Air Time

Celtics mascot Lucky , whose daytime identity remains a mystery (perhaps he really is just an aerodynamic leprechaun who lives in Boston?), got some air time at Northeastern University on Thursday as part of the Celtics "Stay in School" assembly honoring middle schoolers with perfect attendance and high achievement in arts and writing.

Celtics mascot Lucky , whose daytime identity remains a mystery (perhaps he really is just an aerodynamic leprechaun who lives in Boston?), got some air time at Northeastern University on Thursday as part of the Celtics "Stay in School" assembly honoring middle schoolers with perfect attendance and high achievement in arts and writing.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Gifts, trips, and cash were used to pave the way for air time for certain songs at radio stations owned and operated by the nation's fifth-largest chain, according to a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. The accusation was denied by the company, Entercom Communications Corp. of Bala Cynwyd, Pa., which owns and operates more than 105 radio stations. "We have moved from the label side, those who put out the records and are forced to pay for air time, and switched to the radio conglomerates . . . that are extracting money," Spitzer said yesterday.

The pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future kicked off its general election advertising Wednesday, beginning to buy air time in eight swing states, according to reports by Politico and NBC News. The new ad or ads will run May 2-16 in Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Nevada, Michigan, Iowa and Colorado, according to the reports. Restore Our Future would not confirm the ad buys to the Globe. "We don't comment on ad buys until they are finalized," said Brittany Gross, the super PAC's spokeswoman.

NEW YORK -- CBS Corp.'s radio division sued Howard Stern yesterday, claiming its former star shock jock breached his contract with them when he moved to Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. The lawsuit, which also names Sirius and Stern's agent as defendants, claims Stern improperly used CBS radio's air time to promote his new show with Sirius, which began last month. CBS also claims Stern discussed his plans with Sirius without disclosing them to CBS as his contract required.

The pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future kicked off its general election advertising Wednesday, beginning to buy air time in eight swing states, according to reports by Politico and NBC News. The new ad or ads will run May 2-16 in Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Nevada, Michigan, Iowa and Colorado, according to the reports. Restore Our Future would not confirm the ad buys to the Globe. "We don't comment on ad buys until they are finalized," said Brittany Gross, the super PAC's spokeswoman.

Give NBC credit for trying new things. First, the network scuttled a third of its primetime schedule and replaced it with Jay Leno. Now comes news that the network has signed Jon Bon Jovi to a two-month “artist in residence’’ deal, which treats him to appearances on “Today,’’ “The Jay Leno Show,’’ “The Tonight Show,’’ and “Saturday Night Live.’’ He’ll also be interviewed by Brian Williams and James Lipton (whose “Inside...

How to transcribe the exhalation of a sigh? Would it be spelled "Huuh"? "Haah"? "Hoow"? Because that would be the critical sound effect for this review of "Kept," a new VH1 reality series that finds model Jerry Hall trolling for her very own boy toy. The sigh shouldn't look like a fall-of-civilization sigh, though, so much as a bored-to-tears sigh with a hint of a yawn about it. It should also look like a mildly disappointed sigh, since this show...

Language nitpickers may recall the saga of college buddies Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson, who two years ago set out on a road trip with a mission: They would cross America in search of misspelled signage, correcting plurals, relocating apostrophes, and adding commas as needed. Along the way, they would (of course) blog the progress of the Typo Eradication Advancement League, or TEAL, as they grandly dubbed themselves. Their quest was easy to grasp and hard not to like, and by the time they hit California — land of “Sweedish berries” and “hellicopter helmets” — they were getting air time on national TV. ...

With warm weather soon turning into hot weather, air-conditioning time is approaching. And if you have central air conditioning, you're going to get peppered with ads for duct cleaning and other services you might not need. The shady companies usually start with the idea that you need a cleaning — whether you do or not — and they claim it can be done for less than $100. That's how they get themselves into your home. "Homeowners who want to have their ducts cleaned really need to do their homework and research any company before they hire," said Angie...

Language nitpickers may recall the saga of college buddies Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson, who two years ago set out on a road trip with a mission: They would cross America in search of misspelled signage, correcting plurals, relocating apostrophes, and adding commas as needed. Along the way, they would (of course) blog the progress of the Typo Eradication Advancement League, or TEAL, as they grandly dubbed themselves. Their quest was easy to grasp and hard not to like, and by the time they hit California — land of “Sweedish berries” and “hellicopter helmets” — they were getting air time on national TV. The...

Give NBC credit for trying new things. First, the network scuttled a third of its primetime schedule and replaced it with Jay Leno. Now comes news that the network has signed Jon Bon Jovi to a two-month “artist in residence’’ deal, which treats him to appearances on “Today,’’ “The Jay Leno Show,’’ “The Tonight Show,’’ and “Saturday Night Live.’’ He’ll also be interviewed by Brian Williams and James Lipton (whose “Inside...

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Gifts, trips, and cash were used to pave the way for air time for certain songs at radio stations owned and operated by the nation's fifth-largest chain, according to a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. The accusation was denied by the company, Entercom Communications Corp. of Bala Cynwyd, Pa., which owns and operates more than 105 radio stations. "We have moved from the label side, those who put out the records and are forced to pay for air time, and switched to the radio conglomerates . . . that are extracting money,"...

NEW YORK -- CBS Corp.'s radio division sued Howard Stern yesterday, claiming its former star shock jock breached his contract with them when he moved to Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. The lawsuit, which also names Sirius and Stern's agent as defendants, claims Stern improperly used CBS radio's air time to promote his new show with Sirius, which began last month. CBS also claims Stern discussed his plans with Sirius without disclosing them to CBS as his contract required.

How to transcribe the exhalation of a sigh? Would it be spelled "Huuh"? "Haah"? "Hoow"? Because that would be the critical sound effect for this review of "Kept," a new VH1 reality series that finds model Jerry Hall trolling for her very own boy toy. The sigh shouldn't look like a fall-of-civilization sigh, though, so much as a bored-to-tears sigh with a hint of a yawn about it. It should also look like a mildly disappointed sigh, since this show...

WGBH radio anchor Lisa Mullins is set to receive a coveted broadcasting award - shortly after her station substantially reduced her on-air time. In May, Mullins, anchor of PRI's "The World," will receive a Gracie Award, which honors women in broadcasting, in the category outstanding anchor - news or news magazine. This comes six months after the station reduced her hours by 75 percent for budgetary reasons, she says. Now she's on the air one week a month instead of weekly. Marco Werman, who previously shared the job equally with her, anchors the other three weeks.

The editor of Russia's leading independent radio station said Tuesday that its management is being changed in an effort to restrict on-air criticism of the government ahead of the March 4 presidential election. The media arm of state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom, which holds two-thirds of the shares, is tightening its hold over the board of directors, editor Alexei Venediktov said. Gazprom Media took the action after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin last month accused the station of serving the foreign policy interests of the United States...