IAR Bits and Bytes

Yahoo Settles with Yodeler

Yahoo said on Monday that it has reached a settlement with Wylie Gustafson, the country singer responsible for its “yodel,” heard on every television commercial by the Web portal.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

“While both parties had a reasonable basis for their beliefs, as soon as Yahoo learned of the suit, the company responded promptly and fairly,” the company said in a statement. “The Yahoo yodel, performed by Gustafson and known and loved by millions of people around the world, will continue to be used in Yahoo advertising and marketing materials.”

On Friday, Gustafson told InternetNews.com that he had tried without success to contact Yahoo to ask for royalties stemming from his 1996 yodel, used in the portal’s first TV spot. According to the singer, Yahoo had been entitled to only one use of the cry, although it has since been used in every company television spot thereafter, as well as in Yahoo Instant Messenger.

L90 Fights Delisting

Los Angeles-based online ad network L90 said it has received notice from Nasdaq that is common stock could be subject to delisting, as a result of its delay in filing its annual report.

L90 said earlier this month that its auditors were unsure when they’d complete a review of its annual report, since they are occupied with an internal investigation into the company’s accounting practices. In addition to the internal audit, Nasdaq and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating the firm’s accounting of barter advertising transactions last year, in which L90 has implicated Homestore.com .

The company said it intends to request a hearing before a Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel to ask the exchange for a continued listing of its stock. Once the company requests a hearing, a delisting cannot occur until the hearing is held.

L90 said it hopes to complete the internal investigation and file its 10-K before the date of the hearing.

Burson-Marsteller, PlanetFeedback Link Up

Public relations firm Burson-Marsteller has signed an alliance with consumer feedback service PlanetFeedback, a unit of Cincinnati-based Intelliseek, to help clients identify and leverage users opinions online.

The alliance will use PlanetFeedback’s online service designed to collect and analyze customers’ opinions of brands, products and services. Specifically, the duo aim to target “e-fluentials” — savvy consumers that spread the word about companies, products and services their either like or dislike — as a means for viral marketing.

In addition, Burson-Marsteller, a unit of WPP Group , will begin selling PlanetFeedback’s ExpressFeedback ASP and BrandPulse services to clients.