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A once-unidentified sailor killed in the Pearl Harbor attack almost 65 years ago was laid to rest today with full honors and a grave marker bearing his name, thanks to sleuth work by a Pearl Harbor survivor and U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command's expertise.

Seaman 2nd Class Warren Paul Hickok was reinterred this morning at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, more commonly called the Punchbowl. The 18-year-old Kalamazoo, Mich., native had been among more than 1,500 sailors, soldiers, Marines and civilians killed during the Dec. 7, 1941, attack but never identified. Hickok was assigned to the light mine layer USS Sicard when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. According to defense officials, many Sicard crewmembers had been dispatched at the time to help the crew of USS Cummings, a destroyer docked nearby. The Cummings got under way and cleared Pearl Harbor after the attack and reported no injuries. An investigation into those still unaccounted-for determined that Hickok may have been among the Sicard crewmen aboard USS Pennsylvania during the attack.

However, he was not among those reported lost, officials said. In the days following the attack, the unidentified dead, including a sailor identified only as "X-2," were buried in Nuuanu Cemetery in Oahu, Hawaii. Years later, after World War II ended, the Army Graves Registration Service disinterred the remains and attempted to identify them. Those that couldn't be identified, including "X-2's," were reburied at the Punchbowl on June 9, 1949, defense officials said. About 1,000 others are interred aboard USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor.

This might have been the end of the story, except for the detective work of Ray Emory, a Pearl Harbor survivor and researcher who has spent the past 12 years trying to help match names to unknowns. Emory, a sailor assigned to USS Honolulu during the attack, calls his effort a labor of love to help honor the memories of those who died and to bring closure to their families. "I'll be doing this to my dying day," said the 84-year-old Hawaii resident. He scrubs deceased servicemembers' military records, most obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, looking for details that link them to those unidentified from the Pearl Harbor attack. "You usually need five or six documents to put the puzzle together,' he said, calling the effort "a lot like chess." As in many of the other cases he investigates, dental and medical records offered the critical clues in linking the unknown sailor designated as "X-2" to Hickok, he said.

When he thought he was on to something, Emory said, he contacted JPAC, which found his evidence convincing enough to exhume the grave last June. Forensic anthropologists from the command used historical reports, dental and anthropological analysis and mitochondrial DNA to successfully match the remains with information in Hickok's military records, defense officials said. Heather Harris, the JPAC historian who wrote the historical report for Hickok's case, verified the new information, which led to a second examination of the remains and his ultimate identification. "We got lucky in our reexamination of the case," said Harris. "During the original processing of X-2 Nuuanu, they noted in their paperwork that he had a healed right femur. Hickok's medical records had no indication of this injury, but when I looked at his paperwork from his enlistment to the service (paperwork that wouldn't have been previously available), I noticed that he had written that he'd broken his right leg as a boy."

The Defense Department announced the successful identification Dec. 16, 2005. Harris said information from third parties often proves valuable in bringing a case to JPAC's attention. "Mr. Emory has been collecting and analyzing information about World War II unknowns and the unknowns associated with the attack on Pearl Harbor for longer than I have been alive," Harris said. "He amassed a prodigious amount of information and developed a keen understanding of how the information he obtained fit together. "That said, JPAC historians and analysts often have easier access to much of this information and can obtain information that Mr. Emory may have a difficult time obtaining," she said. "In this instance, we were able to use the information Mr. Emory provided as a starting point for researching the case." Emory said he gets a huge lift by helping to piece together an unsolved case.

"You don't know how good it feels to get a call from JPAC saying, 'You've done it again," he said. But the biggest reward, he said, is being able to call family members and tell them that their loved one has been identified. In the Hickok case, tracking down his only living survivor took a bit of detective work, too, Emory said. Failing to locate them through a records search, he contacted the Kalamazoo newspaper, which ran an article about the successful identification and the attempt to locate Hickok's sister.

The article made its way to the Internet, and eventually Hickok was able to make contact with Marilyn "Kay" Woodring, now living in Florida. "She was astounded," Woodring said. He was looking forward to meeting her for the first time today, at Hickok's funeral. Harris said it's important to identify all unknowns from past conflicts to acknowledge and honor each individual's sacrifice. Of the 88,000 unaccounted-for Americans from all conflicts, 78,000 are from World War II. "To acknowledge the commitments of the dead, we also recognize the loss incurred by their family and friends and, while we can never return their loved one, we can offer them the solace that comes with knowing what happened and being able to bury them," she said. "We recommit ourselves to a national sentiment that we will not leave our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines behind and we won't forget their sacrifice."

Faith Hill Leads With Most Nominations, But Still A Close Race As Votes Are Spread Evenly Among Country's Top Stars The Fifth Annual CMT MUSIC AWARDS Premiere Live on Monday, April 10 Country superstars and fiery newcomers make strong contenders in the race for top honors at the 2006 CMT MUSIC AWARDS, it was announced today at a press conference hosted by multi- platinum artist Trace Adkins and singer/songwriter Miranda Lambert. More than 1.2 million votes were cast at CMT.com to determine the finalists for the genre's only fan-voted awards show. The 2006 CMT MUSIC AWARDS premiere live from The Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville on Monday, April 10 at 8 p.m., ET.

Faith Hill leads with four nominations, three of which also include husband Tim McGraw for their video "Like We Never Loved At All," which is up for Video, Collaborative and Video Director of the Year. Hill's "Mississippi Girl" rounds out her total nominations for Female Video of the Year.

Also on top with three nominations each are McGraw, Trace Adkins, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Brooks & Dunn, Toby Keith and Kenny Chesney. Country newcomers make a strong debut in the 2006 nominations lineup as well, with first time nods for Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Sugarland and Little Big Town.

No CMT Awards show would be complete without a few surprises, and this year is no exception as Hollywood stars make the list for Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon's rendition of the Johnny Cash and June Carter duet "Jackson." In addition, Bon Jovi brings a little rock flair to the list for his duet "Who Says You Can't Go Home," which features Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles.

Fans can vote online at CMT.com through April 7 to determine the winners in each category. The final nominees for Video of the Year will be announced during the live awards telecast, and voting held online at CMT.com throughout the show to determine the night's big winner.

Below is a complete list of final nominees for the 2006 CMT MUSIC AWARDS:

CMT MUSIC AWARDS BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video from an artist's major debut album; awarded to the artist (male, female, or group/duo).

- Carrie Underwood - "Jesus, Take The Wheel"

- Jason Aldean - "Hicktown"

- Miranda Lambert - "Kerosene"

- Sugarland - "Something More"

CMT MUSIC AWARDS HOTTEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Sexiest video, awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration).

- Billy Currington - "Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right"

- Dierks Bentley - "Come A Little Closer"

- Keith Urban - "Making Memories Of Us"

- Trace Adkins - "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"

CMT MUSIC AWARDS MOST INSPIRING VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Video that celebrates the human condition in a positive and optimistic way; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration).

- Brad Paisley feat. Dolly Parton - "When I Get Where I'm Going"

- Brooks & Dunn - "Believe"

- Carrie Underwood - "Jesus, Take The Wheel"

- Reba McEntire - "You're Gonna Be"

CMT MUSIC AWARDS VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Video with the best direction (video that best captures the mood, tempo, and intensity of the song); awarded to the video director for work on a specific video and accepted by the director and the artist.

- Michael Salomon / Toby Keith - "As Good As I Once Was"

- Shaun Silva / Kenny Chesney - "Who You'd Be Today"

- Sophie Muller / Faith Hill with Tim McGraw - "Like We Never Loved At

All"

- Trey Fanjoy / Miranda Lambert - "Kerosene"

CMT MUSIC AWARDS COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

The best video that featured a special collaborative appearance by artists; awarded to the artists (male, female or group/duo).

- Bon Jovi feat. Jennifer Nettles -"Who Says You Can't Go Home"

- Brad Paisley feat. Dolly Parton - "When I Get Where I'm Going"

- Faith Hill with Tim McGraw - "Like We Never Loved At All"

- Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon -"Jackson"

CMT MUSIC AWARDS GROUP / DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a group or duo; awarded to the artists.

- Brooks & Dunn - "Believe"

- Little Big Town - "Boondocks"

- Rascal Flatts - "Skin (Sarabeth)"

- Sugarland - "Just Might (Make Me Believe)"

CMT MUSIC AWARDS FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist.

- Carrie Underwood - "Jesus, Take The Wheel"

- Faith Hill - "Mississippi Girl"

- Miranda Lambert - "Kerosene"

- Sara Evans - "A Real Fine Place To Start"

CMT MUSIC AWARDS MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist.

- Keith Urban - "Better Life"

- Kenny Chesney - "Who You'd Be Today"

- Toby Keith - "As Good As I Once Was"

- Trace Adkins - "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"

CMT MUSIC AWARDS VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration). Final four nominees announced during live telecast, with final voting held online at CMT.com during the show.

- Brad Paisley - "Alcohol"

- Brooks & Dunn - "Believe"

- Faith Hill with Tim McGraw - "Like We Never Loved At All"

- Gretchen Wilson - "All Jacked Up"

- Keith Urban - "Better Life"

- Kenny Chesney - "Who You'd Be Today"

- Toby Keith - "As Good As I Once Was"

- Trace Adkins - "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"

CMT, America's No. 1 country music network, carries original programming, specials, and live concerts and events, as well as a mix of videos by established country music artists and new cutting-edge acts, including world premiere exclusive videos. Founded March 6, 1983, CMT, owned and operated by MTV Networks, reaches more than 80.9 million households in the United States. Go to country music's biggest web site at http://www.cmt.com/.

In a move that will almost certainly boost political ad spending on the Internet, the Federal Election Commission gave political blogging more freedom while tightening controls for paid advertising.

In a unanimous decision, the six-member FEC said paid political ads have to be disclosed -- but not much else -- on the Internet, unless the activity is specifically done by a campaign or a political committee. Under the new rule, e-mails, blogs, newsletters and Web sites that are not created by political committees would be exempt from most FEC regulation, a prospect that could increase their use.

The FEC has given considerable carte blanche to Web sites not run by political parties or candidates, not only maintaining a hands-off approach but specifically expanding exclusion for blogging. Under the new rules, bloggers that receive pay from campaigns don’t have to disclose the payments, though political committees that give bloggers the money have to disclose the payments.

The fear had been that new rules on Internet political activity, which until now had been largely unrestricted, would significantly rein in political activities on the Net.

In a joint statement, public interest groups including Common Cause, the League of Women Voters and Public Citizen praised the new rules. “The regulation adopted by the FEC today strikes the right balance. [It] makes clear that bloggers and other individuals communicating on their own Web sites are not covered by the campaign finance laws,” the statement said. “The regulation also makes clear that federal candidates and political parties buying campaign ads on the Internet to influence federal elections must comply with federal campaign finance laws and cannot use soft money to fund such ads.”

Congressman Marty Meehan (D-Mass.), one of two congressmen who sued the FEC for the rule change, said, “The landmark 2002 campaign finance reform law was protected today by the FEC’s decision, in response to a court order, to make clear that paid political advertising on the Internet is subject to federal campaign finance laws. The FEC’s regulation rightfully protects bloggers and other individuals who communicate on the Internet, while at the same time does not open up new loopholes in the existing campaign finance law.”

The marketer has quietly canned an elaborate “mash-up” campaign from famed director Kinka Usher that mixes music from Kiss, Will Smith, EMP and Cyndi Lauper, and ordered up new creative to be produced before the crucial Memorial Day kickoff to soft-drink season. The company attributed the switch to a new strategy.

“From last year into this year we had some different strategies that changed,” a spokesman said.

Now, Y&R, San Francisco, is moving forward on a new campaign concept.

The shelved spots were from the WPP Group agency’s New York office, which hired music licensing firm Thwak, New York, to mix tunes together to accompany morphing visuals. The effort’s aim was to play up the notion that Dr Pepper has 23 flavors that make up its unique taste and used the tagline “There’s more to it.” One executive close to the marketer said Cadbury had spent up to $5 million in production costs for the effort, much of it in securing rights for the music. Thwak, Usher Films and Y&R all referred calls to Cadbury.

This isn’t the first concept for the brand that’s been nixed. Originally, the company planned to present bottlers with an ad showing a tumbling Rubik’s Cube. That idea was pulled ahead of the meeting, and for the first time, Dr Pepper creative wasn’t shown to bottlers at the annual confab. Instead, Cadbury managers described the mash-up concept to delegates.

“The bottler meeting was six months ago,” said a spokesman. “We’ve continued to refine our strategy and the new DP ads, which begin running in May, reflect compelling consumer insights." He would not discuss production costs.

He added, “We’re pleased with the creative that’s going on from Y&R and we’re pleased with the relationship.”

Cadbury’s decision comes at a critical time for the brand, which was one of few major carbonated soft-drinks to grow in 2005, but has started to lose volume this year. Dr Pepper is Cadbury’s largest soft-drink brand and accounts for 23% of its total beverage sales and more than half of its carbonated-soft-drink sales. Cadbury Schweppes spent $54 million in 2005 on Dr Pepper.

AL GORE'S CURRENT TV IS gaining some popular support, or at least appearing on more ballots. The network, which launched last August, will become available in 7.5 million additional homes as part of a new deal with Comcast.

The deal will boost Current's distribution to 28 million homes as of June 1 (that's more than halfway toward the 51 million votes Gore received in his 2000 run for the White House). Current, which is carried on the digital tier, had been in only 500,000 Comcast homes; it also is carried by satellite operator DirecTV and Time Warner Cable.

"With the additional distribution of Current on Comcast's digital cable lineup, we look forward to continuing to empower young adults to share the stories they are passionate about, but now to a much larger audience," said Gore, Current's chairman, in a statement.

Current targets adults 18 to 34, and seeks to involve them in creating both content and, now, advertising. The network labels its viewer-created content "VC2," which makes up about a third of its programming. Now, the network has launched "V-CAM," or viewer-created ad messages, where amateur filmmakers have the chance to create an ad for Sony

(Current is hoping to add other advertisers to the program).

Current is not yet rated by Nielsen, although it has signed advertisers Sony, L'Oreal, and Toyota.

Meanwhile, as Gore guides Current, he is also working on one of his favorite issues: global warming. The former vice president plans a major ad campaign to launch next month aimed at combating the problem--an effort funded by environmental and faith-based organizations. At the recent American Association of Advertising Agencies Media Conference and Trade Show, Gore implored agency executives to match the money raised for the cause "dollar for dollar" via pro bono contributions.

"It is the most serious challenge that our civilization will experience," Gore said at the event.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Michael D. Rowe, 23, New Port Richey, Fla., died in Rutbah, Iraq on March 28, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Rowe was assigned to the 46th Engineer Battalion, Warrior Brigade, Fort Polk, La.

Among Prizes for Registering Cards, Redeeming Them for Points: a Private Clinic With Derek Jeter Baseball hall-of-famer and Cleveland Indians great Bob Lemon once said: "Baseball was made for kids, and grown-ups only screw it up."

However, in the world of baseball cards, it's the adult collector base that has helped support the category for years.

Looking to grow a new generation of enthusiasts, Upper Deck is launching the trading card industry's first-ever Kids Reward program. The program is simple: kids buy packs of any 2006 Upper Deck Baseball product, register the four-digit alpha-numeric code found on the back of their cards -- and get a point award for each unique card. Kids can then redeem their points for prizes.

Along with video games, iTunes songs, movie passes and autographed memorabilia, every card entered is an entry into a sweepstakes to win the reward program's grand prize: a private clinic with all-star shortstop Derek Jeter.

