| WGA Strike Central: Day 87 |
 CBS finds scripted series in Canada
CBS has ordered 13 episodes of "Flashpoint," the working title for a new police drama about an elite big city Strategic Response Unit (SRU). The WGA strike is not an obstacle because CBS is buying into a series already created for CTV, Canada's largest privately owned English network. The show is to begin airing later this year on both CTV and CBS. Production of the one-hour weekly drama is set to begin in April in Toronto. Flashpoint stars Enrico Colantoni, Hugh Dillon and David Paetkau. It was originally developed by CTV and Toronto-based Pink Sky Entertainment. For the series, Pink Sky has joined forces with Avamar Entertainment in association with CBS Paramount Network Television and CTV. Anne Marie La Traverse, founder of Pink Sky and a former executive producer at Alliance Atlantis, and Bill Mustos, founder of Avamar, and former drama chief at CTV, are executive producers. The series was created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern.
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TV News ®
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LIN reaches retrans agreement
KASA-TV (Ch. 2, Fox) Albuquerque was never pulled from Cable One systems, as threatened last month (1/14/07 TVBR #243), due to a last-minute interim agreement. Now LIN has come to terms with the cable MSO on a retransmission agreement to carry the station in both analog and HD. Of course, LIN did not disclose the terms of the hard-fought retrans agreement, but CEO Vincent Sadusky is a satisfied guy. "We are pleased with the outcome of our negotiations. Our stations are leaders in their markets and we've made substantial investments to bring our viewers high definition digital programming. The agreement reflects fair value to both parties and is in the best interest of the consumer," said Sadusky in a statement.
 Pediatricians ballistic
over ABC autistic episode
The plot of an upcoming episode of ABC's "Eli Stone" gives the impression that a child developed autism after being given a mercury-based vaccine. The medical establishment says that no such link has ever been demonstrated, and the fictional 5.2M in damages awarded to the fictional victims may be highly misleading to viewers facing their own real life choices about vaccinating their children. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is demanding that the episode, due to air 1/31/08, be cancelled. "A television show that perpetuates the myth that vaccines cause autism is the height of reckless irresponsibility on the part of ABC and its parent company, The Walt Disney Co.," said Renee R. Jenkins, MD, FAAP, president of the AAP. "If parents watch this program and choose to deny their children immunizations, ABC will share in the responsibility for the suffering and deaths that occur as a result. The consequences of a decline in immunization rates could be devastating the health of our nation's children." Jenkins wrote to ABC noting that mercury is not a common preservative ingredient of vaccines, and noted that an erroneous link between measles vaccine and autism in Great Britain led to a drop in parental use of vaccines, a spike in cases of measles and even to several childhood fatalities. According to Reuters, ABC has agreed to include a disclaimer at the beginning of the show noting that it is fictional, and at the end would refer viewers to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for further information on autism.
TVBR observation: One of the show's writers reportedly said that he agrees children should be vaccinated, and that viewers should watch the show and draw their own conclusions. To that we can only say a rousing "HUH?" The way to encourage vaccination is to suggest that the expected result is autism? When it comes to our own children, we will cast our lot with AAP, not ABC, in the firm belief that ABC is not offering consumers a rational choice but is rather encouraging a wrong choice. The show is supposed to be about a lawyer, not about obfuscating medical facts. Putting such facts out there will not be a proud moment for the business.
Analyst ranks thinned again
No, we're not recycling a story from yesterday. Today it's Credit Suisse that has dropped coverage of broadcasting stocks, bidding farewell to John Klim. That's five broadcast analysts pink-slipped in recent months, with a sixth gone because his coverage list was reworked. Klim's coverage list had included CBS, Citadel, Cox Radio, Emmis, Entercom, Radio One, Salem, Saga and Westwood One, along with Lamar and Clear Channel Outdoor in the outdoor advertising sector and a couple of other media-related stocks. There was no word on whether anyone at Credit Suisse might pick up any of them.
TVBR observation: Will anyone else get the boot? We can identify about 13 Wall Street analysts left who have some pure-play broadcasting stocks on their coverage list. Of those, only about three or four can be said to focus almost exclusively on radio, TV and outdoor. Are they confident that their employers are in for the long-haul in providing research on broadcasting stocks, including the particularly unpopular radio segment? Or should they be watching for an opportunity to shift to another sector if a position opens up? We certainly couldn't blame them for making such a move.
