News Roundup: Grey, Aegis and Havas, Catalina, JWT, Y&R, Clear Channel

(MoneyWatch) 

1. Grey has tapped Todd Tilford as ECD in its flagship office here. Tilford, 45, reports to Tor Myhren, evp, CCO of Grey New York. He was at Pyro.
2. JWT's once-vibrant Chicago office now has only four clients, 50 staff. Only five years ago what was once the largest office in the agency's network had 800 employees. "Just a couple years ago we had a lot of exposure to [JWT, Chicago], and there seemed to be a lot of energy there," said one Midwestern search consultant. "Now I couldn't tell you anything about them if you put a gun to my head, except that there's a lot of chatter they might not stay in business."
3. Armed with two years of purchase data for 80 million individual consumers, Catalina Marketing is this week launching a new in-store ad network called the Pointer Media Network.
4. Analysts say merging Aegis and Havas would make sense, because scale matters during an economic downturn. But the analysts also say they believe that Bolloré is in no rush and warn that the a prolonged corporate standoff could hamper any integration. Martin Sorrell, the chief executive of WPP, said the question was not whether Bolloré would scoop up Aegis but when.
5. Odeon, the largest cinema chain in the UK, has appointed Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R to handle its account.
6. GroupM warns of 10% ad spend drop in traditional media; Forecasts from WPP's group buying arm also warns the media industry that worse is yet to come, with a further 9% fall expected.
7. California pol hates Clear Channel residential billboards: The smile on Assemblyman Dave Jones' face Saturday was a sign of the times. After years of trying, Jones was able to see a big billboard in the Tahoe Park neighborhood come down. A second billboard is slated for removal in a month or two. Billboards really should not be in the heart of a residential neighborhood," he said. Jones thanked officials of Clear Channel, the billboard company, for their help.