CHICAGO: Encyclopedia Britannica is promoting its online information as a free service to Web publishers, and has hired Holtz Communication & Technology (HC&T) to focus PR efforts on bloggers.

NEW YORK: The Reader's Digest Association (RDA) selected DKC as AOR for its Reader's Digest title and corresponding Web site, focusing immediately on brand revitalization, media outreach, and content distribution.

The New York metropolitan area newspaper wars continue as some media insiders doubt that Rupert Murdoch will match Cablevision's $650 million offer for Newsday, and at least one analyst questions Cablevision's judgment.

ATLANTA: Orkin Pest Control launched a cause campaign, Fight the Bite, with a goal of raising $100,000 for 10,000 insecticide-treated bed nets for use in Africa. PR firm Jackson Spalding is handling the campaign.

NEW YORK: Rockstar Games, the creator of the highly anticipated video game Grand Theft Auto IV, used a highly controlled media outreach strategy to promote the game's launch last month, according to gaming industry insiders.

While some are betting that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. will be the next owner of Newsday, the Dolan family - owner of Madison Square Garden and Cablevision - is expected to up the ante and make a $650 million bid.

NEW YORK: Vonage selected Access Communications as AOR after a two-round RFP process.The firm is responsible for corporate communications, reputation management, product PR, and internal communications.

NEW YORK: Interpublic Group's PR agencies' revenue grew faster than the holding company's other businesses during the first three months of this year, said Harris Diamond, CEO of Weber Shandwick and Interpublic's Constituency Management Group (CMG), which includes its PR firms.

There's no shortage of news about newspapers and the companies that own them, but not much of it is good news.

At one time, TV Land created bronze statues of iconic characters in their home cities for fun photo opportunities for tourists.