The Supreme Court has declined to hear a case about digital video recorder technology, potentially paving the way for wider DVR adoption.
In 2006, Cablevision Systems unveiled plans for a “network DVR” which would allow TV viewers to record television programs and store them on the Cablevision server rather than on a special set-top box. This means that all of Cablevision’s subscribers would...
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Despite the fact that Hispanic households were the most unprepared for the June 12 switch to digital TV, Spanish-language stations Univision and Telemundo have seen no more than the usual ups and downs in terms of ratings in the last week.
Univision saw total prime time viewership jump 10% on June 13, the first night after the transition, compared to the same night the previous week, while...
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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has charged Kmart Corp., Tender Corp., and Dyna-E International with making false and unsubstantiated claims that their paper products were “biodegradable.”
FTC charged the companies with making the following deceptive biodegradable claims:
—Kmart Corp. called its American Fare brand disposable plates biodegradable.
—Tender Corp. called its Fresh...
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Another group has come forward protesting the Performance Rights Act, which would require radio stations to pay performance royalties to performers.
Students and staff at more than 80 college and high school radio stations have signed a letter to members of the House and Senate, opposing the act, according to Radio Ink.
The letter says that record-keeping costs alone could cause some...
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Google has said it is unlikely to step in and save newspaper companies like The New York Times Co. Potential acquisition targets are too expensive and carry steep liabilities, and besides, the company is trying to avoid crossing the line between technology and content, chairman and chief executive Eric Schmidt told the Financial Times.
Some had speculated that Google might purchase a...
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The FCC has launched its public inquiry into the impact that Arbitron’s portable people meter ratings service will have on radio stations that air programming targeted toward minority audiences.
Minority groups including the Hispanic Broadcasters Association and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters have said that the new measurement system drastically under-counts their...
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As expected, the Performance Rights Act - a bill that would require radio stations to pay royalties to performers - passed in the House Judiciary Committee; it now goes to a full House vote.
Before the bill, which has been strongly lobbied against by broadcasters, can become a law, a similar law must be passed by the Senate and the differences in the two bills will need to be reconciled...
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Los Angeles billboard company Skytag has won a temporary injunction protecting its supergraphic billboards on 18 buildings in the city, keeping the city from taking action against the billboards while the case is in court.
Skytag said the billboards were installed before the city’s temporary sign ban went into effect, writes the San Jose Mercury News. The judge ordered the city to allow...
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Chrysler filed for bankruptcy last week; in its filing, it listed Omnicom’s BBDO Detroit as its second-largest unsecured creditor.
Chrysler, which posted a 29% decline in total ad spend in 2008 from the previous year, owes BBDO Detroit $58.1 million, though it is believed that the majority of that money is owed not to the agency itself but to the media for purchases made on Chrysler’s behalf....
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The USPS has announced details of its “Summer Sale” for standard mailers, and the response has been positive from the direct mail industry.
At first, marketers were worried they would not have enough time to take advantage of the sale. But having had some time to explore options, most are upbeat, says Hamilton Davison, executive director of the American Catalog Mailers Association, writes...
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