 ACLU decries FCC nanny play
The 1.4M+ the FCC is billing broadcasters for a 2003 episode of "NYPD Blue" has been roundly criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union, which considers it an "...egregious example of the government trying to decide what grown adults can and cannot watch." ACLU's Policy Council James Tucker said, "This is just another government attempt to trump our own good judgment and determine what we're mature enough to see. NYPD Blue aired well past the bedtime of most children - at 10:00pm in most markets. Only those affiliates that aired the program between the hours of 6:00-10:00pm would be subject to the fine, which just goes to show the fickle nature of the FCC's rules. By their logic, airing a shot of a bare behind at 10:30pm is fine, but the same shot at 9:30pm is worth millions in fines and penalties. It's also worth noting that ABC included a warning before NYPD Blue indicating that the program was intended for mature audiences only. Such warnings allow audiences to decide for themselves whether they want to see the content, or permit their children to see the content. Instead, the government is stepping in to chill free speech and the free expression of ideas by 'parenting the parents.'"
TVBR observation: It's nice to see somebody else say this stuff. Meanwhile, we saw somewhere that the FCC hullabaloo set off a massive nationwide Youtube search for the offending footage. So by shining its spotlight on the segment, representing no more than a parasite on a microbe of the totality of broadcast material in the four years since it originally aired, the FCC has helped bring it out of obscurity and into newfound celebrity, no doubt destroying the moral fiber of all who go on this indecent FCC-inspired scavenger hunt.
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| Wall Street Business Report TM |
 Clear Channel reiterates Q1 closing
The statement that the going private buyout is "expected to occur in the first quarter 2008" was repeated by Clear Channel yesterday as it announced plans to release its Q4 and full year 2007 results on Valentine's Day. But Wall Street is extremely nervous, with the stock price falling more than 10 bucks below the buyout price of 39.20 in yesterday's trading. Deep Q1 expense cutting by Clear Channel (1/28/08 TVBR #18) had traders again worried that Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital would be unable to find financing for the 26.7 billion bucks buyout, despite assurances from a top Lee official that the deal was still on track to close in Q1. But Wall Street was spooked again yesterday when another private equity buyout collapsed, with Blackstone Group telling Alliance Data Systems that it did not expect to complete a pending 7.8 billion buyout. Blackstone blamed unacceptable conditions it expected to be imposed by government regulators, but the view from Wall Street was that the private equity firm was just looking for an excuse to get out of the deal.
TVBR observation: Is this a sure thing or a craps shoot in Las Vegas? Clear Channel and its would-be buyers have done or said nothing to indicate that there is any problem with getting this deal closed. Rather, they have moved ahead methodically to get the ducks in a row for a closing by the end of March. But the market has priced the stock like this is a roll of the dice. You can now buy Clear Channel's stock at a price which will give you a return of over 33% in about two months with a buyout at 39.20 by the end of March. That's an annualized return of well over 100%. That's an incredible deal if you believe the deal will close as promised. Obviously, there are plenty of traders who think otherwise.
Analyst raises Saga estimates
Saga Communications gave Wall Street an early look at what to expect in its Q4 results and caused CL King analyst Jim Boyle to raise his estimates. The company said Q4 revenues would be in a range of 37.3-37.7 million. The company also announced a 30 million bucks increase in its stock buyback authorization, although Boyle notes that Saga has been a slow buyer of its own stock. The analyst notes that Saga is one of the most inexpensive radio stocks (yes, it has TV too, but is mostly radio), but that isn't making him recommend that clients buy the stock. "Saga is still in an out-of-favor sector, so even relatively better-than-expected results versus CL King and largely meeting the Street estimates should not be sufficiently impressive to investors, in our view," Boyle said in his latest research report.
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Ad Business Report TM
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GroupM reorganizes local buying
WPP's GroupM announced a reorganization of local broadcast buying units at its Mediaedge:cia, MediaCom, and MindShare media agencies. The announcement was made by GroupM Chief Investment Officer Rino Scanzoni. The plan calls for the local broadcast units at each of the three agencies to be consolidated into two separate teams called Team Matrix and Team Motion that will operate under the GroupM banner. This follows similar client-focused philosophies as with WPP's Team Detroit, catering specifically to Ford Motor Media. Each team will operate independently of each other with separate personnel and management, as well as separate office space, in order to provide a clear separation of conflicting accounts while also recognizing the regional needs of specific clients. Team Matrix will have offices in NYC, Atlanta, Chicago and LA. Team Motion will operate out of offices in NYC, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, LA and San Francisco. Ellen Drury has joined GroupM from her role as SVP/Director of Local TV and Radio Investments, at Optimedia U.S. to serve as president of Team Matrix; Rebecca Rogers, currently director of local automotive broadcast in Mediaedge:cia's Irvine, CA office, was named president of Team Motion. Both will be based in New York and will report to Scanzoni. The reorg will be phased in over the next several months and is not expected to be fully operational until mid-summer. Until that time, all three local broadcast units at the individual GroupM operating units will remain fully functional.