The program starts April 1 and will be hosted at Upper Deck's kids-specific Web site, www.upperdeckkids.com.

"Through extensive research, we've learned that most trading card collectors are over 35," said Upper Deck senior marketing manager Kerri Stockholm. "Because of that, the industry has become less kid-friendly, with more of a focus toward older customers that buy cards on speculation."

"While not wanting to alienate our solid core of older collectors, we realized the need to build for the next 10, 20 years -- not just for tomorrow," continued Stockholm. "We had to reconnect with and create interest among kids, making cards relevant to them again."

To do that, Stockholm mentioned their efforts must do two things: add an element of interactivity while also giving each card -- non-dependent of what player is featured -- a significant and relatable value.

"Our reward program is unique in that Upper Deck cards will have varying point values. Kids are encouraged to registers all of their cards to find out how many points they're worth," said Stockholm.

"And, points are random: an A-Rod or a top rookie isn't necessarily worth more points than a so-called common card. No longer will cards be discarded, put away to collect dust in a shoebox. Every card is now worth something to someone, whether they're building a set of their favorite team, a collection of their favorite players -- or trying to increase their rewards point total."

Rewards Program for All MLB Sets, Not Just Higher-Priced Cards

Another element to attract kids is keeping the cost of cards low.

"For many young collectors, price point is a major factor," said Stockholm. "It's also something that parents -- who help drive buying decisions -- take into account when steering their children toward certain sets or packs."

According to Upper Deck, every card in every baseball set -- from its $2.99-a-pack UD Series 1 to the 99-cent First Pitch -- will be a part of the rewards program. And, points-per-card won't be based on the cost of the set.

Said Stockholm: "In fact, First Pitch is the first product to include codes for the Kids Rewards program."

"Even though it only hit retail last month, we've already seen a tremendous response, with kids anxious to go online when the program goes live next week to see the value of their cards, be that much closer to winning prizes."

Upper Deck will have 20 MLB sets in the Kids Reward program mix.

Not Just MLB; Kids Campaign to Carry Over to Other Sports This Fall

In a ESPN Sports Poll unveiled last week, more than half of kids aged seven to 11 (54.4 percent) chose Major League Baseball as its sports league of chose when it came to collecting cards.

Following MLB: the NFL (39.6 percent), the NBA (25.7) and the NHL (7).

"We know that baseball is still the most popular sports card category among kids," said Stockholm. "Because of that, we wanted to use baseball to launch the Kids Rewards program. But, the program will be extended to our NFL, NBA and NHL product lines throughout the year."

"The momentum we gain will carry over," she continued. "After participating for months, kids will not only begin to tell their friends -- creating a word-of-mouth buzz -- but then incorporate the rewards program into their daily hobby routine, returning to the Web site on a regular basis, inspiring future purchase and program participation."

Timing for non-MLB product launch, reward program integration: NFL (August), NBA (September), NHL (October).

Reward Program Trend: Airlines and Credit Cards

"Reward programs aren't new. Airlines and credit card companies have had them for years," said Stockholm.

Stockholm continued: "But they're geared toward adults, and they don't inspire social interaction among them to gain points. Their loyalty to a brand goes only so far as the miles gained or gasoline dollars earned, not by a passion to be a part of a community."

"Also: oftentimes that prize is years in the making," she said. "With Upper Deck's kids reward program, the gratification is nearly immediate."

Reward points per card vary, starting at 50 and going as high as 250, with an average of 100 points per card. The starting prize redemption for Upper Deck's kids reward program will be 1000.

"We too hope to lead the trend in our industry, building a program that will grow Upper Deck's business in the decades to come."

About the Upper Deck Company

Founded in 1988, The Upper Deck Co. is a premier global sports and entertainment-publishing company that delivers a portfolio of relevant, innovative and multi-dimensional product experiences to collectors, sports and entertainment enthusiasts.

GIVEN THE OFT-REPEATED STATISTIC that consumers spend about 18 percent of their time on the Web, why do marketers spend just 4 percent of their media budget online?

Marketing and media executives at the OMMA Hollywood Conference & Expo Monday proposed different theories, ranging from the belief that television is the safer choice, to difficulties with measurement, to simple reluctance to embrace change.

Tom Bedecarre, CEO of interactive shop AKQA, asserted that disproportionate spending on TV ads stemmed from denial about television's waning influence, as well as a strong desire to preserve the status quo. The spending decisions, he said, are made by "people who have their head in the sand, and like to go to sandy beaches to shoot TV commercials."

Other panelists to weigh in included David Cohen, executive vice president, U.S. Director of Digital Communications at Universal McCann; Nick Pahade, president of Denuo, a unit of Publicis Groupe; Scot McLernon, senior vice president of advertising, CBS Digital Media; and Clark Kokich, worldwide president, Avenue A/Razorfish.

Kokich proposed that ad executives are fundamentally "risk-averse" and, at least until now, have perceived TV as the safer, tried-and-true ad medium. Executives believed they wouldn't "get in trouble by recommending a television campaign," even if it didn't work, but greenlighting a Web campaign that bombed was perceived as a black mark.

But, he added, those perceptions are quickly changing. The "herd mentality" of ad executives "has shifted to the benefit of the industry," he said.

Universal McCann's Cohen said that marketers don't take a one-size-fits-all approach to Web spending. "It's about an overall plan that gets you results," he said. Currently, Cohen added, clients in some categories, like travel, spend 20 to 30 percent of their budgets online; others, especially consumer packaged goods marketers, spend closer to 3 to 5 percent on the Web.

Cohen also stated that problems with measurement, including diverging statistics about site visits, contribute to marketers' hesitation to shift budgets online.

Trophy Entertainment, Inc. and Trophy Pageants announced the launch of the first annual Ms. Trophy USA bikini competition today. Trophy Pageants recruiters have set out on a world wide tour to locate trophylicious talent worthy of wearing the tiara and taking the throne of Ms. Trophy USA.

Contestants will compete and share in a trophy treasure chest valued at over 250k of cash, prizes and exclusive modeling opportunities with Trophy Models and the esteemed sponsors of the Ms. Trophy USA competition. Finalists and the winner of the competition will also set off on a world wide publicity tour including television and radio talk shows, magazine layouts, and act as the cover models for Trophy Calendars, Trophylicious Magazine, Trophy Cosmetics, Trophy Swimwear and Trophy Couture. Talk about launching your career... The Ms. Trophy USA contestants and finalists will even hit the silver screen in Trophy Films. Always a thrill, finalist and winners of the Ms. Trophy USA competition can expect to also walk their Jimmy Choos and Manolos over the red carpet as Trophy Red Correspondents to interview celebs and other entertainment industry folks.

Details of the star studded celebrity judging panel and event are still in development. The atmosphere is abuzz with anticipation. But the entire Trophy Entertainment staff appears to be under the husha husha. "Trophy Entertainment, Inc. definitely believes in pampering our judges and sponsors! Selecting the winners is a tough job! Our judges will be on trophy chill in chaise lounges while being attended to and fanned by Trophy beauties from around the globe and fed the finest delicacies and fruits! So we've got to take care of our people. It's absolutely the Trophy way..." said founder, Rhonda Coleman.

"Network and cable syndication deals are in development to take the event into households worldwide. Those details are better left to Trophy Law, our legal team. I'm simply here for the show!" said Trophy Entertainment PR staff member, Ridgely Rosenberg.

Interested candidates can apply and upload their photos at www.trophymodels.com .

Source: Trophy Entertainment, Inc.

CONTENT PROVIDERS AND ADVERTISERS need to make "radical changes" in the way they operate and reach consumers who are demanding ubiquitous access to entertainment on-demand and on any device, said Albert Cheng, executive vice president digital media, ABC Television Group, on Monday during the opening keynote of the OMMA Hollywood Conference & Expo.

Cheng told attendees that Disney is embracing the challenge of navigating a media and entertainment space that is changing almost daily, and where the consumer is in control and providing feedback that is both instantaneous and direct. "Distributors [of content] are still somewhat important, but their leverage is challenged by the Internet, consumer electronics, broadband, and technology."

ABC Television, according to Cheng, is focused on investing in superior content--something that its telecom, cable, and even Web portal rivals and some-time partners like Yahoo, are hungry for--and beyond that, in new types of content that will offer deep interactive experiences. He cited Disney's partnership with Apple's iTunes for downloads of popular ABC shows like "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" as examples of new kinds of content, in addition to content packages made specifically for mobile environments, and broadband shows.

In a time of volatile change, Cheng said ABC needs to redefine what it means to be a broadcast network, and its cable properties like the Disney Channel, need to redefine what it means to be a cable network. "We must build assets and a marketing platform to reach audiences wherever they are. We have to build franchises--we can't limit ourselves as broadcast or cable. We have to define ourselves as an entertainment network regardless of technology, and based on individual consumer preferences."

Cheng told attendees that ABC needs to have a branded programming presence everywhere--online, on cable, on cell phones, on TV, on a Nintendo GameBoy Advanced. "We plan to be everywhere our consumers are. But we must understand that the Internet gives us a direct two-way connection to consumers to deliver a personal, customized experience," he said, continuing: "We should be asking, 'How should we look at broadband as a VOD [video-on-demand] service? Are there community aspects around someone's favorite program? Will streaming [video] or IM [instant messaging] change the experience, or games with video clips? How do you create a more engaging experience and not a distraction?'"

Cheng argued that ABC wants to cultivate direct relationships between its brands and consumers. "People use brands to navigate their options; we must sharpen our brands." He said that partnerships with Web content aggregators and syndicators like Yahoo and Google don't always work to the best advantage for ABC because they don't highlight its content brands powerfully enough. In addition, ABC seeks partners that will bring their considerable marketing and promotional heft to the table, and not leave marketing to ABC alone.

Later, in a panel discussion with executives from America Online, FoxSports.com, Yahoo, and MSNBC.com, Scott Moore, Yahoo's vice president of content operations, noted ABC News' content partnership with Yahoo--a relationship the portal pays good money for. "We have a great relationship with Yahoo at this point," Cheng responded. "They're a great way to customize and aggregate information, but when it comes to reaching people at an emotional level, video is the best way to do that. How we distribute that video is debatable...do we do a deal with Yahoo? What does that mean for our brand?" Cheng underscored that it might be easier for consumers to find ABC content via its own branded platforms than on a portal.

"From Yahoo's perspective, we're totally focused on relationships," Moore said, citing the company's recent deal with CBS' "60 Minutes" which saw traffic jump some 17 percent after an exclusive video interview with Tiger Woods and other content went live on Sunday. "It's good for CBS because the '60 Minutes' demo is older, and it's good for us."

Charlie Tillinghast, president and publisher of MSNBC.com, said: "I agree with Albert...you want to build a brand experience and have a deep rich connection. But you can put out pieces of content to introduce people to your brand. You really need both [portal/syndication deals and self-branded content]. It's difficult to have people come [directly] to your experience all the time."

Cheng said online video that offers meaningful and relevant interactivity for consumers is key for ABC. "There's nothing better than video--it strikes an emotional chord, and has a halo effect." He noted that ABC is trying to introduce interactivity into advertising to make it more valuable, and targeting advertising and sponsorships such as those offered by "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," which features an interactive application for Sears' products.

In addition, Cheng argued for flexible business models--downloads for 99 cents apiece, $1.99, and free ad-supported content. Also, agencies and advertisers "need to think through the rights they are acquiring. The majority of [TV] ads can't be played online. We can't take a 'Lost' spot and play it on the 'Lost' Web site," he said. "Advertisers need to be more creative to meet these challenges. Standard rights agreements aren't sufficient."

Live Simulcast on Broadband Video Service will Offer Kids a Personalized Kids' Choice Awards Experience along with Behind-the-Scenes Footage and More! Marking a first in TV awards show and kids' broadband history, Nickelodeon's TurboNick, the network's broadband video service available on Nick.com, will simulcast live Nickelodeon's 19th Annual Kids' Choice Awards, which airs on Nickelodeon television Saturday, April 1 (8-9:30 p.m. ET/PT). TurboNick will stream Nickelodeon's 19th Annual Kids' Choice Awards' pre-show (7-8 p.m. ET/PT) as well as the entire 90-minute awards show itself, and offer live streams with TurboNick host Lil' JJ from the Orange Carpet along with exclusive backstage and on-stage views that kids will not be able to view anywhere else. In addition, a Nick.com reporter will be on-site to keep kids on top of all the action with blogs and photos directly from the Orange Carpet and backstage

Kids will be able to have a personalized awards experience as well. Nick.com will use several webcams to capture the awards show, offering kids the opportunity to choose various camera angles such as behind-the-scenes, audience cam, and more, while they watch on TurboNick. TurboNick will also feature three Kids' Choice Awards themed skins that kids can choose for their broadband video player on their computers while watching the event. Multiple themed playlists, exclusive clips, mini-games and links to the official Kids' Choice Awards website will also be available.

"On April 1, TurboNick will serve as the interactive broadband home base for all things Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards," commented Mike Skagerlind, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Nickelodeon Online. "In this multiplatform era, we want to super-serve our audience wherever they may be. Nick.com will offer kids the opportunity to personalize their Kids' Choice Awards experience, and provides another screen for kids to watch the star-studded event with a twist of exclusive content, and a view of what's happening behind-the-scenes, which they would not find otherwise."

Leading up to the show, kids can begin voting on Nick.com and special new voting categories will be featured on-air each week. Kids will also have the opportunity to vote

in real time on Nick.com on April 1 for a special category, which will be incorporated into the awards show.

TurboNick also features a Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards playlist, along with various highlights from past awards shows like the Best Burp Awards and celebrity slimings, and current promotions running on-air for the 19th Annual Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards. Winners' pictures will also be posted on Nick.com as soon as they are announced during the show, making sure users have the most up-to-date information available.

Free promotional Podcasts will be available on Nick.com for various media players, including Jack Black video content and more. These Podcasts will be available on the iTunes Music Store (http://www.itunes.com/) for download to iPods. Nickelodeon also will join forces with Comcast's broadband platform Comcast.net to feature a half-hour Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards nominee special running on the Fan (TM) (Comcast's multimedia broadband player on its consumer portal, Comcast.net). The special also will be featured at Comcast's 26 kiosk mall locations across the country.

Following the April 1st Nickelodeon's 19th Annual Kids' Choice Awards, Nick.com will make a list of this year's winners available, along with a half-hour version of the awards show which will be featured on TurboNick.

Nickelodeon's 19th Annual Kids' Choice Awards gives kids the opportunity to honor their favorites from the worlds of film, music, sports and television in a star-studded live telecast (tape delayed on-air for West Coast) from UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. Held fittingly on April Fools' Day this year, the no- holds-barred event will feature pranks aplenty along with messy, noisy, slime- filled fun. Kids will rule and stars will revel with them at the oft-dubbed "mini-Oscars."

Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards will be seen in more than 200 million households on Nickelodeon's international channels across the UK, Europe, Russia, Israel, Asia, Australia, Latin America and Brazil, as well as the US. There are seven fully localized versions of Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards around the world. The most recent to launch, Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Honours on CCTV in China, reached more than 300 million households across the country.

