Nearly four in five marketers surveyed believe that television advertising is less effective than it was just two years ago, according to a study released last week.

That's bad news for a nervous TV industry, which is worried about what the growth in digital video recorder usage and video on demand will mean for the economic underpinnings of the business.

The joint survey by the Association of National Advertisers and Forrester Research found marketers increasingly interested in exploring new ways of getting their messages across. Marketers from Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Verizon and Colgate were among the 133 people surveyed.

Almost 70 percent of advertisers say they believe that DVRs and video on demand will reduce or destroy the effectiveness of traditional 30-second commercials, the survey found.

Close to 60 percent of the advertisers say they will spend less on conventional TV advertising when DVRs spread to 30 million homes, the survey said. Forrester estimates DVRs are now in about 10 million homes and will be in 30 million within three years.

Advertisers are looking at other approaches, such as product placement, program sponsorship, interactive ads within programs and online video ads. (David Bauder, Associated Press)

Rolling Stone reality show

Think you have the write stuff?

MTV and Rolling Stone magazine are teaming for a reality series that will focus on amateur journalists as they compete for a one-year staff position at the legendary magazine, an MTV spokeswoman announced last week.

"The series will capture the drama and excitement of the fast-paced world of Rolling Stone," said Lois Curren, executive vice president of MTV programming, in a statement last Wednesday. "Rolling Stone has long been an incubator for top journalists, which makes this an amazing opportunity for aspiring writers."

The untitled MTV series, scheduled to premiere later this year, will be taped from June to August in New York City. It will shadow candidates as they interview musicians, actors and politicians, and work with editors.

Wannabe contestants should visit www.rollingstone.com or www.mtv.com. The deadline for applications, including writing samples and a short video, is April 7. (AP)

Matalin, Carville on Lifetime

Washington's most adorable couple, James Carville and Mary Matalin, are taking their nails-on-chalkboard routine to cable's chick network, Lifetime, where they will star in a reality series called "Election" -- just like the Reese Witherspoon flick.

Carville and Matalin (aka Jamary) will counsel real candidates running for class president at a high school in the Washington area; their antics will be filmed for the series, Time magazine reports.

Even nonpolitical types may remember Jamary for their tour de force scenery-chewing on "K Street," HBO's short-lived docufiction series. While it generally was regarded as a failure, "K Street" nonetheless generated about 2 million viewers a week on the pay-cable network in 2003, when HBO was in about 30 percent of the country's TV homes.

Lifetime is averaging about 1.5 million viewers in prime time this year, and it's available in a lot more homes.

Carville, who helped orchestrate Bill Clinton's winning 1992 campaign, and Matalin, a longtime adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney, also have hosted shows on CNN and CNBC.

In the Time report, Matalin says cutely that she doesn't think there will be a media campaign for this student election. Carville adds puckishly that the trick for a 61-year-old dealing with 16-year-olds is getting them to listen to a word you say, adding that he is remarkably unsuccessful with his own kids. (Lisa de Moraes, The Washington Post)

New faces, old places

Two returning syndicated shows will have new faces this fall: Lynn Toler, a lawyer who served as an elected judge on the Cleveland Heights Municipal Court in Ohio, is taking over as the judge on "Divorce Court" from seven-season incumbent Mablean Ephriam. Toler previously starred on "Power of Attorney."

"Dancing With the Stars" hoofer John O'Hurley will take over hosting duties of "Family Feud" this fall, replacing Richard Karn, host since 2003, according to Daily Variety. (Staff and wire reports)

'Arrested' no more?

In January, Showtime executive Robert Greenblatt said his network would be willing to pick up Fox's canceled "Arrested Development," but only if series creator Mitch Hurwitz were to continue as the show's executive producer and head writer.

Daily Variety reports Hurwitz has passed, opting to move on, which likely means "Arrested Development" is done.

"The fans have been so ardent in their devotion and in return ... I've given everything I can to the show in order to try to live up to their expectations," Hurwitz told Daily Variety on Monday. "I finally reached a point where I felt I couldn't continue to deliver that on a weekly basis."

The Hollywood trade paper speculated that finances (both the show's budget and Hurwitz's compensation) played a role in Hurwitz's decision. Hurwitz said he'd be willing to make an "Arrested" big-screen movie. (Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor)