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Volume 24, Issue 228, Jim Carnegie, Editor & Publisher
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Wednesday Morning November 21st, 2007
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Happy Thanksgiving
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 TVBR returns Monday, November 26.
The TVBR/RBR offices will be open regular business hours on Wednesday, then closed Thursday and Friday so our employees and their families can enjoy Thanksgiving.
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| WGA Strike Central: Day 17 |
Why the 2007 strike is very different than 1988
Carat Programming's "Broadcast and Video Beat" reports on why this strike is so different than the 1988 strike:
Late Night 1988:
 The only "big time" talk shows back then were hosted by Johnny Carson and David Letterman - and even before the strike Johnny only aired in first run about half the time (abetted by reruns and guest hosts the other half). After weeks of repeats, Johnny and Dave came back to their shows during the strike without writers and these two talented broadcasters were able to carry their hours admirably. 2007: There are now six talk shows and they rely less on reruns and guest hosts than Johnny did. Dave's still around, but most of rest of today's hosts couldn't say much more than "hello" without a plethora of writers. It'll be harder for them to produce good TV should they choose to return during the strike.
Primetime differences 1988:
The strike occurred in early March, when most series had wrapped production for the year. The three networks were able to limp most of the way through the May sweep, then present and sell ad time for the 1988/89 upfront in July even though the strike was still on with no end in sight. The strike was settled in August, and to bide time for the production-to-air lag, the networks had these arrows in their quiver for September and October:
* The Summer Olympics
* Baseball Post Season
* Presidential debates
* Major Miniseries and made-for-TV movies
* Multiple Theatrical Movie Nights
Also in 1988, there were only 17 national cable networks measured by Nielsen and the fledgling Fox Network programmed only two nights a week.
2007:
This strike was called during the heart of the production cycle and fresh scripted programming will likely run out by January. Sports can fill some of the gaps but not much, and the 2008 presidential campaign won't help fill primetime until summer. The networks have also gotten out of the movie and miniseries business, perhaps making them scramble for theatrical crumbs left behind by cable. The four networks will try to make do with reruns; reality programming-some of which are in questionable taste; and newsmagazines-many of which are now damaged goods because of a recent dependence on pedophile and true crime storytelling, mentioned the Carat Programming report. There are now 88 national cable networks measured by Nielsen as well as the fledgling CW, the near-stillborn My Network TV and mucho Hispanic channels fighting for viewer attention. Also at stake is primetime program development-an important cog in the network upfront machine (the nets had a full slate of pilot episodes for the 1987 upfront).
Will audiences come back to broadcast television?
Outside of normal ratings erosion, viewers came back to the broadcast networks after the 1988 strike had ended (there was not a 10% drop as has been reported). If the current strike can be resolved before the end of 2007, there will be minimal disruption to available primetime programming product and minimal impact on viewership levels. The broadcast television business is in a much more fragile state today than it was in 1988. Erosion and fragmentation continues, and the presence of online and offline TV alternatives continues to grow. If the strike creeps into 2008 and affects next year's crop of developing shows in addition to current audience favorites, the networks will experience an accelerated decline. Television as a medium will survive this strike, but the days of powerful rule by the broadcasters over audiences and advertisers could suffer a crippling blow from a prolonged disruption.
 Writers agree to halt Paramount pickets for Liz Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor has persuaded striking TV and film writers to briefly put down their picket signs, according to an AP story. The WGA agreed not to picket the Paramount Pictures lot on 12/1 when actress and AIDS activist Taylor is slated to give a benefit performance of A.R. Gurney's play "Love Letters" with James Earl Jones. Taylor said she would not cross picket lines if they were still up around the Paramount lot on 12/1, which is World AIDS Day. She said she asked the writers union for a "one night dispensation" so she and her guests could enter the studio with a clear conscience. "The Writers Guild of America has show great humanity, empathy and courage by allowing our little evening to move forward," Taylor said in a statement Monday.