Nickelodeon's 19th Annual Kids' Choice Awards is being produced by Nickelodeon Productions in association with Bob Bain Productions. Bob Bain, Mike Burg and Marjorie Cohn are Executive Producers. Kia, Hasbro, General Mills and Burger King are the presenting sponsors of Nickelodeon's 19th Annual Kids' Choice Awards, with Firefly Mobile and Pepperidge Farm serving as associate sponsors. Media outlets can reference the most up-to-date information on Nickelodeon's 19th Annual Kids' Choice Awards by logging onto http://www.nickkcapress.com/.

Nickelodeon, in its 26th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 89 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for more than ten consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

“Syndication,” as far as the big TV networks are concerned, has traditionally meant distributing reruns of successful shows, four or five years down the road, to local stations. But the TV business is nontraditional now, and the very meaning of syndication is changing.

The syndication concept is spilling into such new-media platforms as broadband, video-on-demand, iTunes and mobile video. No longer does a show have to rack up 100 episodes before plans are made to take it off-network. There’s still a time delay in the new syndication, but it can be hours instead of years, as when an episode runs on the network and is available later that same day for download on an iPod.

Advertisers and local TV stations may fret that this new form of syndication could diminish the allure of programs when they eventually take the conventional path off-network. But advocates of moving content quickly to new platforms point out that such tactics can expand the fan base and keep viewers interested in a show, making the program more appealing when it moves to local stations years later.

Distribution via new-media platforms can co-exist with traditional syndication by driving popularity for the shows, affirms Barry Wallach, president of NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution, the syndication arm of NBC Universal.

The new syndication at this early stage is more about building an audience than drawing advertisers since few of the new platforms accept much advertising.

NBC’s “The Office” is benefiting from the new syndication; episodes are available the next day on iTunes. CBS’ “Survivor” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” can be seen on Google Video and Comcast Corp.’s VOD service immediately after broadcasting ends on the West Coast.

While these early new-media forays have yet to have a tangible effect on traditional syndication, early evidence indicates the rebroadcasts grow rather than splinter audiences. Take the case of “The Office” on iPod.

Since shifting to Thursday nights on Jan. 5, the show has averaged a 4.7 rating/11 share in adults 18-49, up 27% over earlier this season and an 88% rise over last season, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The new time slot has played a role in the ratings burst, but “The Office” has been rising on iTunes, too. It’s been among the top 10 most-downloaded videos since it went live in December, according to NBC Universal. Frederick Huntsberry, president of NBC Universal Television Distribution, posits that iTunes is bringing new viewers.

By boosting the show’s audience and ratings, the new platform could even help “The Office” survive long enough to reach traditional syndication, Mr. Huntsberry says. “The Office,” critically acclaimed but initially ratings-challenged, could use the increased interest via iTunes to help reach the 100-episode threshold for living on in syndication.

ABC has also seen ratings increases for “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives” since their iTunes debut last October. But serialized shows often struggle in traditional syndication. They should look for opportunities to be syndicated now in these new media, says Scott Haugenes, senior VP-group director for national broadcast at Initiative, New York.

A crucial question remains about at what point audience-building rebroadcast can become damaging overexposure. The goal is to strike a proper balance between maximizing profit now and maintaining interest in a show down the road -- the new syndication benefiting the old syndication.

“What we have done now to reduce the risk is be very careful about who our partners are [for new platforms],” says Albert Cheng, exec VP-digital media for the Disney ABC Television Group. “We don’t want to make our content too ubiquitous.”

There’s evidence that additional exposure can help drive a show that’s already in traditional syndication. The immense popularity of shows like “Seinfeld” and “CSI” on DVD apparently hasn’t hindered their syndication runs. The new syndication affects marketers on at least two fronts. Advertisers need to be convinced that programs will still be worth backing when they hit traditional syndication. But there’s also the challenge of how to involve marketers in the new syndication.

“We want to be in business with those guys who are looking to find different ways to do business,” says Initiative’s Mr. Haugenes. “If you have more content out there, that should help marketers. If it’s the right show, absolutely you want to be associated with it in all formats.”

Not all new ventures have room for ads, though. For instance, iTunes doesn’t offer network shows with ads. However, experts predict that will change. A study released earlier this month from eMarketer found the audience for podcasts will reach 25 million in 2008 and 50 million by 2010. With that growth will come ad dollars -- $300 million by 2010, says Mike Chapman, editorial director at eMarketer. He believes most of that money will flow into network content.

But with the seemingly never-ending new venues for reruns, it may be hard to convince advertisers there’s still a role for traditional syndication.

Joel Berman, president of CBS Paramount Worldwide Television Distribution, puts his faith in the content: “Good content, if offered in a variety of ways, will find its audience. ... It is the network or broadcasters or syndication network that creates the initial platform to expose people to it.”

The following is being issued by United Way of America:

WHAT: The online auction of the Academy Awards(R) Gift Bag received by George Clooney at this year's Oscar Awards ceremony, which the Oscar-winning actor/producer/director and member of United Way of America's Board of Trustees generously donated to United Way to support hurricane response and recovery efforts, has closed.

WHEN: The online auction of the transferable contents of Mr. Clooney's gift bag was scheduled to close Tuesday, March 28, 2006 at 11:59 pm ET. The high volume of bids in the closing minutes triggered a special feature called "bid extension" that allowed bidding to continue in five minute increments until no more bids were received, resulting in the $45,100 winning amount.

WHERE: The auction took place at www.unitedway.org and was powered by cMarket.com.

WHY: As a member of the Board of Trustees of United Way of America, Mr. Clooney has been a generous supporter of United Way's efforts to rebuild lives and communities devastated by the 2005 hurricanes. By auctioning the gift bag, United Way and Mr. Clooney hope to continue to focus attention on the long- term needs of the Gulf Coast areas devastated by the 2005 hurricane season as well as raise funds for ongoing rebuilding and recovery efforts.

About United Way of America

United Way of America is the national organization dedicated to leading the United Way movement in making a measurable impact in every community across America by focusing on the root causes of the most serious problems. The United Way movement includes over 1,300 community-based United Way organizations. Each is independent, separately incorporated, and governed by local volunteers. For more information about United Way of America, please visit: www.unitedway.org.

Source: United Way of America

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project as summarized by Senior Research Fellow Deborah Fallows, the internet is increasingly a place where Americans just hang out. Some 30% of internet users go online on any given day for no particular reason, just for fun or to pass the time.

Compared to other online pursuits, the act of surfing for fun now stands only behind 52% of internet users sending or receiving email on a typical day, 38% using a search engine, and is in a virtual tie for third with 31% getting news online. About 25 million people went online in 2004 on any given day just to browse for fun. In the Pew Internet Project survey in December, 2005, that number had risen to about 40 million people.

In the earliest days of the Web, young, white men were the most likely people to go online just to surf around with no particular purpose or destination in mind. But this kind of idle browsing has a broader appeal now, cutting through all races, income groups, levels of educational accomplishment.

While percentages of both men and women increased to record highs in December 2005, the increase from a year before was ever higher for men, from 24% to 34%, than for women, from 19% to 26%. The younger the user, the more likely he or she is to surf for fun, either at all or on a typical day.

Some 36% of internet users with six or more years of experience will surf for no particular reason on an average day, compared to fewer than quarter of those with less experience online.

Some 72% of those with home broadband have surfed the Web for fun compared with 63% of those with dial-up. Almost twice the number, 39%, do so on a typical day, compared with 23% of dial-up

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES MIGHT HAVE made it easy for consumers to skip ads these days, but that doesn't mean that they will. That's according to Eric Hirshberg, president and chief creative officer at Deutsch LA, who spoke about online advertising Tuesday at the OMMA Hollywood Conference & Expo.

"Ironically, just as technology has given people the power to avoid advertising," Hirshberg said, "those same people are engaging with marketing and brands and advertising in a more emotional and collective way than ever before."

"Brands are becoming a powerful part of our popular culture and a powerful part of our cultural expression," he said. Brands, he added, confer "this incredibly powerful shorthand--like religion has, about expressing who we are to the world."

For those reasons, he said, people don't object to advertising--provided that it's not done in a way perceived as condescending. "These consumers are ... sophisticated in terms of their relationship to marketing," he said. "They know the tricks. They don't mind being marketed to--as long as they're marketed to well."

Hirshberg also disputed the notion that click-through and conversion rates accurately reflect the success of a Web campaign. "The key to effective measurement is agreeing what a win looks like with a client at the beginning," he said. For instance, rather than click-through rates, examining factors such as how long people interacted with an ad might prove more useful, Hirshberg said.

In fact, Hirshberg added, focusing on metrics like user engagement--as opposed to click-through rates or conversions--also can help agencies convince marketers that the Web works for branding, as opposed to solely direct response.

Charity golf tournament to benefit local research center seeking treatments for ALS

Driving 4 Life is pleased to announce that PGA TOUR professional and local celebrity Brad Faxon will join a star studded line up of talent to kick off the Driving 4 Life Quest for a Cure Open at the Tournament Players Club of Boston in Norton, Massachusetts this May 8th. All Driving 4 Life charity golf tournaments benefit ALS TDF, a local nonprofit research center seeking a treatment and cure for ALS.

Commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS is an incurable disease affecting about 600 Massachusetts residents (30,000 in the US and 350,000 worldwide). While more is known today about ALS than during Gehrig's battle, the cause of ALS largely remains a mystery.

"We're thrilled to be holding this event in Boston. The Quest for a Cure Open will honor all ALS patients throughout New England, past and present, and provide our local community a chance to play on one of the best courses in the world, for a very worthy cause," remarks Driving 4 Life founder Kim Julian, widow of PGA TOUR professional and New England native Jeff Julian who succumbed to the disease in 2004, "when you combine the game of golf with a challenge such as ALS, you end up with a group of extraordinarily generous people, and an infinite amount of hope."

ESPN analyst John Buccigross will join Brad on the golf course, and NESN sportscaster Bob Neumeier will emcee the evening portion of the event. Sponsors are still needed for the event. For more information or to make a donation to Driving 4 Life, visit http://www.driving4life.org/questforacureopen.

"We will break ALS down gene by gene, protein by protein and begin the tedious task of tracking how it develops in, and changes the body. We will stop this disease one protein at a time if we have to." says James Heywood, ALS TDF Founder and CEO.

About the Event: The Quest for a Cure Open is a charity golf event to benefit the ALS Therapy Development Foundation (ALS TDF). Part of the Driving 4 Life Signature Series, this event will play a major role in raising the $500,000 needed to fund a new microscopy core at ALS TDF. Driving 4 Life is a fundraising campaign founded by PGA TOUR member Jeff Julian, World Golf Hall of Fame golfer Tom Watson, his long-time caddy Bruce Edwards and their wives, in 2003. Driving 4 Life has provided more than $3 million raised through nearly 100 golf fundraisers for ALS research.

Source: ALS Therapy Development Foundation

Univision is the leading Spanish-language broadcaster by far, generating $1.5 billion in ad revenue last year--more than double Telemundo's $746 million, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

Univision has been aggressive in trying to establish itself as a peer to the six broadcast networks in order to extend its viability as a place to spend more dollars--and tap into budgets other than ones earmarked solely for Spanish-language media. "We're confident that this move will validate Univision's ability to successfully compete against any network in the country, and provide us with a powerful tool to attract marketers that had previously been reluctant to advertise in Spanish," said President-COO Ray Rodriguez in a statement when the network announced in December that it would join NTI.

Ratings give Univision some ammunition, at least compared to The WB and UPN. NTI prime-time ratings this season show that Univision outdraws both networks in both the adult 18-to-49 and adult 18-to-34 demos. Of course, the two struggling networks will combine to form the new CW network next fall, which could capture Univision's fifth-place status in the network rankings.

In the adult 18-to-49 rankings, Univision trails the Big Four by considerable margins. But in the adult 18-to-34 battle, the Hispanic network is within a rating point of both CBS and NBC.

On one level, Univision's bid for a greater share of the general ad market is vindicated by a disproportionately low amount spent in Spanish-language media. Hispanics make up 14 percent of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. government--but Spanish-language media accounted for only 2.9 percent of the $143 billion U.S. ad market in 2005, according to TNS Media Intelligence.

"The argument is for the 150 of the top-300 advertisers who aren't buying Hispanic television, or those who aren't spending as much as they should," said Clabiorne.

However, the market for Univision and its competitors is growing. TNS predicts that spending on Hispanic network television will grow by 10.4 percent in 2006, more than any other sector of the ad market.

The growth reflects the boom in Hispanic buying power and marketers' desire to tap into it. Hispanic buying power is set to grow to more than $1 trillion in 2010--up 48 percent from last year, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.

"The growth in terms of advertising has not mirrored the growth of the market," said Clabiorne, who believes moving to NTI will drive more revenue for both Univision and Telemundo.

Still, Univision's bid to capture more dollars may be slowed by its limited appeal. "Traditionally, they've been a niche," said Lisa Quan, vice president and manager of broadcast research at Magna Global. "(Buyers) are not going to think if you go to Univision you're going to get the same broad audience as an ABC."

The inevitable shift to NTI has sparked some debate within the Hispanic ad community, since it may prompt more general-market media buying shops to try and capture some of their business.

Hispanic media executives acknowledged that the change may make it easier for large-scale general shops to buy Hispanic television, but said that Hispanic agencies will maintain a leg up in planning and strategy--which are increasingly receiving attention in the media arena.

"You may have an agency that can get you a 'cheaper buy,' but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best buy," said Lucia Fernandez-Palacio, West Coast media director for Dieste Harmel & Partners.

"Insight is not a commodity," said Clabiorne. "Whereas the buying function can be reduced to a commodity, the nuances of the Hispanic market, the expertise of Hispanic planning, will always be at Hispanic advertising agencies."

Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure, Inc. (BULLETIN BOARD: DJRT) announced today that they have completed the redesign of their online presence with their new website at www.racingadventure.com. In addition to a more appealing graphic design, the new website is also easier to navigate, more intuitive with enhanced interactivity.

"It is a great pleasure to announce the completion of this major project to improve our online presence and revenue. The company's website was already generating well over a half million dollars a year in online sales, and we are expecting the new site, coupled with the national marketing campaign we are launching to at least double these gross revenues in the short term," said Ronda Robertson, marketing director. "Our research suggests that improving the functionality of our site while making it more appealing will increase our return on traffic brought to the site through effective promotions. Even an increase in our capture rate of a couple of percentage points can significantly increase our total sales without greatly increasing our cost of those sales."

The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure provides lifetime experiences with all of the drama, thrills and excitement that driving your own authentic NASCAR Nextel Cup race car on a nationally renowned Superspeedway can deliver. The company books various dates during the year at NASCAR tracks near you and customers can purchase packages ranging from a 3-lap ride to a 100-lap super drive. Students can achieve speeds of up to 165 mph at the Superspeedways and are allowed to pass and draft with other students. In order to reach these speeds safely an instructional session is provided to acquaint the student with the racecar, safety precautions and the proper groove of the racetrack. DJRT was founded in 1998 and is backed by NASCAR Champions Dale and Ned Jarrett, as well as Dale's brother Glenn, Dale's son Jason and Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. More information is available on the Racing Adventure by visiting www.racingadventure.com.

Blogs and newspapers have been getting cozy of late. The successful journaling experiments at dailies like the Greensboro News & Record and the Houston Chronicle, along with the launch of the Guardian's Comment is Free site, are just a few examples that speak to the increasingly important role blogs play in newspapers' coverage. Even the staid New York Times launched several blogs last year.

But perhaps the biggest sign that the turf battle between bloggers and journalists may be drawing to a close is the upcoming launch of a blog syndication network that will help newspapers republish existing blog content on their websites.

