News in Brief

Radio Times is moving its northern sales operation in-house following the creation of a new ad office within the BBC's Manchester headquarters. Sales were previously dealt with by Media-Link. Advertising director Andrew Mercer said: "We've enjoyed 10 highly successful and profitable years with Media-Link. However, the creation of BBC Magazines' new sales operation made the realignment inevitable." The move takes place in October.

Sky News is to offer interactive coverage of the Golden Jubilee weekend between June 1 and June 4. Interactive services will feature a full listing of events, voting and
e-mail to monitor support for the Royal Family and the
celebrations.

Quantum New Media has been appointed to handle the online planning and buying for birthday card retailer
Hallmark's logo and picture text messaging service.

Trinity Mirror's Newcastle Chronicle and Journal is publishing a new magazine targeting the top earners in the North East. Launching at the end of June, North East Exclusive is hoping to attract up-market advertisers with its AB
readership.

The Evening Standard claimed a media first this week,
running a four-page promotion around its TV section to support Persil's Big Mummy campaign, encouraging London children to help create the World's largest mosaic. The title talked its way into Unilever's media brief for the project, with its idea to include a blank section to be filled in by youngsters entering the competition which could be folded into an envelope and posted.

Channel 5 is looking for a sponsor for its first interactive daily game show set to launch in July. Endemol UK Productions will produce 120 episodes of the hour-long programme, Brain Teaser, based on a format from Endemol in the Netherlands, which will give away daily prizes of up to £4,750 to competitors in the studio and viewers at home.

IPC's Country Life has launched a Golden Jubilee microsite to run during the upcoming celebrations. It will include recommended events and archives from the Country Life library. Also, Woman's Weekly has produced a dedicated one-shot magazine to tie in with the event.

BBC Magazines has handed PR for its ailing women's magazine to the Braben Company. Eve fell 7.8% to121,157 in the latest set of ABC results. 

The Daily Mail & General Trust's regional newspaper group, Northcliffe Newspapers, is facing a £1.3m fine for
predatory pricing, despite the case being overturned by the Competition Commission earlier in the year.
The Office of Fair Trading has told Northcliffe-owned Aberdeen Journals that it has redefined its case against it and intends to find the publisher guilty of attempting
to drive rival publication, the Aberdeen & District
Independent, out of the market.

The Kent Messenger Group has been granted permission to take over the Mercury FM Tonbridge and Meadway radio broadcasting licence. However, despite the Radio Authority giving the go ahead for KMG to broadcast on the
frequency, the future of the licence remains uncertain due to a rival bid from Absolute FM, which is competing for the licence when it comes up for renewal next July.

This article was first published on Media Week