Nancy Hill named AAAAs CEO
Nancy Hill. 49, has been named President and CEO of The American Association of Advertising Agencies, replacing O. Burtch Drake. Hill most recently served as CEO of Lowe NY, where she led an open-source agency reorganization and oversaw the launch of Lola (Lowe Latina) in the US. Previously, she was EVP/managing director, at BBDO New York. Drake, who has served as president and CEO of the AAAA since 1994, will retire 3/31, the end of the Association's fiscal year. Hill becomes the ninth AAAA CEO since the association was founded in 1917.
DDB Worldwide wins Unilever Ice Cream brands
Unilever has awarded its US ice cream brands, including Breyers, Klondike, Popsicle and Good Humor to DDB Worldwide. In addition to the US win, DDB also won both the global Heartbrand ice cream accounts and the Unilever dessert brands in global markets. In total, DDB will work on approximately half of Unilever's global ice cream portfolio which represents half of the marketing spend. The agency's first work will appear in 2009.
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| TVBR News Analysis |
 All night long
"We are considering requiring that licensees maintain a physical presence at each radio broadcasting facility during all hours of operation." So says the FCC as it considers its wide-ranging spectrum of proposals to promote broadcast localism. It's interesting to think about this. We were just thinking about how, back in the day here in Washington, it was great to know that WMAL's Bill Mayhugh was out there during the wee hours of the morning. It didn't seem to matter what your taste in music was - the odds were that whatever he played wasn't likely to be in your wheelhouse if, like us, you were quite a bit younger than he - he still was a comforting presence as you drove through town late or pulled a graveyard shift somewhere in the market.
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| Media Markets & Money TM |
Journal eclipses Mirage in California desert
Milwaukee's own Journal Communications has closed on a second signal in the Palm Springs CA market. It already has NBC KMIR-TV there; now it has added a low powered little sister, KPSE-LP, which carries MyNetworkTV fare. Kalil & Co. handled brokerage chores for the 4.7M transaction. Journal's Doug Kiel noted that Palm Springs is expected to enjoy a 16% population growth spurt over the next five years, making it a good place to invest. The seller was Mirage Media, headed by Billy Williams.
TVBR observation: We suspect that Palm Springs is well short of the number of broadcast television stations necessary to support a duopoly. However, the duopoly rules only apply to full power signals. As far as the FCC is concerned, there is no problem whatsoever marrying a full power television station to an LPTV or Class A. KPSE-LP has the cachet of a national network affiliation, and even if it is one of the new kids on the block, it is a program stream that likely wouldn't get into a small market any other way. All Journal has to do is get it on the local MVPD services and they're good to go.
NBC O&O division buys LX.TV
NBC Local Media, the division of NBC Universal that operates its local O&O television stations, has acquired LX.TV, describes as a "leading producer of local entertainment programming. Terems were not disclosed, but NBC Local Media President John Wallace says LX-TV will produce cultural and lifestyle programming for the numerous local media platforms operated by the O&Os. "This is a significant investment in our Local Media Division," said Wallace. "As we continue to grow our business outside of the traditional television space, one of our priorities has been to increase our local content production, with a particular focus on lifestyle and cultural programming. We worked with LX.TV on several projects at WNBC, and their understanding of the local marketplace and what appeals to the young urban audience - not just in New York, but beyond - makes them a great fit for our division," he said. LX.TV, which began distributing its local entertainment content exclusively online, moved into broadcasting when its New York real estate show "OpenHouseNYC" began airing on NBC O&O WNBC-TV (Ch. 4) NYC in January 2007. Since then, WNBC has also added the New York lifestyle show "LX.TV 1st Look" to its programming lineup.
