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Welcome to TVBR's Daily Epaper
Volume 24, Issue 180, Jim Carnegie, Editor & Publisher
Friday Morning September 14th, 2007

TV News ®

Retrans standoff in Connecticut
LIN Television says it has been unable to come to terms on retransmission consent with MetroCast, so three of its stations will be pulled off of the MSO's systems in Eastern Connecticut when the current retrans extension expires October 7th. Each side is blaming the other for the breakdown in negotiations. Unless a resolution is reached by the October 7th deadline, some 39,000 cable subscribers will not be able to view LIN's WTNH-TV (Ch. 8, ABC) Hartford, WCTX-TV (Ch. 59 MyNetworkTV) Hartford and WPRI-TV (Ch. 12, CBS) Providence, RI. LIN says those cable customers will be deprived of WTNH's top-rated local news, University of Connecticut sports broadcasts, New York Yankees games and several popular syndicated programs. MetroCast insists it's no big deal, since its systems will still have CBS programming via Meredith's WFSB-TV (Ch. 3) Hartford and ABC via Freedom's WLNE-TV (Ch. 6) Providence. It notes that The Yankees Network is already available to Expanded Basic customers. MetroCast says it will add New England Cable News Network to its basic tier to replace one of the LIN stations.

"We apologize for any inconvenience to our viewers and hope that these viewers will continue to watch our award-winning local news and top-rated programming through alternate means. We have successfully reached agreements with other multi-channel providers including cable operators, telephone companies and satellite providers, all of whom have acknowledged the value of LIN TV's stations and hope we can reach an agreement with MetroCast soon," said LIN's Executive Vice President Digital Media, Gregory Schmidt. LIN is asking people in the affected areas to tell MetroCast that they want the stations to continue to be available. But its iwantwtnhtv.com website is also providing links so they can sign up for DirecTV or Dish Network to replace their cable service.

TVBR observation: What makes this retrans battle somewhat different than most of the past couple of years is that the MetroCast cable systems are in counties at the far east end of Connecticut, where TV signals are readily available from the Providence, RI market as well as Hartford-New Haven. That reduces LIN's leverage somewhat, but many folks are still going to be upset at not being able to receive an ABC station with news from their own state. Of course, the whole thing comes down to money. And LIN accuses the MSO of misleading the public on that account. "MetroCast is telling viewers that we are demanding 3.00 per month. That just isn't true, in FACT, we are asking for something closer to a penny a day," LIN insists on its informational website.

Mega launching daily news show
As it prepares to take Mega TV national next month on DirecTV (9/6/07 TVBR #174), Spanish Broadcasting System announced plans to launch a daily news program next week. "Mega News" will focus on news pertaining to the US Hispanic community, with a heavy dose of pop culture - and that's where SBS will be taking advantage of its radio and Internet offerings to help boost its new TV venture. Executive Producer Frank Steinhart says there will be daily participation by DJs from SBS radio stations in major markets, including New York and Los Angeles. "Mega News will collaborate daily with LaMusica.com, one of the most popular Spanish-language entertainment sites, to bring the audience the best and latest celebrity news available," said Cynthia Hudson-Fernandez, Chief Creative Officer and Executive Vice President of Mega TV. Starting Monday, September 17th, Miami-based Mega News will air Monday-Friday at 5:00 pm for one hour. Veteran journalists Camilo Egaña and Maria Regina Bustamante (pictured) will host the new TV news show. Egaña has been hosting two weekend shows for Mega TV and Bustamante recently joined SBS after working at publications such as The Miami Herald and TV y Novelas, and at three Spanish-language stations based in Miami.


Court sends FEC back to the drawing board
Another plank in the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act has been altered by the judiciary branch. The last time this happened, the rules were weakened. This time, the opposite is the case, as an appeals court judge ordered coordination rules tightened. BCRA, commonly known as McCain-Feingold, prohibits campaigns and independent groups from coordinating their advertising efforts. Congressional campaigns are bound by this restriction for 90 days prior to an election, and presidential campaigns for 120 days. The judge at the US District Court for the District of Columbia, Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, said that it made no sense for the rules to be in existence during those periods when a gigantic loophole exists during other times. The FEC had argued that this windows covered the vast majority of political ads, which generally air close to the day that votes are cast, but the counter-argument that campaigning is expanding more and more a perpetual state carried the day. According to the Associated Press, the Judge ordered to FEC to tighten the rules up before the 2008 elections are in full swing. The FEC may also need to re-examine a loophole allowing soft money to be used for get-out-the-vote campaigns that tend to benefit one party or candidate over another.