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TV News ®
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GOP snipes at Martin's cable plans
Almost the entire Republican roster of the House Energy and Commerce Committee joined a coalition of religious programmers in trying to head off an expected attempt by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to impose a new layer of regulation on the cable industry. Meanwhile, members of the Senate looked to dual carriage provide relief for small systems. The House posse was led by Ranking Member Joe Barton (R-TX) and former Speaker and soon-to-be-retired Dennis Hastert (R-IL). According to the Wall Street Journal, they object to the FCC bestowing upon itself the right to increase regulation of the industry. The Faith and Family Broadcasting Coalition also objects, specifically to Martin's known desire to force an a la carte channel menu offering on cable operators. They "...believe an a la carte retime will limit and reduce the distribution of religious and faith-based inspirational programming," echoing the worries of lost access to viewers expressed by other niche and minority programmers. The bipartisan roster of senators were expressing concerns that a dual-carriage order from the FCC requiring side-by-side analog and digital carriage of broadcast signals for a minimum of three years after the digital transition would be too expensive for small cable operators and would put too much of a burden on limited capacity.
TVBR observation: Once again, communications issues demonstrate their ability to blur ideological boundaries. One of the big reasons for promoting a la carte is to honor the wishes of anti-indecency organizations like Parents Television Council, who think parents should be able to simply refuse objectionable channels, paying only for those they intend to watch. It sounds reasonable enough, but it is very damaging to the cable business model, and small religious broadcasters are very much afraid they will casualties in the war against edgier material.
 Three (percent) for the road
You've heard of the terrible twos? How about the ubiquitous threes? No less than six stories made the Project for Excellence in Journalism coverage chart for the week of 11/11/07-11/16/07 with a 3% share, a sure sign of another week with out a dominant news event. With most of the top stories getting even-handed and modest coverage, the running interest in the 2008 campaign was more than enough to propel it to the top of the chart with seven times that much coverage (21%). The unstable situation in Pakistan was still good enough for a 7% share of the newshole (down from #1 17% the previous week), and coverage of events in Iraq edged out the three-percent brigade with a 5% share. The indictment of tainted baseball slugger Barry Bonds was in the mix, as was continuing interest in O.J. Simpson's latest travails -- although once again that was almost entirely due to cable's focus on the story (while mostly passing on Pakistan). The biggest story to exit the overall chart was the burgeoning price of oil and gasoline, although radio was still on the story. As consumers ourselves, we fear that one will be back on the chart soon enough.
| Top ten lists here |
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The political haves and have-nots
Analysts Victor Miller and Tracy Young at Bear Stearns have been adding some detail to their forecast that political ad spending spending for the 2007-2008 cycle will total 2.5 billion bucks. Based on their state-by-state analysis of the races, they project that CBS will get the most cash, 165 million, while Gray Television will have the biggest revenue windfall in percentage terms, 42%. "We expect significantly higher 2007 and 2008 political spending, driven by a wide-open presidential race (17 candidates to date and the first time since 1928 that neither the president nor his vice president are running), as well as by contentious federal, state, and local races, and heavy issue-related advertising. Our projection of 1.9 billion in political advertising in 2008 on a standalone basis is 15% higher than the 1.65 billion spent in 2006," the analysts said in their report. That windfall will not be evenly divided, of course. Some TV groups are better positioned than others to cash in. For the presidential primaries/caucuses, spending on local stations hinges on where their state falls in the schedule. And then once the candidates are selected, the main swing-states will get the heaviest ad spend as the campaigns battle for large blocks of electoral votes that are in play. But there are also hot races at the state level which could produce heavy spending. The Bear Stearns analysts see hot US Senate races in Colorado, Nebraska, Louisiana, Maine and Minnesota. Governor races are expected to be strongly contested in Missouri, Washington, Indiana and North Carolina.
