|
|
|
|
|
Volume 24, Issue 3, Jim Carnegie, Editor & Publisher
|
Friday Morning January 5th, 2007
|
|
|
TV News ®
|
 New York Times
spins television unit
And it's going as a unit, for 575M, to Oak Hill Capital Partners, after being put on the auction block in September (9/13/06 TVBR #178). Oak Hill's J. Taylor Crandall commented, "The New York Times Company Broadcast Media Group is one of the industry's most admired franchises because of its heritage television stations, its commitment to quality news and serving the local community, and its outstanding employees. We look forward to maintaining the standard of excellence that The New York Times Company has achieved over the last 30 years." Oak Hill holds investments in cable companies Atlantic Broadband Group, WideOpenWest and Wometco Cable Corporation, and professes an interest in radio and television on its website. The New York Times group includes one duopoly, comprised of NBC KFOR-TV & MNT KAUT-TV in Oklahoma City OK; and seven standalones, including NBC WHO-TV Des Moines IA; CBS KFSM-TV in Ft. Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers AR; CBS WHNT-TV in Huntsville-Decatur-Florence AL; CBS WREG-TV in Memphis TN; ABC WQAD-TV in Davenport IA-Rock Island IL; CBS WTKR-TV in Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News VA; and ABC WNEP-TV in Wilkes Barre-Scranton PA. NYT President/CEO Janet L. Robinson explained that "...our focus now should be on the development of our newspapers and our rapidly growing digital businesses and the increasing synergies between them."
TVBR observation: Another private equity group making a big commitment to broadcasting. There must be something worthwhile about this business that Wall Street can't see. Will investors rediscover radio and television someday? Should we expect a bunch of IPOs a few years down the road?
Mixed showing for TV stocks in 2006
"Old media" stocks were not loved by Wall Street investors in 2006. Newspapers were particularly out of favor, so the stocks tracked daily by TVBR of newspaper/TV combination companies fared poorly last year. They were not, however, the worst performers. Emmis, a radio company which has nearly exited TV, fell over 48% as CEO Jeff Smulyan's attempt to take the company private was rejected by the independent directors on the Emmis board. The next two spots near the bottom of our chart belong to penny stock companies, who tend to have volatile stocks. Ion Media Networks fell over 44%, but posted ratings and revenue gains in 2006. Granite fell 38% as it ended up in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. Media General did some long-term planning for growth, acquiring four TV stations from NBC, but saw its stock fall nearly 27%. On top was Disney, up nearly 43%, due largely to resurgent ABC Television. ACME jumped over 41% as investors decided the CW network was likely to succeed. News Corporation grabbed MySpace, which helped push its stock up 34%. Close behind was McGraw-Hill (with very little TV presence, but other strong businesses), up nearly 32%. CBS was rewarded for strong performance after its split from Viacom, with its two classes of stock up 22-23%. Univision gained 20.5% as it agreed to be sold for 13.7 billion and Clear Channel rose 13% on its 26.7 billion buyout to go private. Our chart spells out the winners and losers.
| View the Chart |
|
|
|
FTC inflicts losses for weight loss claims
The Federal Trade Commission has slimmed down a quartet of companies by a total of 25M for advertising unsubstantiated weight loss and other beneficial properties to their products. The products may stay on retail shelves but the ads must change. Marketers of Xenadrine EFX, which used TV and print, including Hispanic media, is due to pay between 8M-12.8M for consumer redress (and are also liable for another 22.75M bankruptcy settlement not involving the FTC). Seven marketers of CortiSlim and CortiStess, which used radio, TV, cable, print and the internet to tout weight loss and health benefits, and are liable for at least 12M. TrimSpa used a similar media mix, along with testimonials from the likes of Anna Nicole Smith, and its promoters are liable for 1.5M. Bayer Corporation also went multimedia for its One A Day Weight Smart, and is liable for 3.2M. Watchdog The Reality Council hailed the action. "The Reality Council supports the FTC's Red Flag campaign and encourages healthcare providers, media and corporate America to adopt strategies to help promote a safe and realistic approach to weight loss," said co-chair George L. Blackburn, MD, PhD.