Landmark moving to sell TV stations
Landmark Communications says it has completed the strategic review of its broadcasting assets and has decided to sell its two television stations, KLAS-TV (Ch. 8, CBS) Las Vegas and KTVF-TV (Ch 5, CBS) Nashville. The company did not say how close it is to a deal to sell either of them or anything about pricing. Landmark announced early this month that it was reviewing all of its businesses and might sell all or parts of the company (1/4/08 TVBR #2). No word yet on whether or not Landmark will part with its crown jewel, The Weather Channel and its associated weather.com, believed to be worth around five billion bucks.
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| Washington Business Report TM |
 Gimme shelter to go with the flow
H.R. 2102 has been passed by the House of Representatives back in October, and now the NAB wants the Senate to perform the same service for S. 2035. The codes refer to the "Free Flow of Information Act," and NAB President/CEO David K/ Rehr has fired off a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry asking that the measure be brought to the Senate floor for a vote. The bill would provide a reporter's shield, allowing them to protect anonymous sources when necessary with certain special exceptions. Most states have such a shield on the books, and there has been a strong bipartisan effort to get a federal shield on the books as well. Rehr noted that it cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee with a bipartisan 15-4.
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| Cable Business Report TM |
Backhand trifecta for Michigan cable
Howard & Howard Attorneys PC have put together a study of Michigan wireline MVPDs called the"Cable Competition Index," a new survey introduced a year after the state opened up franchising regulations to allow rapid deployment of telco competitors to the mature cable business. After one year, H&H says very little has changed, for the good, anyway. Attorney Jon Kreucher summed it up, saying "Unfortunately, cable companies scored the triple-play last year: Very poor levels of new competition, exceptionally bad levels of customer service, and prices that often increased ten times faster than the national consumer price index for other forms of recreation." The firm, which has practiced law in the cable arena for almost 30 years, said that telcos have made it to but 110 of 2,000 Michigan communities, and that just about the same ratio, one out of 20, describes how many Michigan citizens have a choice of one or the other. "That means that the vast majority of our state's residents will probably be waiting for cable competition for a very long time," Kreucher observed.
TVBR observation: Let us, as broadcasters, step back for a moment and be thankful that our business model does not involve sending a billing statement to our audience every month. As consumers, we could tell when our cable subscription observed another anniversary recently when predictably, the bill shot straight up again. And when a broadcast signal is interrupted - which by the way almost never seems to happen - it is a worst an annoyance. When our cable service is disrupted, it feels like we are being charged beaucoup bucks for nothing. Other businesses send us bills every month, but we don't seem to punish them the same way we do MVPDs. So pity the poor cable MSO. They've been fighting and losing the PR wars ever since the business moved into the HBO era, especially on the service front. And John McCain (R-AZ) recites what is almost becoming a prose poem about rising rates just about every April. All we can say is better them than us.
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| Entertainment Business Report TM |
 Marie Osmond signed for talker
Program Partners announced a deal to have Marie Osmond host a new entertainment/lifestyle TV talk show. It's name? "Marie." The hour-long talker is set for syndication beginning in Fall 2009. "I've always wanted to do a show for women that would offer them a safe place to have some fun and get vital information. 'Marie' will truly reflect my personality - funny, sometimes serious and never predictable," said Osmond as the deal was announced at NATPE in Las Vegas. "Marie Osmond is unique in this industry. She is a star with an authenticity that makes her relatable to every woman in America," said Josh Raphaelson of Program Partners.
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| Internet Business Report TM |
Endemol USA, Metacafe to launch online ''Buzzed''
Endemol USA, with franchises such as Deal or No Deal, Big Brother and 1 vs. 100, and Metacafe, a video entertainment site, announced a programming partnership to produce "Buzzed," a new online late-night game show. The hilarious interactive series will showcase nightclub and bar patrons answering a series of trivia questions as they leave popular late-night hotspots throughout the country. Available exclusively on Metacafe, Buzzed will showcase impromptu, man-on-the-street interviews between the show's host and contestants. With questions ranging from pop culture to general trivia, contestants will be awarded a cash prize for every correct answer. Contestants will also have the opportunity to "drunk dial" a friend to help answer one question, if necessary. Slated to launch across the U.S. this spring, Buzzed is now in pre-production, with film crews to hit late-night hotspots in cities such as New York, Chicago, Miami, Boston, San Francisco and elsewhere. Buzzed sponsorships are now being developed with brands interested in leveraging short-form video entertainment to build awareness and engagement among the target audience of viewers age 21+. Sponsorship packages include product integration and prizing opportunities in addition to standard video and interactive ad units.
