Green Bay TV station alters schedule to throw Eli Manning off his game
In a bit of football gamesmanship, Green Bay, Wisc., Fox affiliate WLUK has decided to remove a rerun of “Seinfeld” from its 5:30 p.m. time-slot on Saturday, in order to disrupt New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning’s usual pregame routine of watching the sit-com. The station is polling its viewers online to select a replacement show. Newsday (Long Island, N.Y.)

Study: 43% of over-the-air households will stick with free TV
Roughly 43% of households that currently rely on over-the-air broadcasts for TV viewing will switch to a digital TV or an analog-to-digital converter box for TV viewing following the digital transition in February 2009, according to a study conducted by the research firm CENTRIS on behalf of the Association of Public Television Stations. Twelve percent of those surveyed said they would sign up for a cable or satellite service. APTS President-CEO John Lawson said, “This data indicates that free, over-the-air television may be set for a big comeback.” TVNEWSDAY (free registration)

Ads in video, audio streams total $1.37B for 2007
Revenue from streaming ad-supported audio and video content totaled around $1.37 billion in 2007, up 38% from the prior year, AccuStream iMedia Research reports. AccuStream also predicts there will be significant growth in terms of ad-play before streamed TV programs over the next few years. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)

Martin sees no need for major changes at FCC
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said the commission will fully cooperate with Congress’ probe of the agency’s processes, but he doesn’t believe the commission needs major reforms, as have been proposed by some lawmakers. “I think the process we underwent in the ownership proceeding was fair and open to the public,” Martin told reporters Tuesday. “In general, our processes aren’t any different than they were under previous chairmen both Republican and Democrat.” Broadcasting & Cable

• FCC to retest unlicensed wireless devices: The FCC will give unlicensed devices another try, with a new round of testing slated to launch by the end of January, according to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. The devices, during a first round of testing, were found to interfere with the broadcast spectrum, but are being retested because one of them was reported to be faulty in one of the tests. Broadcasting & Cable

• FCC could decide on proposed satcaster merger by end of Q1: FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, at a press conference Tuesday, said the commission should be able to conclude its portion of the regulatory review of the proposed XM-Sirius merger by the end of the first quarter. Martin said his agency is not waiting on the U.S. Justice Department to complete its review of the proposed merger, but this article notes that the FCC normally waits for DOJ to issue its findings. Radio Online

• Martin: Credit crunch may diminish wireless auction bids: The timing of an upcoming congressionally mandated government auction of wireless airwaves may not be the best, given “overall economic conditions,” according to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. “Is it an ideal time to necessarily be conducting an auction? I’m not so sure,” Martin said at a news conference. CNET/Reuters