 Foundation puts
Tribune stake in play
With Tribune Company taking bids from potential buyers, The Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation has put its own 11.7% stake into play as well. The foundation told the SEC it has engaged Blackstone Group as its financial adviser and has signed non-disclosure agreements to look at detailed financial information from the company. Some directors of the foundation are also Tribune executives, but the SEC filing says they have been excluded from the process of determining what, if anything, to do with the 28 million plus Tribune shares owned by the foundation. Rather, a special advisory committee made up of the two foundation directors not associated with Tribune is going to work with Blackstone to evaluate what course to take.
TVBR observation: It is getting down to the nitty gritty at Tribune, with bids reportedly due January 17th. Like the Chandler Family - the only shareholders with a bigger stake in Tribune - the McCormick Foundation is getting professional advice on what its shares should be worth. We wonder whether any of the potential buyers have been courting the foundation to join their bidding team.
|
 |
HBO, ABC and NBC dominate SAG nominations
HBO received the most nominations for the 2007 Screen Actors Guild awards in television, with 10, but the broadcast networks were close behind, with ABC and NBC each receiving eight nominations. Fox had three and CBS only one. Although her talk show was canceled this week, Megan Mullally can take solace in being nominated for outstanding performance by a female actress in a comedy series for her role of Karen Walker on NBC's "Will & Grace." She'll be up against America Ferrara for ABC's "Ugly Betty," Felecity Huffman of ABC's "Desperate Housewives," Julia Louis-Dreyfus of CBS' "The New Adventures of Old Christine," Mary-Louise Parker of Showtime's "Weeds" and Jaime Pressly of NBC's "My Name is Earl." Here is the complete list of nominees.
| View the List |
 John McCain, media magnet
Thinking about running for president? Want some free press? There's a certain senator out there with star power, including a wealth of active relationships with a wide variety of media gatekeepers. It doesn't matter much what your game plan is insofar as issue positioning, either, since the senator in question is also known as a maverick, taking positions himself which at one time or another alienate him from nearly every voting bloc you can imagine. By now you've no doubt guessed that the senator is named John McCain (R-AZ), and the Associated Press reports that a good way for candidates to amplify their own megaphone, regardless of party or ideology, is to attack John McCain. He has recently been used as a benchmark (and a route to media coverage) by ex-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R), who used McCain as a benchmark to chart his own position on gay marriage. Former Senator John Edwards (D-NC) went even further (and increased his media footprint) by labeling the possibility of a troop increase in Iraq as the McCain Doctrine. These are just two examples. For his own part, McCain - who regularly shows up everywhere from the Sunday talking head shows to late night television to you name it - used another venue, the nationally-syndicated Don Imus Show, to defend himself.
TVBR observation: We're reminded of a comment made by a Saturday Night Live insider in Tom Shales' book on the program, saying that grandstanding cast member Joe Piscopo had let Eddie Murphy's fame go to his head. But whatever works...
|
|
|
|
|
Ad Business Report TM
|
 PPM to usher in commercial
ratings for radio?
In case you haven't heard, while The Arbitron Advertiser/Agency Advisory Council announced a resolution this week strongly advising radio stations encode their signals for PPM measurement in the face of holdouts Clear Channel and Radio One (1/4/07 RBR #2), We asked Arbitron PPM President Pierre Bouvard if agencies are interested in using PPM's technology for commercial ratings, as with television: "No question about it, I think long-term, agencies in the world of accountability would like to know the actual commercial ratings. And right now with Apollo we have advertisers encoding commercials. So another way around this non-encoding issue is if the advertisers simply encode their commercials. So in essence, if I'm a non-encoded property, I may be actually pushing radio quicker into commercial ratings."