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| Ratings & Research |
"American Idol" annihilates the competition
So long as "American Idol" is on the air, it's pretty much a given that Fox will be the ratings winner. Even in Super Bowl week, since Fox has that broadcast as well this year. The Tuesday and Wednesday editions of Idol were #1 and #2 last week, followed by the new Fox reality show "Moment of Truth." In Household ratings, Fox was on top with a 6.9 rating and 11 share, followed by CBS at 6.1/10, NBC 5.1/8, ABC 4.4/7, Univision 1.9/3, CW 1.3/2, MyNetworkTV 0.8/1, Telemundo ).7/1, Ion 0.4/1, TeleFutura 0.3/1 and Azteca America 0.1/0. Fox smashed the competition in the 18-49 demo, with NBC a distant second, followed by a CBS/ABC tie, Univision, CW, a tie by MyNetworkTV and Telemundo, TeleFutura, Ion and Azteca America.
| Here are the week's top 20 shows |
 Consumers opt for quality time with loved ones Valentine's gifts
As cupid prepares for his biggest day of the year, consumers are also planning special ways to celebrate with their loved ones. According to the National Retail Federation's 2008 Valentine's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, the average consumer plans to spend 122.98 on Valentine's Day, similar to last year's 119.67. Total spend on Valentine's Day is expected to reach 17.02 billion. Traditional gifts, such as candy, flowers and jewelry will see a slight decrease in popularity this year with more consumers preferring gifts of experience and gift cards. Almost half (48.2%) of all consumers plan to celebrate Valentine's Day with a special night out, compared to 45.3% last year, and 12.3% will give a gift card, compared to 11.3% last year. Greeting cards still remain the most popular choice, though the number of people planning to purchase one is down from last year (56.8% vs. 62.8% last year). Nearly 48.0% of consumers will buy candy, 35.9 will buy flowers and 11.8% will buy clothing.
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| This Week in Time |
 We know where we are today reading TVBR but how did we get here? TVBR's weekly business brief gives a quick scan on where radio has been.
Visit our website to review the history,
read our archives at TVBR.com
4 years ago -- 2004, Issue 16
Analyst sees CBS passing NBC 18-49. All eyes turn to New Hampshire. How Television stocks fared: TV stocks mixed in down market as blue chips suffered small losses. Disney 24.05, Journal Communications 19.75, Media General 64.14, Sinclair 14.25.
3 years ago -- 2005, Issue 21
Tribune broadcast flat in Q4; Jan. pacings down. How Television stocks fared: Stocks end down on mixed news. Word of a mega-merger of P&G and Gillette cheered stock traders on Friday, but... Disney 28.23, Journal Communications 17.10, Media General 62.83, Sinclair 8.11.
2 years ago -- 2006, Issue 20
Early start for 2006 political season. How Television stocks fared: Wall Street welcomes GDP report. Word that GDP growth was less than expected cheered Wall Street traders.. Disney 25.08, Journal Communications 12.95, Media General 48.69, Sinclair 8.17.
1 year ago -- 2007, Issue 19
Boardroom battle brewing at Tribune. TVBR observation: While some other large shareholders might also want to see new faces.. How Television stocks fared: A mixed finish to the week. Bargain hunters stepped in after stock prices fell. Disney 34.55, Journal Communications 13.30, Media General 39.68, Sinclair 11.93.
TVBR note: For stock prices see below.
Archived issues located at www.TVBR.com
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| Stock Talk |
A good news day
Stocks rose on a day with plenty of good news: durable goods orders were better than expected in December and the US House of Representatives passed the stimulus bill. Of course, the big hope is for more good news today - that the Fed will announce another rate cut this afternoon. The Dow Industrials rose 96 points, or 0.8%, to 12,480.
TV stocks were generally higher. The TVBR Television Index gained 1.175, or 1.3%, to 94.538. Young shot up 11.6%, but still remains well below a buck. ACME gained 9.3%.
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| Stocks |
Here's how stocks fared on Tuesday
| Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
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Acme*
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ACME
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2.82
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+0.24
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Journal Comm.
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JRN
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 |
8.22
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+0.13
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Belo*
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BLC
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17.09
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+0.09
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Lincoln Natl.
