AdFleet launches new form of advertising
Just when you thought there couldn't be another medium for ad spend: AdFleet Advertising has launched with patented non-rotating wheel cover ads. The innovative outdoor medium is currently found on taxi wheels in LA. AdFleet launched its inaugural campaigns unveiling wheel covers for clients including: Taco Bell, LA Dodgers, Virgin Cola, Jiffy Lube and 1-800CheapSeats.com. The company expects to offer its new outdoor medium in a number of markets, including Dallas, Houston, Washington DC, Boston and Atlanta.

How does it work? Captions are fitted onto vehicles in place of conventional wheel covers and consist of a patented plastic disk and a hub system. The outward face of the disk is used to display artwork for a product, logo, or message. The hub, held in place with the vehicle's existing lug nuts, features a metal fixture that separates the rotation of the wheels from the disks. The disks attach on to the fixture enabling the disks to remain rotation free while the vehicle's in motion.

Kia narrows down review to seven
Kia Motors America has named six semifinalists in the review for the creative portion of its $240M account. Semifinalists include Campbell Mithun, Minneapolis; Cramer-Krasselt, Chicago; GSD&M, Austin; Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners, NY, Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco, Kaplan Thaler Group, NY and the incumbent David & Goliath LA. Achenbaum Bodga Associates, Raleigh is conducting the search.

Univision scores an O&O in Salt Lake City
It's not often you can add a TV station in a top-50 market to your portfolio period, these days, and to do so for under $10M is even more difficult. However, that's exactly what multimedia Hispanic giant Univision is pulling off in Salt Lake City. The station is KCBU-TV, which reaches Salt Lake City from its perch just to the south out of Provo. As of last Fall, Neilsen rated the market as the nation's 36th largest, while Arbitron pegged it at #31.

The seller is the Gary M. Cocola Family Trust, which will pull in $9.5M for the station.

Currently, Univision has neither TV nor radio properties in the market. It does have a presence in the market, however. Both its Univision and Telefutura networks are seen on stations owned by Equity Broadcasting Corporation. Both are in SLC outposts far more distant than is Provo. KUTH-TV carries Univision from Logan well to the north, and KUTF-TV carries Telefutura from Price, well to the southeast.

A clause in the contract instructs the seller to try to wriggle out of an "Air Time Agreement" with America's Collectible Network by closing at the latest, and to broadcast Univision or Telefutura programming at the buyer's option and at the earliest opportunity.

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TVBR Closer Look
Winds of Naples, FL--Bending the Palm Trees
Hurricane season doesn't officially end until Nov. 30th. but they are coming; just wait. Key forecaster Bob Coen from Universal-McCann media revenue forecast sees these storms for the balance of 2004. This is just the short term picture. We have heard many new buzz words and phrases hanging around: Spot Load Diet, Forward Guidance ending, Weekly Pacing canned, Reality Show is charted to pace your individual station(s) by to hit your budget compliance.
08/03/04 TVBR #150

Veronis Suhler takes stock of communications
Has dusted off its crystal ball, and sees a turnaround in communications and advertising businesses which should carry forth into 2008. TVBR observation: Does this mean we can all just sit back, try not to screw up and watch the money roll in?
08/03/04 TVBR #150

Veronis Suhler Stevenson
sees radio growth returning
Defend and remain convinced that radio is going to return to its normal pattern of 6%+ growth. The question is when? At this point, it appears that the VSS forecast out today of 6.7% growth for 2004 is extremely bullish. TVBR observation: Again, no forward pacing so for your guidance we suggest you print the chart attached inside. 08/02/04 TVBR #149

Concentrating on men
Reaching men included a great chart ranking programming elements of both radio and television side-by-side in terms of their ability to find high concentrations of men, without wasting impressions on women, if that is germane to your particular advertising campaign. In general, a number of radio formats do a better job than any television format in delivering a high concentration of men. TVBR observation: When viewing the TV list this is a place for cross marketing and if radio markets on TV then it seems logical to buy that 15 or 30 second promo spot for your morning drive on Leno or Letterman plus don't forget cable and guys like Dennis Miller etc. View this as a good research programming tool. 08/02/04 TVBR #149