TVBR observation: Many stations were afraid of the idea of commercial ratings for radio, but after the Coleman study came out saying radio does a great job of keeping listeners through breaks, the fear is subsiding. The study says on average only 7% of listeners leave stations during commercial breaks. In addition some advertisers like Anheuser-Busch, for instance, may have big issues with buying unrated stations-if their 21+ audience comp. is not proven to be 70% or higher, they are breaking the industry guidelines. If someone is not encoding, they may have no idea (for the time being) what their audience comp. is on that station. It may be taken off the buy altogether.
UPS launches "Whiteboard"
UPS will reportedly spend about 35 million to launch a new campaign, its biggest since "What Can Brown Do For You" in 2002. The new effort, "Whiteboard," includes television, newspaper, magazine and online, will begin airing Saturday. "In terms of jump-starting our business, this is a tough business, very competitive," Larry Bloomenkranz, UPS VP/brand management, advertising and sponsorships told The AP. "We're always trying to make our brand more relevant, more appealing than the other guy's." In the television ads, a man stands at a white board and draws on it with a brown marker to explain the different services UPS offers and how they can be integrated to perform multiple functions for businesses. The ads end with the company's familiar slogan, "What Can Brown Do For You?", and a link to a website that provides the answer. The Martin Agency of Richmond is handling print and television creative. Online is being handled by IQ Interactive of Atlanta, said the AP story.
 CC Outdoor, NBCU
join forces with NYC taxis
Clear Channel Taxi Media, a division of Clear Channel Outdoor, and NBC Universal have joined forces to inform and entertain passengers in at least 5,000 New York City taxis. Beginning in 2007, taxis affiliated with Clear Channel Taxi Media will air NY10, New York's Taxi Entertainment Network, featuring exclusive content from WNBC-TV, NBC News (including network programs, MSNBC and CNBC) and NBC Entertainment. NY10 will roll out during the first half of the year as part of the Taxi and Limousine Commission's recent announcement to install Passenger Information Monitors in New York City cabs. NY10 will feature a mix of local and national news, weather, sports and entertainment content on state-of-the-art LCD screens installed in the back seat of the cabs. In addition to the daily news and information, the screens give passengers the ability to track the route of their trip, as well as pay for their fare by credit or debit card. "We are always looking for innovative ways to expose our brands to as many people as possible, not only to New Yorkers but also to the millions of people who visit New York each year," said Frank Radice, SVP, NBC Agency, East Coast. "This is the perfect vehicle - no pun intended - to make that happen."
|
|
|
|
| Media Markets & Money TM |
Hoak Dakota deal closed
The 86.8M deal sending a number of Dakota television stations from the Wicks Group to Hoak Media is complete, according to brokerage firm Kalil & Company. Included in the package are NBC KFYR-TV Bismarck ND and satellites KQCD-TV, KMOT-TV & KUMV-TV. In Fargo ND, it gets NBC KVLY-TV. Finally, in Sioux Falls SD, it gets ABC KSFY-TV and satellites KABY-TV & KPRY-TV.
|
|
|
|
| Get On Board for Febuary |
If you missed the January debut issue
of SMART MEDIA Magazine...
Then check out what's coming in the February issue.
We go OneOnOne with Jeff Haley, RAB CEO, and Steve Newberry RAB Chairman/Commonwealth Broadcasting. WOR's Rich Awn talks about "Radio Redesigned"-the benefits of synergistic approach to ad strategies. Insane results as radio combos with TV, Newspaper, and FSI's. Top radio media buyers talk about the future of HD Radio multicasting-what should the revenue models be? NetRadio Sales' Jennifer Lane talks about developing interactive dollars for broadcasters. Former NAB CEO Eddie Fritts tells how new technology can benefit radio stations in alerting listeners to emergencies. 2007's outlook for radio from the minds of top brokers: Mark Fratrik, Brian Cobb, Frank Kalil, Elliot Evers, Larry Patrick, more.
Contact June Barnes today to secure your ad placement for Febuary
jbarnes@rbr.com --- 803-731-5951
|
|
|
|
| Washington Media Business Report TM |
Retransmission battle continues
The National Association of Broadcasters has fired off a document to the FCC asking it to leave retransmission negotiations to the open market, as they are now. "In sum, the Commission should reject claims that the current, well-established retransmission consent regime harms competition and the public interest," is said, arguing that is provides "...an equitable marketplace solution that substantially increases the value of MVPD systems and also helps ensure quality local programming reaches the largest possible audience." It argues that while small-market broadcasters in particular are hampered by local ownership limits, cable companies can enjoy almost unlimited national and regional growth, giving them the upper hand at a time when local broadcasters are struggling with a challenging advertising environment and ever-increasing competition. It concludes, "Given that MVPDs now control the pathway to the television in more than 85% of American households, arguments that MVPDs are disadvantaged in retransmission consent negotiations are simply not supported by the facts."
|
|
|
|
| Media Business Report TM |
 US consumers ready
for mobile marketing
Although 79% of consumers find the idea of mobile ads annoying, early efforts at mobile marketing have revealed that consumers will happily engage in campaigns as long as marketers deliver valuable information or content. According to a new report released by Forrester Research, a growing number of consumers are shifting from voice-only mobile services to other activities, creating a viable audience for mobile marketing. 35% of US households that own a mobile phone currently engage in text messaging and 11% access the mobile Internet. To combat preconditioned skepticism, marketers must recognize that mobile marketing is about offering value, not interrupting consumers with unmoving and irrelevant ads. Forward-looking brands are already successfully employing multimedia messaging, mobile Web browsers, and downloadable applications and content to reach consumers via mobile phones. For example: To increase late-night visits, McDonald's placed mobile ads on mobile Web sites, like Match.com, which are frequented by young consumers. McDonald's saw higher-than-average click-through rates due to a highly relevant offer: mobile coupons valid between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. for one night only. CC Radio's WXKS (KISS 108 FM) in Boston offers a "text club" in which listeners receive mobile alerts and promotions, and use text to interact with disc jockeys during broadcasts. 48% of the club sent texts for a chance to win breakfast with Nick Lachey. Broadway Marketplace, a small Cambridge, MA grocer, replaced its card-based loyalty program with one that uses mobile phones to identify the shopper. This approach allows Broadway Marketplace to deliver promotions based on a shopper's purchase history directly to a shopper's mobile phone. 82% of Broadway's shoppers now belong to this program, with 64% participating on a regular basis.
|
|
|
|
| Entertainment Media Business Report TM |
Fox winds down "The O.C."
The sun will set for the last time on The O.C. when Fox ends the series' four-season run Thursday, 2/22 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). All 16 original episodes are airing yesterday through the last. Set in Orange County, California, The O.C. premiered in August 2003. It follows a group of friends and families whose lives were changed by the arrival of an outsider Ryan Atwood to their ocean-side community of Newport Beach. From Wonderland Sound and Vision and College Hill Pictures and in association with Warner Bros. Television Production, The O.C. is executive-produced by Josh Schwartz, Bob DeLaurentis, Stephanie Savage and McG. Ian Toynton and John Stevens are co-executive producers.
Reality TV - with real bullets
You could say that CBS has figured out how to combine "Dancing With the Stars" and "Cops" to come up with a new reality TV series that has celebrities wearing real badges and carrying real guns to patrol the streets of Muncie, Indiana, previously famous for being the home of Ball Mason Jars and Ball State University, alma mater of David Letterman. The series "Armed & Famous" debuts next Wednesday, January 10th, 8-9 pm ET/PT. It follows actor Erik Estrada ("CHiPs"), singer and author La Toya Jackson, television personality Jack Osbourne ("The Osbournes"), professional skateboarder Jason "Wee Man" Acuña ("Jackass") and former WWE champion wrestler Trish Stratus as they go through training and become sworn police officers, then hit the streets. Intrigued?