Taking into account which states are expected to be "hot" politically, based on key races and the number of electoral votes, Miller and Young matched those up with the major TV groups. Based on their analysis, they project that the CBS O&Os will take in 164.9 million in 2008 political revenues, with Hearst-Argyle also in triple digits at 100.9 million. Gannett is close behind at 97.1 million and ABC at 63.8. (GE's NBC is not included in the report.) But while those giants are expected to get the biggest ad spending from political, the impact will likely be greater on some mid-sized companies. Gray Television is projected to get 60.5 million, a boost of 41.8% over 2006. Belo is expected to gain 21.3% to 57.5 million.
TVBR observation: No matter how that pie is sliced, it is going to be a very large pie. Pretty much all TV broadcasters are going to benefit, particularly Big Four affiliates with strong news ratings. And don't forget, Univision and Telemundo are making a big play for political ad spending as well. Will it be 2.5 billion this cycle, or even more? The sky may be the limit for this election.
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CBS comments on WGA vote to authorize strike
CBS has issued a statement regarding the WGA East vote to authorize a strike. 500 CBS News TV and radio writers in NY, LA, DC and Chicago have been working under an expired contract since 4/05. In a vote, the WGA said 81% of the writers who participated gave WGA negotiators the power to call a strike.
Said CBS: "It is unfortunate that our WGA news writers have voted to authorize a strike. The offer we presented nearly a year ago was fair and reasonable, and remains on the table. It not only includes one of the best medical plans in the country with minimal employee contributions, but fair salary increases to all WGA employees as well. In fact, contrary to what the WGA contends, CBS proposed an annual increase of 3% for television and network radio, and 2% for the radio stations covered by this agreement. The lower percentage increases the WGA continues to cite are based on spreading the increases as if they were retroactive to April 2005; the offer of retroactivity expired after CBS had made numerous attempts over a long period of time to conduct and conclude negotiations. As to the issue of assigning current WGA responsibilities at KNX radio to non-WGA employees, here are the facts: we are simply asking that some writing duties be shared with those from another professional talent union (AFTRA) at a sister station in Los Angeles. This request seems fair given that AFTRA employees had already agreed to it, and that we are offering layoff protection to any worker at KNX affected by the change. We hope there is no strike. Should there be, however, CBS News, CBS Television Stations and CBS Radio remains fully prepared, and ready to continue producing the highest quality news programming for our viewers."
 Big doings at the FCC next week
Kevin Martin said he had a lot on his broadcasting plate in his conference call with reporters last week, and he wasn't kidding. The 11/27/07 FCC Open Meeting will feature a smorgasbord of items of interest -- and concern -- to members of the broadcasting community. After dealing with a wireline issue, the FCC will look at:
* One omnibus item touching on "diversification of ownership, the 2006 Quadrennial Review on ownership, cross-ownership, multiple-station ownership in a local market, defining radio markets, and more (this is where Martin's new permission for cross-ownership in the top 20 markets should appear);
* A look at LPFM;
* Standardized and enhanced disclosure requirements for TV public interest requirements;
* Assessment of the state of competition in the delivery of video programming;
* Assessment of the state of competition in the market for video programming;
* a look at leased commercial access for video programmers, development of competition and diversity in video programming distribution and carriage.
TVBR observation: Many in television would consider duopoly rights, especially in smaller markets, to be an early holiday present. Instead, they may be facing new reporting requirements on the subjective topic of serving the public interest. Radio appears to have dodged that bullet (although we won't believe that until we see it), but may well face a new onslaught of potential interference from LPFMs. Next Tuesday could be a rough ride at The Portals in Southwest Washington DC. We suggest you strap in.
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| Wall Street Business Report TM |
October declines for Journal
Advertising was down across the board in October at Journal Communications, although that should hardly come as a surprise to anyone. Television revenues declined 18.4% to 11.55 million, with local and national up, but 3.63 million less from political. Radio was down 7.9% to 6.56 million, with no repeat of 180K in political spending from last year, but also weakness in both local and national spot sales. Publishing ad revenues were down 9.6% to 15.64 million.
