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Volume 23, Issue 31, Jim Carnegie, Editor & Publisher
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Tuesday Morning February 14th, 2006
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TV News ®
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 Reverse comp may be a
tough sell for the CW
Plans by partners CBS and Time Warner to collect reverse network compensation for the new CW network launching this fall may face resistance from potential affiliates. In their quarterly conference calls last week, both Sinclair Broadcast Group CEO David Smith and Belo CEO Robert Decherd made it clear that they think the CW needs their stations more than they need the CW. With News Corporation also out pitching its unwired network alternative of stripped programming from its 20th Television subsidiary, CBS and Time Warner may find it tough to push for reverse compensation if, in some important markets, either the current WB affiliate or the current UPN affiliate sits out the bidding for the CW affiliation.
TVBR observation: What happens if no broadcast station in a market bids for the CW? After all, Sinclair owns both the WB and UPN affiliates in a few markets. There is another option for the CW - - a digital only multicast station. That's a viable alternative, but it would also be a startup, making it even more difficult for the would-be affiliate to work reverse compensation into its business plan.
 Kwan loss tough for NBC
Figure skater Michelle Kwan was to have been one of the stars of NBC's Winter Olympics coverage, but she'd barely got on camera to practice her figure skating routine when she called a press conference to announce that she was pulling out of the games due to an injury. Kwan is a crowd favorite, although she'd never won an Olympic gold medal, despite numerous US and World titles. This was to have been her last chance at Olympic gold - - she'll be 29 by the next Winter Olympics - - and NBC had been making the most of it. In an attempt to salvage some of her star power, NBC offered her a job as a commentator for the games, but she declined and headed home rather than stay in Italy as a paid spectator. With Kwan out, 17-year-old Emily Hughes was hustling to get from New York to Torino to fill the vacant spot on the US figure skating team. If that name is almost but not quite familiar, it's because her older sister, Sarah, was the surprise darling of the 2002 Winter Games, winning the gold as Kwan had to settle for bronze. So, NBC still has a compelling story to weave around the figure skating competition.
TVBR observation: We report this "already news" for one reason - to watch the ratings of this event and to track the star power to see if the advertiser gets their bang for the buck. If NBC affiliates are reading TVBR suggestion is to team with your local radio station morning team for a cross marketing platform. Good for programming and good for sales. Key is picking the right radio station that has personality and it does not mean a sports station.
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 Guilty is guilty, whether
sketched or filmed
A murder defendant did not consent to the cameras present in the courtroom during trial. The use of their presence to reverse a guilty finding has been denied on appeal, according to the Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press. The case took place in New York state. The January 2004 trial was seen on cable's Court TV. According to RCFP, cameras are not supposed to be in New York courtrooms, but have been allowed on occasion at a judge's discretion. In the immediate ruling, the appellate court said that the defendant had to prove that she was deprived of a fair trial by the cameras' presence, and held that she failed to do so. The defendant would have had stronger legal footing, according to RCFP, if the cameras had been objected to beforehand, but that did not happen. Neither counsel for defense of prosecution voiced any objections.
TVBR observation: Are cameras and microphones still such a novelty that judges, attorneys, plaintiffs, defendants and witnesses will play to the media rather than deal with the serious issues at hand? We think not, for the most part (of course there are exceptions). Even if it is a problem, it's one we should learn to live with and minimize over time. Our democratic government is supposed to be transparent, and as much as possible, the light should be allowed to shine on government proceedings, including trials. Tape recorders, microphones and cameras should be seen merely as technological updates of sketches and shorthand notes, which are allowed in court, the difference being that they are more accurate. Any judge worth his salt should be able to maintain order and keep the focus on the court's business regardless of what tools journalists happen to be using.
Massachusetts town protests loss of local news
Not far from Boston, folks in Quincy, Massachusetts are used to having local news reports on WJDA-AM, which has long been owned by locals. But that's about to change and the Quincy City Council isn't taking the sale and planned format flip of the station lying down. But its actions may be no more effective than taking a nap. The station has been sold to Otto Miller's Principal Broadcasting Network for 4.5M, along with WESX-AM Salem MA (2/2/06 RBR #23). According to reports, Miller plans to simulcast the two stations, and fill the time with brokered segments going largely to religious groups, many of them operating in Spanish. The City Council has passed a resolution by a vote of 8-1 asking that local news be retained as a feature of the station. Miller has said that it will focus on local issues, since it will be local groups using the airwaves, but that there were no plans for a traditional newscast.