|  Here is a video preview |
 "At Large with Geraldo Rivera" returns to FNC
Almost immediately after Twentieth Television pulled "Geraldo at Large" from syndication, At Large with Geraldo Rivera will return to FOX News Channel (FNC) on Saturday and Sunday evenings (timeslot to be determined) as part of a new multi-year deal with Geraldo Rivera and the cable network, announced Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO, FOX News and Chairman, FOX Television Stations. In addition to hosting his signature program, Rivera will continue to make guest appearances on The O'Reilly Factor and serve as a correspondent at large during major breaking news events. Geraldo at Large ceases production in mid-January at which time FOX Television Stations will explore new syndicated fare to replace the program. In making the announcement, Ailes said, "Geraldo is a great talent and did a tremendous job for us in syndication. His ratings were climbing in several markets, including New York. However, with the soft ad marketplace, the lack of an early news lead-in for his show in several cities and the timeline for financial success, I've asked him to come back to FOX News Channel. We look forward to bringing his special journalistic skills back to FNC." Upon joining FNC as a war correspondent in 2001, Rivera was immediately stationed in Afghanistan to cover Operation Enduring Freedom and later in Bethlehem to cover the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2005, he reported on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Iraqi elections and secured an exclusive interview with Michael Jackson on the evening before his trial for child molestation charges.
|
|
|
|
| Ratings & Research |
Strong news mag week
News magazine shows were unusually strong with TiVo users for the most recent week, with CBS' "60 Minutes" #2 and ABC's "20/20" #3. The #1 show had nothing to do with news. It was the Howie Mandel game show "Deal or No Deal" on NBC.
| Tivo Top 25 |
Businesses raised marketing budgets in Q4;
spending continues to fall short
Blackfriars Communications announced US companies expected to spend 50% more on marketing in Q4 than they spent in an average quarter in 2005. This data collected from Blackfriars' survey of US senior execs pushed the Q4 Blackfriars Marketing Index up to 150. Meanwhile, Blackfriars' Q3 2006 index of actual spending fell to 74, the lowest value in two and a half years. Blackfriars also released its Marketing Category Indices for twelve types of marketing spending. Those indices showed that the bulk of third quarter spending went to offline advertising, which grew to 41% of marketing budgets. Meanwhile, the percentage of marketing budgets being spent on online advertising fell to 8%. "While firms budgeted large amounts for marketing in 2006, they just didn't spend those budgets," said Carl Howe, a principal of Blackfriars. "With executive attitudes toward marketing faltering, businesses fell back on tried and true media types that they could defend."
|
|
|
|
| Stock Talk |
Soft sales by retailers hurt broadcast stocks
Major retailers reported holiday sales figures that disappointed Wall Street - and bad news for retailers is bad news for broadcasters. While the news impacted the market in general, the major broad indices did finish on the plus side after a dip in oil prices. The Dow Industrials edged up six points to 12,481.
In TV issues, Gray Television (common) was down 2.2% and Saga was off 2.1% as the day's poorest performers.
|
|
|
|
| Stocks |
Here's how stocks fared on Thursday
| Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
|
Acme
|
ACME
|
|
5.08
|
+0.06
|
McGraw-Hill
|
MHP
|
 |
66.78
|
-0.31
|
|
Belo
|
BLC
|
|
18.12
|
-0.18
|
Media General
|
MEG
|
|
37.53
|
-0.22
|
| CBS CI. B |
CBS |
|
31.33
|
-0.27
|
Meredith
|
MDP
|
|
56.33
|
+0.05
|
| CBS CI. A |
CBSa |
|
31.29
|
-0.31
|
News Corp.
|
NWS
|
|
22.16
|
-0.09
|
|
Clear Channel
|
CCU
|
|
35.49
|
-0.02
|
Nexstar
|
NXST
|
|
4.75
|
-0.01
|
|
Disney
|
DIS
|
|
34.47
|
+0.27
|
NY Times
|
NYT
|
|
23.34
|
-0.39
|
|
Emmis
|
EMMS
|
|
8.28
|
-0.01
|
Ion Media
|
ION
|
|
0.52
|
-0.02
|
|
Entravision
|
EVC
|
|
8.11
|
-0.02
|
Saga Commun.
