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Volume 21, Issue 217, Jim Carnegie, Editor & Publisher
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Friday Morning November 5th, 2004
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TV News®
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Sinclair: No such thing as bad publicity
The fallout from "POW Story," Sinclair Broadcast Group's controversial pre-election documentary, was not the financial disaster many predicted, according to company executives. In fact, local news operations are said to have benefited from the company's high profile jaunt through the mainstream news. Two Davids, Smith and Amy, took part in a conference call, where they characterized the value of the "POW Story" incident, saying it was "...probably worth tens of millions of dol!ars." They were a major topic of G. Gordon Liddy's radio show for days on end, and were all over the major networks and newspapers. Because of that, many viewers sampled their news programs, and many are sticking with them. That said, they were disturbed by the mischaracterization by the press of their program, which many reported would consist of a showing of "Stolen Honor" in its entirety, followed by a panel discussion. Looking ahead at ownership dereg and the M&A market, they do not expect much to change in the near future, noting that this has never seemed to be a high priority for the Bush administration. Although Bush is obviously on the dereg side, this is not an area in which he has demonstrated much personal interest, and most of the action now is in the courts rather than within the FCC. They said they have retained Bear Stearns to shop around some television stations that do not fit into the group's long term plans. Political advertising kept the company in the black this year. Deducting all of it produces a net Q3 loss of about 6%. However, if the 50% rule is applied, taking into account that some of those spots would have gone to traditional advertisers, SBG was flat to slightly down.
 TVBR observation:
Is there an election indecency factor?
There has been speculation in the press, notably up to and including the Wall Street Journal, that the tenor and enforcement of indecency regulations may hang in the balance, depending on who won the presidency. We now know who won, but we don't know the fallout. But we don't think anything was hanging in the balance at all. Part of the indecency argument hinges on the possible elevation to the Commission chair of Michael Copps, should Kerry have won. That was never a foregone conclusion to begin with, and regardless, it probably doesn't matter anyway. Yes, it's true that Copps was the first to make indecency a driving issue, and has been the loudest voice on the topic, and has consistently opposed even some of the largest indecency fines ever imposed because they haven't been severe enough. Truth told, he wants a license revocation in his scalp belt. Nevertheless, the Republicans on the Commission and on Capitol Hill are just as eager to take up the fight against indecent programming as are any Democrats. It is truly a bipartisan issue, with a few lonely fans of the First Amendment on the Hill, and nobody in the Commission, putting up token resistance to efforts to clamp down on the indecent. The legislative process has continually saddled anti-indecency measures with excess baggage throughout 2004. That is the only thing which has kept a fine increase up to 500K per egregious offense from becoming the law of the land. Look for Congress to make it the law in 2005, if not sooner in its upcoming lame duck session.
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Murdoch eyes new business channel
CNNfn is about to become history (10/29/04 TVBR Daily Epaper #212), but that doesn't mean that NBC Universal's CNBC is going to have the business news network business all to itself for long. In his conference call this week, News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch confirmed that he is looking at starting a financial news channel under the Fox brand. Since such a new venture would be able to share a lot of the overhead and structure of Fox News Channel, Murdoch said it could be launched very quickly. He said talks are beginning with the MSOs on distribution. Of course, the proposed financial network would be able to instantly go nationwide via one distribution system - - DirecTV, which is now controlled by News Corporation.
 Viacom to bid for MarketWatch
Viacom has confirmed in an SEC filing that it will be bidding to buy MarketWatch Inc., which has hired an investment banker to solicit bids. Viacom's interest was expected, since MarketWatch operates the CBS MarketWatch website and Viacom already owns about 22% of the company's stock. MarketWatch's other big shareholder, also at about 22%, is Pearson Plc. Several other companies are also expected to bid, or at least consider bidding, including Dow Jones and Yahoo!