"I like to call it the AP newswire for blogs," said Dave Panos, the CEO of Pluck, who quietly debuted the network, called BlogBurst, at a party in Silicon Valley last month.

Several large newspapers, including The Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News, have signed up as "lighthouse partners" in the network. Syndicated blogs will begin appearing on those papers' sites in the next few weeks.

While blogs have previously networked together to achieve greater exposure -- Pajamas Media being one obvious example -- BlogBurst is apparently the first network that was created specifically to syndicate blogs directly to newspapers.

"You have a lot of great bloggers out there, and a lot of time they blog about a subject you may not be as strong on on your own site," said Jim Brady, executive editor of washingtonpost.com, adding that the paper was interested in supplementing sections like food and travel. "We just thought we'd get on the front lines and see if it's something that would work long term for us."

Newspapers are only testing BlogBurst right now. But in theory, the service will work like this: Pluck signs bloggers to BlogBurst and examines each blog to see if the blog's content and quality are appropriate for syndication. A list of approved bloggers is then made available to newspapers through an online interface, and editors can pick and choose which blogs they want to syndicate, and for how long.

The blog content will appear on the paper's site, but will be embedded with the site's look and feel. Ostensibly, newspapers will benefit by supplementing their coverage, and bloggers will profit from increased exposure. Pluck plans to eventually share a percentage of ad revenue with the bloggers.

"Historically, blogs have been very tech and very political," said Panos, "But mainstream media's interest is much broader -- food, wine, travel, for example. BlogBurst will help them tap into that feature level content around the Web."

Newspapers are also attracted to BlogBurst for the advertising revenue the blogs could generate.

"If we're selling plenty of travel advertising but don't have the page views to actually serve it all, then it might be a good idea to syndicate a really good set of travel blogs," said The Washington Post's Brady, by way of example.

Brady may be understating the situation. By most accounts, companies are lined up to advertise online like planes waiting to land at O'Hare.

Revenue for the online ad business was only about $12.5 billion in 2005, or around 15 percent of what was spent on print, but it's expected to grow by about 30 percent in 2006 and reach $55 billion by 2010, according to analyst firm Piper Jaffray.

But directly increasing ad inventory by publishing more pages isn't the papers' only goal. If a newspaper can spark a conversation on its site by using syndicated blogs, it may be able to increase its traffic, and thus its ad impressions.

"Blog content is significantly better than message board content," said Jim Debth, general manager of statesman.com. "Just the level of discourse is so much better. We expect the blogs [we syndicate with BlogBurst] to be very engaging. We hope readers will come back again and again."

Newspapers have been striving to engage their audience online for several years now. In syndicating blogs, newspapers are borrowing a page from the blogosphere's playbook: Start conversations and build communities.

That goal was most recently iterated by Reuter's CEO Tom Glocer in a speech to the Online Publisher's Association last month. Glocer said media companies must be "seeders of clouds" by starting conversations and embracing responses by both traditional journalists and bloggers.

By inviting that community inside the tent of its brand, a newspaper could tap audiences and voices beyond its general readership, increasing its visibility and relevance to the blogosphere.

"If the [newspapers are] managing a bunch of syndicated blogs then there's ultimately going to be a relationship between the papers and those bloggers," said Jim Kennedy, director of strategic planning for the Associated Press. "That's a good thing."

But do newspapers need to rely on a vendor to help them build relationships with bloggers? Why can't publishers hire an editor to pull in the best and most relevant content from the blogosphere, which is already easily and freely available through RSS feeds?

The answer is less one of ability than editorial control. Newspapers need to pre-approve content for fear of diluting their brand. BlogBurst provides the first filter in that approval process.

"It's a newspaper's job to add editorial value," said Barry Parr, a media analyst with JupiterResearch. "It looks like BlogBurst will give them a level of control they didn't have before."

Can a stodgy old newspaper reciprocate, adding value to the blogosphere? Well, if numbers from a recent Gallup poll are any indication, the answer is yes.

According to Gallup, only one in five Americans, or about 40 million of us, read blogs. By comparison, more than 55 million people visited newspaper websites in November of 2005 alone, according to a Nielsen//NetRatings analysis conducted for the Newspaper Association of America.

BlogBurst won't reach nearly that many people, at least not at first. But NYU journalism professor and blogger Jay Rosen says that the syndication network is a first step in helping mainstream media readers understand and navigate the immense variety of blogs.

"It's part of a bigger thing which is the rationalizing of the blogging system, which started out as no system at all," he said.

As bloggers become more acquainted with syndication, it should be interesting to see whether and how blogging habits change to accommodate newspapers' publishing schedules and content interests.

There is a danger that syndication could change content expectations on both sides of the newspaper/blogger divide.

Clive Thompson noted in a recent New York Magazine article, "Blogs to Riches," blogs are already becoming increasingly similar to traditional publications.

As for newspapers' role in the relationship, said Rosen, "If it starts to become 'blog this way because this is what we need from you,' then I think it won't be effective."

Newspapers, meanwhile, will doubtless be wary of diluting their own voices by becoming effectively just another news aggregator in a media landscape populated by the same. Sites such as topix.net, Digg.com and Tinfinger already have a head start, drawing over $45 million in funding in the last two years, according to VentureOne.

Regardless, experimenting with blog syndication is a good way for newspapers to learn more about the vicissitudes of the blogosphere. At the very least, they'll be broadening the dialogue with bloggers everywhere.

"We've been talking to publishers for the last 15 months, and there's been a relative sea change in how pervasive the mainstream media interest in blogging is," said Pluck's Panos. "They're all going to adopt the format, the only question is when and how."

AMERICA ONLINE TODAY WILL MAKE 30 Warner Bros. TV shows--ranging from classics like "F-Troop" to contemporary shows like "Lois & Clark" and cartoons such as "Beetlejuice"--available for free.

The initiative, "in2TV," will be available to all Web users, and will be entirely ad-supported. At launch, marketers include car company Kia, consumer packaged goods brands Kraft and Hershey, and Intel, which will promote Viiv. Earlier this year, AOL and Intel launched a partnership to market Viiv, which enables the transfer of digital entertainment from computer screens to TVs or other screens.

Intel will be the presenting sponsor for comedies like "Welcome Back Kotter," "Alice," and "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper," and dramas like "Sisters," "Falcon Crest," and "Scarecrow and Mrs. King," while Kia will be presenting sponsor for action-adventure shows like "La Femme Nikita" and "Kung Fu."

AOL intends to stream video ads before the show starts and where the original commercial breaks appeared. There will be no more than one to two minutes of ads per half-hour. In addition to run-of-site video ads, sponsorships will include synchronized ad curtains.

Ten episodes of each of 30 programs will be available as of today, with more shows online later this year. AOL intends to roll out 14,000 episodes of 300 shows throughout the year.

The global war against terrorism is as much a struggle of ideas as it is a military conflict, the Pentagon's No. 2 military officer said here today. The anti-terror war is actually a battle between Islamic moderates and extremists, and not a face-off between Western and Middle Eastern thought, Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during remarks at a luncheon at Syracuse University. "This is not a clash between civilizations, but within one civilization - the Muslim world," Giambastiani said. "This, in many senses, is an ideological civil war between one hard-line view of what Islam means and what such a meaning demands." Radical Islam adherents like Osama bin Laden preach a violent, exclusionary world view that preys on the impoverished, young and uninformed among Islam's 1 billion-plus followers, Giambastiani said. However, Muslim expressions of faith are largely peaceful and have comfortably coexisted in the modern world, Giambastiani said. Mainstream Islamic thought also abhors and rejects the violence committed by bin Laden and his followers, the admiral said. "In my view, this war of ideas targets the real center of gravity for what we call the 'Long War,'" Giambastiani said. The struggle between moderate and radical Muslims puts the interpretation of the religion at stake, he said. "And that acceptance or rejection is at the heart of this war of ideas that we are in fact engaged in today,"

Giambastiani said. Proponents of radical Islam want to chase the United States from the Middle East, Giambastiani said, and then overthrow the current governments, replacing them with functionaries that mirror radical ideology. The radicals also want to create safe havens across the world, he said, to be used to conduct ideological and terrorism training of new members. The Islamic extremists don't fly a national flag, nor do they field conventional armies, navies, or air forces, Giambastiani said. The radicals' chief weapon is terrorizing innocent people, and they do so through the use of improvised explosive devices to gather headlines and spread fear. "They use these IEDs to kill innocent civilians; victims with no tactical military value, but immense strategic import," Giambastiani said. The terrorists employ fake companies to raise funds, bribe politicians and financiers and enlist sympathetic charitable and civic organizations to parrot their ideas, Giambastiani said.

They employ the Internet for planning, recruiting, financing, propaganda and training, he added. The radicals are plotting to obtain weapons of mass destruction, Giambastiani said, and their plans also include seizing control of the world's oil resources. The ultimate goal of al Qaeda and other radical Islamic organizations is to "bankrupt and exhaust" the United States and other enemies and achieve world domination, the admiral said. "These enemies in this global war on terrorism seek to abolish our - your -- way of life," Giambastiani pointed out.

Governments that don't reflect the radicals' world view will be replaced "with the rules of an extremist, Islamic, empire," he said. The Islamic radicals are unified by their extremist ideology, and their loosely knit terror networks make it difficult to catch and defeat them on a conventional battlefield, Giambastiani said. "Ideas can't be eliminated by simply using guns," Giambastiani pointed out. And today, there's intense debate within the U.S. government and military about how to employ strategic communications to counteract the propaganda propagated by the terrorists, the admiral said. "But, to my mind, we still haven't come up with a good enough strategy or even enough good ideas for competing in the war of ideas in this Islamic civil war in a way which strengthens the hand of the Islamic moderates against their hard-line, extremist co-believers," Giambastiani said. In this struggle for the hearts and minds of the Islamic and Middle Eastern people, there's no doubt the United States' military "has great capability in our special forces to deal with other cultures," Giambastiani said to reporters during an after-luncheon news conference. And today, the "vast bulk" of the training of Afghan and Iraqi security forces is being performed by conventional U.S. military members embedded in training units, the admiral said.

Those U.S. trainers obviously have cultural and linguistic awareness as they work with and teach Afghans and Iraqis, Giambastiani said. "And we are extending this (concept) across-the-board" to more American soldiers and Marines, the admiral said.

The results of a nationwide poll in January, by Harris Interactive, show that seven in 10 u.s. adults watch broadcast news at least several times a week and two in five adults say they listen to satellite radio programming or read a national newspaper as often.

While broadcast television news appears to be the most popular medium sought, continues the report, 64% of adults also get their news several times a week or daily by going online to get news, 63% reading a local daily newspaper, 54% listening to radio news broadcasts, 37% listening to talk radio stations, 19% listening to satellite news programming, and 18% reading a national newspaper.

Those 59 years of age and older are most likely to rely on more traditional media outlets for information, with at least eight in 10 saying they watch local broadcast news (88%), watch network broadcast or cable news (88%), or read a local daily newspaper (80%) several times a week or daily.

Those 40 to 58 years of age use the most varied types of media, with at least one in five using each medium examined several times a week or daily. 68% of those 40 to 58 years of age and 70% 28 to 39 are most likely to go online for news.

Echo boomers (those 18 to 27 years of age) are the least frequent users of media, with only about half or less getting information several times a week or daily from each of the media types measured

World Premiere of All-New Suzuki XL7 and North American Debut of Suzuki SX4 Slated for April 13, at 12:05 p.m. American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC) has been revving its engines at record pace, and U.S. sales have never been stronger. Thanks to an inspired product lineup that includes the media-acclaimed 2006 Grand Vitara, ASMC sold more vehicles in 2005 than any other year in its history. Now the company sets its sights on the 2006 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) and the global debut of its next head-turning vehicle, the all-new 2007 Suzuki XL7 crossover SUV, which delivers expressive adaptability and redefines the midsize SUV. In addition to unveiling the XL7, Suzuki also will introduce to the North American market the all-new 2007 SX4, which delivers bold attitude and performance in a compact sport X-over with all-wheel drive (AWD). Both vehicles will be featured during Suzuki's 2006 NYIAS press conference on April 13, at 12:05 p.m., at the Suzuki display (#1215, Level 1) in the Jacob Javits Convention Center. With two new vehicle introductions scheduled for New York, rising sales and increases in its market share, ASMC is capturing consumers' attention.

"New York City is one of the most active cities in the world, and it serves as an appropriate venue to unveil two stylish and sporty vehicles to meet the needs of consumers with active lifestyles," said Koichi Suzuki, president of ASMC Automotive Operations. "American Suzuki is excited about the impact these vehicles will have on the company's success and the impression they will make across the automotive industry."

Suzuki XL7

In the creation of the XL7, Suzuki leveraged its SUV heritage and expertise to design an all-new vehicle for the midsize SUV crossover segment, providing style, room and adaptability for mobile lifestyles. The 2007 Suzuki XL7, equipped with a 3.6-liter, V6 DOHC engine, defines the new direction of the midsize SUV crossover market and is one of the first entries to combine room for family and cargo with performance, style and comfort not previously associated with midsize SUVs.

The all-new XL7 has cargo and seating flexibility for all aspects of active lifestyles, on-road performance capabilities, sleek and distinctive style and advanced safety features that provide a confident feeling of being in control in any condition. Suzuki's new generation midsize SUV crossover is slated to go on sale in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2006.

2007 Suzuki XL7 Specifications

Wheelbase: 112.4-in./2,857mm Overall width: 72.2-in./1,835mm

Overall length: 196.6-in./4,995mm Overall height: 68.9-in./1,750mm

Suzuki SX4

Globally introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2006, the Suzuki SX4 compact sport X-over with AWD will make its North American debut at the

NYIAS. The all-new SX4 features a versatile, rigid five-door design, a standard all-wheel-drive system and for the U.S. market, a sophisticated fuel-sipping 2.0-liter DOHC engine.

The Suzuki SX4's advanced intelligent all-wheel-drive system (i-AWD) sends power to the rear wheels as needed with no additional input necessary from the driver. Called the Three-Mode Switchable AWD system, it features a selector switch on the center console that allows the driver to select from three modes: 2WD, AUTO (AWD High) and LOCK (AWD Lock). Customers in the United States will have a choice of a five-speed manual transmission or an available four-speed automatic transmission.

With its contemporary styling, high-output engine, the security of AWD and ABS and five-door versatility, the all-new Suzuki SX4 delivers the bold attitude and performance designed for those who live an adventurous life. The SX4 is slated to go on sale in the United States in the third quarter of 2006.

2007 Suzuki SX4 Specifications

Wheelbase: 98.4-in./2,500mm Overall width: 69.1-in./1,755mm

Overall length: 162.8-in./4,135mm Overall height: 63.2-in./1,605mm

In February, Suzuki posted a sales increase of 39 percent, the best February and second-best sales month in company history. The new monthly sales record continues Suzuki's recent sales momentum, which included record sales in January and sales of 82,101 in 2005 -- the best sales year in American Suzuki's 21-year history.

Expanded Product Line

The Suzuki XL7 and SX4 join an impressive and versatile product line, with the media-acclaimed Grand Vitara, the popular Forenza sedan and Forenza Wagon, the five-door Reno, the Aerio sedan and Aerio SX and the Verona.

About American Suzuki

The Automotive Operations of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, Calif., was founded in 1985 by Suzuki Motor Corporation. ASMC markets its vehicles in the United States through a network of more than 540 automotive dealerships in 49 states. ASMC's parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide automobile, motorcycle and outboard motors manufacturer with sales of more than 2 million new vehicles annually. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has operations in 125 countries. For more information, go to www.suzukiauto.com or www.media.suzuki.com.

_DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY Pearson KEI Inc., was awarded on March 24, 2006 a firm-fixed-price contract with an estimated life-cycle value of $32,235,209. The award is made on the behalf of Defense Information System Agency/Procurement and Logistics Directorate/Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DISA/PL/DITCO). The contract has a two-year base + 5 one-year option cycle. The total award amount of $22,841,228.41 for the two-year base period will be funded using Defense Working Capital Funds. The goal of the Enterprise Business Modernization project is to create a single integrated procurement system that is accessible worldwide, shares consistent data and processes and provides accurate and easily retrievable information for PL/DITCO contracting functions. The requirement was solicited on a best-value-evaluation criterion. Five proposals were received. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization - Scott Air Force Base, Ill. is the contracting activity.

_ARMY W.G. Yates and Sons Construction Co., Oxford, Miss., was awarded on March 24, 2006, a delivery order amount of $27,687,000 as part of a $300,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for Design and Construction of a Student Pipeline Dormitory. Work will be performed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 12, 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were 167 bids solicited on Nov. 10, 2005, and four bids were received. The Army Engineer District, Tulsa, Okla., is the contracting activity (W912BV-06-D-2002).

McMaster Construction Inc.*, Oklahoma City, Okla., was awarded on March 24, 2006, a $17,319,070 firm-fixed-price contract for Design, Construction and Upgrade of Building 3001 Infrastructure. Work will be performed at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 29, 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were 91 bids solicited on May 12, 2005, and four bids were received. The Army Engineer District, Tulsa, Okla., is the contracting activity (W912BV-06-C-2006

Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill., was awarded on March 24, 2006, a delivery order amount of $10,758,997 as part of a $49,080,350 firm-fixed-price contract for Airborne Water Distributors. Work will be performed at Fort Scott, Kan., and is expected to be completed by May 31, 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole-source contract initiated on Dec. 21, 2001. The Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (DAAE07-02-D-T012).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Force 3 Inc., Crofton, Md.,* is being awarded a maximum $25,000,000 fixed-price-with economic-price-adjustment contract for Picture Archiving and Communication Equipment for Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and other Federal Civilian Agencies. There were 455 proposals solicited, and 44 responded. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is March 28, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. (SP0200-06-D-8302).

_AIR FORCE McDonnell Douglas Corp., Long Beach, Calif., is being awarded a $9,418,585 cost-plus, fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract modification to provide for C-17 Interim Contractor Support for activating Main Operating Base Peculiar Support Equipment. At this time, total funds have been obligated. Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8614-04-C-2004/P00092).

Raytheon Co., Imagery and Geospatial Systems, Bellevue, Neb., is being awarded a $9,393,923 cost-plus award fee-contract modification. The Joint Environmental Toolkit Program (JET) represents the next generation of existing weather systems, focusing on the incremental integration, consolidation and potential replacement of existing and evolving Meteorological Operational Capability component system capabilities. The program will integrate, consolidate, extend, and possibly replace existing Air Force Weather Weapon System (AFWWS) systems and evolve JET component system capabilities to ultimately achieve the required architecture through incremental deliveries of enhanced capability. The JET program will realize the reengineered Air Force Weather concept by providing a next generation system that replaces disparate legacy weather systems with a single, integrated capability that provides tailorable weather products to the user with interfaces to applicable Command and Control systems. The JET Program implements the AFWWS architecture through the incremental fielding of system capabilities, which will eliminate redundancies and inefficiencies and ultimately extend, consolidate and/or replace the systems mentioned above. Additionally, the JET Program will also serve to consolidate the multiple contract vehicles for these systems, once there current periods of performance end. At this time, $8,748,972 has been obligated. Solicitations began October 2005, and negotiations were completed March 2006. The scheduled completion date is February 2015. Headquarters Battle Management Systems Wing, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8720-04-C-0015/P00004).

Flight Safety Services Corp., Centennial, Colo., is being awarded a $6,956,952 firm-fixed-price contract modification. This action provides for C-5 Aircrew Training Systems Contract-Fund Option, CLIN installation, integration and testing of the AMP Production Kits. At this time, total funds have been obligated. The scheduled completion date is March 2008. Headquarters Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (F42630-99-C-0170/P00144).

Calculex Inc., Las Cruces, N.M., Heim Data Systems Inc., Belmar, N.J., and Enertec America Inc., Alpharetta, Ga., is being awarded a $5,000,000 (each) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price, Time and Materials contract. This action provides solid state flight recorders; a quantity of two each, per contract. The scheduled completion date is July 2007. Headquarters 96th Air Base Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA2823-06-D-0003, FA2823-06-D-0004, and FA2823-06-D-0005).

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Disney Mobile

Online Music, Music, Music Social Networking on the net

Gordon Fined $10,000

The Brothers Quay to Animate Filmmaking at Academy Event

Impressed with NBC's early strategy Military Contracts

NBC Universal Television Stations group developing a daytime talk Auto Advertising down

NEW CEA RESEARCH FINDS MULTI-ROOM AUDIO SYSTEMS RECEIVE HIGH RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OWNERS THE CW ANNOUNCES 30 NEW LONG-TERM AFFILIATION AGREEMENTS

Brian Bedol will serve as the keynote speaker on the opening day of C4-Sports

Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre Goes Wild for 'Spring Break' Engagement of Disney's New Computer-Animated Comedy, 'The Wild' From April 14 - May 11; L.A. Zoo Will Present Exotic Birds Live on Stage Before Each Show

Tvidia Corp Releases Internet Content Rating Product for Mobile Phones

Marvel Super Heroes Science Exhibition

Spider-Man?  The Incredible Hulk?  The world premier of Marvel Super Heroes Science Exhibition runs through September 4, 2006 at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. 

Enter the Super Hero laboratory.  See if you’re a mutant at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.  Chill out touching the Ice-Man.  See how the Daredevil utilizes his senses for Echolocation.  Scream like the Banshee and see what shatters.  Suspend yourself mid-air to experience Spider-Man.  Lift a Scion xB like the Iron Man (reminiscent of the Six Million Dollar Man at Universal Studios).   

Busloads of children filled the California Science Center with McDonald’s appetites, and the fascination of bright eyed wonder.  Not that you would need to entice them to take a day off from school for a field trip.  It is a dream day for any child.  Fun, fun, fun.

For those of you that are parents considering taking your child there, add to the fun by dressing them up as Spider-Man or their other favorite Marvel comic super Hero.  They’ll be able to climb like Spider-Man.

While you’re there, take advantage of being at the California Science Center in this science playland with their hands-on exhibits of the Creative World of human innovation, World of Life and Sketch Foundation’s Gallery of air and space craft.  Suspend yourself in a high wire bicycle.

Marvel’s Super Hero exhibition is just a couple months prior to the release of X3, formally X-men:  The Last Stand, with the release date of May 26, 2006.  Spider-Man 3’s movie release date is May 4, 2007. 

Following is the press release from the California Science Center... 

The California Science Center will host the world premiere of Marvel Super Heroes Science Exhibition on March 26, 2006. Marvel Super Heroes, which runs through September 4, 2006, will immerse visitors in the electrifying sights, sounds and sensations of the Marvel Universe while they explore how some of the most loved comic book heroes and villains bring science into their world.

Engaging and interactive experiences will encourage visitors to learn about real life science and technology through the mythic powers of Super Heroes. Is there a biological basis to Hulk's transformation? How can knowledge of simple mechanics help us command the strength of Iron Man? Visitors of all ages will enjoy finding the answers to these questions and more as they learn about science and technology while living the fantasy of their favorite Marvel Super Hero.

“Marvel Super Heroes is a wonderful avenue to introduce visitors to the remarkable achievements of current science and technology—achievements that in many ways give us special powers we dream of through the comics, such as Doc Ock's dexterity with prosthetics, Iron Man's physical strength, and Daredevil's sight in the face of blindness,” said Jeffrey N. Rudolph, President of the California Science Center.

In this exhibition, visitors can explore the science and power within Marvel's Super Heroes. Visitors can:

• See if their senses are as sharp as Daredevil’s when they navigate through an alleyway using their sense of touch and hearing clues (“psst over here”)
• Investigate the Incredible Hulk’s brain and learn which areas are responsible for generating human emotions such as rage—the key to Hulk’s super abilities
• Discover what it’s like to have a helping hand or three with Doctor Octopus through the engineering technology of prosthetic limbs
• Examine how lightning is created and calculate the distance of a thunderstorm in the Storm exhibit.
• See how an optical illusion known as motion-induced blindness can make the Invisible Woman disappear.

In one of the highlights of the exhibit, visitors can become a real life Iron Man by stepping onto an exo-skeleton machine to lift a Scion xB, a vehicle weighing nearly 2500 lbs. By experimenting with simple levers and pulleys to lift weights, they will learn what the future holds for increasing human strength.

In another area, visitors will explore the wonders of Spider-Man when they learn about the elasticity and strength of spider webs. Here they will be able to experience the strength of Technora™, a synthetic fiber that mimics the strength of spider webs. It’s one of the strongest materials ever created.

Visitors entering the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning will interact with the X-Men and discover how genetic mutation can evolve. They can learn how matter changes from one state to another and feel the chill of Iceman or explore the magnetic fields that protect Magneto. In Wolverine’s den, guests can learn about artificial parts developed by biomedical engineers to enhance patients’ lives. In the Danger Room, which focuses on Banshee’s sonic superpowers, visitors can discover the physical nature of sound waves and learn about their unique properties.

Other experiences in the exhibition:

• Follow a timeline that covers the history of Marvel comics from the Golden Ages, to Comics in Crisis, to Reinvention. Learn how the story lines of Marvel comics are connected to historical social, political and cultural events, as well as society’s hopes and fears about the future of science.
• Visit the Stan Lee Theater and watch an exclusive interview with the creative mastermind behind some of Marvels most popular characters.
• Become a Super Hero and appear on the cover of a Marvel comic. Have your picture taken and then watch as it is superimposed onto the face of a character from a selection of covers.

The Marvel Super Heroes Science Exhibition features over 9,000 sq. ft. of interactive experiences developed, designed and fabricated by Yellowbrick?Holman Exhibition Inc. in partnership with the Ontario Science Centre. After its debut in Los Angeles, the Ontario Science Centre will tour Marvel Super Heroes to other science centers and museums in North America.

The Marvel Super Heroes Science Exhibition is open 7 days a week from 10 am to 5 pm, with last admission at 4 pm. Admission to Marvel Super Heroes is $9.75 (Adults), $8.75 (Seniors 60+ & Students 13+ with valid student I.D.) and $7.75 (Children 4-12). Member rates are $7.75 (Adults) and $6.75 (Children). Combination ticket prices for the exhibit and any IMAX film are $16.25 (Adults), $13.00 (Seniors/Students) and $11.00 (Children). Tickets are available online at www.californiasciencecenter.org and advanced ticket purchase is encouraged. Due to the possibility of lines, please arrive early. General admission to all other Science Center exhibits is free.

The California Science Center is located in historic Exposition Park at 700 State Drive, Los Angeles. Enter visitor parking at 39th & Figueroa Street. Parking is $6 per car. For general information, call 323.SCIENCE (323.724-3623) or visit our website at www.californiasciencecenter.org. Both the Science Center and IMAX Theater are wheelchair accessible.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Staff Sgt. Christopher L. Robinson, 36, Brandon, Miss., died in Sangain District, Afghanistan on March 25, when his HMMWV came under enemy small arms fire during combat operations. Robinson was assigned to the Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, Jackson, Miss.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Frederick A. Carlson, 25, Bethlehem, Pa., died in Taqqadum, Iraq on March 25, from a non-combat related cause. Carlson was assigned to the Army National Guard's 228th Forward Support Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Division, Bethlehem, Pa. The incident is under investigation

She joins fellow AVP stars Kerri Walsh, Karch Kiraly, Holly McPeak, Jake Gibb and Stein Metzger on Team Speedo.

Wacholder is represented by Carmen Wallace of Athletes First.

“When you strive to be the best, you want to surround yourself with the best,” said Wacholder. “Speedo is not only the world’s top swimwear brand, but it also has long relationships with the world’s best beach volleyball players such as Karch Kiraly, Kerri Walsh, and Holly McPeak.”

“As we continue to build toward Beijing, Rachel is a great addition to Team Speedo,” said Sheree Waterson, president of Speedo North America. “She is the definition of a strong, sexy female athlete.”

Wacholder and Youngs combined to win titles in Cincinnati, Huntington Beach and Boulder last season and continue to be the only team on Tour to challenge and defeat the 2004 Olympic Gold Medalists Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor. Wacholder teamed with Walsh in 2004 to win two FIVB Grand Slam international tournaments. She was voted the 2005 AVP Tour Defensive Player of the Year by her peers.

Team Speedo beach volleyball players include AVP Tour 2005 MVP Jake Gibb and 2005 AVP top-ranked player Stein Metzger.

SPEEDO® and the Boomerang Device are registered trademarks of and used under license from SPEEDO International Ltd.

Warnaco Swimwear Inc., a division of The Warnaco Group Inc. (NASDAQ: WRNC), is the authorized licensee of the Speedo trademark in North America and the Caribbean.

Born on Bondi Beach near Sydney, Australia in 1928, SPEEDO® is the world's top-selling swimwear brand. The brand's heritage derives from its leadership in competitive swimming, where more Olympic Gold Medals have been won in Speedo than any other brand. Eight-time Olympic Medalist Michael Phelps is among the elite swimmers who wear SPEEDO® Fastskinä technology. Building on its authentic base, the SPEEDO® product line has dramatically expanded over the years. It now includes women's fashion and fitness swimwear, men's water shorts, kid's swimwear, active wear, footwear, and a comprehensive collection of aquatic and fitness equipment. For more information visit, www.SpeedoUSA.com.

The Warnaco Group, Inc., headquartered in New York, is a leading apparel company engaged in the business of designing, marketing and selling intimate apparel, menswear, jeanswear, swimwear, men's and women's sportswear and accessories under such owned and licensed brands as Warner's®, Olga®, Lejaby®, Body Nancy Ganz(tm), Speedo®, Anne Cole Collection®, Ocean Pacific®, Cole of California® and Catalina® as well as Chaps® sportswear and denim, JLO by Jennifer Lopez® lingerie, Nautica® swimwear, Michael Kors® swimwear and Calvin Klein® men's and women's underwear, men's accessories, men's, women's, junior women's and children's jeans and women's and juniors swimwear.

Stephen Ames Victory at THE PLAYERS Championship

Earns five-year exemption on the PGA TOUR that will take him through the 2011 season. Among others, earns three-year exemption into the Masters Tournament (2006-08) and the British Open (2006-08) and one year each into the U.S. Open (2006) and PGA Championship (2006). Becomes the fifth player over the age of 40 to win THE PLAYERS Championship, joining Fred Funk (2005), Hal Sutton (2000), Calvin Peete (1985) and Lee Trevino (1980). Seventh international winner of THE PLAYERS Championship, and the third in the last five years. First third-round leader since Steve Elkington (69/1997) to post a final round in the 60s and win. Largest margin of victory since Davis Love III won by six in 2003. All-time tournament record is seven strokes by Steve Elkington in 1997. Posted two of the four low rounds on the week (second round - 66, fourth round - 67).