|
SGA
|
|
9.50
|
-0.20
|
|
Fisher
|
FSCI
|
|
44.00
|
-0.28
|
SBS
|
SBSA
|
|
4.06
|
-0.03
|
|
Gannett
|
GCI
|
|
59.45
|
-0.56
|
Scripps
|
SSP
|
|
50.03
|
+0.14
|
|
Gen. Electric
|
GE
|
|
37.75
|
-0.22
|
Sinclair
|
SBGI
|
|
11.00
|
+0.13
|
|
Granite
|
GBTVK
|
|
0.10
|
-0.02
|
SWMX
|
SWMX
|
|
1.95
|
-0.05
|
|
Gray
|
GTN
|
|
7.54
|
-0.17
|
Time Warner
|
TWX
|
|
22.42
|
+0.39
|
|
Gray, C1. A
|
GTNa
|
|
8.55
|
+0.15
|
Tribune
|
TRB
|
|
30.89
|
-0.11
|
|
Hearst-Argyle
|
HTV
|
|
25.21
|
-0.37
|
Univision
|
UVN
|
|
35.64
|
+0.08
|
|
Journal Comm.
|
JRN
|
|
12.68
|
+0.06
|
Wash. Post
|
WPO
|
|
758.88
|
+9.38
|
|
Lincoln Natl.
|
LNC
|
|
65.96
|
-0.54
|
Young
|
YBTVA
|
|
2.79
|
+0.03
|
|
LIN TV
|
TVL
|
|
10.41
|
+0.27
|
-
|
-
|
- |
-
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bounceback
|
 We want to
hear from you.
This is your column, so send your comments and
a photo to tvnews@rbr.com
|
|
|
Below the Fold
|
Ad Business Report
PPM to usher in
Commercial ratings for radio? Haven't heard, Arbitron Advertiser/Agency Advisory Council has a resolution strongly advising radio stations encode their signals...
UPS launches "Whiteboard"
Will reportedly spend about 35 million to launch a new campaign...
Media Markets & Money
Hoak Dakota deal closed
Cost of 86.8M deal sending a number of Dakota television stations to Hoak...
Entertainment Media
Business Report
"At Large with Geraldo Rivera"
Returns to FNC just as quick as Twentieth Television pulled it...
Ratings & Research
Strong news mag week
Shows were unusually strong with TiVo users...
|
|
|
Stations for Sale
|
New York City
2 LPTVs for Sale
Price Reduced-both for $9 mil
Washington DC - $5 mil
Philadelphia - $2.5 mil
Atlantic City - $1 mil
GeorgeWKimble@aol.com
Kozacko Media Services
520-299-4869
Market your Stations For Sale
in our daily epapers.
Contact June Barnes
jbarnes@rbr.com
|
|
|
More News Headlines
|
CBS's "KOL's Secret Slumber Party'' offers promotion
This month tweens and girls across the U.S. will have a chance to win major prizes by tuning into "KOL's Secret Slumber Party" Saturday morning programming block on CBS and by visiting the website www.secretslumberparty.com to register and to learn about the sweepstakes. "KOL's Secret Slumber Party" is a three-hour programming block that features a slate of animated and live-action programming for girls and tweens. The block is hosted by the Slumber Party Girls, an ensemble of five teen girls who sing, dance and act. Each week, starting tomorrow through 1/28, viewers will have the opportunity to win prizes by watching a specific television series airing on the block (8:00 - 11:00 am) and answering three questions about an episode which will be posted on www.secretslumberparty.com.
Week 1 (January 6 & 7): One winner will receive a vacation to Paris by answering questions about that week's episode of "Madeline."
