Radio Replaces Commercials With Sponsors

(NEWSER) - After months of stops and starts, Clear Channel's board today gave the green light to a $19.5 billion buyout offer. The communications giant bit after Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital, which have been bidding since November, gained the backing of two large shareholders. The successful offer was $39.20 per share, 20 cents more than a previously rejected bid. More»

Super Bowl ad guidelines leaked to TMZ

(NEWSER) - Acura apologized this week over a casting document for its Super Bowl commercial that requested a black actor who is "not too dark." The casting sheet had specified: "Nice Looking, friendly. Not too dark." reports TMZ . An actor angry at being passed over for the commercial, which starred Jerry Seinfeld, leaked the document to the website. More»

'We're delighted to have radio leader,' says CEO

(NEWSER) - Some women might be considered "sluts" by Rush Limbaugh, but his boss thinks of him as a "king." Despite the ad exodus and female fury after Limbaugh branded law school student Sandra Fluke a slut last month for speaking out for contraceptive health insurance coverage, Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman tells the AP that Rush is still the "king of radio," adding: "Rush is certainly the leader, and we're delighted to have him." Outrage over Limbaugh's comments was "part of the normal day-to-day of talk radio," said Pittman. "Rush is Rush, and radio is radio." More»

...about $3.5M, up from last year's $3M

(NEWSER) - Big money, big money, no whammies? When it comes to Super Bowl XLVI, the big money sure has poured in: The commercial slots are officially sold out, at a cost of about $3.5 million for 30 seconds. The no whammies part remains to be seen... The Wall Street Journal reports that, bad economy and all, the price took a big jump over last year's $3 million. And this year's figure represents a 59% increase since 2001, a year in which 30-second commercials ran about $2.2 million. More»

'Can anyone be more stupid than Groupon?' wonders one blogger

(NEWSER) - Man, isn’t the plight of the Tibetan people hilarious? Groupon hit a real nerve last night with a Super Bowl commercial that seemed to exploit said plight for yucks. “The people of Tibet are in trouble. Their culture is in jeopardy,” says narrator Timothy Hutton. “But they still whip up an amazing fish curry.” The ad—part of a whole series of mock-PSAs—generated an instant backlash on Twitter and YouTube for its insensitivity, the Huffington Post reports. More»