1. Advertisers Wary of 鈥楾o Catch a Predator鈥?br>

NBC鈥檚 sting-operation segments 鈥淭o Catch a Predator鈥?have scored solid ratings and created positive buzz among viewers, but the network appears to be scaling back its commitment to the program 鈥?because the content reportedly makes advertisers uneasy.

So far this year NBC has filmed only one sting operation for the program 鈥?which airs as a segment of its 鈥淒ateline NBC鈥?newsmagazine 鈥?compared with seven last year.

The most recent episode, on July 25, included six national spot ads, significantly fewer than normal for a show in NBC鈥檚 prime time, according to The New York Times.

鈥淪ome advertisers say they are wary of being associated with the show鈥檚 content, in which men lured to a house by the promise of a sexual encounter are instead surprised by [host Chris] Hansen and then arrested,鈥?the Times reports.

And Andy Donchin, a director at the ad agency Carat USA, told the Times: 鈥淲e鈥檙e all concerned with what content we鈥檙e associating ourselves with.鈥?

The program鈥檚 producers work with a pedophile watchdog group, Perverted Justice, whose members pose as underage Internet users and converse with adults in chat rooms. If a conversation turns sexual, the 鈥渦nderage鈥?Web surfer agrees to meet the adult in person. When the adult arrives at the meeting place, he is confronted by Hansen and a film crew and arrested by local police.

The program 鈥?which first aired in November 2004 鈥?is currently facing two lawsuits, one stemming from a suicide.