TVBR observation: It's never pretty when business realities and technological change catch up to a treasured local institution, whether it's a local department store, newspaper, restaurant, radio station or what have you. It must have been particularly painful for the last town to witness its crier hang up his megaphone. The Quincy City Council seems to realize that it can make its point but otherwise has little recourse in this situation. Perhaps they can find a way to keep the local community informed via the Internet, if they aren't already. And they should be glad Miller's plans are, in the end, local - - it's not like he's cherry picking the syndication wires...
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Ad Business Report TM
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GSK sponsors Black History vignettes on CBS
GlaxoSmithKline is sponsored a series of vignettes throughout Black History Month highlighting the achievements of African-Americans in science and innovation. Throughout the month, 10 distinguished leaders in these fields will be profiled in the 30-second spots, which began airing on CBS prime time starting 2/10. "We always encourage our clients to strive for differentiation in getting their message out, and these vignettes provide a great opportunity for GlaxoSmithKline to celebrate the many contributions African-Americans have made to their industry as well as the science and medical fields," said Jo Ann Ross, President of Network Sales, CBS.
Among those featured:
Benjamin Banneker (2/10 during "Ghost Whisperer," 8:00-9:00 PM)
Dr. Charles Drew (2/12 during "60 Minutes," 7:00-8:00 PM)
Garrett Morgan (2/13 during "CSI: Miami," 10:00-11:00 PM)
Dr. Ron McNair (2/14 during "Price is Right Special," 8:00-9:00 PM)
Dr. Mark Dean (Wednesday, Feb. 15 during "CSI: NY" 10:00-11:00 PM)
George Washington Carver (2/18 during "NCIS," 8:00-9:00 PM)
Frederick McKinley Jones (2/19 during "60 Minutes," 7:00-8:00 PM)
Dr. Benjamin Carson (2/22 during "CSI: NY," 10:00-11:00 PM)
Dr. Percy Lavon Julian (2/25 during "48 Hours Mystery," 10:00-11:00 PM)
Dr. Mae Jemison (2/26 during "Cold Case," 8:00-9:00 PM)
 ABCRN's Daddy Yankee
signs Ford Fusion
Ford Fusion has signed on as the exclusive automotive sponsor of Daddy Yankee's new "On Fuego" (On Fire) on ABC Radio Networks en Español. The program hosted by Daddy Yankee will feature the hottest music, cultural insight and commentary about the Latino experience. It will premiere 3/4 and run on weekends in top U.S. Hispanic markets for 52 weeks. Mark Kaline, Ford Motor Company Global Media Manager, tells RBR/TVBR in our March Solutions Magazine interview, that exclusive sponsorship (such as for 'On Fuego') is one important strategy to avoid getting lost in ad clutter for all media: "There are definitely steps we take to avoid being in the center of a multi-minute pod. If you're buried within the middle of a three to five minute pod, you have a good chance of being lost. Clutter is an issue for all commercial media, and an area where the consumer now has the tools to fight back. I think some of the steps being taken in the radio industry, ala Clear Channel's efforts, are good in that it at least recognizes the problem...In the car business there used to be some pretty tried and true tactics that were used-road blocking networks, double truck ads in newspapers and things like that. While I think all of that will still have an importance, I think you will see things like ownership of a primetime for a given evening; trying to create white space to clear out the rest of the clutter. By clutter I don't mean just other automotives, I mean other major national advertisers to create kind of an island of visibility for yourself amidst a sea of messages."