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LNC
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54.70
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+1.99
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| CBS CI. B* |
CBS |
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25.03
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+0.31
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LIN TV*
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TVL
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12.10
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-0.13
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| CBS CI. A |
CBSa |
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25.00
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+0.30
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McGraw-Hill
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MHP
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41.66
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-0.13
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Clear Channel
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CCU
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29.17
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-2.25
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Media General
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MEG
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20.30
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-0.43
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Disney
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DIS
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28.80
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-0.57
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Meredith
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MDP
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46.61
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-0.65
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Emmis
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EMMS
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2.75
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-0.11
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News Corp.
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NWS
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19.81
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+0.22
|
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Entravision*
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EVC
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6.88
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-0.05
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Nexstar*
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NXST
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7.41
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-0.25
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| Equity Media* |
EMDA |
|
3.19 |
-0.06 |
Ion Media
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ION
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1.43
|
+0.03
|
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Fisher*
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FSCI
|
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32.64
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-0.29
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Saga Commun.
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SGA
|
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5.90
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+0.12
|
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Gannett
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GCI
|
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37.34
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-0.14
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SBS
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SBSA
|
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1.79
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-0.05
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Gen. Electric
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GE
|
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34.76
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+0.04
|
Scripps
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SSP
|
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40.72
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+0.64
|
| Google |
GOOG |
|
550.52
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-5.46
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Sinclair*
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SBGI
|
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9.61
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+0.22
|
|
Gray*
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GTN
|
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7.65
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-0.21
|
Time Warner
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TWX
|
|
15.23
|
-0.02
|
|
Gray, C1. A
|
GTNa
|
|
8.66
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+0.12
|
Wash. Post
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WPO
|
|
746.60
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+8.30
|
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Hearst-Argyle*
|
HTV
|
|
21.23
|
+0.11
|
Young*
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YBTVA
|
|
0.77
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+0.08
|
*Component of the TVBR Television Index
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Bounceback
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 We want to
hear from you.
This is your column, so send your comments and
a photo to tvnews@rbr.com
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Below the Fold
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TVBR News Analysis
Localism, All night long
FCC considers its wide-ranging spectrum of proposals to promote broadcast localism....
Cable Business Report
Backhand trifecta
For Michigan cable. Let us, as broadcasters, step back for a moment and be thankful...
Entertainment Business Report
Marie Osmond signed for talker
Well getting her own show called Marie set for 2009...
Ratings & Research
"American Idol"
Annihilates the competition...
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Stations for Sale
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 Market your Stations For Sale
in our daily epapers.
Contact
Jim Carnegie
jcarnegie@rbr.com
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TV Media Moves
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 Bravo for Berwick
Frances Berwick has been named to the newly-created position of General Manager, Bravo Media. She had been EVP, Programming & Production. In addition to continued oversight of all programming and production, Berwick will expand her responsibilities to include the marketing division, which encompasses all advertising campaigns, on and off-air promotions, integrated consumer marketing, as well as the creative vision and direction for the cable network owned by NBC Universal.
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More News Headlines
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VCI Solutions upgrades autoXe MC
VCI Solutions announced the latest release of their autoXe MC automation system is the 'Real Deal' and is now available. autoXe MC eliminates the need for manual automation and enables automated content life cycle management. The key component that differentiates autoXe MC from other automation systems is that the operator can manage 1, 15, 50 or more channels with one workstation, in one screen, using monitor by exception. In addition, all metadata is housed in one database, allowing multiple users access at the same time without the need for any dedicated workstations.
Nielsen: local radio tops for African American ad spend
In its first 12-month analysis of ad spending on media outlets that reach African American consumers, The Nielsen Company reported spending from 10/1/06- 9/30/07 totaled 2.3 billion. The analysis covers over 22,000 national, regional and local advertisers, across 130+ media vehicles. Nielsen Monitor-Plus tracked Local Radio, National Magazine, National Cable TV, Network TV and Syndication TV. Local Radio reported the greatest amount of spending on African American targeted media at 805 million dollars, comprising 35% of total spend. National Cable TV reported the largest ad growth with 14.5% during this period. This growth is the result of a number of factors including: Year over year growth for BET, the inclusion of TV One in the Nielsen Monitor-Plus service as of 1/07, as well as a number of high profile TV programs such as "House of Payne" on TBS, "Being Bobby Brown" on Bravo, "Flavor of Love" on VH1, and "Making the Band" on MTV.