Disney Mobile’s primary strategy is to target moms wanting to control cellphone use and access, executives familiar with the situation said. To reach moms, the phones offered by Disney Mobile will include a number of exclusive control features planned for announcement in early April. Those features, one executive said, are designed to “make sure the children use phones responsibly,” possibly including features such as control over the number of minutes used and when they are used. “It will be a better way of connecting people and families,” the executive said.

Disney Mobile’s Web site bills it as “a phone that gives moms what they need and kids what they want.” Other selling points listed on the site include “simple, straightforward controls for ease of use; countless customization options for personalization; usage controls that let you tailor your phones to your family’s needs.”

Disney Mobile phones, from a number of handset providers, will not “have Mickey Mouse ears stuck on it,” said the executive, but will look like an ordinary cellphone with a discreet Disney Mobile logo on it. Collectors’ editions may be available from time to time. Content from the entire Disney content collection will be available on the phone, from princesses to pirates.

The phone will target moms with kids from 8 or 9 on the younger end to about 14, perhaps a little older for girls. According to a July 2005 Harris Interactive study, 12% of 8- to 12-year-olds have cellphones, while 49% of teens age 13 to 15 have cellphones. Of children 13 to 17, 62% are on family plans, while 15% are on prepaid plans and 23% are on standalone monthly plans, according to NPD Group's Mobile Consumer Track.

Already, there are a number of kiddie phones in the marketplace, ranging from those with limited access such as Firefly Mobile and LG’s Migo to Mattel’s MyScene phone, which allows parents to reward children for doing things like chores with extra talk time.

Nevertheless, “by the time kids are 10, they want the phone their parents have,” said Julie Ask, senior analyst, Jupiter Research. Yet, “There are horror stories of parents with huge cellphone bills,” she said.

Disney Mobile is the second virtual phone service from the Walt Disney Co. Late last year, through its ESPN media network, it launched ESPN Mobile, which features sports content. While some of ESPN's service offerings are on the high end with some volume-use plans costing over $200 a month, the Disney Mobile phone is expected to be priced competitively with family offerings. The phones will be sold online and through retailers and Disney.

Stephanie Guza, Industry Analyst, summarizing In-Stat's most recent online music report, says that the Internet is now a key distribution channel for legitimate digital music sales, and the mobile phone is also evolving into an important channel for digital music.

Other conclusions, excerpted from her report, include such things as:

Online sales of digital music represented almost 6% of the total worldwide music market in 2005. This figure is up from virtually zero in 2003.

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), paid-for digital single downloads reached 420 million in 2005, which is more than double the number of digital singles downloaded in 2004.

Another method is subscription-based services, with the overall subscriber base reaching 2.8 million, up from 1.5 million in 2004.

Online song catalogues doubled to nearly 2 million songs on all major online music services. In addition, the number of legitimate music sites reached 335 worldwide, up from 50 in 2003.

Mobile phones have evolved from basic voice-based handsets to multimedia handsets used for different functions such as voice, data, music, music distribution and video.

Guza says that "...Consumers are clearly opting for legal ways to purchase music, more legitimate music sites are available, and increasing broadband access is enabling online music distribution like never before. Despite this progress, vendors in the market still face significant obstacles. Internet piracy, interoperability concerns, and the unlicensed use of digital streams represent real challenges to the growth of this market."

When Rupert Murdoch swooped in last year to buy MySpace, paying $580 million, Wall Street suddenly perked up to the idea of social networking. It was a bit late, as is so common with things related to the internet.

MySpace may be the largest social networking site, the one getting the headlines, but it's just one in what has become an increasingly fast-growing sector. New players are entering the market, it seems by the day, and a number of sites are experiencing rapid growth. Networking sites are like virtual bars, where users post their profiles and interact with others sharing similar interests.

Just two years old, Facebook.com, a site for high school and college students, is now on the block, and BusinessWeek Online reports that its owners have just nixed a $750 million offer. They're holding out for as much as $2 billion.

If this seems like 1999 all over again, with wild offers flying about, it is not in one key regard. This time they are for ventures that have already proven their worth.

Still, social networking is a pretty recent thing, really only exploding as the internet has matured. That's because the activity pretty much requires a powerful internet connection. To grow, the sites needed people to migrate from dial-up to broadband.

Which explains their huge growth just in the last year. Facebook had 10.5 million unique visitors in the U.S. in February, up from 2.8 million in February 2005, an increase of 271 percent, according to comScore Media Metrix.

MySpace has grown even faster in the U.S., clocking 37.3 million unique visitors in February from just under 9 million in February 2005, a growth of 318 percent, according to comScore Media Metrix.

“That’s a boatload,” says Bob Ivins, managing director at comScore Europe. “It is great to see a site like this just take off because it talks to me about the huge opportunity that still exists on the web.”

Yet not all networking sites are prospering, and that makes it a tricky proposition for investors. What site's in, and which are not, can change in a heartbeat, or better, with the fluidity of the social whims and fashions of teenagers.

One early site, Friendster, has been more or less flat over the past year, with about a million unique visitors in the U.S., while Bebo.com has seen the number of unique visitors in the U.S. fall to 1.2 million in February from 6.1 million the year before, according to comScore.

What drives the growth of successful sites, and the rapid downfall of those on the decline, is what Ivins calls the network effect. People join because their friends join, so the more people who join one site the more reason for others to follow. And vice versa.

“If your friends aren’t on it, there is no value,” says Ivins. “The ones that aren’t growing will probably be left behind, unless they are for a very specific community of people.”

Says Ivins: “I think these types of communities will be around forever.” But whether the current biggies maintain their position is another question

following the race at Bristol Motorspeedway, an action that drew a $10,000 fine from NASCAR on Tuesday. It's the first time in Gordon's 14-year career that he's been penalized for his conduct.

Gordon is ready to shed his image as he attempts to return to championship form. He failed to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship last season and wound up 11th in the points -- his lowest finish since his rookie season.

``I think that I kind of heard a lot last year that maybe I wasn't being aggressive enough on the race track and different things,'' he said. ``My team has done an awful lot this year to make our race cars better, to put me in better positions ... and I'm giving them everything I possibly can out there on the race track because they deserve it.

``If that means I've got to be more aggressive, then I'm going to be more aggressive. When you're more aggressive, sometimes it carries over off the race track, as well.''

There are some who argue that Gordon has never lacked on-track aggression, particularly Jeff Burton, who was angry about getting caught up in an incident Sunday between Gordon and Martin Truex Jr.

``We have drivers who think it's OK for them to do something, but it's not OK for somebody to do it to them,'' Burton said Monday at Bristol. ``Jeff Gordon's a perfect example.''

But Gordon said he didn't intentionally wreck Truex.

``Martin completely checked up in front of me,'' he said. ``The problem is I was an inch off his rear bumper when it happened. He did not have any time for error. Jeff Burton is mad because he got caught up in the wreck.''

Gordon now heads to Martinsville Speedway, where he swept both races last year. It's a short track like Bristol and tempers have been known to erupt. Don't be surprised if Gordon is one of them now that he isn't shying away from controversy.

``Now that I've established myself, I'm older and I understand life a little more, really the way to enjoy life and enjoy racing more is to be me,'' he said. ``I guess that's maybe the Jeff Gordon that has evolved over the years. In the past I've reserved a lot of my emotions. I'm not afraid to show them these days. I'm just being me.''

Beverly Hills, CA — In celebration of the 10th Marc Davis Lecture on Animation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present the Brothers Quay in their first speaking engagement in the United States on Friday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The evening will feature a discussion with Stephen and Timothy Quay accompanied by screenings of several of their animated short films, including the “Street of Crocodiles” (1986) and “The Comb” (1990).

The stop-motion and puppetry animation created by the Brothers Quay combines the magic of a child’s optical toy, the expressionist sets of German silent films, the nightmarish fantasy of a Victorian attic with possessed broken dolls and a surrealistic approach to the camera as a third character.

Identical twins born near Philadelphia, the Quays were heavily influenced by the Eastern European immigrant culture of the area and eventually moved to London, where they produce their films.

Over the past two decades the brothers have produced numerous animated and live-action short films, television commercials and music videos. In 1995, they released their only feature-length film to date, “Institute Benjamenta.”

Tickets to the event named in honor of legendary Disney animator Marc Davis are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid I.D. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Free parking is provided in the garages located at 8920 and 9025 Wilshire Boulevard. For more information, call 310-247-3000 ext 111.

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©A.M.P.A.S.®

Prominent media buyers say they are impressed with NBC's early strategy for the fall TV season, following a lavish development presentation the network staged last week on the set of its hit drama "Las Vegas." Particularly noteworthy, media buyers say, are NBC's plans to give new shows a presence on new-media venues of increasing interest to advertisers: the Web, cellphones and other digital devices.

Madison Avenue deemed promising several NBC dramas planned for the fall, including "The Black Donnellys," about four brothers involved in organized crime. The series was created by Paul Haggis, the writer of Oscar winners "Million Dollar Baby" and "Crash." Highlighting NBC's digital focus, the new drama will have mini episodes available exclusively online and on cellphones, and the show's writers will have a blog.

"NBC restored our confidence," says Shari Anne Brill, director of programming at Aegis Group's Carat USA.

The development presentation, part of a blitz of similar meetings at rival networks, was designed to pique the interest of media buyers as they begin a three-month process of placing $9 billion of ads for the 2006-07 television season. The process, known as the "upfront," culminates in intense negotiations in May.

Presentations concluded yesterday with CBS. In contrast with the positive reaction accorded NBC, media buyers gave ABC, CBS, Fox and the newly formed CW network mixed reviews.

NBC needed to do something dramatic. Last year after it dropped to fourth from first in the important viewer demographic of adults ages 18 to 49, the network's "upfront" ad revenue fell $800 million to $2.1 billion. This year bombs such as "Inconceivable" and "E-Ring" have worsened NBC's ratings position.

It is too early to say whether NBC's full-court press will translate into more ad dollars. But media buyers say the network, which is owned by General Electric, is positioning itself well. "We're not going to go crazy and reinvest, but we're definitely not going to cut spending back any more either," says Jason Kanefsky, an account manager at ad-buying firm MPG.

In hopes of bouncing back, NBC boosted spending on new shows by 20% and started filming pilot episodes much earlier than normal. As a result, the network had more to show media buyers at its development meeting than rival networks.

ABC, for example, didn't offer media buyers much guidance about its fall plans. Network executives said they didn't want to hype shows that haven't even started filming pilots.

CBS is in the best shape going into fall because a large number of its new shows have worked this season and older series continue to perform. Media buyers say strong fall entries include "Smith," a new crime drama starring Ray Liotta; and "The Class," a comedy from the co-creator of "Friends" about a group of twentysomethings who were in the same third-grade class.

At Fox, an important strategy is to develop shows that will attract a male audience to mesh with the network's airing of Major League Baseball playoff games, says Laura Caraccioli-Davis, a senior vice president at ad buyer Starcom Entertainment

NAVY

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a $73,250,000 firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for the fiscal year 2006 full rate production (LOT II) of four complete AN/ALQ-218 Tactical Jamming System Receivers (TJSRs), a component of the EA-6B aircraft. In addition, this contract provides for the procurement of one partial AN/ALQ-218 system and spares. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Md. (57 percent), and Bethpage, N.Y. (30 percent); Nashua, N.H. (8 percent), and San Diego, Calif. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $2,916,001 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity (N00019-06-D-0014).

Lockheed Martin Systems, Owego, N.Y., is being awarded a not to exceed $41,018,276 for delivery order (5045) under previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00383-01-G-004N) to purchase spares for the multi-mode radar system for the H-60R helicopter. Work will be performed in Owego, N.Y. (20 percent), and Farmington, N.Y. (80 percent), and work is expected to be completed by December 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not awarded competitively. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.

Dick Pacific Construction Co. Ltd., Barrigada, Guam, is being awarded $37,572,452 for modification P00001 under a previously awarded firm-fixed price contract (N62742-05-C-1308) for construction of the new Cdr. William C. McCool Elementary/Middle School at Naval Forces Marianas Support Activity, Guam. Work will be performed in Guam and is expected to be complete by May 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with 22 proposals solicited and three offers received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity

Healy Tibbitts Builders, Inc., Aiea, Hawaii, was awarded on March 24, 2006, $10,977,450 for firm-fixed price Task Order 0011 under an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award construction contract for the repair of Supply Wharf K3 and Supply Wharf K5, FISC, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Work will be performed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed October 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The basic contract was competitively procured with 11 proposass solicited, seven offers received and award made on June 10, 2004._ The total contract amount for each contractor is not to exceed $250,000,000 (base period and four option years) bringing the cumulative total for all three contracts to $750,000,000. The multiple contractors (three in number) may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the existing contract. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii, Resident Officer in Charge of Construction IPT Blue, is the contracting activity (N62742-04-D-1300).

BAE Systems Applied Technologies, Inc., Rockville, Md., is being awarded a $9,268,863 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee term contract (N00421-01-C-0169) to exercise an option for engineering and technical services for life cycle support of communication-electronic equipment/systems and subsystems supporting the Special Communications Requirements Division at the Naval Air Systems Command, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, St. Inigoes, Md. The estimated level of effort for this option is 143,442 man-hours. Work will be performed in California, Md. (62 percent); Fayetteville, N.C. (12 percent); Chesapeake, Va. (8 percent); San Diego, Calif. (7 percent); Ft. Bliss, Texas (4 percent); Ft. Walton Beach, Fla. (2 percent); Homestead, Fla. (2 percent); Panzer Kaserne, Germany (2 percent); and Tampa, Fla. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2006. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, St. Inigoes, Md., is the contracting activity.

Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $9,010,738 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-04-C-5344) to exercise an option for engineering and technical services to support the STANDARD missile-6 (SM-6) program. Engineering & technical services include initial performance studies, conceptual design studies, functional design, preliminary design, detailed design and development and round integration studies for potential future improvements. The Contractor shall also provide design assessments as necessary for current improvements. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz. (80 percent); Camden, Ark. (15 percent); and Andover, Mass. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity

Alliant Integrated Defense Co., LLC, Clearwater, Fla., is being awarded an $8,740,457 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-priced contract (N00019-98-C-0006) to incorporate into the existing production line the AAR-47A(V)2 dynamic blanking sensor engineering change proposal and to retrofit existing sensors for the Navy and Air Force. Modification provides for sensor production cut-in of 751 Navy sensor units; sensor retrofit of 1,173 Navy sensor units; sensor production cut-in of 328 Air Force sensor units; and sensor retrofit of 275 Air Force sensor units. Work will be performed in Clearwater, Fla., and is expected to be completed in October 2008. Contract funds in the amount of $467,291 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., is being awarded an $8,150,000 cost-plus-incentive-fee order against a previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00019-03-G-0003) for the development effort to complete the installation of pre-planned product improvement upgrades into the MH-60R and MH-60S helicopters in support of Class I engineering change proposals. Work will be performed in Stratford, Conn., and is expected to be completed in March 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.

Surface Technologies Corp., Neptune Beach, Fla., is being awarded an estimated $6,842,800 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity for the removal, repair, and installation of interior decks onboard Navy vessels at Naval Station Mayport, Fla. Work will be performed in Mayport, Fla., and is expected to be completed March 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities with three offers received. The Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, Mayport Naval Station, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (N40027-06-D-0002).

AIR FORCE Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., is being awarded a $65,000,000 cost plus fixed fee, fixed price contract modification to provide for Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (AGM-158) weapons data link development. No funds have been obligated at this time. The scheduled completion date is September 2009. Headquarters Air Armament Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8682-04-D-0306-P00006).