Ford's partnership with the Daddy Yankee "On Fuego" radio show includes the sponsorship of billboards, 60 second commercials and features in the weekly two-hour program. In addition, the Ford Fusion will be included in Daddy Yankee's "En La Avenida" (On the Avenue) segments, through which Yankee will provide updates on what is going on in his life and in the Latin music industry. These updates will run during ABC Radio Network's Hispanic Morning Drive and ESPN Deportes programs every day of the week. The third element of the partnership will include a national contest featuring the chance to attend a private Daddy Yankee "On Fuego" radio show broadcast, "Live from South Beach," featuring guest appearances from major celebs and performances by some of the hottest acts in reggaeton and hip-hop.
 Cars.com launches local search management service for dealers
CPC Logic, a division of cars.com, announced the launch of local search management for dealers. The new service will leverage CPC Logic's search management technology to help dealerships drive quality search engine traffic directly to their website. CPC Logic will work with dealerships to meet their traffic goals and campaign objectives, creating customized keyword lists for the products and services they want to promote, including new and used cars, parts and accessories, service, finance and more. Campaigns are tailored to maximize brand exposure, website traffic and leads, and phone calls within the dealers selected budget. Designed to help navigate the complexities of Search Engine Marketing and to optimize their search investment, CPC Logic will offer dealerships complete account management services including account set-up, keyword selection, ad copy creation, listing submissions, traffic tracking, bid management, performance monitoring and billing with the search engines. In addition to campaign management, CPC Logic provides dealers with a full reporting suite, including keyword ROI, traffic and campaign analysis. Using these tools, dealerships can track and measure performance from clicks to sales.
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| Washington Media Business Report TM |
Video franchising back on the docket
The Senate Commerce Committee's session on video franchising, knocked off the schedule by last month's vote on the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, finally surfaces this week. It will be held Wednesday, 2/15/06 at 10AM eastern. It'll be a two-panel affair, with the following lineup of witnesses. Panel I: Ivan Seidenberg, Chief Executive Officer, Verizon; Edward E. Whitacre Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, AT&T; Thomas M. Rutledge, Chief Operating Officer, Cablevision Systems Corporation; Lori Panzino-Tillery, President, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors. PANEL II: Anthony T. Riddle, Executive Director, Alliance for Community Media; Gene Kimmelman, Senior Director of Public Policy, Consumers Union; Gigi Sohn, President and Co-Founder, Public Knowledge; Brad Evans, Chief Executive Officer, Cavalier Telephone.
TVBR observation: Committee honchos Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Daniel Inouye (D-HI) have stated as a guiding principal their desire that the competitive MVPD playing field between cable and telephone companies be level, and that local franchising authorities retain oversight over such operations within their own jurisdictions. Telcos would love to enter without having to deal with local governments, and although cable would probably like that as well, it certainly won't want telcos to be able to bypass the locals if it's stuck with the same old, same old. Broadcasters are interested spectators in this one, although the NAB and others have been engaging in some quiet sweet talk with the telcos, given cable's intractable negative view of multicast must carry. Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) has been working on minimizing or eliminating local authority as part of the reworking of the Telecom Act of 1996 (6/23/05 TVBR #123), but all in all, we'd be surprised to see any radical legislative approaches to dealing with this complicated issue.
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| Entertainment Media Business Report TM |
 Sundance Channel to premiere Olympics documentary
In the original documentary "Chasing the Olympic Dream," Sundance Channel profiles a group of athletes who have spent their lives working towards such a goal only to see their hopes dashed in the end. Produced for Sundance Channel by NBC News, Chasing the Olympic Dream, premieres on 3/2, 2006 at 8:00pm e/p. The subjects of this documentary include, among others, Bob Giordano, who lost a chance to compete in the 1980 Moscow Olympics because of the United States boycott that year; Bruce Conner, brother of Olympic Gold medal winning gymnast Bart, who tried and failed to make the Olympic Speed Skating team in 1976 and again in 2006; and Stacey Blumer Evans, a world champion in her sport of aerial skiing before it was an Olympic discipline, who after 6 knee operations made the 1998 Olympic team but didn't medal. Additional profiles will include athletes competing in the upcoming 2006 Winter Games held in Torino.