TVBR observation: Pretty soon some grammar teacher somewhere is going to go to court to challenge BCRA's use of commas, hyphens and semi-colons. That's about the only portion of the Act that hasn't been dragged through the courts. The fact that this outing tightens the rules while the recent Supreme Court win for Wisconsin Right to Life weakened them shows just how complicated the matter is. The bottom line is that money destined for politics will find its way there one way or another, no matter what the rules are.

Is TV programming
going down the tubes?

According to a poll from AOL Television and the Associated Press, 62% of surveyed Americans think the quality of television programming is diminishing. Of course, that doesn't stop them from watching it. Over a fourth or respondents watch over 21 hours weekly and 13% watch over 30 hours (said to be a 5% increase over 2005). But the same low opinion exists among both light and heavy users of the medium. Reality programming may finally be hitting the wall, with 71% saying there's too much of it on the schedule. 49% believe there is too much crime. Meanwhile, 28% want more news and 24% want more comedy. Asked what one channel they would watch, the big four networks still held sway over cable. CBS and ABC scored 9%, NBC scored 8% and Fox 7%. AOL/AP said three basic cable offerings -- Discovery, ESPN and The History Channel -- each came home with 4%. Cable channels grabbed 45% of the total.

TVBR observation: TV was already a vast wasteland, according to Newt Minow, way back in the early 60s. We think this, like education, is one of those questions that will eternally draw a negative answer. You can look in a newspaper from 1901 and find politicians and pundits bloviating about the deplorable state of the schools. And music isn't what it used to be and the quality of our food is deteriorating. A plurality thinks TV is going downhill just about every time you ask the question. The only poll that matters is the one that shows how many people are watching.


Edwards snags a presidential rebuttal
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards (D-NC) took advantage of full network coverage of a speech on the Iraq war by President Bush last night, piggy-backing his own message via a two-minute ad. Edwards booked his time on cable news outlet MSNBC, and used his time to express both his disagreement with Bush, and to distance himself from other Democrats in the primary race. The spot was estimated to carry a 100K-150K price tag, but at least one media analyst said that the general buzz and straight news coverage Edwards is likely to receive could easily triple its value in terms of effectiveness. Edwards has been exploring the use of political advertising. Earlier this year, rather than touting his own presidential qualifications of presenting himself to voters in the early states, he ran advertisements in Washington urging his former colleagues in the US Senate to remain steadfast in their opposition to Bush's Iraq policy.

TVBR observation: This really is a brilliant idea. Let President Bush turn on the spotlight and then jump in while the afterglow is still intense. If Edwards does get a big splash out of this strategy, it may lead to a lot of imitation. Demand for advertising immediately following an event of national significance occurring on a fixed schedule may put a new premium on such times, driving up rates under the influence of simple supply and demand. If we remember the ins and outs of lowest unit rate correctly, candidates are off the rate card when they specify a precise run time.

NBC Universal reorganizes
sales operation

Now that he's been in the job for a few months, NBC Universal Sales and Marketing President Mike Pilot has decided to reorganize the sales organization. Marianne Gambelli (pictured) has been promoted to President, NBC Network Ad Sales. In addition, Pilot announced that Debbie Reichig will formally join the sales organization as Senior Vice President, Market Development and that John Sabino has been named Senior Vice President, Commercial Excellence. All three positions report directly to Pilot and are effective immediately. In the coming weeks, Pilot says he will name a new cable sales leader to oversee the sales efforts for the company's entertainment cable networks, USA, Sci Fi, Bravo, Chiller, Sleuth and Uni HD.

"As we continue to adapt to the new media environment, our ability to serve as a multi-dimensional marketing partner for our clients has never been more critical. This new structure allows us to even better position our selling, marketing and consumer insight capabilities, creating added value for our clients and furthering our efforts to take a more client-centric, solutions-oriented approach to the market," said Pilot.