Integral Systems, Inc., Lanham, Md., is being awarded a $21,458,122 cost plus award fee, firm fixed price contract modification to modify the Command and Control System-Consolidated effort to support the Advanced Extremely High Frequency program. This action will consolidate all CCS-C effort for AEHF Satellite Vehicles 1, and 2, and 3 as a cost saving measure. The CCS-C program provides an upgraded capability to command and control the Air Force's communication satellites, including the Defense Satellite Communication System, Milstar, Advanced Extremely High Frequency, and Wideband Gapfiller Satellites. At this time, $3,885,702 has been obligated. The scheduled completion date is June 2010. Headquarters Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting activity (F04701-01-C-0012-P00088).

Aerojet-General Corp., Sacramento, Calif., is being awarded a $11,400,037 cost plus fixed fee contract modification to exercise option 1, Phase II baseline program, research and development to evaluate, develop, and demonstrate innovative post boost propulsion concepts and component technologies to support the Minuteman weapon system. At this time, $3,497,423 has been obligated. The scheduled completion date is June 2008. Headquarters 526th ICBM Systems Wing, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8402-05-C-0036-P00002).

_ARMY Hi-Way Paving Inc.*, Hilliard, Ohio, was awarded on March 21, 2006, a $15,480,015 firm-fixed-price contract for full depth concrete repair and reconstruction. Work will be performed at Langley Air Force Base, Va., and is expected to be completed by Nov. 20, 2006. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were 16 bids solicited on Jan. 9, 2006, and two bids were received. The Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (W91236-06-C-0039).

Luhr Brothers Inc., Columbia, Ill., was awarded on March 17, 2006, a delivery order amount of $9,730,000 as part of a $9,730,000 firm-fixed-price contract for stone berm construction at Algiers Point. Work will be performed in New Orleans, La., and is expected to be completed by Nov. 12, 2006. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were five bids solicited on Feb. 10, 2006, and two bids were received. The Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, La., is the contracting activity (W912P8-06-D-0009).

Alliant Lake City Small Caliber Ammunition Co. L.L.C., Independence, Mo., was awarded on March 23, 2006, a delivery order amount of $9,217,029 as part of a $313,009,463 firm-fixed-price contract for 5.56mm small caliber ammunition items. Work will be performed in Independence, Mo., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole source contract initiated on Oct. 5, 2005. The Army Field Support Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (DAAA09-99-D-0016).

International Military and Government L.L.C., Warrenville, Ill., was awarded on March 23, 2006, a delivery order amount of $7,781,043 as part of a $9,304,937 firm-fixed-price contract for wreckers for the Iraqi Supplemental Acquisition Military Program. Work will be performed in Ooltewah, Tenn., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were six bids solicited on Feb. 6, 2006, and five bids were received. The Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-06-D-D051).

Pine Bluff Sand and Gravel Co., Pine Bluff, Ark., was awarded on March 17, 2006, a delivery order amount of $7,692,500 as part of a $7,692,500 firm-fixed-price contract for Burrwood Bayou closure repairs. Work will be performed in New Orleans, La., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 12, 2006. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were five bids solicited on Feb. 9, 2006, and two bids were received. The Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, La., is the contracting activity (W912P8-06-D-0011).

The NBC Universal Television Stations group is developing a daytime talk show for its stations that could be a candidate to follow the third hour of Today.

A group spokesperson confirms that the show is in development, saying, "It is a project we are excited about" but declining to discuss details.

Though in the early stages of development, the show is designed to take place live in front of a studio audience. No decisions have been made on talent, but a pilot shot last year at Universal Studios Theme Park in Orlando, Fla., was hosted by Access Hollywood weekend co-anchor Tony Potts.

A source with knowledge of the project says the show may have a two-host format and could be ready around the end of this year or early next. It is expected to have a local component as well; the station group is said to have been considering taking one of its local programming formats national.

The group's strongest models are WCAU Philadelphia's 10! and WTVJ Miami-Ft. Lauderdale's South Florida Today, weekday talk shows with topics including recipes, fashion and homemaking tips.

The new show would also have an interactive component.

The 10 a.m. time slot could be a good target for the show. KNBC Los Angeles has Recipe TV and a second run of Access Hollywood, WCAU and WTVJ have local talk/entertainment shows, and several other major-market stations, including KNTV San Francisco and WRC Washington, air 10 a.m. newscasts. Current 10 a.m. obstacles include The Ellen DeGeneres Show on WNBC New York and Martha on WMAQ Chicago.

Localizing the show would seem to mirror the opinion outlined by the group's President Jay Ireland last week at a Kagan Research conference. Stations, he said, need to play up their localism and rely less on syndicators. "We need to focus on local-content creation," he said. "Stations have at least 50% of their broadcast time where they schedule their own programming. We need to create, not buy, programming."

Ireland said local programming is crucial to differentiate a station. "When you air a locally oriented program, you compete only with TV stations in your market. If you use syndicated programming which isn't local, you are no longer differentiated, and you are suddenly competing with the 100-plus channels your viewers receive through cable or satellite."

Auto advertising in magazines suffered a meltdown in 2005, with publishers losing almost $100 million in revenue. Worse news for publishers: The new year in print ads for cars has dawned a lot like last year ended -- dead.

That the automakers’ pain and the Internet’s gain would punish magazines has been clear for some time, and publishers are hoping for a 2006 revival -- hopes based on a long list of second-half launches and increasing array of their own online offerings -- but for now, at least, times in Detroit are as tough as mag reps remember.

“This year has been soft,” said MaryAnn Bekkedahl, Rodale’s exec VP-group publisher. “How’s that for the understatement of the year?”

Publishers are reacting by cutting employees and battening down the hatches. Meredith Corp. and Newsweek trimmed Motor City ad-sales staff in the past few weeks. Time Inc. -- which has historically snagged almost a third of domestic auto spending in magazines but saw that revenue shrink 14% last year -- made even sharper cuts back in October.

Even companies adding sales reps in Detroit, as Ms. Bekkedahl’s Rodale did in December, are struggling. The publisher, which actually increased auto ad pages 6% in 2005 despite flat activity from the Big Three carmakers, saw category ad pages sink 7.5% in January and February compared with those months a year earlier. And that includes imports; for January and February, Detroit chopped its Rodale page buys by 33%.

Poor comparisons to 2005 are a serious indicator of the extent of publishers’ pain, given the scope of last year’s disaster. TNS Media Intelligence blames the automotive meltdown for $98 million in lost revenue to magazines; the Publishers Information Bureau puts the damage at $80.2 million.

Although carmakers increased spending in four of the first six months of 2005, the back half of the year was a nightmare, with a consecutive string of six down months. That concluded in January this year, when spending fell a whopping 22.7%.

In February there were signs of life again and magazines collected 4.1% more car-ad revenue than in February ’05. But there is no return to the days of old, with legions of media-agency executives meeting with legions of ad reps to argue pricing over pages.

“In the last nine to 12 months we’ve seen a real openness, receptivity and almost an aggressive shift toward new and next, in terms of both advanced media opportunities and larger, more integrated program ideas,” said one publishing executive. “There’s still a fair amount of effort on decentralized selling -- car plate by car plate, sales rep by sales rep -- but there’s a growing appetite for broader, more strategic programs that cut across media companies’ assets to both help these automakers save time and punch through in bigger ways.”

While the TNS data suggest print still gets a lot more automotive money than the Internet, there is no doubt the money is flowing from print and into the Web. Ford Motor Co.’s allotment to magazines fell to 21% last year from 23.5%; DaimlerChrysler’s fell to 18.6% last year from 19.1%; and General Motors Corp.’s fell to 15.8% from 17.1%. Ford’s Web allocation, on the other hand, grew to 3.5% from 3% and GM’s rose to 3.5% from 2.4%. DaimlerChrysler bucked the group, cutting its Web budget share to 2% from 2.2%. (TV is not immune, by the way. DaimlerChrysler and GM lowered their allotments to TV, though Ford’s TV allocation edged up slightly.)

The Detroit carmakers’ total ad budgets are flat at best and generally moving to narrower “affinity” titles, according to four area magazine reps. GM and Ford are struggling to return to profitability in North America and Chrysler Group is readying cost-cutting actions dictated from Germany.

Cost-conscious car companies are also enamored of precision marketing. “As we’ve been working to increase the differentiation of our brands, we’ve been reducing the overlap of how they reach out to the consumer,” a GM spokeswoman said. “We believe in the power of magazines, and are being smarter about how we use them.” Accordingly, mass-reach titles are “sucking wind,” but some smaller titles are doing better, one Detroit magazine rep said.

And then there is the new-media landscape. “Like all companies, automotive is evaluating the allocation of dollars and what media they go to,” said Nick Matarazzo, exec VP-group publishing director, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. “The print guys, the ones who are going to leverage their brands across platforms, those sales people are going to have to be able to talk the talk. The ones who can’t are the one who’ll be changed. You won’t see a drop in headcount; you’ll have to reallocate assets.”

The Net just isn't going to fit into one of those neat little silos marketing is so fond of. To quote Kokich: "The Internet is not just an advertising medium. It's a sales channel and CRM tool. The best online marketers have learned to optimize everything from the first impression via a third-party publisher, through the Web site experience and on to online customer care and retention email."

Search and display must integrate: You've seen the Pontiac ads that end with the Google screen, right? You've heard -- ad infinitum if you've been reading these pages -- about Google's offline ad brokering. So you know what I'm talking about. If you don't, Yahoo has a forest of studies you ought to read. Your display advertising -- online and offline -- has to take into account and drive your search marketing. As Coleman said, "Search and display will be measured holistically and this will require the media world, agencies and client to think through organizational issues and measurement." Aka: If search reports in to a different person to display, it's time to change that.

Convergence demands new creative: How many millions of people have to watch the NCAA or Winter Olympics on their computers before we know the false dawns are over and convergence is upon us? If you want further evidence, look at the increasing array of TV programming spawned by the Web -- Cartoon Network is just about to pick up AOL Red's Princess Natasha, for example. As Barrett said: "You're not just thinking 2-feet away on a 17-inch screen, but also about 15-feet view on a 60-inch screen." What does great Internet video creative look like? Kokich: "Thirty-second commercials aren't enough in a world of consumer control. We've been given a new canvas, we all need to start over to learn how to paint."

Google is a fund manager: The search giant is already working with 88 of the marketers in the Ad Age 100. And, interestingly, Armstrong talks about them as investors, not advertisers, people whose brand and product "assets" need to be taken into the digital realm and managed and optimized for ROI.

All they need is scale, inventory and talent: The TV giants are trying to grab digital dollars to keep growing their market. But that doesn't phase the likes of Yahoo and MSN. They know the world is moving their way and that their share of dollars will eventually match their share of consumer's media usage. But, as Bradford outlined, players like MSN are still turning away hundreds of millions of dollars because they don't have the operational scale to take advertiser's money. Yahoo, MSN and AOL still need more pages, more people and an IAB that can create some effective ad standards.

Non-Owners Have High Interest in Multi-Room Audio Systems

Owners with state-of-the-art multi-room audio systems are more satisfied and likely to recommend the systems to others than those with less superior systems, according to a study recently released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA®). The new "Multi-Room Audio Systems: A Detailed Look at Owners and Prospects" study also found that 72 percent of multi-room audio system owners would recommend them to their family and friends and that 81 percent of owners would re-purchase them if they moved.

The study was conducted among 480 owners of multi-room audio systems and 530 non-owners who are likely to purchase a multi-room audio system in the next 12 months. For this study, a multi-room audio system was defined as a system that allows home occupants to play and control audio from a central source with output in at least three rooms in the home.

The study found that the vast majority of owners use CDs and broadcast radio with their audio systems and more than half will transmit their television and DVD sound through their audio systems. Most users' systems reside in family rooms, master bedrooms or kitchens. The study showed that almost half the owners use their systems daily, but many do not utilize the full functionality of the multi-room audio system.

"The functionality of multi-room audio systems is very expansive - you can access them remotely, play different content in different rooms, play different content from multiple sources or simply download new content from the Internet," said Joe Bates, director of CEA Research. "But we discovered during this study that while satisfaction is very high, few people are taking advantage of all the exciting options available with these systems because they aren't able to attach as many devices as they would like to their system. This highlights the need for more versatile systems, and an opportunity for upgrades among current owners."

Of the 530 non-owners surveyed, a strong majority had heard of multi-room audio systems, while a third was familiar with them. The prospects, as well as current owners, stated that family members, friends, the Internet and electronics retailers were among the most influential sources of information. Just under half of the prospects surveyed said they would purchase a multi-room audio system for their current home if it is reasonably priced and around 60 percent would purchase a system for a new home.

" Multi-Room Audio Systems: A Detailed Look at Owners and Prospects " was conducted in mid-October 2005. It was designed and formulated by CEA Market Research, the most comprehensive source of sales data, forecasts, consumer research and historical trends for the consumer electronics industry. The complete study is available free to CEA member companies. Non-members may purchase the study for $499 at www.ce.org/CEAStore.

America's Fifth Broadcast Network Increases National Coverage

To More Than 74% Of The Country

Greenville-Spartanburg, San Antonio, Jacksonville, Roanoke, Syracuse,

Colorado Springs, Davenport, Charleston (SC), Greenville (NC), Peoria, Boise,

La Crosse, Chico, Amarillo, Rockford, Wausau, Columbia-Jefferson City, Sioux City, Salisbury, Bluefield-Beckley, Rochester-Mason City, Panama City, Odessa,

Idaho Falls, Quincy, Bowling Green, Meridian, Lima, Grand Junction and Helena

Are the Latest Markets To Be Served By The CW
                

The CW announced today that it has signed exclusive, long-term affiliation agreements with stations in Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson, San Antonio, Jacksonville, Roanoke-Lynchburg, Syracuse, Colorado Springs-Pueblo, Davenport-Rock Island-Moline, Charleston (SC), Greenville-New Bern-Washington (NC), Peoria-Bloomington, Boise, La Crosse-Eau Claire, Chico-Redding, Amarillo, Rockford, Wausau-Rhinelander, Columbia-Jefferson City, Sioux City, Salisbury, Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill (WV), Rochester-Mason City-Austin, Panama City, Odessa-Midland, Idaho Falls-Pocatello, Quincy-Hannibal-Keokuk, Bowling Green, Meridian, Lima, Grand Junction-Montrose and Helena.

The addition of the stations in these 30 markets -- which represent 6.55% of total U.S. TV households -- increases The CW's national coverage to more than 74% of the country, including 19 of the Top 20 markets and 26 of the Top 30.

               
The newly signed affiliates are:

         
* WASV Greenville-Spartanburg, SC-Asheville, NC-Anderson, SC, owned by Media

General, Inc. (DMA rank #35)

* KBEJ San Antonio, TX, owned by Corridor Television, LLP and operated by Belo Corp.

under a Local Marketing Agreement. (DMA rank #37)

* WJWB Jacksonville, FL, owned by Media General, Inc. (DMA rank #52)

* WBVA Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA, owned by Grant Communications, Inc. (DMA rank #68)

* WSTQ Syracuse, NY, owned by Raycom Media, Inc. (DMA rank #76)

* KXTU, Colorado Springs-Pueblo, CO, owned by Raycom Media, Inc. (DMA rank #93)

* KGWB Davenport-Rock Island-Moline, IL, owned by Grant Communications, Inc. (DMA

rank #95)

* WCBD Charleston, SC, the digital station of the NBC affiliate owned by Media General.