Competitors expect gains from "Less is More"
Clear Channel's "Less is More" initiative is emerging as a hot topic on the quarterly conference calls of every radio group - - and they're all telling Wall Street that the move is going to give a boost to the entire industry, not just Clear Channel. At Citadel Broadcasting, COO Judy Ellis told analysts that her company won't be changing its inventory loads, but rather will be making sure that managers don't bend the rules to add spots. CEO  Farid Suleman also applauded the Clear Channel move, with the caveat that moving more advertisers to 30-second spots will only be a plus if stations really get 75% of the price of a 60. At Cumulus Media, CEO Lew Dickey said his company hasn't yet seen advertisers moving to 30s, but he's convinced that will change as Clear Channel pushes the idea - - so Cumulus is getting ready by including two 30s as the first spots in each stop set.
TVBR observation: For a company that used to be vilified by its competitors for being the rate whore that was dragging everyone else down, the "Less is More" initiative has really turned around Clear Channel's image in the radio industry. Now the key is to really make the inventory limits stick and put some rate integrity back into radio. The whole radio industry is watching to see if the notorious sinner has really gotten religion. Although the impact will be less direct, radio's attempt to cut clutter and boost rates should be good news for TV as well, helping to put some upward pressure on rates across the media landscape as TV stations again have more open inventory following the election cycle. Industry leaders are trying every way to make and push the positive of 'Less is More' and for the radio business future we trust it works or these words may be true spoken by WW II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient, Major Gregory 'Pappy' Boyington once said, "Just name a hero and I'll prove he's a bum." Take heed as we all have to make this work.
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| Conference Calls Q3 2004 |
Political income keeps SBG's head above water
For Sinclair Broadcast Group, in Q3 2004, net broadcast revenues were up 1.8% to 164.2M bucks. Operating income was 39.1M a decrease of 6.2%. Diluted income per share was up a penny. YTD, net income is up 2.8% to 502.4M bucks. Operating income is down 3.7% to 122.6M, and diluted shares are up 22 cents. Commenting on the controversial times experience by SBG in recent weeks, President/CEO David Smith said, "We thank our many advertisers, investors and viewers who stood with Sinclair during the past several weeks and who did not rush to pre-judge our news special, `A POW Story.' Sinclair and its news operations can only be characterized as the poster child for a free and independent press. It is unfortunate that our news special became the means by which certain political groups tried to stifle the First Amendment rights of others. We are gratified that in the final analysis, the public made its own determination and responded positively to our program. We are committed to presenting the issues of the day in a truthful manner that earns the trust of all our viewers." Looking ahead, the company is expecting Q4 growth of 4.6%-4.9%, with improved performance at its ABC affiliates will help make up for continued weakness in the automotive category.
 Up, up and away at Entravision
Hispanic radio/TV group Entravision produced significant revenue growth in Q3 2004, driving net revenue up 9%, broadcast cash flow up 19%, EBITDA up 22%, and free cash flow up 56%. Those four numbers are also reflective of YTD performance, which is only slightly lower: 8%, 17%, 16% and 48% respectively. "Our third quarter revenue growth was among the strongest in the media industry, highlighting the exceptionally strategic positioning of our assets in serving the nation's Hispanic population," said Chairman/CEO Walter Ulloa. Looking ahead, he said, "As we grow our business, we will continue to review potential expansion opportunities in new markets, while ensuring that we are in an optimal position in each of our current markets to drive market share growth and financial returns. Given our diversified asset base in the nation's most densely populated Hispanic markets and our improving operating fundamentals, we remain very well positioned to drive shareholder value." Pro forma net revenue breakdowns for Q3 included a 13% gain for TV, a 7% gain for radio and an 8% gain for outdoor. It's looking for another 8%-89% gain in Q4, with radio overtaking outdoor as its second fastest growing segment.
Gray lady up
Politics were good to Gray Television, driving broadcast revenues up 22%, net income up 112% and EBITDA up 37%. The company took in 12M in political advertising in Q3. Take it away, and it still picked up 5% in local advertising. YTD, the numbers respectively are 17%, 131%, 32%, 20.9M and 9%. Gray buying Gray was a major activity, as it picked up 1.5M of its own shares, for 18.9M bucks, between 8/12/04 and 11/1.04. The company is looking for a 17% gain in broadcast operating revenue for Q4, bringing the full year gain to 25% Total operating revenue is expected to be up 14% in Q4 and 21% for the year.