In her newly expanded role, Gambelli, who previously served as EVP, Sales and Marketing for NBC Universal since 2004, will now oversee sales efforts for all the NBC network properties - entertainment, news, sports and Olympics, as well as the regional sales offices in Chicago, LA and Detroit. Reichig, who joined NBC Universal's Integrated Media group six months ago as SVP, Market Development, will officially join the sales organization, overseeing strategic marketing and continuing to drive the company's ad and research innovation efforts. In his new role, Sabino will collaborate with the sales organization to simplify and digitize sales, marketing and operational activities in order to make the selling process easier and more effective across NBCU's multiple platforms and properties.


Cable Business Report TM
Cablevision buyout vote next month
Cablevision has set a shareholder vote for October 24th on the pending offer from the Dolan family to buy out all other shareholders for 36.26 per share (5/3/07 TVBR #87). Cablevision shares rose after the proxy was filed with the SEC, since there had been fears in the market that the Dolans might seek changes to the deal because of the recent turmoil in the credit markets. The offer finally accepted by independent directors in May was the fourth attempt in recent years by the Dolans to take the MSO private.


Ad Business Report TM

Macy's new branding features cast of star designers
Macy's revealed details of its new campaign positioned to showcase the retailer's talented and high-profile cast of fashion and home brands. The spots were directed by director Barry Levinson (Rain Man) and cinematographer Bob Richardson (The Aviator, JFK). The campaign, via JWT New York - will launch during the telecast of the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards 9/16. Featuring star designers and celebrities in a typical Macy's store readying their respective "departments" for business, the brand spots include designers Sean (Diddy) Combs, Jessica Simpson, Martha Stewart, Usher, Donald Trump, Kenneth Cole, Marc Ecko, Kimora Lee Simmons, Russell Simmons, Tommy Hilfiger, Emeril Lagasse, Tyler Florence, and others. A 90-second spot will break the campaign during the first hour of the Emmys and will air several times throughout the show. Sixty- and 30-second brand spots will also run throughout the fall season.

MindShare names David Adelman CMO
David Adelman has been named Chief Marketing Officer of MindShare North America, a new position. Adelman joins on from Johnson & Johnson, where he was Media Director for J&J's Global Marketing Group--responsible for increasing the company's digital marketing efforts and introducing communications planning processes to the marketer's OTC medicines, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices businesses. Responsibilities will include optimizing the agency's new business activities as well as developing and executing marketing plans and programs.


Washington Media Business Report TM
What if they held a debate and nobody came?
Are we getting to the point where there will be a need for The Debate Channel? It seems the sun never sets on a stage-wide assembly of high office hopefuls trotting out applicable portions of their stump speeches in convenient short burst of soundbite. AARP and Iowa Public TV are getting into the act with a Democratic event scheduled for 9/20/07 and a Republican follow-up on 10/25/07. AARP represents a motivated constituency with a lot of government money on the table and an excellent track record of actually showing up to vote, but at this point, it is not filling all of the available podiums. Only five Democrats have committed - Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Chris Dodd, Joe Biden and Bill Richardson; and only two Republicans have thus far signed up - John McCain and Mike Huckabee.

TVBR observation: We admit we cannot watch all of these debates. And part of the problem is that the formats almost always cater to the politicians' desire to minimize risk. The unfortunate side effect of that is it minimizes the chances of delving any deeper than soundbite level into their thoughts, and it also minimizes the possibility of genuine news-making exchanges. They always say people watch car races for the accidents. It would help liven up the interminable debate merry-go-round if some of the horses come off their moorings once in awhile so we can enjoy their reaction when the freed steed starts bucking.


Entertainment Media Business Report TM
"L&O:CI" syndication launch to cover 95%
Dick Wolf's hit crime drama series "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" premieres in national syndication next Monday, September 17. NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution says the third installment of the "Law and Order" brand has been sold in more than 95% of the U.S. for its syndication debut. L&O:CI is the first series in the Law & Order franchise to enter broadcast syndication five days a week. NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution is also bringing "Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit" to syndication this fall. L&O:SVU will premiere in weekend syndication starting Saturday, September 22.


Ratings & Research
Judy back on top
The battle for the top spot in syndication TV between Pat Sajak and "Judge Judy" continues. For the most recent week, Judy was back on top, according to the Syndicate Network Television Association, which bases its rankings on data from Nielsen Media Research.