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Ad Business Report TM
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 VO5 rebrands with multimedia effort
VO5 is targeting a new, younger consumer as part of a multimillion dollar campaign to reposition itself in the hair care category. To reinvent the 50+ year old brand, Extreme Style by VO5 is inviting consumers to take risks, stand out from the crowd and break the mold. The brand's restaged styling line targets Generations X and Y men and women who "live by their own rules." Starting this fall, Extreme Style by VO5 is revving up conversations with this consumer and supporting the restage through new packaging, broadcast integration, celebrity stylist and new print and television campaigns. To further support this restage Extreme Style by VO5 is challenging consumers to break out of their beauty shell and reinvent themselves virtually at the new VO5.com. The brand is also sponsoring this year's MySpace Concert Tour featuring artists Hellogoodbye and Polysics. The line is launching new print ads and television spots. Television, via Element 79, includes a :30 spot airing on MTV, VH1 and FUSE, in heavy rotation through December. The ads feature a steamy encounter where a young woman uses VO5 to style her hair which attracts the interest of a young male neighbor. The spot culminates with a passionate rooftop embrace. Print focuses on both young men and women breaking the rules in everyday situations. The new line hits shelves at mass market outlets and drug stores in August.
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| Media Markets & Money TM |
Meredith spins out of Chattanooga
There will be one less television station in multimedia Meredith Corporation's portfolio once closing is achieved on its plans to spin WFLI-TV to MPS Media. It'll be the fourth television station for the buyer's principal Eugene Brown. WFLI-TV is licensed to Cleveland TN and brings CW fare into the market over analog Ch. 53 and DT Ch. 42. The price for the station will be 6.8M cash. The transaction was handled by brokerage firm Patrick Communications. Brown's company also has CW affiliates in Tallahassee FL and Wilkes Barre-Scranton, along with an MNT affiliate in Portland ME.
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| Washington Business Report TM |
 Feingold joins the chorus
for rulemaking brakes
Russ Feingold (D-WI) is the latest to fire off a letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin urging him to take some more time, complete some more studies and initiate some more proceedings before moving on to a vote of any kind on media ownership regulation. Feingold said the FCC's motives were suspect and that further study of localism and minority/female ownership was warranted before proceeding to a vote. He said he would push for adoption of the Byron Dorgan (D-ND) measure forcing a slowdown and study of the aforementioned topics.
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| Entertainment Business Report TM |
Reality series slated for rapid-fire run on ABC
"Duel," an adrenaline-charged reality show will get a six-night run beginning Monday, December 17th on ABC. Mike Greenberg, of "Mike and Mike in the Morning" on fellow Disney property ESPN Radio has been tapped to host the high-stakes tournament-style competition, which will air for an hour nightly over six nights with a guaranteed final winner. It will go into production after Thanksgiving. "Duel," from BermanBraun and Rocket Science Laboratories, features head-to-head matches with nerve rattling game play rewarding contestants who embrace shrewdness and manipulation to win. If contestants can react quickly under pressure and outsmart their opponents using strategy and deception, intellect and skill, they could walk away with a life-changing prize potentially more than 1.5 million. One of 20 contestants is guaranteed to win the jackpot.
According to the producers, the formula combines trivia challenges like those on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" with the strategy played in the "World Series of Poker." Contestants in "Duel" have been chosen for their confidence and charisma, a love of trivia and an obsession for competition. The 20 people will become characters to root for (or against) during the six night run. An online game of "Duel" is currently being developed by BermanBraun to launch on December 17th on ABC.com. Online gamers can choose to play either against the computer, or challenge other players' duels from around the country. Diet Pepsi Max is a key sponsor of the television show and the online game.