 Univision revenues shoot up 21%
Yes, that's the pro forma figure, including the former Hispanic Broadcasting in the comparison. Univision's Q3 pro forma revenues were up a whopping 21% to 477.4 million, with net income up 67% to 73.4 million. On a historical basis, revenues were up 49% and net income 74%. There were big gains across both the TV and radio divisions of the nation's largest Spanish broadcasting company.
Mac Tichenor, President of Univision Radio, told investors that the company's cross-platform strategy is paying off. In addition to getting a two point boost from integrated sales, he said the company's AM radio network got another couple of points from sharing resources with Univision's TV news operation. That's just the beginning, and Tichenor says cross-platform advantages will continue to boost Univision's growth. Television revenues were up 16% to 328.1 million. The company noted that its Univision Network broadcast 49 of the top 50 programs watched in Hispanic households, regardless of language preference, in Q3. Locally, its stations were #1 in primetime for adults 18-49 among all stations in Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Fresno and Bakersfield and tied for first in Miami. At the newer TeleFutura Network, audience numbers were up 22% in primetime for the 18-49 demo. Radio revenues were up 10% to 89.9 million, which Tichenor noted compared to 1% for the radio industry. Political spending was up significantly, although he said the Spanish radio giant still isn't getting its fair share of campaign spending. Also driving growth were financial, grocery story, beverage, telephone/cellular, medical services and household products.
Nexstar Q3 up 13% from last year
Nexstar Broadcasting Group's reported Q3 total net revenue was 59.9 million, an increase of 13.3% over 2003 Q3 net revenue of 52.9 million. That was in line with Nexstar's lowered guidance issued October 5th for an increase of 12%-13%. The company said political spending was strong, but not as heavy as originally anticipated. | More... |
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Adbiz©
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OMD, Office Depot, CC Katz Advantage, Premiere launching Trumped sweepstakes
Office Depot announced it has teamed with OMD, Clear Channel Katz Advantage and Premiere Radio Networks to implement the company's latest promotion aimed at small business customers - - the "Office Depot Trumped! In New York Sweepstakes." The national promotion, which kicks off 11/7 and runs to 11/26 in more than 900 Office Depot stores across the country, offers Office Depot shoppers the opportunity to win a Donald Trump-themed first class trip to New York City. | More... |
TV pay-per-call ad trend revealed for 2005
Beware: Many advertisers who use Internet performance-based programs are turning to other media channels wanting similar guarantees. Television's largest broker of performance-based advertising sees significant changes for its industry in 2005. "New advertisers are discovering pay-per-call on television," says Joseph Gray, a 15-year veteran of television advertising and CEO of RevShare. "And they're experiencing tremendous efficiency and volume that mediums like direct response television can provide in comparison to what have become saturated and overly competitive Internet pay-per-click models." | More... |
Comcast Cable looks at five agencies
Adweek reports Comcast Cable has narrowed the list of contenders in the review for creative chores on its national ad account to five: The Richards Group Dallas, Deutsch, Marina del Rey, CA, Goodby Silverstein & Partners San Francisco, TBWA\Chiat\Day NY and DDB NY. Red Tettemer in Philadelphia is the incumbent. Comcast spent nearly 120 million in measured media last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR.
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January 2005 Debut!
Radio & Television
Business Report
Look for RBR/TVBR in-depth RAB & TVB ad chiefs forecasts revisited: What they said in 2004. Were they were Right or Wrong?
What Radio & TV need to overcome in 2005
Where do they stand on People Meter?
GM Talkback
Examining the Sarbanes-Oxley Act with
Bill Moll, President/CEO,
CC Television
Joe Barlek, SVP\Controller,
Susquehanna Radio
Ed Piette, CBS's KCCO-TV Minneapolis
AdBiz
Marc Goldstein Mindshare CEO explains his clients' biggest concerns. Answering the biggie: Has the network television upfront peaked?
