♦ Last night's debate attracted more viewers than the first, but not as many as last week's debate. [MediaPost]
♦ Dan Rather will be covering the presidential elections for a French TV network. Does he speak French? [Variety]
♦ Fox's 24 will command the highest ad rates this season. [AdAge]
♦ PBS has decided not to air a documentary about Bush administration torture tactics until after the election. [NYT]
♦ Britney Spears is back in print to hype her latest fragrance line. [AdRants]
♦ Steve Carell will play a French soldier in Brigadier Gerard. [THR]

♦ Newspaper conglomerate Media General says advertising sales fell 23 percent in September. [E&P]
♦ Are cable pundits over? [Gawker]
♦ Lindsay Lohan's publicist, Leslie Sloane Zelnik, won't confirm her client is gay but is happy to tell the press that Lohan has not broken up with Sam Ronson. [Jossip]
♦ A recap of the debate last night in case you've been under a rock all day. [NYT]