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| Ratings & Research |
CBS wins Households; Fox wins tight battle for 18-49
It was close, but Fox barely edged out ABC and CBS for the week's win in the lucrative 18-49 demo. After that tie (ABC had a slight edge in viewers) it was NBC, Univision, CW, MyNetworkTV, a tie by Telemundo and TeleFutura, and a tie by Azteca America and Ion. CBS won Households, with a rating of 7.7 and 12 share. Then it was ABC 6.8/11, Fox 5.3/8, NBC 5.2/8, Univision 2.0/3, CW 1.9/3, MyNetworkTV 0.7/1, Telemundo 0.5/1, Ion and TeleFutura 0.4/1, and Azteca America 0.1/0. "Dancing With the Stars" was the week's #1 show. Here is the list of the top 20.
| View the Chart |
 Convenience drives online Holiday shopping
Nielsen Online reported online shopping's primary appeal is the convenience it offers. In an online survey, out of nearly 1,000 respondents, 81% indicated that the ability to shop anytime during the day was why they chose to shop online during the holiday season. Saving time was the next most popular reason to shop online, with 77% of respondents, followed by the ability to comparison shop and find things easily, with 61% and 56%, respectively. Only a minority of respondents, 46%, listed low prices as a reason to shop online rather than in-store. Even fewer respondents, 24%, cited low shipping costs. Respondents said that their 2007 online holiday spending would compose about the same share of their total holiday budgets as in 2006. 35% of respondents, the largest group, reported they will spend between 25 and 50% of their holiday budget shopping online. 33% of respondents expect to spend less than 25% of their overall holiday budget online.
Shoppers to make their mark on Black Friday
With Black Friday fast approaching, retailers are bracing for one of their busiest weekends of the year. According to the latest survey conducted by BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation, up to 132.9 million Americans will shop Friday, Saturday or Sunday this weekend. While 55.1 million people said they definitely plan to shop this weekend, 77.8 million said they may shop. Many of this year's post-Thanksgiving shoppers will be young adults 18-24, as nearly half of them (47.2%) said they definitely plan to shop the weekend after Thanksgiving.
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| Stock Talk |
Rocky day ends on the up side
Stock prices pitched up and down on Tuesday, but finally finished the day with small gains. That was based on hints from minutes of the last Fed meeting that another rate cut could be coming, even though the last one was termed "a close call." The Dow Industrials rose 52 points, or 0.4%, to 13,010.
TV stocks were modestly higher as well. Equity Media shot up 19% after announcing that Cox's flagship WSB-TV would carry its Retro Television Network on a digital channel in Atlanta.
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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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3.18
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-0.16
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Lincoln Natl.
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LNC
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58.60
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+0.31
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Belo
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BLC
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16.38
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+0.08
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LIN TV
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TVL
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10.10
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-0.02
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| CBS CI. B |
CBS |
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26.28
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-0.29
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McGraw-Hill
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MHP
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46.49
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+0.09
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| CBS CI. A |
CBSa |
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26.34
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-0.33
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Media General
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MEG
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24.52
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-0.89
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Clear Channel
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CCU
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33.80
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+0.30
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Meredith
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MDP
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57.10
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+0.21
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Disney
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DIS
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31.55
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+0.30
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News Corp.
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NWS
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21.61
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+0.29
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Emmis
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EMMS
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4.16
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+0.23
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Nexstar
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NXST
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9.00
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-0.01
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Entravision
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EVC
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7.30
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unch
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Ion Media
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ION
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1.28
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-0.02
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| Equity Media |
EMDA |
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2.32 |
+0.37 |
Saga Commun.
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SGA
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7.11
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+0.09
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Fisher
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FSCI
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43.18
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+0.18
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SBS
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SBSA
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2.00
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+0.10
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Gannett
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GCI
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37.73
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+0.24
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Scripps
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SSP
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44.82
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+0.16
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Gen. Electric
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GE
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38.04
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-0.12
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Sinclair
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SBGI
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10.46
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+0.01
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| Google |
GOOG |
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648.54
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+22.69
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SWMX
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SWMX
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0.02
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unch
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Gray
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GTN
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6.99
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-0.03
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Time Warner
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TWX
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16.86
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+0.04
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Gray, C1. A
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GTNa
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7.44
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-0.10
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Tribune
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TRB
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28.19
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-0.85
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Hearst-Argyle
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HTV
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19.76
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-0.16
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Wash. Post
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WPO
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793.43
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+0.33
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Journal Comm.