And Much More...
Close-up analysis of Arbitron's PPM and Nielsen's LPM
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Added point of distribution
43rd annual NATPE convention
January 25-27, Mandalay Bay Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas.
Limited marketing/ad space available, Contact: Publisher--Jim Carnegie JCarnegie@rbr.com 813 909 2986
or Director of Sales--June Barnes JBarnes@rbr.com 803 731-5951
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| Washington Beat |
Mail avail for DTV
The FCC's Media Bureau has set up a special electronic mailbox for television stations wishing to submit correspondence regarding FCC Form 381, which is the form used by full power TV licensees to certify tech info used in the DTV channel election process. That form is due today. The mailbox is at form381@fcc.gov. This box is for info submitted in conjunction with Form 381, and "...will not affect a station's service area that will be protected during the channel election process." Snail mail submissions should be addressed to Federal Communications Commission, Media Bureau, Attn: Form 381 correspondence, Washington DC 20554.
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| Programming |
Now, to elect a new host for "The Late Late Show"
CBS and David Letterman's company, Worldwide Pants, appear to have selected the finalists to succeed Craig Kilborn as host of "The Late Late Show." Four former guest hosts - - actor Craig Ferguson, actor Michael Ian Black, comedian D.L. Hughley and MTV "TRL" host Damien Fahey - - have been invited back for week-long guest host stints this month. Ferguson will host the first week of shows (Nov. 8-12) followed by Hughley (Nov. 15-19), Fahey (Nov. 22-24), and Black (Nov. 29-Dec. 3). "We received tremendous feedback on these talented individuals during their initial short stints on the show, and we are thrilled to bring them back for more substantial engagements," said Rob Burnett, President and CEO of Worldwide Pants.
NY Times shutters production unit
The New York Times Company is shutting down its TV production unit to focus on its Discovery Times Channel, according to the AP. The production unit, which produced Times-branded shows for PBS, A&E, Showtime and other outlets, was said to have about 15 million in annual revenues.
 ABC Entertainment presenting
3rd NY Actors Showcase
As part of its continuing effort to find and develop culturally and ethnically diverse talent and actors with disabilities, the ABC Entertainment Television Group's Casting Project will hold its latest showcase featuring promising actors. The showcase, the third one held in New York, will take place at The Acorn Theatre on 11/15. Spearheaded by VP/Talent Development Carmen Smith, ABC EVP/Casting Gene Blythe, SVP/Casting Keli Lee and manager of Talent Development & Casting Randi Chugerman, the showcase is produced in partnership with AFTRA, SAG and Actor's Equity. Nineteen actors were selected from among more than 600 auditions that were held in New York, Atlanta, GA, Raleigh-Durham, NC and Miami. Casting directors, talent agents and other industry professionals will view a series of one-act vignettes performed by the actors and directed by Ted Sluberski, Kaipo Schwab and Julie Kramer.
Cingular/ABC Sports All-America Team to be named
The Florida Citrus Sports Foundation and the Football Writers Association of America will join ABC Sports and Cingular Wireless to present the Cingular/ABC Sports All-America Team on 12/10, at the ABC Theater in the Disney/MGM Studios. On 12/11, the Cingular ABC Sports All-American Team will be announced on ABC Sports at 2:00 p.m., ET, during a one-hour special highlighting the best in College Football. ABC Sports' veteran play-by-play announcers Keith Jackson, analysts Dan Fouts and Pro-Football Hall-of-Famer Bob Griese, sideline reporter and Pro-Football Hall-of-Famer Lynn Swann, studio host John Saunders and studio analyst Craig James will serve as presenters. Sideline reporter Suzie Shuster and studio analyst Aaron Taylor will provide backstage reports. The Cingular/ABC Sports All-America Team honors the nation's 25 best players (11 offensive, 11 defensive and 3 specialists) selected by ABC Sports and the FWAA.