Syndication TV reported 102.4 million dollars in ad spend for programs that have a 50% or greater composition of African American audiences, and that's down year over year. Syndication is made up of a good mix of both established off-network programs such as "The Bernie Mac Show," "One on One" and "Girlfriends" as well original syndication programming, like "Judge Mathis" and "Showtime at the Apollo." Network TV at 193.3 million dollars saw a consolidation of UPN and WB into the new CW network. The Top Network TV shows based on total ad revenue are: "Girlfriends," Everybody Hates Chris," "The Game," and "All of Us" on the CW, as well as "Watch Over Me" on MNT. With 89.7 million in spending, P&G is the largest advertiser targeting African Americans. McDonald's is second with 37.7 million, followed by Johnson and Johnson with 36.1 million. Collectively, the Top 25 Advertisers spent a total of 681.0 million. Five auto makers are in the top 25 advertisers across all African American media: GM (35.8 million), Chrysler (28.2 million), Ford (25.9 million), Nissan (22.1 million) and Toyota (21.7 million).
Malone-Diller battle gets down and dirty
The lawyers are having a field day with what is now a fight over control of IAC/InterActive Corporation. John Malone's Liberty Media has sued to toss out most of the directors of IAC and revoke IAC CEO Barry Diller's right to vote Liberty's IAC stock. In response, a statement from Diller and IAC call Malon's action "preposterous" and say Liberty "has gone off the deep end." Miller is fit to be tied that Diller is proposing to spin-off four new companies from IAC with each having a single class of voting stock, thus eliminating Liberty Media's theoretical voting control (1/28/08 TVBR #18). We say theoretical because Diller holds the proxy to vote those super-voting shares owned by Liberty. Now Liberty has filed a court action which, if successful, would strip Diller of that proxy and even his seat on the IAC board. Liberty's lawsuit also seeks to unseat Diller's wife, Diane Von Furstenberg, and five other IAC directors: Edgar Bronfman Jr., Victor Kaufman, Arthur Martinez, Steven Rattner and Alan Spoon. According to IAC and Diller, the previous round of lawsuits over whether or not IAC has the right to establish a single class of voting stock for the spin-offs was a "well intentiond effort at peaceful resolution," but that now "Liberty has now gone off the deep end, not only alleging that Mr. Diller has somehow materially breached his proxy by which he has voted Liberty's IAC shares for over 12 years, but also purporting to unilaterally throw out the incumbent directors and installing its own slate."
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TVBR Radar 2008
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Television News you won't read any where else. TVBR--First, Accurate, and Independently Owned.
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WGA Strike Central, Day 86
Carat on strike: "Are TV fans tuning in or dropping out?"
To gain a better understanding of consumers' media habits and attitudes as a result of the strike, Carat fielded an online survey of 1,000 primetime TV viewers. The findings shed light on the fact that fans are not deserting TV, but people are shifting their viewing patterns.
TVBR note: Carat's analysis for TVBR in this report.
01/29/08 TVBR #19
WGA to write for Grammys
The WGA announced an interim agreement with the producers of the 50th Grammy Awards-adding to what it guaranteed last week during the new AMPTP negotiations--it will not picket the ceremony.
TVBR observation: This is very promising news. It shows both sides are changing their tone during these critical negotiations. The good will is flowing, and a new contract is likely to be had soon, at least under these friendly conditions. Fingers crossed!
01/29/08 TVBR #19
One less broadcast analyst
Yet another radio and TV stock analyst has gotten his pink slip. Bank of America is the latest Wall Street firm to decide it can do without anyone covering broadcasting stocks and has bid adieu to Jonathan Jacoby, as well as folks covering a couple of other media sectors. Jacoby had been with BofA since May 2003.
RBR observation: RBR readers know that we had quoted Jacoby's research pieces frequently, so we will miss sharing his views with you. His email notifying us of his departure from BofA expressed the hope that this will be a short "respite" before he resumes his dialogue with us about stocks. We hope that's the case, but it certainly looks like a tough time to be finding anyone hiring media analysts on Wall Street. Last word, analysts have been forecasting negative growth in radio and TV for a number of years and in many ways their research did them in. RBR will not be surprised to see more pink at this level of Wall Street once Clear Channel and Cumulus close their deals.
01/29/08 RBR #19
WGA Strike Central, Day 85
Daytime ratings down this season
Even before effects of WGA strike are felt, Live program ratings for network daytime are down this season at a critical juncture as drama programming transitions to scripts written mostly by non-members of the Writers Guild. On average, the three networks are down double digits this season versus year ago, and this is before we see any possible effects on dramatic storylines due to non-union scripts
01/28/08 TVBR #18
ABC stations fined
1.4M for bare buns
It took the FCC five years to decide that a February 25, 2003 episode of "NYPD Blue" broadcast on ABC Television was indecent, but late Friday the Commission announced plans to fine two ABC O&Os and 50 affiliates a total of 1,430,000 bucks because the program showed the bare buttocks of a woman as a young boy was depicted as entering a bathroom and discovering the woman nude as she was about to enter the shower.