Syndication: 8/27/07-9/02/07

# Live

PROGRAMS

ORIG

HHLD Rtg. Live

1

JUDGE JUDY (AT)

CBT

6.7

2

WHEEL OF FORTUNE

CBT

6.5

3

EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN (AT)

CBT

5.6

4

JEOPARDY

CBT

5.1

5

OPRAH WINFREY SHOW (AT)

CBT

4.5

6

CSI MIAMI-SYN (AT)

CBT

4.4

7

KING OF QUEENS-SYN (AT)

SPT

4.3

8

ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT)

CBT

4.2

9

SEINFELD (AT)

SPT

4.1

10

FRIENDS (AT)

WB

3.9

Source: SNTA; Nielsen Media Research data

September consumer confidence down
According to BIGresearch's September Executive Briefing, the battle on Capitol Hill regarding the status of troops in Iraq, the still-slumping housing market, fluctuating pump prices, and apathy toward consumer savings combine to form the perfect storm for negatively impacting consumer confidence. In September, 41.2% contend they are confident/very confident in chances for a strong economy, down from last month (43.9%) as well as last year (43.4%). However, confidence remains up significantly from '05 (33.4%), when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region. Consumers are feeling more secure...only 16.1% worry about political and national security issues, down almost two points from last month (17.9%), and dropping almost 30 points since the first 9/11 anniversary in 2002 (45.2%). With the impact of pump prices seemingly decreasing (perhaps offset by the "Charge It!" consumer spending mantra), penny pinching may be going out of style...in September, 43.2% proclaim they focus on needs over wants in spending, down from 46.5% last month and 49.5% in '06.


Stock Talk
Broadcasters left out as stocks rally
Stock prices moved up after mortgage giant Countrywide announced that it had secured 12 billion in credit. The rally was largely limited to the Blue Chips, though, with the Dow Industrials jumping 133 points, or 1%, to 13,424. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite were up only slightly.

TV stocks missed out on the rally, with slightly more TV stocks down than up. Journal Communications was down 2.2%, but most of the other declines were by less than a percentage point. Moving the other way, Saga gained 2.6%, Time Warner 2.4% and Scripps rose 2.3%. CBS Class A rose 2% and Class B 1.9%.


Stocks

Here's how stocks fared on Thursday

Company Symbol Close Change Company Symbol Close Change

Acme

ACME

4.11

+0.11

Lincoln Natl.

LNC

62.82

+1.56

Belo

BLC

17.22

-0.06

LIN TV

TVL

12.11

-0.04

CBS CI. B CBS

30.83

+0.58

McGraw-Hill

MHP

49.89

-0.24

CBS CI. A CBSa

30.86

+0.61

Media General

MEG

27.16

-0.16

Clear Channel

CCU

37.71

+0.01

Meredith

MDP

46.80

unch

Disney

DIS

33.52

-0.20

News Corp.

NWS

22.22

-0.19

Emmis

EMMS

5.90

-0.11

Nexstar

NXST

9.52

-0.05

Entravision

EVC

9.16

+0.02

Ion Media

ION

1.32

-0.03

Equity Media EMDA 3.09 -0.01

Saga Commun.

SGA

7.49

+0.19

Fisher

FSCI

46.80

-0.24

SBS

SBSA

2.64

+0.07

Gannett

GCI

45.00

+0.07

Scripps

SSP

41.82

+0.95

Gen. Electric

GE

40.51

+0.61

Sinclair

SBGI

12.07

-0.03

Google GOOG

524.78

+2.13

SWMX

SWMX

0.04

unch

Gray

GTN

8.50

-0.01

Time Warner

TWX

19.00

+0.44

Gray, C1. A

GTNa

8.28

-0.09

Tribune

TRB

27.32

-0.09

Hearst-Argyle

HTV

25.55

unch

Wash. Post

WPO

772.06

-6.97

Journal Comm.

JRN

9.70

-0.22

Young

YBTVA

2.19

+0.13


Bounceback

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Below the Fold

Cable Business Report
Cablevision
Buyout vote next month for 10/24 on offer from the Dolan family...

Ad Business Report
Branding features cast of star
Macy's revealed details of its new campaign. Spots directed by director Barry Levinson...

Ratings & Research
Judy back on top
The battle for the top spot between Pat Sajak and "Judge Judy" continues...

Consumer confidence down
Does it surprise anyone? Got the
break down on how people feel...