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| TVBR Ratings |
Housewives on top again with TiVo users
ABC's "Desperate Housewives" continues to be a big hit with TiVo users. For a second straight week it tops the ratings for users of the digital video recorders, trumping "The Apprentice 2." ABC's other new hit, "Lost," is also strong at #3. | More... |
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| TVBR Stats |
 TVB's weekly number crunch
Broadcast television again had more eyeballs than cable in the sixth week of the broadcast season, according the the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB). For the week which ended Sunday, October 31, broadcast delivered 35.59 HH rating points in primetime, while ad-supported cable delivered an aggregate 30.94 HH rating; when this rating is adjusted to eliminate ADS homes (as of October 2004, ADS accounts for 22.7% of Cable + ADS homes nationally), ad-supported cable's delivery drops to 23.92. CBS finished in first place with an 8.70 HH rating; ABC followed with a 6.59 HH rating, Fox delivered a 6.23 HH rating and NBC delivered a 6.18 HH rating. | More... |
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| Stock Talk |
Stocks rise on election and oil prices
Stock prices rose for a second day on the GOP election win, plus an added boost from a decline in oil prices. The Dow Industrials were up another 178 points, or 1.8%, to 10,315.
TV stocks gained again. Entravision was up 3.9% on a good earnings report. Sinclair didn't fare so well, falling 2.1%
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| Stocks |
Here's how stocks fared on Thursday
| Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
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Acme
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ACME
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5.96
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-0.04
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McGraw-Hill
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MHP
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87.57
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+1.85
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Belo
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BLC
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24.41
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+0.71
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Media General
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MEG
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58.10
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+0.40
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Clear Channel
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CCU
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33.81
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+0.33
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Meredith
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MDP
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51.35
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+1.30
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Disney
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DIS
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26.32
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+0.68
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News Corp.
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NWS
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18.10 |
+0.36
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Emmis
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EMMS
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19.31
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+0.36
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Nexstar
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NXST
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7.16
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-0.38
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Entravision
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EVC
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8.37
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+0.31
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NY Times
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NYT
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40.99
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+0.36
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Fisher
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FSCI
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48.11
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+0.27
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Paxson
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PAX
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1.22
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-0.02
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Fox
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FOX
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30.10
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+0.44
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Saga Commun.
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SGA
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17.61
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+0.19
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Gannett
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GCI
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84.44
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+1.19
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Scripps
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SSP
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47.80
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+0.32
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Gen. Electric
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GE
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35.09
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+0.76
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Sinclair
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SBGI
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7.00
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-0.15
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Granite
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GBTVK
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0.42
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+0.06
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Time Warner
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TWX
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16.94
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+0.35
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Gray
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GTN
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13.41
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+0.02
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Tribune
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TRB
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44.28
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+0.65
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Gray, C1. A
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GTNa
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12.40
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-0.03
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Univision
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UVN
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32.80
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+0.10
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Hearst-Argyle
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HTV
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26.05
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+0.01
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Viacom, Cl. A
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VIA
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37.39
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+0.32
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Jeff-Pilot
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JP
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49.32
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+0.81
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Viacom, Cl. B
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VIAb
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37.00
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+0.49
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Journal Comm.
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JRN
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16.77
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+0.10
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Wash. Post
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WPO
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930.15
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+16.15
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Liberty Corp
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LC
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40.45
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+0.25
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Young
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YBTVA
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12.22
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+0.22 |
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LIN TV
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TVL
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18.47
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-0.23
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__UNSUB__ to this email service.
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Bounceback
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 We want to
hear from you.
This is your column, so send your comments to tvnews@rbr.com
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RBR - Radio News
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Infinity:
We're playing hardball when it comes to sports rights renewals
We got more from an Infinity source regarding the NY Daily News' recent story that Major League Baseball's new 11-year, 650 million deal with XM Satellite Radio has angered current MLB radio rights holders over being "sold out" by Commissioner Selig and the owners. Here are the details, confirming the above: "This is what I'm going to do when some of these teams' contracts come up - - and some of them are up in the next 12 months. We're playing hardball, I'll tell you that. I mean we got rid of the Bucs, we're negotiating the Chicago Bears right now. If we don't get what we want, we get rid of them."
