Facing increasing pressure from Microsoft for a deal, Yahoo has released new details on its upcoming behavioral ad platform, which will first appear on Yahoo newspaper consortium sites (press release). Called AMP, the platform strives to simplify the process of buying and selling targeted ads, both on Yahoo and its partner sites, across multiple platforms. The consortium will get first crack at the platform in Q3 of this year. “This is a turning point for our industry,” said Jay Smith, President, Cox Newspapers. “We’re blown away by how Yahoo! is working with intensity and commitment to create a collaborative and very efficient platform that we expect will have a significant impact on our sales capabilities.” Yahoo just released this video explaining AMP, along with more praise from the consortium…
Fox Interactive Media is restructuring to focus on rolling out its “HyperTargeting” ad platform — an effort to better monetize MySpace as well as create a larger ad network open to third-party publishers. Explains ClickZ, “The system uses data gleaned from MySpace profiles and other company sites to target display ads to hundreds of niche audience segments. According to FIM, at least 750 segments currently exist.” Also, FIM is working on a self-service ad platform for MySpace, due to launch in June.
The New York Times says that blogging isn’t exactly healthy. In fact, it could kill you. “I’ve taken a dozen or so phone calls from concerned relatives and friends (over the article),” says TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington.
The FCC fined Fox $56,000 for airing pixelated body parts in “Married to America,” which aired four years ago. News Corp. has yet to pay the fine. So now the Department of Justice is suing. Meanwhile, Fox is still fighting other FCC fines in court. What’s at stake? Nothing less than live TV, say the networks. “I don’t know how we could police it any more,” said one network executive. “I think you would drastically reduce if not eliminate live programming.”
As cost pressures continue to grow at local papers, many TV critics are getting shown the door. Now networks are having to reach out to TV bloggers for publicity. “There’s no accountability,” gripes one old school network executive about blogs. “That’s the difference between some, not all, bloggers and a seasoned journalist. The blogging community has no rules.” (Geesh, I thought we were over this.) Anyway, Broadcasting & Cable’s Marisa Guthrie has the story of the disappearing newspaper TV critic.
I’ve written before how Google Maps and Live Maps have both added real-time traffic, and now Mapquest has added it, too. Very powerful, especially when you consider that mapping+traffic products extend very nicely to a mobile environment (I use Google Maps on my Blackberry and love it.) Combine these developments with the profileration of in-car navigation (this one even uses “crowdsourcing” to track conditions on less-traveled roadways) and the strengthening of Traffic.com as a national brand destination, and local media is getting squeezed out of the traffic game. Radio will still be able to hold on to a thin slice of market share, but TV brands (with the exception of breaking news) will soon be an afterthought for audiences seeking traffic information.
The FCC fined Fox $56,000 for airing pixelated body parts in “Married to America,” which aired four years ago. News Corp. has yet to pay the fine. So now the Department of Justice 
I’ve written before how Google Maps and Live Maps have both added real-time traffic, and now 