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JRN
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8.74
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-0.03
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Young
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YBTVA
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1.19
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-0.01
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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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Media Markets & Money
Meredith spins out
Of Chattanooga, one less once closing is achieved on...
Washington Business Report
Feingold joins the chorus
For rulemaking brakes, latest to fire off a letter to FCC Martin urging him...
Entertainment Business Report
Reality series slated
For rapid-fire run on ABC, "Duel," an adrenaline-charged reality show...
Ratings & Research
CBS wins Households
Fox wins tight battle for 18-49...
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Stations for Sale
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 Market your Stations For Sale
in our daily epapers.
Contact
June Barnes
jbarnes@rbr.com
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TV Media Moves
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Double duty
for Zalaznick
 NBC Universal closed its acquisition of Oxygen Media (10/10/07 TVBR #198) and incorporated it into the NBC Universal Cable group, headed by Jeff Gaspin, President and Chief Operating Officer, Universal Television Group. Gaspin has appointed Bravo Media President Lauren Zalaznick to have oversight of Oxygen as well. Lisa Gersh, President and COO of Oxygen Media, will remain in that role through a three-month transition period before assuming a new, unspecified position at NBC Universal.
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More News Headlines
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Going Retro in Atlanta
Equity Media Holding's Retro Television Network (RTN) announced another big market affiliation. It will be carried on a digital multicast channel of Cox Television's WSB-TV Atlanta. "Good programs are timeless and this is a wonderful collection of shows that are just that," said Bill Hoffman, General Manager of WSB-TV. RTN's Primetime All The Time line-up, including such TV classics as Matlock, Hawaii 5-0, Magnum P.I., Mission: Impossible, Love American Style, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and Love, American Style.
Q3 newspaper ad revenue falls 7.4%; online ad revs up
Advertising at U.S. newspapers fell 7.4% in Q3, the Newspaper Association of America reported Tuesday. Revenues from print ads fell 9% to 10.1 billion in the quarter, led by a 17% drop in classified advertising. Among the major print components in Q3, classified advertising fell 17% to 3.4 billion. Retail declined 4.9% to $5.1 billion and national was down 2.5%, coming in at $1.7 billion. Help-wanted ads fell 19.7% and ads for cars fell 17.7%. "Newspaper Web sites continue to generate substantial revenue by offering advertisers access to the nation's most desirable group of consumers," said NAA President and CEO John Sturm. "At the same time, broader economic issues are impacting our industry the same way they are impacting other media - the continued fallout from declines in the housing market clearly affects real estate, recruitment and retail advertising. Newspaper companies continue to take aggressive measures to prepare for the future during a period of economic challenges for the industry."
Newspapers are also feeling the pinch from online alternatives such as eBay, Craigslist, Web sites run by real estate brokers or help-wanted postings on places like Monster.com. Nonetheless, online ad revenues at newspapers climbed 21% to 773 million in the latest period compared with a year ago. Online ads now make up about 7.1% of the industry's revenue, versus 7.0% in Q2 and 5.4% in Q3 2006.
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TVBR Radar 2007
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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 16
Reality show production accelerates
With new talks between the WGA and AMPTP scheduled for 11/26, there is hope that programming production will get back on schedule soon. If not, there is a strong likelihood that actors will soon go out on strike for the very same reason-to get a share revenue that's generated when shows are streamed on the web free to consumers. Carat Programming notes that as most Late Night talk shows were forced immediately into repeats, daytime drama series will remain largely unaffected through most of first quarter. Should the strike continue after the new year, the situation for primetime scripted series could become dire in mid Q1 2008 as the stockpile of original episodes is quickly becoming depleted.