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Market your Stations For Sale
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Contact
June Barnes
jbarnes@rbr.com




TV Media Moves

Guthrie
to NBC

Former Court TV legal affairs correspondent Savannah Guthrie (yes, she is a lawyer) has been named an NBC News correspondent. She will be based in Washington, DC.

Gaete to Entravision
Entravision Communications announced that Marcelo Gaete-Tapia has been appointed as the new Vice President of Public and Governmental Affairs for the company. Prior to joining Entravision, Gaete was the Senior Director of Programs for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials' Educational Fund.


More News Headlines

Comedy Central licensed to American Greetings
American Greetings Corporation announced a licensing partnership with Comedy Central "that will bring the characters, antics and signature humor from some of the network's most popular shows to the greeting card aisle." The first products to launch include a line of seven "South Park" birthday and anytime cards. In addition to "South Park", the partnership also includes licenses for other Comedy Central shows, including "Reno 911!," "The Sarah Silverman Program," "Mind of Mencia" and "Lil' Bush." "We take our funny card business very seriously because we recognize that many people connect with others through humor. Our partnership with Comedy Central is yet another example of our commitment to truly understand what consumers find funny so that we can be sure our products deliver on that," said Michael Brown, Vice President of Licensing for American Greetings.

TVBR observation: Just how irreverent will they dare to be? We're waiting to see if they come out with Christmas cards based on Silverman's video with Santa titled "Give the Jew girl toys."




TVBR Radar 2007
Television News you won't read any where else. TVBR--First, Accurate, and Independently Owned.

TV station revenues fell 6.6% in Q2
Hot on the heels of last week's forecast of 9-10% growth for all of 2008, the TVB is reporting that the present year is showing the down pattern of a non-election year. Local TV station revenues for Q2 (national and local spot combined) were down 6.6%. Throw network and syndication into the mix and the Q2 decline was 2.8%. Automotive continued to be a drag on the tally. The #1 ad category was down 10.2% from Q2 a year ago. Telecommunications gained 9.5% and moved into the #2 slot, ahead of Restaurants, down 3.4%. #4 Car & Truck Dealers was up 1.2% and #5 Furniture Stores was down 3.7%. See the Stats in TVBR.
09/13/07 TVBR #179

Carrying on about carriage
Both the NAB and the NCTA hailed the FCC's decision on mandatory dual carriage of both digital and analog television streams during the first three years of digital-only broadcast (with provisions for an extension if necessary). However, that approval did not extend to the American Cable Association, the organization of smaller operators. At NCTA, Kyle McSlarrow was also claiming victory, saying, "I want to thank each member of the FCC for engaging so constructively and fairly with our industry...We are pleased that the FCC's action today adopts cable's carriage plan. And we are pleased that the FCC dropped an ill-considered mandate that would have turned back the clock on decades of digital technology innovation. We continue to urge the FCC to act quickly to take into account the special circumstances of very small systems,... There is more in TVBR

TVBR observation: Commissioners Michael Copps (D) and Jonathan Adelstein (D) both mentioned the plight of small operators. They will be able to apply for a waiver of the dual carriage requirement, but the two Democrats felt there should have been a blanket exemption for systems falling beneath certain agreed-upon benchmarks. We'll have to see if ACA can make enough noise to provoke a further notice on this topic.
09/13/07 TVBR #179

US ad spend dropped
0.3% in first half of 2007
Total ad expenditures in the first half of 2007 slipped by 0.3% to 72.59 billion versus the same period in 2006, according to TNS Media Intelligence. Television was hardly alone in taking a hit, while online ad spending continued to grab share. Internet display advertising maintained its growth leadership position.
09/12/07 TVBR #178

FCC mandates
digital/analog must-carry

"Let's let the transition begin," said Commissioner Robert McDowell toward the end the FCC Open Meeting. Quite a few people would have settled for "Let's let the meeting begin." Just 11 hours after the scheduled 9:30 am start time. The delay was apparently due to successful attempts to achieve a compromise on cellular telephone re-banding. The evening meeting brought unanimous approval of two items dealing with video services. The Commission extended for five more years the ban on exclusive contracts by vertically integrated video providers, which the FCC staff determined "continues to be necessary to preserve and protect competition. Also, In the key vote of the evening, the commissioners voted unanimously to authorize mandatory dual carriage of digital and analog broadcast signals, for at least three years after the DTV deadline of 2/17/09.
09/12/07 TVBR #178


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