drama "The Closer," arguably the most successful scripted series in the history of advertiser-supported basic cable, is about to try something that few shows on broadcast or cable are sturdy enough to pull off. A game-changing, certain-to-be-controversial storyline that will run throughout the upcoming seventh season of the show (scheduled to begin on July 11) will lead to the departure of its hugely popular lead character and set the stage for a new series titled "Major Crimes," which is not so much a spin-off as a reworking of "The Closer" with many members of its current cast.

I am an early adopter when it comes to anything TV or video-related. I got my VCR and DVR when each was in less than 10% of the U.S. My wife bought me a video iPod a month after it came out. I just bought an iPad 2. My household consists of just my wife, our 12-year-old son, and me, yet we have five television sets, four DVRs, digital cable, DirecTV (we need our NFL Ticket), a blu-ray and two regular DVD players, and three computers (two laptops and a desktop) -- Mac and PC.

Ad decision components -- whether hardware or software -- come into play once the ad inventory is properly watermarked and ready to air. But air where? And how? Ad Decision Managers and Servers help to channel and monitor campaigns:

Matt Warta entered the media research field via an unusual route -- from a stint in the venture capital world. From this unique perspective, he saw an opportunity with a new start-up that focuses on one-to-one online polling. Matt is a partner in GutCheck, which promises a focus group sensibility to online research, enabling clients to delve deeply into consumers' motivations and opinions. In an interview, Matt talks about his background, GutCheck, the world of venture capital, privacy issues with online polling and a look forward into the industry for the next few years.