APN News & Media and Fairfax Media are still in “early exploratory talks” considering a $200 million merger of their New Zealand businesses. Officially, both media giants are still saying nothing. And Fairfax-APN outlets are continuing to attach “it is understood” caveats to news stories they run.

New York, NY – May 10: The New York Festivals International Advertising Awards has today issued its annual invitation to advertising creatives to participate in the You…Be the Judge! competition.

APN Outdoor have today announced their upcoming Flight Club events to take place around the country in the coming weeks. 

Adshel’s interactive banner ad that ran across trade media last week to support the launch of their digital network in July caught our eye, so M+AD sought out the story behind the story.

By Epica Awards editorial director Mark Tungate. Paris-based Epica is an informal global association of journalists who cover marketing and creativity. M+AD ed David Gapes was on the jury last year, and is again this year:

It’s not easy to become truly great at advertising. But it may be a tiny bit easier when your first career experiences are at BBH and Abbott Mead Vickers. In fact, Mike Nicholson – the freshly-appointed ECD of Brave in London – has a CV that looks like a litany of the world’s greatest agencies, plus the magic word “Google”.

NewstalkZB, Coast FM, the Breeze, Mai FM, ZM, the Sound, and More FM are the big winners in the latest round of radio surveys released by the Radio Broadcasters Association survey provider GfK.

bcg2/Shirtcliffe & Co creative Matt Shirtcliffe has made the news again – but not in the ad media, as you’d expect. This time the attention came from Fairfax Media’s East & Bays Courier, whose interest was piqued by the award-winning adman’s decision to come to the aid of a distressed Indian family.