Who gets the FCC FINE?
Well, the 'F' word slipped out plus others choice phrases from the mouth of DNC Don Misher when all was happy except the balloons didn't fall as planned. Misher caught on-air by CNN saying: We need balloons... I want all balloons, 'God---' no balloons. Then the slip of that great 'Fudge' word - just over a few crummy balloons. TVBR observation: Who does FCC fine? The balloon maker, the balloon blower upper, the balloon cord puller, Misher, the DNC, John Kerry since those balloons were for him, or CNN? Na on CNN that is cable. Ah, what the 'Fudge', nobody cares. It was a slip of the, ahhh, tongue. 07/30/04 TVBR #148

Radio Look see - Local gains lead to modest June increase
Radio industry picked up the pace with local advertising in June, bringing in 5% more cash than in the same month in 2003. National business, on the other hand, was an anchor that slipped out of the boat, dragging the total business increase to a gain of 3%. But at least it was a gain! RBR observation: Most of the mid-level radio group dog and pony shows have featured reports of a more robust Q2 and YTD. Some one must be having problems!
07/30/04 RBR #148

DTV transition:
Fritts offers an olive branch
Acting on the advice of Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA), has fired off a letter to his opposite number at the NCTA, Robert Sachs, proposing that representative of the broadcast and cable businesses sit down soon to hash out details of the DTV transition. TVBR observation: Tauzin is absolutely right - - to begin with, legislators are not experts in broadcasting or cable. They do not necessarily know when they are monkeying with a trifle or with a cornerstone of either business. To top it off, their broadcast vote may be little more than a bargaining chip - - If the broadcasting and cable industries want a resolution that is businesslike, they will be much better off doing it themselves. 07/28/04 TVBR #146

Another analyst weighs in on Clear Channel's "more is less"
"Reading between the lines of management comments, we believe inventory reduction heavily involves inventory unit sales shift from 60 second units to 30 second units without significant unit price discount," RBC Capital Markets analyst David Bank. But he says details of just how that will be accomplished remain "elusive."
RBR observation: Interesting question Mr. Bank raises: Cutting spots in overnights might reduce clutter and even increase average unit prices, but if nobody's listening, does it matter? On the other hand, it is hard to see how CCU can cut inventory in its most important day-parts... 07/28/04 RBR #146

Analysts cautiously optimistic
about "less is more"
Management's explanation of Clear Channel's "less is more" initiative seem to be buying into the idea, but remain cautious what it will mean to the company's financial results.
RBR observation: SG Cowen & Co., analyst James Marsh .. Noting that current radio trends are "not pretty," 07/27/04 RBR #145

Clear Channel may end guidance
CFO Randall Mays is asking Wall Street analysts and investors for some feedback. He wants to know whether the company should stop giving forward guidance on financial numbers. RBR observation: You can run, but you can't hide! It was Clear Channel a few years back which orchestrated the move by major groups to force Miller, Kaplan Arase & Co. to stop providing weekly pacing data to RBR. Then it was Clear Channel again just last month which put an end to Miller, Kaplan's gathering of pacing data altogether. Now Clear Channel wants to stop having to be accountable to its shareholders for whether or not management has a handle on where its business is heading. Of course, there's no requirement to provide forward guidance, but it sure looks like Clear Channel management is trying to crawl under a rock and hide. Back when times were good, Randall Mays was a master of the Wall Street guidance game - - always providing guidance that proved to be just a tad conservative so that Clear Channel delivered a bit more than it had promised. But now that the advertising environment is turbulent and Clear Channel is no longer a growth stock, he doesn't want to be held accountable anymore.
07/26/04 RBR #144