David Poltrack of CBS said that interviewees often under report TV watching, and that the research by Arbitron that is usually cited -- which conveniently points to more viewing and therefore more ad dollars -- is machine-recorded, and therefore more reliable.

ENGADGET: DVR use does/doesn't boost viewing hours

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) ruled it was the equivalent of an attack ad, and could therefore not be paid for with money from for-profit corporations.

ECONOMIST: Lexington

This is deadly for ratings and therefore for ad revenue.

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Economists need to explain, therefore, why a rational consumer would be persuaded by an ad which offers nothing but an enticing image or a good laugh.

ECONOMIST: The money in the message

She said that in the context of a highly polished ad that represents an investment by an ideological cable news network and is therefore viewed by that network as appropriately pandering to, and thereby reflecting the views, of a significant and influential segment of the US population.

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