Pearson , the media group, yesterday warned that growth would slow next year although it stressed that second-half operating profit and sales continued to grow. In a trading update, it said "growth in some of our principal markets will be lower next year than in the last two. The strong pound and investment in the Financial Times and Channel 5 TV had tempered the advance, it said

Newsreader Kirsty Young's position as the brightest thing on Channel 5 was confirmed yesterday when Talk Radio signed her up to present its daily breakfast show in a deal worth pounds 500,000. It marks a growing trend for broadcasters to work across a number of outlets at the same time.

Sir: Your headline "BBC should be killed off, says Channel 5 chief" (13 November) is the opposite of what I said in my speech. I strongly support the BBC: it is the licence fee I object to, and the notion that the two are inextricably linked is a mistake too often made, not least by the BBC's governors and management.

Nancy Lam, the television chef, has been ditched by Channel 5, she revealed yesterday.

In a remarkably forthright attack, Channel 5's chief executive last night accused the Government of colluding with the BBC against the interests of viewers. Rob Brown, Media Editor, believes David Elstein's arguments for the abolition of the licence fee can only gather force.

Not if you're under 30, they haven't. A 'lost generation' is avoiding news like the plague, reports Stephen Armstrong. Take our quiz and find out if you are one of them

The new definition of news

The Lloyds Bank British Fashion Awards, despite being the highlight of the fashion claendar, used to be a fairly low-key affair. Until two years ago the ceremony was conducted in one of the catwalk tents outside the Natural History Museum where guests, dressed in their finest designer clothes, would sit in plastic chairs to witness the prizegiving. The awards moved to the Royal Albert Hall in 1996 where velvet seats better suited the occasion and 1,500 members of the public had access to a frock 'n' roll happening for the first time.

The bars and clubs of the Canal Street area in Manchester, feeling threatened by the popularity of gay culture among the North-west's revellers, are turning straight men and women away.

Sir: The headline over Cathy Newman's report "Channel 5 may sell digital capacity" (30 September) was misleading. All that Channel 5 is doing is discussing with a number of potential broadcast partners the most cost-effective way of using our allocated capacity when digital terrestrial television launches.

Channel 5, Britain's newest television channel, is courting controversy by seeking a cash-rich investor to help it shoulder the costs of digital broadcasting in return for a share of its excess digital terrestrial capacity. The move comes just months after Channel 5 pledged to use all its available digital channels.

British Digital Broadcasting, the group which won the right to broadcast digital terrestrial television, will have to spend up to pounds 20m retuning television sets, according to sources close to the company.

To this day I can still clearly remember the expression on the bloke's face when I overtook him on the highway as my engine exploded. Yes, that 1959 Morris Minor was easily the worst car I ever bought.

Dramatic move on 4