The hugely successful comedy entertainment series World’s Craziest Fools will return for a second series on BBC Three.

The acclaimed hit series, which frequently attracted viewing figures of well over 750,000 and was one of the most watched BBC Three shows on BBC iplayer, saw A- Team legend Mr T search the four corners of the earth for some of the biggest fools on the planet

Produced by Roughcut Television, each half-hour episode will once again present a mix of outrageous clips and original animation, with Mr T returning to bring viewers their favourite footage of stupid people doing stupid things, whether they’ve been caught on camera through home videos, TV archive, CCTV or mobile phones. Funny newspapers stories, idiotic emergency phone calls, borderline insane insurance claims, dumb exam answers and much more besides will be brought to life through fresh and funny animation.

In series one we witnessed a British bank robber who was foiled because he couldn’t work out the difference between a push/pull door; an American woman call the police because she’d been given the wrong burger at Burger King; and a husband and wife from Jordan who both signed up to the same internet dating site and ended up cheating on each other… with each other. Expect more of the bizarre, the ridiculous and the downright foolish with the return of World’s Craziest Fools.

“Mr T is a legend. For my money, he should present every single show on TV, including the news. But for now, we are simply happy to be bringing him back to BBC Three, or BBCT as he calls it.”

London: The organisers of IP&TV World Forum have today announced that entertainment giant Sky, which reaches more than 10.4 million homes across the UK & Ireland, is set to host its Media Leadership Summit, focussing on the future of the converged and connected entertainment experience.

The Summit, which takes place at London’s Olympia on the second day of IP&TV World Forum (21 March 2012), is a unique, private, invitation-only gathering of senior-level executives from both the television and telecommunications world. This year’s Summit provides the perfect platform for decision-makers to discuss the key opportunities presented by the convergence of broadband and broadcast and the delivery of multi-screen TV services.

The meeting will see Emma Lloyd, Director of Emerging Products at Sky, take the Chair.

Emma Lloyd comments: “The Summit marks a great opportunity for some of the world’s leading media and technology leaders to debate key industry issues and help clarify the next wave of innovation that is poised to drive the IP & Connected TV industry. As Chair of the 2012 Summit, I’m delighted to be part of one of the world’s leading connected entertainment event and look forward to leading the debate and the subsequent outcomes.”

Participants also have the opportunity to hear from a rosta of expert speakers drawn from Sky’s network and partners.

Held to Chatham House Rule*, the event presents the ideal opportunity for participants to talk openly and frankly, and debate the most critical issues in today’s TV industry.

Gavin Whitechurch, Director of IP&TV World Forum, adds: “Our Summit has established a unique reputation for being insightful and for bringing together exceptionally strong groups of influential leaders. Previous events, which have been hosted by major service providers including Deutsche Telecom, BT and Telefónica, have been huge successes and with such a distinguished and recognised expert like Emma on board, we’re confident that next year will be no exception.”

Now in its eighth year, IP&TV World Forum boasts a unique, innovative and content driven programme, which is divided into four one-day streams and focuses on content business: IP opportunities, multiscreen entertainment, new user experience management and networks and architecture for TV.

Des Moines : Meredith Corporation  and The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. announced today that Meredith, the leading media and marketing company serving American women, has agreed to purchase Allrecipes.com, the world's No. 1 digital food site.

"The acquisition of Allrecipes.com, the market leader in the digital food space, significantly enhances our leading consumer and advertiser proposition," said Meredith Chairman and CEO Steve Lacy. "It more than doubles the scale of the Meredith Women's Digital Network, and is expected to drive incremental revenue and profit growth, adding to our already strong free cash flow over time."

The acquisition of a digital brand of scale aligns well with Meredith's Total Shareholder Return (TSR) financial strategy, which was announced on October 25, 2011.  The TSR strategy includes (1) An increase in its annual stock dividend by 50 percent to $1.53 per share; (2) A new $100 million share repurchase authorization; and (3) Strategic investments to drive incremental revenue and profit growth. 

The transaction, valued at $175 million, is expected to close later this quarter.  Meredith plans to invest in Allrecipes.com to optimize the site for today's growing online and mobile audiences. This investment spending, along with normal business seasonality, is expected to make the acquisition slightly dilutive – approximately $0.10 per share, or less than 4 percent – to Meredith's fiscal 2012 full year financial performance.  Meredith expects the acquisition will be modestly accretive to earnings per share and free cash flow in fiscal 2013. 

The addition of Allrecipes.com fits with Meredith's previously stated strategic acquisition criteria: (1) National media brands that provide access to new audiences and advertising categories; and (2) Digital platforms that significantly increase scale.  

"The acquisition of Allrecipes.com significantly enhances our digital platform and reinforces our leadership position in the food category," said Meredith National Media Group President Tom Harty. "It increases our relevance with new, younger audiences, and offers advertisers an unmatched ability to now connect with an audience of more than 100 million consumers.  We are excited to add Allrecipes.com, the world's No. 1 food website, to our strong portfolio of digital media brands."