TVBR note: For complete details on Day 16 see TVBR.
11/20/07 TVBR #227
Morris wants to talk trade-offs
Arbitron has yet to say anything publicly about the letter sent last week by four large radio groups demanding larger sample sizes to get PPM in-tabs up to targets (11/16/07 RBR #225), but RBR has received a copy of an email that Arbitron CEO Steve Morris sent to the four group heads. In it, Morris proposes having Arbitron President of Sales and Marketing Pierre Bouvard meet with them to hear just what they want in the new ratings service "and how you would rebalance the trade-offs." Morris's email stated that "trade-offs vs. costs" were among the things discussed extensively during the time that PPM was being developed. "It seems clear from your letter, however, that we need to go back and revisit previous assumptions about how the! service is to be built, and to make sure that we are doing this in a way that serves your needs," At least one of the broadcasters is not impressed by the response from Morris, and that is Cox Radio's Bob Neil who puts it on the line in an email sent to RBR. "We don't need to have a meeting.."
RBR observation: Have to agree with this statement from Bob Neil, "Again, I stress....no one is fighting electronic measurement. That train is gone." The time is right now to slow this train down before there is a massive accident which will not be pretty to watch. From the seat we are sitting in the legal department at Arbitron is working overtime. Recommend for all to read the email as this issue is not going away any time soon. Read the email in this issue page of RBR.
11/20/07 RBR #227
Martin has Trib scratching its head
Sam Zell, pictured, is trying to save potential fees and tax benefits by getting the Tribune privatization done by year's end. His crew is said to be "bafffled" at the unforeseen resistance coming from FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. Zell needs waivers in place to keep the company's existing broadcast/print combinations together. But Martin has balked at issuing them.
TVBR observation: The rule change, or at least the timetable for it, may be in trouble anyway. It has attracted almost no unqualified support that we're aware of, instead drawing attacks from all sides, including those who think it goes to far and those who think it does not go far enough. It faces threatened stalling action from Capitol Hill and is a strong bet to head back to court, one way or the other. The issue is far from decided, and likely will still be far from decided, on 12/18/08. Tribune should not be held hostage, as even Democratic Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein have said. Zell should be able to pursue his proposed transaction based on its merits, not Kevin Martin's tactical needs.
11/20/07 TVBR #227
WGA Strike Central, Day 15
WGA-AMPTP contract talks resume on 11/26
The Writers Guild of America will resume contract negotiations with network and studio representatives of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers on Monday, 11/26. "Leaders from the AMPTP and the WGA have mutually agreed to resume formal negotiations on November 26," said a statement issued by both on Friday. "No other details or press statements will be issued."
TVBR observation: A likely catalyst to getting negotiations back on track was many showrunners have shown allegiance with the WGA, not showing up for work on series production. This has shut down work prematurely on numerous primetime series that still have plenty of scripts. As well, more actors and politicians have been siding with the WGA, showing up picketing-including most recently Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards, who made a speech on Friday.
11/19/07 TVBR #226
Uncertainty in cross-ownership land
When FCC Chairman unveiled his cross-ownership proposal, it looked like good news for combos in the top 20 markets, but we also noted its potential problems for similar pairings in the vast majority of markets outside of the elite group. It turns out we weren't the only ones with questions: Multimedia company Media General is also waiting "for the FCC to provide clarity." The rub comes from Martin's comments to reporters that even as the rules are relaxed in big markets, in smaller markets with generally fewer media voices, the current restrictions would remain on the books and when waiver applications are before the commission in those locales, the presumption would be against approval.
TVBR observation: Watchdogs have been trying to bust up existing cross-owned combinations, and they aren't just issuing press releases. The FCC has been peppered with petitions to deny just about every time an applicable television license has come up for renewal. So what is the presumption, against waivers or for grandfathering? Stay tuned. (Note: For a Legal view see Washington Business Report section)
11/19/07 TVBR #226
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