(DMA rank #101)

* WNCT Greenville-New Bern-Washington, NC, the digital station of the CBS affiliate owned by

Media General. (DMA rank #105)

* WHOI, Peoria-Bloomington, IL, the digital station of the ABC affiliate owned by Barrington

Broadcasting. (DMA rank #117)

* KNIN Boise, ID, owned by Banks Broadcasting, Inc. (DMA rank #119)

* WXOW & WQOW La Crosse, WI, the digital stations of the ABC affiliate owned by Quincy

Newspapers, Inc. (DMA rank #123)

* KHSL Chico-Redding, CA, the digital station of the CBS affiliate owned by Catamount

Holdings, LLC. (DMA rank #130)

* KVII Amarillo, TX, the digital station of the ABC affiliate owned by Barrington Broadcasting. (DMA rank #131)

* WREX Rockford, IL, the digital station of the NBC affiliate owned by Quincy Newspapers,

Inc. (DMA rank #133)

* WAOW & WYOW Wausau-Rhinelander, WI, the digital stations of the ABC affiliate owned

by Quincy Newspapers, Inc. (DMA rank 134)

* KOMU Columbia-Jefferson City, MO, the digital station of the NBC affiliate owned by the

University of Missouri. (DMA rank #138)

* KTIV Sioux City, IA, the digital station of the NBC affiliate owned by Quincy Newspapers, Inc.

(DMA rank #143)

* WMDT Salisbury, MD, the digital station of the ABC affiliate owned by Delmarva Broadcast

Service General Partnership. (DMA rank #148)

* WVVA Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill, WV, the digital station of the NBC affiliate owned by

Quincy Newspapers, Inc. (DMA rank #149)

* KTTC Rochester, MN-Mason City, IA-Austin, MN, the digital station of the NBC affiliate owned

by Quincy Newspapers, Inc. (DMA rank #152)

* WJHG Panama City, the digital station of the NBC affiliate owned by Gray Television, Inc.

(DMA rank #157)

* KWWT Odessa-Midland, TX, owned by Camino Real Communications, LLC. (DMA rank #159)

* KPIF Idaho Falls-Pocatello, ID, owned by KM Communications, Inc. (DMA rank #163)

* WGEM Quincy, IL-Hannibal, MO-Keokuk, IA, the digital station of the NBC affiliate owned by

Quincy Newspapers, Inc. (DMA rank #169)

* WBKO Bowling Green, OH, the digital station of the ABC affiliate owned by Gray Television, Inc.

(DMA rank #183)

* WTOK Meridian, MS, the digital station of the ABC affiliate owned by Gray Television, Inc.

(DMA rank #184)

* WLIO Lima, OH, the digital station of the NBC affiliate owned by Block Communications, Inc.

(DMA rank # 185)

* KKCO Grand Junction-Montrose, CO, the digital station of the NBC affiliate owned by Gray

Television, Inc. (DMA rank #187)

* KMTF Helena, MT, owned by Rocky Mountain Broadcasting Company. (DMA rank #206)

WASV, KBEJ, WSTQ, KXTU and KNIN are currently affiliates of UPN. WJWB, WBVA, KGWB, WMDT-DT, KWWT, KPIF, WBKO-DT, WLIO-DT and KMTF are currently affiliates of The WB.

"We're very pleased to sign our first long-term multi-station affiliation agreements with Media General and Raycom Media, two of broadcasting's largest station owners, as well as with Grant Communications and Quincy Newspapers, companies whose strong entrepreneurial spirit is grounded in local station ownership," said John Maatta, Chief Operating Officer, The CW. "We're also adding to the number of Banks, Barrington, Belo, Block Communications and Gray stations in The CW fold, as well as sealing new deals with a number of other companies with whom we've previously partnered for The WB. All of these companies share our excitement and enthusiasm for the unique and exceptional programming and promotion opportunities that The CW creates for them."

Jim Zimmerman, President of the Broadcast Division, Media General, commented: "The success of any network is rooted in its programming and that's where The CW has a huge advantage. Its top management -- Leslie Moonves, Barry Meyer, Bruce Rosenblum, Nancy Tellem, Dawn Ostroff and John Maatta -- have all excelled at developing hit shows, nurturing them and giving them the support they need to grow. Knowing that their combined talents -- and those of their colleagues -- are working for our CW stations in Greenville-Spartanburg, Jacksonville, Charleston and Greenville gives added impetus and value to our multi-year affiliation agreements."

Milt Grant, President, Grant Communications, said: "What makes The CW such an attractive proposition for our company is that it's a classic win-win-win situation. We partner with a full-service network whose owners have an innate knowledge of all aspects of national and local broadcasting, our viewers will have just one destination point to find their favorite returning WB and UPN shows, and that program familiarity and one-stop shopping advantage is also going to play very well with our advertisers."

Thomas Oakley, President and Chief Executive Officer, Quincy Newspapers, Inc., noted: "The CW's programming, with its inherent appeal to young adult viewers, will lend itself well to our ongoing efforts to create convergence across our media properties in television, radio, newspapers and over the Internet. We appreciate this rare opportunity to affiliate with America's fifth broadcast network and to enhance the service we provide our viewers and our clients."

On January 24, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced their intent to form a new 5th network, The CW, to be launched in the fall of 2006. The new broadcasting network will be a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corporation, with each company owning 50%.

In an important strategic move that secures major market distribution for The CW, it was also announced on January 24th that Tribune Broadcasting and the CBS Corporation's UPN affiliates have agreed separately to sign 10-year affiliation agreements with the new network.  The combination of Tribune's 16 major market stations (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Houston, Miami, Denver, St. Louis, Portland, Indianapolis, San Diego, Hartford, New Orleans and Albany) and the 11 CBS-owned UPN major market affiliates (Philadelphia, San Francisco, Atlanta, Detroit, Tampa, Seattle, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, West Palm Beach, Norfolk and Providence) cover the top 13 television markets, 20 of the top 25 television markets and have a total coverage area of more than 47% of the country.

The CW will incorporate The WB's current scheduling model, which consists of a 6 night-13 hour primetime lineup including Monday through Friday nights from 8-10 (EST/PST); Sundays from 7-10 (EST/PST); Sunday from 5-7 (EST/PST) outside of primetime as well as a Monday thru Friday afternoon block from 3-5 (EST/PST) and a 5-hour Saturday morning animation block.  Together, the network will program 30 hours a week over seven days for its affiliated stations.

CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media company with constituent parts that reach back to the beginnings of the broadcast industry, as well as newer businesses that operate on the leading edge of the media industry. The Company, through its many and varied operations, combines broad reach with well-positioned local businesses, all of which provide it with an extensive distribution network by which it serves audiences and advertisers in all 50 states and key international markets. It has operations in virtually every field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television (CBS and UPN), cable television (Showtime and CSTV Networks), local television (CBS Television Stations), television production and syndication (CBS Paramount Television and King World), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), theme parks (Paramount Parks), digital media (CBS Digital Media Group and CSTV Networks) and consumer products (CBS Consumer Products). In Fall 2006, UPN will cease operations and The CW, a new fifth broadcast television network, will launch as a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corporation. For more information, log on to www.cbscorporation.com.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, a fully-integrated, broad-based entertainment company, is a global leader in the creation, production, distribution, licensing and marketing of all forms of entertainment and their related businesses. Warner Bros. Entertainment, a Time Warner Company, stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry, from feature films to television, home video/DVD, animation, comic books, interactive entertainment and games, product and brand licensing, international cinemas and broadcasting.
             

Brian Bedol, president and CEO of CBS Corporation's College Sports Television (CSTV), the nation's leading digital sports media company, will serve as the keynote speaker on the opening day of C4-Sports, the first electronic media trade show dedicated wholly to sports technology and scheduled for July 17-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

"We are at the cusp of advancements in technology that will allow viewers, fans, and alumni to be closer than ever to sports," Bedol said. "Looking into the future, it is how organizations leverage this technology that will dictate their ability to increase fan participation, which will transcend into a more appealing product for advertisers, subscribers, and other investors in sports. C4-Sports will provide me with an opportunity to address these converging technologies and their impact on sports."

"C4-Sports is very excited that Mr. Bedol will be participating in our first electronic media show, and we know that his extensive industry experience will prove beneficial to everyone," said Gene Sanders, general manager of C4-Events, host of C4-Sports. "With the lineup of speakers and the variety of media technology tools to be featured at our show, we are confident that attendees are going to be introduced to innovative solutions that will help them reach their sports-related electronic media goals."

Prior to co-founding CSTV, now part of the CBS Corporation, Bedol was the creator, co-founder, and chief executive officer of Classic Sports Network, known today as ESPN Classic and considered one of the cable industry's greatest against-the-odds success stories. Before creating Classic Sports Network, Bedol served as senior vice president of Time Warner Enterprises and was involved in the launch and supervision of several of Time Warner's entrepreneurial business units, including Quincy Jones Entertainment, Court TV, and Six Flags Theme Parks. During his tenure there, Six Flags set all-time attendance, revenue, and profit records.

For more information about the first C4-Sports Electronic Media and Technology show or to register online, please visit http://www.c4-sports.com/.

About C4-Sports

The opportunity to distribute and receive content has never been greater, and C4-Sports will display the most valuable technology tools for every athletic and multimedia budget. Whether on a field, court, mountain, or under water, technology is used to analyze performances in real-time, after the contest, and in preparation for future events. C4-Sports will serve as a dynamic showcase for how electronic media technology can improve the presentation of sports content for all audiences . whether they are watching in the stands, at the computer, in front of the TV, or on mobile devices. It will also serve to demonstrate the ways athletes, teams, and organizations can make better use of media technology in training and in competition. More information about C4-Sports is available online at http://www.c4-sports.com/.

About CSTV Networks

CSTV Networks, Inc., now part of the CBS Corporation, is the leading digital and cable programming company dedicated to college sports. Connecting more fans to more college sports than any other company, its many platforms for programming distribution include CSTV: College Sports TV, televising regular-season and championship events for 35 men's and women's college sports; CSTV.com and its network of nearly 250 official athletic sites; CSTV All Access, broadband services providing live audio and video of more than 7,000 events annually; as well as satellite television and radio, in-flight entertainment, wireless networks and more. Further information is available at http://www.cstv.com/.

Hollywood's legendary El Capitan Theatre will present the wildest show in town from April 14th through May 11th as part of its special "Spring Break" engagement of Walt Disney Pictures' hilarious new computer-animated feature, "The Wild," it was announced today (3/28) by Lylle Breier, senior vice president of worldwide special events for Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. In addition to the film, live on stage before each show, moviegoers will have a chance to meet a colorful cast of exotic birds from around the world accompanied by their keepers from the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens. "The Wild" follows an odd assortment of animals from the New York Zoo, who discover what a jungle the city can be when they hit the streets on a mission to save one of their own. An impressive vocal ensemble featuring Keifer Sutherland, Jim Belushi, Janeane Garofalo, Greg Cipes, William Shatner and Eddie Izzard, and Richard Kind lend their talents to the film's animal characters. Advance tickets for all shows can be purchased at the El Capitan Box Office, online at www.elcapitantickets.com or by calling 1-800-DISNEY6. Group rate tickets are also available for groups of 20 or more.

As an added treat, Disney's Soda Fountain & Studio Store (located adjacent to the El Capitan Theatre) will be offering a special movie-themed delight called "The Wild Sundae." The sundae features crisp animal crackers grazing on a mountain of scrumptious vanilla fudge ice cream topped with homemade caramel sauce, freshly sliced bananas, and whipped cream, served in a colorful commemorative bowl.

Commenting on the announcement, Breier said, "Moviegoers are in for a wildly entertaining time at the El Capitan with this special engagement of 'The Wild.' We always like to give our guests something extra, and a live stage show starring birds from the L.A. Zoo is the perfect complement to a film about exotic animated characters. Families and audiences of all ages are going to have lots of fun at the El Capitan, and 'The Wild' delivers many laughs and surprises. This the perfect spring break entertainment."

"The Wild" is directed by Steve "Spaz" Williams, an Oscar(R)-nominated visual effects veteran ("The Mask"), who helped to pioneer CG character animation through his work at ILM on such films as "The Abyss," "Jurassic Park," and "Terminator 2: Judgement Day." He also directed the popular series of Blockbuster commercials featuring the computer-animated characters Carl the rabbit and Ray the guinea pig. "The Wild" was produced by Clint Goldman, the animation and visual effects producer on "The Mask," and a producer on the 1997 feature, "Spawn," as well as the Blockbuster commercials, and industry veteran Beau Flynn.

Adding to the film's fun and entertainment is a spectacular score by multi-Oscar(R)-nominated composer Alan Silvestri ("Back to the Future," "Polar Express"), and a soundtrack filled with new and familiar tunes by such popular recording artists as Coldplay, Everlife, Lifehouse, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Former "Monty Python" member Eric Idle and fellow songwriter John Du Prez, the team responsible for the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, "Spamalot," wrote and performed the song, "Really Nice Day" for the film.

OTTAWA, ON, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Tvidia Corp, a company developing specialty products and systems for the mobile entertainment sector, today announced the release of Tvidia Secure(TM), the first content rating solution, which classifies online digital content and its suitability by age, similar to that of the movie industry.

The product is targeted at cellular phone network operators, mobile virtual network operators and content aggregators.

With Tvidia Secure(TM), all online digital content can be categorized into age appropriate content which can then be controlled and downloaded to cell phones and other mobile computing devices by consumers based on their age.

All online content today is classified into one homogeneous grouping with very ineffective measures to control accessibility of adult rated content, be it games with violence, music with coarse language, videos or images. Tvidia anticipates that mobile network operators, mobile virtual network operators and content aggregators want to expand their digital entertainment offerings but will also want to manage the access to this content based on the subscriber's age. Tvidia Secure supports the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and other current and emerging classification standard(s) and/or proposals generally accepted by the industry.

With Secure, all content can be rated and tagged for its suitability by age similar to that employed in the mainstream movie industry, for example G, PG, PG13 and so on. Once content is tagged, the delivery of the content to the subscriber can be managed with finer granularity. In addition, Secure also protects the interest of original artists in two ways, one selectively encrypting the content prior to download, and two, inhibiting the copying of content between consumer devices.

Secure allows content publishers and content aggregators to deliver digital content in a responsible manner and to take responsibility for classifying their content.

North America remains an untapped market in the mobile entertainment segment according to industry observers who are predicting that with proper control and delivery mechanisms of mobile content, carriers will dramatically expand their online content offerings to their subscriber base.

"Consumer demand for rich mobile entertainment blended with their personal communications devices is on the rise; and to repeat the errors of the internet delivery of online content with ineffective controls for protecting young consumers in the mobile domain would be irresponsible", said Ricci Brach VP Sales & Marketing with Tvidia, "With Tvidia Secure, and the previously announced age verification solution, carriers are empowered and can take control of who-sees-what!"

About Tvidia

Tvidia brings to market a turnkey, secure, age verification solutions that enable media developers and mobile operators to rapidly enter the explosive and lucrative mobile entertainment market. A Market predicted to grow to $5.4B by 2009. Tvidia's mobile entertainment solution is an end-to-end delivery infrastructure empowered by Tvidia Verify(TM), a unique age verification application. The deployment of the complete solution furnishes carriers, content providers and users with the ultimate ability to control hosting, billing, downloading and viewing of multimedia content within content rating schemes. www.tvidia.com

Source: TVIDIA CORP.

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