Allrecipes.com currently has a database of over 500,000 recipes.  Its U.S. audience is 70 percent female with a mean household income of $73,000, and it reaches nine out of 10 primary grocery decision makers. Allrecipes.com mobile apps have been downloaded by over 11 million consumers, and they are the No. 1 download on Android, iPhone, and iPad recipe applications.  It is also the top food recipe channel on YouTube.  

"Allrecipes.com is a dynamic, growing business and our sale process generated significant excitement," said Robert Guth, Reader's Digest Association president and CEO. "We are very pleased to have reached agreement with Meredith.  We have worked well with them on a past transaction, so we know they will be a great home for this business and the team.  For RDA, this is a significant step forward in our commitment to focus our resources on our core businesses, such as the Reader's Digest brand."

Added Lisa Sharples, President of Allrecipes.com, "Meredith is the perfect home for Allrecipes.com.  Meredith's laser focus on women, existing strength in food, strong relationship with advertisers and proven consumer marketing expertise are very attractive.  Together, I'm confident we can grow the Allrecipes.com brand as well as the Meredith Women's Network across digital, mobile and social media platforms."

"We are constantly looking for strategic acquisitions and investment opportunities to expand our reach and increase shareholder value," said Meredith Chief Development Officer John Zieser.

BDT & Company served as financial advisor to Meredith, and McDermott, Will & Emery served as its legal advisor.  Morgan Stanley and Evercore Partners acted as financial advisors to Reader's Digest, and Weil, Gotshal and Manges acted as its legal advisor.
 

New York City :Linda Wu, most recently EVP, Strategic Operations & Project Management Office of Draftfcb’s global network, has been named the chief operating officer for the agency’s general advertising and Healthcare operating units in new York City.

In her new role, Wu will be accountable for proper operational controls, business processes and systems that effectively position the agency for strategic growth, exceptional delivery management, and client satisfaction and longevity.

Since assuming her corporate role at Draftfcb in 2006, and dating back to when she first joined what was then known as Draft Worldwide in 2002, Wu has been a highly valued member of the agency’s corporate leadership team. “Linda is smart, strategic and knows our company inside and out. She has a Master Black Belt in Six Sigma and she understands the big picture as well as the importance of details. She is passionately committed to the success of this agency and is also one of the hardest-working people you will ever meet,” said Draftfcb New York and Healthcare CEO Dana Maiman.

Prior to joining Draftfcb, Wu was Executive Producer for Omnicom’s boutique digital shop, Organic NY. Her projects ranged from integrated online advertising programs to complex Web sites for clients in travel, retail, financial services, utilities and the U.S. government.

Harold Corbran, who most recently played a dual role as COO and chief innovation officer for Draftfcb’s New York-based agencies, informed Maiman in mid-2011 of his desire to make some changes in his very busy life, and focus on the latter role going forward.

“Harold has played a huge role in our success to date. The Draftfcb Healthcare family is not only surging, we have created highly successful agencies and operating units in their own right. Much credit is due to Harold’s vision and operational fortitude,” said Maiman.  “As we dive into 2012, we are extremely fortunate that he will remain part of our leadership team as chief innovation officer.  He will continue to develop innovative ideas and solutions for Draftfcb’s clients, and one of his primary assignments will be to ensure the successful expansion of our healthcare properties globally.”

McLean, Va. an Thomas has been named senior vice president of strategic accounts for USA TODAY.  He will be responsible for overseeing an advertising sales team focused on new business acquisition. Thomas will be based in New York and report to Lee Jones, senior vice president of advertising.

“Dan is a dynamic sales executive who has consistently developed new business throughout his career. His credentials and background were exactly what we were looking for to lead our new strategic accounts sales team. We couldn’t be happier to have him aboard,” said Jones.

Thomas joins USA TODAY from Sony Pictures Television, where he has been senior vice president of branded entertainment since 2009. At Sony, he was responsible for creating integrated advertiser relationships in all Sony video content, both television and digital.
 
“I’m really looking forward to joining the very talented team at USA TODAY. I think it’s an exciting time for the business and a great opportunity for me. I plan to hit the ground running and lead this new business sales team to success in 2012,” said Thomas.

Previously, he spent more than 10 years at Univision as senior vice president of sales development and marketing. He developed dozens of new business relationships during his tenure. Prior to that, he spent five years at Lifetime Television in sales development and new media. He previously held positions with the National Cable Association, Telerep Inc., and KTTV in Los Angeles.

Six MediaCom offices in the APAC region have won the 2011 P&G Business Partner Excellence Award. The agency's efforts in Australia, Japan, India, Philippines, Korea and Singapore were all recognized by the FMCG giant. The award celebrates the top 0.1% of over 75,000 external business partners P&G has globally.

MediaCom is the only agency of any type in Asia to win this accolade.

Earlier this year, MediaCom won the P&G media account across five Southeast Asian markets including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. At the time the media review was called, MediaCom was already P&G's agency of record in the Philippines. The account is believed to be worth around US$450 million.
 

McLean:USA TODAY, a multi-platform news and information company, announced today that the USA TODAY App for Kindle Fire is now available. The app makes its debut today with Volkswagen as the launch partner.