TVBR observation: This is going to be a really tough one for the FCC to defend in court, so here is some free legal advice for the Commission's lawyers. First, make certain the judge has no access to a dictionary. This is absolutely critical to upholding your position that a buttock is a "sexual organ." Secondly, don't let the judge find out how arbitrary, vague and inconsistent your indecency standard has been over the past several decades. And finally, make sure he/she doesn't learn that not a single one of the complainants actually saw the broadcast, as they certified to the FCC. The monitoring sites for these zealot groups are in the Eastern time zone where the broadcast was within the safe harbor. But they ginned up complaints via email blasts that got followers to lie to the FCC and claim that they had viewed the broadcast in the Central and Mountain time zones.
01/28/08 TVBR #18
Clear Channel orders
deep cuts as recession looms
Clear Channel Radio CEO John Hogan sent out an email Friday ordering all VPs, GMs and Business Managers to make immediate cost cuts to curtail Q1 expenses. This follows RBR's recent report on how soft national sales pacings were early in the quarter (1/23/08 RBR #15). Apparently the shortfall is deep and wide for Clear Channel as management struggles to keep profits up in preparation for the going private buyout.
RBR observation: For a company that had already long ago cut expenses to the bone, further cuts could very likely create opportunities for competitors to increase audience and/or revenue share. But with the economy sliding into recession, it's not clear that very many will have the resources to grow as the radio industry giant shrinks. It will be hard to ramp up promotions and hire more sales people at a time when, in many cases, flat revenues will be seen as good news. For Hogan and his bosses, Mark and Randall Mays, the top priority right now is getting the Clear Channel buyout across the finish line. The stars appear to be in alignment, but anything that knocks the Q1 financial numbers severely off-course could be disastrous.
Read the email at RBR.com
Hedge fund wants board seats at
Media General, NY Times
Harbinger Capital Partners has made good on its threat to try to place directors of its own choosing on the board at Media General (1/21/08 TVBR #13). The hedge fund has formally filed to nominate Eugene I. Davis, F. Jack Liebau Jr. and J. Daniel Sullivan to stand for election at the annual shareholders meeting set for April 24th - presumably opposing candidates nominated by company management. The New York Times Company also announced that it has received word from Harbinger that it plans to nominate four candidates for that board.
TVBR observation: Harbinger cannot be anything more than an irritant on the board in either company, since both have two-tiered voting structures that guarantee voting control for the founding family. That is the Bryan family at Media General and the Ochs-Sulzberger family at the New York Times Company.
01/28/08 TVBR #18
WGA Strike Central, Day 82
Andy Donchin on WGA strike fallout; NBC moves
Andy Donchin, Carat Americas Director of Broadcast Buying, spoke out about the latest issued surrounding the WGA strike and what fallout it has caused-including the recent statements from NBCU CEO Jeff Zucker that NBC will not be doing any upfront presentations and has all but cut funding for pilots. The one-on-one in this report of TVBR.
01/25/08 TVBR #17
Form for substance?
The FCC's "Standardized Television Disclosure Form" is officially available, and it's a doozy. We clock it in at eight pages. It asks for all kind of information. What market are you in? Are you a network affiliate? Publicly owned? Independent? Commercial/noncommercial? It asks for information on primary and non-primary programming streams, the amount of time weekly for different types of programming, and how much is in high-definition. Go to TVBR.com to see the entire form
TVBR observation: This form is going to be a great deal of fun to keep up to date. And we can see where it would be fun to go to a station's public file and dig into this stuff, especially for the watchdog community. It may not be a bad thing for every station, either.
01/25/08 TVBR #17
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TVBR Classifieds
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Sales & Special Events Coordinator
Bow Tie Cinemas, a fast-growing, family owned cinema chain seeks energetic, detail oriented and organized individual to manage group sales, special events, house rentals. Must have excellent communication, multi-tasking and follow-up skills. Base salary, attractive commissions and benefits. To send resume and salary requirements via email see -
TV Careers
Hard finding that key person
to fill the important position at your organization? TVBR Classifieds, Results with Service. Contact April McLynn at classifieds@rbr.com
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