Week 2 (January 13 & 14): One winner will receive a horse lover's dream vacation by answering questions about that week's episode of "Horseland."
Week 3 (January 20 & 21): One winner will receive a bedroom makeover by answering questions about that week's episode of "Cake."
Week 4 (January 27 & 28): 200 winners will receive 25 dollars in music cash by answering questions about that week's episode of "Dance Revolution."
Amber Alert reminder
NAB is distributing public service announcements to radio and television stations across America that remind listeners and viewers of the vital lifeline served by the partnership between the public, law enforcement officers and local broadcasters through the Amber Alert Plan. The PSAs will begin airing on January 13 to coincide with the anniversary of the abduction of Amber Hagerman, for whom the program is named. The PSAs feature "America's Most Wanted's" John Walsh, whose six-year-old son was abducted and murdered in 1981, and Ed Smart, the father of Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted in the summer of 2002 and found alive in March 2003.
Not so fast
We were pushing the accelerator a bit by suggesting that the going private transaction for Clear Channel might close "early this year" (1/3/07 TVBR #1). A Clear Channel spokesperson tells TVBR the company expects the process to take 9-12 months. Of course, it all depends on getting the necessary regulatory approvals.
|
|
|
RBR - Radio News
|
Radio gains
in November
But the local slump continued as a hefty 16% increase in national business drove an overall increase of 3%. Non-spot gains were also measured in double-digits (13%), while local played the role of sea anchor, dipping slightly into the red ink side of the ledger by a factor of 1%. YTD, local is down the same 1%, national has increased 4% and non-spot is up 10%, all of which combine to leave radio at the break even point. The increase in November national is likely thanks to the last-minute media blitz from both political parties in last year's hotly-contested mid-term election (Democrats went so far as to borrow money to acquire 11th hour airtime). The late political activity is widely believed to have crowded national business off of the TV dial and over to radio. CL King's Jim Boyle also attributes the positive month to easy comps, and notes that the better performance is coming from markets #25 and smaller, while the beachfront properties continue to struggle. Jonathan A. Jacoby at Banc of America expects the national/local results to move much closer together now that the political season is over, and is looking for continued slow growth for radio in 2007.
TVBR observation: Television companies should probably start skipping years when doing comps. With the importance of the political category and, to a lesser degree, the Olympics, odd years just do not have a chance to stack up with even years. But at least the late-cycle national spillover to radio should return to TV this year.
|
|
|
TVBR Radar 2006
|
|
Television News you won't read any where else. TVBR--First, Accurate, and Independently Owned.
|
LIN in retrans deal
Announced a retransmission consent agreement with Version to make LIN stations available on the FiOS TV competitor to cable. Norfolk, VA is the first LIN market to participate in the FiOS rollout. The agreement grants Verizon the right to LIN TV's locally produced content, including local newscasts, for Video on Demand (VOD) and to carry both the analog and HDTV signals of all the LIN stations in markets where Verizon provides FiOS TV service. In Norfolk, that meant WAVY-TV (Ch. 10, NBC) and WVBT-TV (Ch. 43, Fox).
TVBR observation: The FiOS rollout appears to be good news for broadcasters, since Verizon has raised no objections to paying for retransmission consent and is anxious to do add-on deals, such as VOD, to enhance its offerings as it tries to take market share away from existing cable competitors. Cable MSOs who are trying to take a hard line on retrans may not have accepted the reality that viewers are their captive customers. DirecTV, Echostar and FiOS (though only in a few markets thus far) are viable competitors.
01/04/07 TVBR #2
The puzzle is coming together:
A Nielsen stock in 2007?
That would be a pretty good bet. New VNU CEO David Calhoun has begun reconfiguring the company to create a payoff for its new private equity owners. As predicted by RBR/TVBR, one was a move to increase the influence and importance of the head of the main profit center, Nielsen Media Research.
