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Another reader has taken on the "Saving Private Ryan" controversy.

What is the big deal? I began my career in radio in 1974. We couldn't say squat then. But now we should be allowed to say anything and everything? Why could they not bleep out the more offensive words? I don't want to subject my children to the seven no-no words on network TV. And I can use those words with the best of them. I just think there is some line in the sand we should draw to have civilized society.

Mike Pursel,
Mike Pursel Advertising
Nine Mile Falls, WA

Four upped at Viacom
Viacom Chairman and CEO Sumner Redstone announced the promotion of four key members of the company's senior management team to Executive Vice President, including Carl Folta, head of Corporate Relations; Carol Melton, in charge of Government Relations; William Roskin, who oversees Human Resources and Administration, and Martin Shea, head of Investor Relations. They are all Executive Officers of Viacom, and report directly to Redstone.

New CFO for Liberman
Steven Gramer, formerly of MatchNet Plc, has been named CFO of LBI Media, the parent company of Liberman Broadcasting, succeeding Brett Zane who is leaving for a "non-broadcasting media opportunity."

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.


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Where are multiples these days? Still high - - Part 3
With almost no deal flow in the top markets, it's hard to say what multiples are for cash flowing stations in really large markets - - except that they're high. Most big radio transactions lately have been for sticks, with the buyers having plans that aren't dependent on cash-flow multiples. 11/16/04 TVBR #224

CEA petitions FCC for
faster digital tuner mandate
In a filing with the FCC last week, the Consumer Electronics Association and the Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition urged the FCC to accelerate the digital television (DTV) tuner mandate timetable. Pointing to the unintended consequences of the 50% requirement, CEA and CERC requested that the 100% deadline for DTV tuners in television screen sizes 25" to 36" be accelerated to 3/1/06, thereby speeding the consumer migration to DTV.
TVBR observation: This is good news, because for years we've been reporting many of the DTV sales numbers issued by CEA weren't really true DTV sets. Most of the sales were digital monitors that had no DTV tuner built in. People would bring the sets home and find they needed to spend even more on a separate DTV tuner set top box. This filing could help accelerate the closing of that gap.
11/16/04 TVBR #224

More fun with
radio markets: Part III
"Will grant of this application result in the applicant or any party to this application having a cognizable interest in more than one commercial or noncommercial full-power radio station located in (i.e., having its community of license within) or 'home' to the same metropolitan area (Metro), as defined by Arbitron and reported by BIA?" Thus begins the multiple ownership worksheet for radio on FCC Forms 301, 314 and 315. RBR observation: Our exploration of the new radio market definition regime is not a witch hunt. We are not trying to identify any villains - - not at Arbitron, not at BIA, not at the FCC, not on Capitol Hill, not among station group owners. What we're trying to do is figure out how the new rules are going to play out in real life, after the catalytic multiple ownership filing for a Burlington AM station. Now if you are a fan of Reality programming - this is reality.
11/16/04 RBR #224

AFA going after Ryan airing
Donald Wildmon's American Family Association is apparently going to put the Veterans Day ABC TV Network airing of "Saving Private Ryan" to the indecency test. Although many affiliates decided to duck the issue by preempting the uncut presentation of the movie, most aired it as scheduled.
TVBR observation: First war is hell and you can't tell a real story without Reality. God we hear it on other shows for the exception on F. And that comes close. 2005 is the year Local has to muscle up with programming content and focus on what the viewer logical sense is. Just look at the trash that is on local TV and you wonder why we hear the flushing sound. If you don't want to view it then don't turn it on.
11/15/04 TVBR #223

McCain wants to take
softness out of 527s
Claiming that the McCain-Feingold Shays-Meehan Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act was largely a success in 2004. However, there was one glaring loophole, large enough for 527 organizations to drive the proverbial truck through, which he will attempt to close. TVBR observation: Glaring loophole our vertical smile.
11/15/04 TVBR #223

Where are multiples these days?
Still high - - Part 2
After consulting with a number of brokers, we can tell you this with assurance - - the market for radio and TV stations is not softening. "The really good quality stations are getting more than 10 times cash flow, and in some cases if the market is a really good market it will get a number with no cash flow," said Ron Kempff of Kempff Communications, who agreed that multiples really haven't changed in five years. "It's still a 10 times cash flow market."
TVBR observation: Still comes down to Want vs Need to sell. Greed or Logic. 11/15/04 TVBR #223

Burlington Part II: New rules more whacked than we thought
RBR has argued against the new market definitions for radio since they were first publicly pondered. Contours are real and measurable. Markets, as defined by Arbitron and BIA, are fluid, invented - - often by the station owners - - and often quite arbitrary. The new definition, which is supposed to clamp down on excessive ownership concentration and promote localism, incredibly, may in fact do the opposite.
RBR observation: If you have an interest in the rules of the road for radio ownership, we strongly advise that you RBR through this maze daily. Your stations, ywour future and your problem. RBR stand by our radio business. 11/15/04 RBR #223

TVBR Observation: Hello Houston you now have a TX size PPM problem
Big time as Fran Kennish, Chairman, AAAA Media Research Committee, Senior Partner, Director of Media Research, Strategic Planning, Mediaedge:cia has fired off a message to all radio in the market and especially the hold out groups of Infinity, Cox and Radio One or anyone that are not participating in the Aribtron PPM trial. Bottom line radio people: The advertisers want the test and the hold outs are making radio look like obstructionists to progress and better ratings. In three words to the radio business with PPM and Houston hold outs - Suck It Up - and! get on board no matter what the results. Can't fix it if you don't know what is broken. Kennish email tells the whole story. Ps: This is not just a radio issue it is also a TV - PM issue called People Meter. 11/12/04 TVBR #222

FCC's Adelstein may
return in package deal
Republicans in the Senate are looking to get anywhere between 80-100 names confirmed in the current lame duck session, mainly judicial nominees. The speculation is that Jonathan Adelstein's return to the FCC may be offered as a deal sweetener to get the package through before year's end. TVBR observation: Some, including those of us here at TVBR, have speculated that the Bush administration would look for a FCC candidate which could be used for political purposes. We thought they possibly would discuss it with the next minority leader, which at this point looks like it will be Harry Reid (R-NV). But the talk we see that at least one Republican Hill staffer thought that offering Adelstein up in exchange for 80 or so judges was more than fair. 11/12/04 TVBR #222

LPMs welcomed at Granite
Other TV group owners may be grousing about lower ratings under Nielsen's Local People Meters, now deployed in five markets, but LPM is being greeted like manna from heaven at Granite Broadcasting as COO John Deushane told analysts that the company's KBWB-TV San Francisco is getting a boost from LPM measurement, due to its skew toward younger demos as a WB affiliate, while the big four affiliates with their heavy news orientation have been taking hits under LPM.
TVBR observation: What did we say below with the Arbitron PPM? People get on with life with the People Meter. 11/11/04 TVBR #221

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