The Chief Guest, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, played truant. The CEO of
Sony Entertainment Television, the principal sponsor, made a token appearance. Most of the speakers were present only for their own "performances", not too concerned about the rest of the proceedings. There was no significant attendance from most of the players from the industries that the three day exposition was to focus on. What is with FICCI-Frames? There is no doubt it has grown in stature, and has ensured that it is a whopping commercial success. But is it a success when measured against the objectives it had defined when the event was first conceptualized?The trouble with FICCI-Frames is that, over the years, it has become more of a three day extended networking session. Some of you may not find anything wrong with that. Why not, indeed? We are a truly networked society today, as one of the speakers at FICCI pointed out, and the delegate fee + the air fare + the hotel accommodation is a small price to pay for a few hundred e-mail ids and mobile numbers that many would give an arm and a leg for.More...

Nielsen's top priority for the next two years or so is to understand the connection between TV and the internet - and it will introduce a new method for measuring TV programming viewed online, reports MediaPost, quoting Nielsen CEO Susan Whiting, who was speaking at the Association of National Advertisers 'Television Advertising Forum'. She did not elaborate, but referred to Nielsen's new "portfolio" measurement concept. That strategy refers to the idea of "following the video" across all platforms that TV programming is being and will be viewed on. According to an insider, the internet measurement solution would be made via a "software meter" installed in devices people use to watch TV content via the internet. Whiting said all its methods would continue to be "connected to a sample," referring to what differentiates it from other firms: sample-based measurement, which has ensured its dominance in the TV ratings game.

Media agencies OMD and PHD have signed on to receive radio ratings results from Arbitron's PPM, Arbitron has announced. While several media and ad agencies have signed on, only two broadcasters have committed to using the portable people meter service. Arbitron has announced that it will BEGIN a trial rollout of the PPM in Houston in July, but Radio One and Cox Radio, two broadcasters in that market, have refused to participate in the trial. They, along with CBS Radio and Clear Channel, have agreed to encode their signals for the Media Audit/Ipsos, which IS TESTING a competing radio ratings device. Radio groups are in an awkward position, at least publicly, Mediaweek WRITES. While they may want to adopt a wait-and-see attitude about the PPM vs. Ipsos situation, their biggest customers, representing 75 percent of national ad dollars, have signed for the PPM.

Electronic Arts launched yesterday a campaign for its new The Godfather: The Game. The campaign will see thousands of oranges delivered on the streets to centers of New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. The oranges have a sticker which included the URL WWW.GODFATHER321.COM, directing people to a website to learn more about the video game which was released yesterday for PS2, Xbox and PC. Why oranges? Because in the Godfather movies, the orange is a symbol of death and of rebirth. Freestyle Interactive and wordof- mouth agency Ammo Marketing (both part of Isobar US) created the campaign.

Radio Mirchi is now accepting entries for the third 'Mirchi KAAN Awards', from the creative fraternity, till March 27, 2006. The radio station has invited entries for the work aired for the first time between January 2005 and February 28, 2006 and has a realistic hope of receiving over 450 entries this year vis-à-vis the 350 received last year. With three ego sizes, namely Gold, Silver and Bronze, the 'Mirchi KAAN Awards' night will be a great event and will be held in Mumbai in early May 2006. The awards are spread across 20 different categories. Work, which falls under the Outstanding Category, will be eligible for the Crystal award, to be awarded to the 'Agency of the Year'. Radio Mirchi will sponsor two radio creative writers below the age of 30, to the Cannes Advertising festival. Furthermore, Radio Mirchi will refund the entry fees for the radio spots designated as the winner in the Gold category at the KAAN Awards, provided the entry has already made its way to Cannes 2006.