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| Ratings & Research |
Olympics win Sunday for NBC, but ABC is tops in 18-49
ABC is crowing about its Sunday ratings, after beating NBC's Torino Winter Olympic Games broadcast in the big money 18-49 demo. And, while NBC won the evening overall in Household ratings, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy" won their time slots. In fact, Grey's was the night's #1 show, outdrawing its powerhouse lead-in, Housewives. All in all, NBC had an HH 13.2/20 to ABC's 11.3/17, with CBS 6.0/9 and Fox 3.4/5. But in the 18-49 demo, the order was ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS.
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| Engineering Business Report TM |
Dawson, Rackley, Weiss get
2006 NAB Engineering Swards
The NAB announced the recipients of the 2006 Radio and Television Engineering Achievement Awards. The awards, first established in 1959, are given to individuals for their significant contributions which have advanced broadcast engineering. This year's winners, Benjamin Dawson, Ronald Rackley and S. Merrill Weiss will be honored at the Technology Luncheon on 4/26 at NAB2006 Las Vegas.
 Television award winner S. Merrill Weiss is a consultant in electronic media technology and management. He has nearly 40 years of experience in broadcasting and related fields and draws upon extensive experience designing, building, and managing new technical facilities for various electronic media companies. His consulting practice has served clients throughout the broadcast industry in the U.S and the world. Earlier in his career, Mr. Weiss worked with NBC, Imagex Corporation, and with Westinghouse Broadcasting.
 Dawson, managing partner of Seattle-based Hatfield & Dawson Consulting Engineers, has practiced as a telecommunications consulting engineer for the last 30 years. He has designed, implemented and refurbished medium wave antenna systems with as many as 10 towers at power levels as high as 2 megawatts.
 Rackley is partner in the engineering firm of du Treil, Lundin & Rackley, Sarasota, Florida. Rackley worked as a radio station chief engineer and was a consultant to other nearby stations during college. Following his formal education, he worked for two different engineering firms and a major manufacturer of antenna system equipment before co-founding a predecessor to his present firm, du Treil, Lundin & Rackley, Inc., in 1983.
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| Stock Talk |
Stocks take a dive
Stock traders found nothing to excite them yesterday and sold stocks. The Dow Industrials fell 27 points, or 0.2%, to 10,892.
Almost all TV stocks declined. There was no news about Gray Television, but its common stock fell 5.6% and its Class A stock fell 3.5%. Sinclair fell 2%.
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| Stocks |
Here's how stocks fared on Monday
| Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
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Acme
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ACME
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3.50
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-0.02
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LIN TV
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TVL
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11.08
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+0.03
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Belo
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BLC
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21.58
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-0.07
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McGraw-Hill
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MHP
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53.38
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-0.05
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| CBS CI. B |
CBS |
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25.54
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+0.08
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Media General
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MEG
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50.05
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+0.30
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| CBS CI. A |
CBSa |
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25.51
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+0.07
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Meredith
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MDP
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54.31
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+0.23
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Clear Channel
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CCU
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28.66
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-0.12
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News Corp.
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NWS
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16.60
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-0.06
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Disney
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DIS
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26.41
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-0.27
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Nexstar
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NXST
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4.19
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unch
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Emmis
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EMMS
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17.28
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-0.27
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NY Times
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NYT
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27.81
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+0.09
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Entravision
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EVC
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7.15
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-0.13
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Paxson
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PAX
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0.90
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-0.01
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Fisher
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FSCI
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42.54
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unch
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Saga Commun.
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SGA
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9.90
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-0.05
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Gannett
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GCI
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62.30
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-0.09
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SBS
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SBSA
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5.85
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+0.04
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Gen. Electric
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GE
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33.25
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-0.03
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Scripps
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SSP
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49.45
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+0.43
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Granite
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GBTVK
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0.14
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-0.01
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Sinclair
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SBGI
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7.47
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-0.15
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Gray
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GTN
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8.47
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-0.50
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Time Warner
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TWX
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18.27
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-0.05
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Gray, C1. A
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GTNa
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8.40
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-0.30
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Tribune
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TRB
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30.74
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+0.14
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Hearst-Argyle
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HTV
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23.62
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-0.25
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Univision
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UVN
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34.40
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-0.30
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Jeff-Pilot
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JP
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58.46
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-0.41
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Wash. Post
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WPO
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742.00
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-7.81
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Journal Comm.