TVBR observation: There is much weight on CEO Calhoun but more weight and pressure on newly appointed inside veteran now EX VP Whiting. What is next? Well, still much work to be done inside the mega company in all of their various divisions that TVBR has little space to outline what is needed and VNU has so little time. One thing TVBR does know that if the little things or certain divisions are not properly repaired and prepared for 2007 it will make what is ahead more difficult. Look for the big push this year: Job one for CEO Calhoun, recruited from the upper echelons of GE, is to improve profitability and prepare VNU for an IPO. Job two: Look for a reincorporation in the US from The Netherlands, Job three: A name brand change to something emphasizing the strength and brand recognition of the Nielsen name and Job four: an IPO filing. All of that could well happen this year.
01/03/07 TVBR #1
Trends to watch for in 2007
JWT, the largest advertising agency in the US and the fourth-largest in the world, is marking the New Year with a list of 70 "in" products, services and trends that will help to define 2007. "Trends are illustrated by the products and services that exemplify them," Marian Salzman, EVP, chief marketing officer of JWT Worldwide. View these 2007 trends to watch in TVBR
01/03/07 TVBR #1
Coming in 2007:
New bosses at Clear Channel
At first glance, the corporate office in San Antonio won't be changing much when Clear Channel Communications is taken private early this year (as early as government approvals can be obtained), but below the surface much is changing. The Mays family will no longer have de facto control, as they did when Clear Channel was a public company without a majority shareholder. Competitors and brokers have been salivating at the station inventory put on the market in connection with going private - some 500 or so radio stations and the entire CC Television group.
TVBR observation: Lowry and his family will walk away with over a billion bucks from the buyout, but Mark and Randall are going to be faced with a new reality of working for people who do not share their last name. They and Clear Channel Radio CEO John Hogan will have to hit the performance marks set by their new bosses or risk being sent packing. Since the Mays brothers had previously agreed to dramatically reduce their golden parachutes, they obviously believe they are up to the new task, but now they have to prove themselves. We know who will be running the company in 2007, but will they still be there in 2008 or 2009?
01/03/07 TVBR #1
TVBR observation: Things didn't work out as Sumner planned
A year ago, Sumner Redstone had it all planned out. By splitting Viacom in two, he could create two companies - one a high-energy Wall Street growth vehicle and the other a stable, profitable but slow-growth media company. It sort of worked out that way, but the reverse of what was planned. As 2006 came to an end, "new" Viacom's stock price remains stuck in neutral and CBS Corporation is the Wall Street darling. Les Moonves and the "old media" gang at CBS have been spinning off non-core assets, like Paramount Parks and smaller market radio stations, while moving into cable TV, podcasting and online streaming. The guy who supposedly got the better deal, Tom Freston, is unemployed - forced out in early September after failing to deliver on Redstone's view of the cutting-edge new media company that Viacom was supposed to become. Redstone called it "humiliating" that Freston let News Corporation grab a deal to acquire MySpace from under his nose. At this point, Wall Street has definitely embraced CBS as the better bet. Its stock is up more than 23% this year, while Viacom is down over 2%.
12/28/06 TVBR #250
|
|
|
|
 |
Editorial & Sales Reps
Working for a print trade with no growth? RBR and TVBR looking for experienced pro's. Capitalize on your experience, contacts, relationships, and secure your future growth. NO Relocation necessary. Contact Jim Carnegie in confidence at publisher@rbr.com
Hard finding that key person
to fill the important position at your organization? Media HeadHunters is the place that key media firms use to get results. See Media HeadHunters and get results with service--Period.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Help Desk
|
__FIRST__ __SECOND__ :
Having problems with our epapers?
Please send Questions/Concerns to:
Memberships@rbr.com
If you wish to remove your name completely from our database use this link __UNSUB__
TVBR Epaper -- 108 annual
or just 9 a month
|
|
|
|
©2007 Radio Business Report, Inc. All rights reserved.
Television Business Report -- 2050 Old Bridge Road, Suite B-01, Lake Ridge, VA 22192 -- Phone: 703-492-8191
|
|