RBR observation: We reported that Infinity was paying around 4m dollars for the Tampa Bucs when they had the rights but now that is put to the top line and the Bucs are a big loser as Infinity the winner. These numbers maybe a touch low but sources estimate fees for: Cowboys 8m, Raven 3.8m, Lions 4m, Patriots 4.5m which probably has gone up, Bears 4.75m, Redskins 7.5m, Eagles 5.5m, and Giants 4.9m. Now add in paying for the on-air talent with travel expenses around another 1m, the big press box plus the food with beverages and we are talking expensive. Don't pay to play and put that cash towards more local talent, production and creative copy people.
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October Digital
Solutions Magazine
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Who Will Sit on the Throne?
The election -What is in it
for Broacasters?
One On One
with PHD's Patrick McNew -
The man that over sees spot
for Chrysler Group.
Engineered For Profit
'05 budgets and capital expenditures, our close up look at who's planning to buy what next year.
Read RBR in 2 simple steps:
1.Create a simple account with Zinio and download the Zinio Reader.
2. You can then download the October Issue of RBR
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TVBR Radar 2004
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Television News you won't read any where else. TVBR--First, Accurate, and Independently Owned.
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Adieu, adios, Adelstein...
Is the name Adelstein going to be synonymous with good-bye? It sure looks like it. His renomination to the FCC has been held up by the White House despite the fact that he enjoys widespread bipartisan support. To top of the reluctance of the White House, he has now lost his sponsor, the defeated Tom Daschle (D-SD), removing what value he may have had as a bargaining chip. The makeup of the FCC in the near future is very much in question.
TVBR observation: Chairman Powell always answered the question about his job at the FCC with the answer on what the polls showed the President at the time. Now the Mr. Bush is 100% sure and now so is Michael's future either at the FCC or at a higher position. So the next spin is what throne will Michael Powell be sitting on come next year? For sure the throne is turning from porcelain to gold. 11/04/04 TVBR #216
Watchdog tries to take
a bite out of Sinclair
Media watchdog organization Free Press has filed to deny license renewals to Sinclair Broadcast Group and its LMA partner Cunningham Broadcasting Corporation. Free Press notes two 40K fines against Sinclair and Cunningham's precursor, Glencairn, for running too cozy of an LMA operation, and says that the relationship is as cozy now as it ever was. TVBR observation: We said this weeks ago, 10/08/04, as NAB boss Eddie Fritts just warned us of this problem saying "Bottom line - - these groups are out for your licenses, or at the very least to affect the program content of your stations - - and they aren't going away anytime soon." 11/03/04 TVBR #215
Clear Channel targets
worldwide TV market
Television may be only a small part of the domestic business of Clear Channel Communications, but Clear Channel Entertainment (CCE) has big plans for the international TV market. The new effort to distribute CCE-originated TV programming and home video products around the globe. The company has also included a global television distribution strategy on rights for all Clear Channel Entertainment and Clear Channel Entertainment Television originated productions. The division will be working directly as both a program licensor and a supplier to specialty third party distribution partners in addition to serving other international distribution channels. CCETV will also be overseeing the global strategy for distribution of Clear Channel Entertainment TV's home video properties.
11/03/04 TVBR #215
Broadcast still tops with LPM
For the week ended October 24, the number crunchers at the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) report that broadcast TV drew a higher aggregate primetime rating than ad-supported cable in all five LPM markets in the three measured demos: HH, A18-49, and A25-54. LPMs are now up and running in Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
11/02/04 TVBR #214
Meredith fires broadcast
chief O'Brien
In a stunning announcement, Meredith Corporation said its board of directors had terminated Meredith Broadcasting Group President Kevin O'Brien "for violations of Meredith's Equal Employment Opportunity policies." O'Brien had been hired to head the company's broadcast division in 2001. 11/01/04 TVBR #213
"Less is More" is on a fast track
CCU speeds up the process to next month, December. Clear Channel officials say advertisers are showing interest in the company's attempt to sell 30-second spots, priced at 75% of the rate for 60s. CEO John Hogan said Clear Channel is not trying to get premium rates for 30s, but rather is offering advertisers premium positions at premium rates.
