Nexstar's Springfield, Mo., Fox affiliate takes the top prize ($15,000) in the affiliate board's "Local TV Is Important to Me" promo contest. The KSFX spot along with those of the three runnersup — WBRC Birmingham, Ala.; WAHU Charlottesville, Va.; and KFJX Joplin, Mo. — will be available via the Internet for  airing by other affiliates later this week.

CBS sees opportunity when the 10 p.m. Jay Leno Show debuts on NBC this fall, and is looking to maximize it with what it calls Project L.E.N.O. (Late Prime Enhanced News Opportunity) — "an aggressive, multi-tiered local market campaign" to boost its affiliates' performance at 10 and in late news.

Research to be presented at the Promax/BDA conference today finds that while traditional on-air promos are still the most effective in introducing new programs to viewers, DVR users and word-of-mouth may be a television marketer's best friend.

WBDTD's Susan Kantor, Time Warner Cable's Same Howe, UFC's Dana White and YouTube's Jordon Hoffner receive awards.

With tongue firmly implanted in cheek, Fox marketing executive Joe Earley suggested that Hulu junkies may need some sort of rehab. The millions who use the site are so addicted to its low commercial load that looking for more revenues — by either increasing the number of ads or getting people to pay per episode — may be difficult. "You've given them the heroin, they're used to it," he said at a Promax/BDA event Wednesday.

NBC will give affiliates detailed information daily about what happened on Jay Leno's prime time comedy hour, so stations can tailor promotional messages that are coordinated with Leno's content that night. In addition, Leno will coordinate times within his show where he'll intro the 11 o'clock news promo, with words along the lines of, "And here's a look at what's coming up on your local news."

They're the most ubiquitous ads on TV, and they're more important to a network than any $100 million upfront buy. They're on-air promos, and they're here to stay. Their role is evolving now that ratings are based on commercial breaks.

Jay Leno's moving to 10 p.m. earlier than expected. Actually, he's already there. In preparation for Leno's new primetime strip, NBC has already been airing a promo for The Jay Leno Show every night exactly at 10 p.m. Now those promos are getting more elaborate — and by the end of this month will even start including a miniature Leno monologue.

With devices like the iPhone growing in popularity, stations have a new way, right now, to let their advertisers reach consumers through marketing campaigns, promotions and other offerings like local information and games.