The USA TODAY App for Kindle Fire features a custom look and design specifically for the tablet with the signature content readers have come to trust from USA TODAY. The app provides eye catching photos while delivering the latest award-winning USA TODAY news in a convenient interactive package designed to take advantage of Kindle Fire’s seven inch color touch screen. More information on the app can be found at www.usatoday.com/kindle-fire.

“Part of USA TODAY’s mobile strategy is to be the first news source on emerging technologies. We develop and design our apps for each specific device to provide the optimum experience to our customers.  We couldn’t be prouder to have Volkswagen as our launch partner today,” said Dave Hunke, president and publisher of USA TODAY.

“We are pleased to partner with USA TODAY on the launch of this cutting-edge app. Innovation is a strength of both USA TODAY and Volkswagen and we’re delighted to be a part of the excitement around this launch,” said Charlie Taylor, general manager of digital marketing, Volkswagen of America.

USA TODAY is now available on all major platforms and devices including Android (phones and tablets), Google Chrome Web Store, iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch), Windows-based Tablets, Windows Phone, and now, Kindle Fire.

New York : MediaCom Worldwide, a GroupM agency within the WPP Group, has been awarded global media planning and buying duties by Revlon for all of its brands.  MediaCom, which has been Revlon's media agency-of-record since 2009 in the U.S. and Canada, will assume responsibility for all Revlon markets beginning January 2012.
The international appointment will be coordinated from MediaCom's New York office.  There was no account review leading to the consolidation.

"MediaCom has been a strong strategic partner for our brands in North America.  We are excited to work with them in all of our markets to benefit from a consistent global approach," said Julia Goldin, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Revlon.

"We're honoured and excited to be deepening and broadening our successful partnership with our friends at Revlon," said Harvey Goldhersz, CEO, MediaCom North America. "We look forward to applying our current insights and client expertise to Revlon's global business to drive powerful business wins for Revlon."

"Our growing partnership with Revlon illustrates how the fantastic work being done at MediaCom U.S. has been driving success across our global network," said Stephen Allan, MediaCom Worldwide Chairman and CEO. "We've already seen this being recognized officially, as our U.S. operations were a key contributor to our third consecutive win for Media Agency Network of the Year at last month's M&M International Awards." The M&M International Awards honour the best .
 

MediaCom UK enjoyed great success at The Campaign Media Awards, which took place on 23rd November in London.

The agency was successful in three categories, and won two awards and one highly commended mention for its campaigns. Firstly, the team's work on Merlin with Alton Towers and Facebook Places came first in the Best Travel and Leisure Category.

Alton Towers was faced with the challenge of winning press coverage without the advantage of having any new rides to promote at the launch of the 2011 season. MediaCom decided to harness the power of Alton Towers fans and use them as the primary media channel. MediaCom's strategy, working with Frank PR, was to open Alton Towers a day early and allow free entry – as long as the visitor had a smartphone and a Facebook account. From the 5,500 'check ins' on Facebook Deals that day, the Alton Towers Facebook page earned more than half a million interactions over the campaign period – for a tiny media spend. The campaign has transformed Alton Towers' approach to marketing.

The T-Mobile team were also succesful in the Best Finance, Telecoms and Utility category for their efforts with the T-Mobile Royal Wedding campaign. In recent years, T-Mobile has made a huge impact with its 'life's for sharing' advertising strategy and the hype around the Royal Wedding provided a great platform to bring this brand proposition to life. A short film was created spoofing the rotal wedding entrance on a low budget. The film tapped in to our love of celebrity culture and capitalised on free media such as YouTube and Facebook. Bloggers who had previously written about T-Mobile events were invited to the shoot of the film, and a teaser was made to fuel interest in the project.

Within a week of going live, it had been watched eight million times on YouTube, rising to 21 million views over the first month. As well as being endoresed by celebrities, including Prince Harrym the film featured on mainstream broadcast media programming – an amazing return on a low budget investment.

Also, the Lucozade 'Yes' Campaign got an honourable mention in the Best Grocery, Soft Drinks and Household category, coming in just behind Yeo Valley.
 

New Jersey :Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide (www.ogilvychww.com), representing the largest assembly of creative talent in the world of healthcare communications, today announced the network won a total of 22 awards at the 25th Annual Rx Club Awards, held
November 10 at Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City.

Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide is a part of the Ogilvy & Mather network (www.ogilvy.com) and a WPP company (NASDAQ: WPPGY, www.wpp.com). The organization houses and maintains individual Ogilvy CommonHealth and Ogilvy Healthworld brand identities within the marketplace.

The organization’s Parsippany-based Ogilvy CommonHealth office won silver in the “campaign” category, for creative developed for a natural soluble fiber, and received 16 “Awards of Excellence.” The network’s Ogilvy CommonHealth office in Madrid and its Ogilvy Healthworld office in North Sydney also earned “Awards of Excellence” (three and two, each, respectively).

The Rx Club Awards, sponsored by the healthcare industry trade publication Pharmaceutical Executive, were created to recognize and honor the creative aspects of pharmaceutical product advertising and promotion. The competition was founded in 1986 by Ina and Carveth Kramer.