RBR observation: CCU's top premium is heading to one stop set is called the 'Island Position' where one advertiser owns that set. Unclear the length but in respect it breathes similar to television getting content into the programming. Fort Lauderdale based auto retailer AutoNation, which spends around 25M only on local advertising, should take kindly to this Island Position especially if any content is involved. 11/01/04 RBR #213
Viacom begins
"mega-buyback" of stock
Demonstrating just how deeply he's dissatisfied with how Wall Street values his company's stock, Sumner Redstone announced that Viacom's board of directors had authorized an unprecedented eight billion dollar stock buyback plan. Redstone was a happy camper in his conference call as total revenues were up 4% to 5.5 billion, with radio the only real laggard. Redstone vowed that the company would be aggressive in buying back its own stock at current price levels. The buyback started Thursday, 10/28- at 1:30pm.
TVBR observation: In Viacom case we can't spout go private. We can say maybe Sumner should loosen up the marketing and promotion dollars and get people excited again about Viacom with Karmazin gone. And, show a vote of confidence to Les Moonves. Karmazin never spent a dime. 10/29/04 TVBR #212
Redstone revels in
CBS toppling NBC
As the executive who craftwed that winning CBS lineup, Viacom Co-President/COO Les Moonves expressed confidence that there's more growth to come. "I'm s! till very optimistic. Everybody says the TV marketplace is down. All I know is that for us it's been up double digits in four of the last five seasons. TV advertising is down only for the loser in the group, and for the last five years CBS has never been the loser in the group. TVBR observation: Moonves brags that CBS has been up double digits in four of the last five seasons. TV advertising is down only for the loser in the group, and for the last five years CBS has never been the loser in the group. Hey, if memory fails us those seasons some of that credit belongs to Zen Master Karmazin. See today's RBR for Moonves take on the situation with radio and the TVBR observation.
10/29/04 TVBR #212
Redstone says Viacom
investing in radio stations
Mel Karmazin's name wasn't mentioned in their conference call. It sounds like management is now blaming the company's former President and COO for creating some of the problems now plaguing Infinity Radio by being too cheap. Co-President/COO Les Moonves, who now has all broadcast operations in his portfolio, for his work to consolidate the CBS and Paramount TV production operations, is also working to fix problems with Infinity Radio which has been starved money to do the competitive job.
10/29/04 RBR #212
NATPE's '05 conference &
exhibition draws major players
Conference & Exhibition at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas 1/25-1/2727 Hollywood icons who have confirmed exhibition space on the floor. NATPE President Rick Feldman noted, "Buyers continue to tell me how important the exhibit floor is to them. Slowly but surely we are reuniting top companies on the floor and brining everyone both floor and suite exhibitors together under one roof at the Mandalay Bay Resort." TVBR observation: Syndication like other forms of programming our continued words to the wise of Content is King. Now Local needs content along with help of Presentation. The Ace up syndication sleeves is thinking local. Recommendation: TV execs go view the programming and see what fits your stations brand and match to what you can market and sell in 2005. 10/28/04 TVBR #211
Analyst & Disappointing go together
Wachovia Securities analyst Jim Boyle is telling clients that September radio revenues will likely be up only 1% not the 3% that he and other analysts had been expecting. So, he has also lowered his Q3 estimate slightly to a decline of 1%.
10/28/04 RBR #211
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Account Manager Arbitron Outdoor
Selling and servicing the Arbitron Outdoor products to outdoor media companies. 3-4 years media sales experience, Outdoor industry sales preferred.
Position Wanted (NY):
TV Sales Exec with 20 years proven track increasing revenue including business development. Sales experience includes NBC, ABC, FOX and Cable TV. SalesExec04@aol.com
See TV Careers for more info.
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©2004 Radio Business Report/Television Business Report, Inc. All rights reserved.
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