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JRN
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12.50
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+0.24
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Young
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YBTVA
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3.56
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+0.05
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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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TV Media Moves
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Norton checks in
at NYTCo
David Norton, formerly head of human resources for Starwood Hotels, has joined the New York Times Company as Sr. VP of Human Resources, overseeing all HR functions for the newspaper/broadcasting/online company.
Reid upped at Univision
Mike Reid has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Director of National Sales, overseeing the 10 nationwide spot sales offices for the Univision and TeleFutura station groups. He'll be based in NYC. Reid was previously SVP of National Sales for the Central Region, based in Dallas.
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Below the Fold
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Ad Business Report
Daddy Yankee signs Ford Fusion
Program feature the hottest music, about the Latino experience...
Washington Media Business Report
Video franchising
Back on the Senate docket...
Entertainment Media
Business Report
Sundance Channel
Premiere Olympics documentary...
Ratings & Research
Olympics win Sunday for NBC
But ABC tops in big money 18-49...
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Download Now
February '06 RBR/TVBR Solutions Magazine
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As a Professional courtesy and your convenience we have produced our printed Magazine in PDF Format. Read the pdf version from the link below or right click and choose "Save Target As" to save the pdf.
Read February's
RBR/TVBR Magazine
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TVBR Radar 2005
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Television News you won't read any where else. TVBR--First, Accurate, and Independently Owned.
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President Dennis Donlin on GM's new local TV relationships
Here's what he told us: "[Last] week GM Planworks had a constructive dialogue with local TV stations on a new approach that will improve partnership. More in
02/13/06 TVBR #30
Carat clears the air
on the DVR ultimatum
Ray Warren, Carat Americas President, tells RBR/TVBR about a bit of a misunderstanding that may have been behind ABC's Mike Shaw's recent ultimatum. Details in in
02/13/06 TVBR #30
TVBR First
GM share deals to be cancelled
Stations to monitor pod violations as GM Planworks SVP/Local Investment Director Kevin Gallagher made the announcement to all in the Television Business. Reps were called to a meeting and told that GM share deals would all be cancelled from Q2 on and that stations, not buyers, would then monitor pod violations. Said one industry source: "These moves lose GM multiple millions of ad time at a time when they need every dime they can get. In the local community the reps are out celebrating as are the stations."
TVBR observation: Trouble is brewing here so read the details
02/10/06 TVBR #29
Announcement imminent at AAAAs
Jean Pool, EVP/Director of North American Operations Universal McCann, Chairman of Media Policy at the AAAAs, confirms what Jon Mandel alluded to yesterday over ABC's Mike Shaw's proclamation that ABC will not do business in the 2006-07 upfront with media agencies that insist on using only Nielsen's live ratings as the measurement currency. Confirms Pool on the matter: "Yes we will be announcing something at the 4As conference."
TVBR note: And TVBR Publisher Jim Carnegie and Sr. Editor Carl Marcucci will be there for the fireworks with exclusive content for your TV Business.
02/10/06 TVBR #29
TVBR First
What have we done???
By Jean Pool, Keynote Speaker 4A's '06 EVP/Director N.American Ops. Universal McCann
Just why is it that we're hell bent on irritating the very people that we are trying to sell our products and services to? Clutter is the death of the media. Early Saturday morning call... a telemarketer that instructs me to wait for the next available operator. What are they thinking? Another favorite is my Sunday New York Times stuffed full of inserts that usually end up scattered on my hall floor. Then there is radio... driving along listening to Dr. Laura berating a call-in when you're interrupted by a commercial. Or one hour of Howard Stern's show of 18 commercials ...38 units ran. Geez, that barely gives Howard time to get in the F word. For a reality check read the entire article
02/01/06 TVBR #22
VNU in no rush to sell itself
The long-term fate of Nielsen Media Research remains unclear. There's still no indication of the fate of Billboard, Adweek, The Hollywood Reporter and other US media magazines owned by VNU as their parent company mulls whether to accept a buyout bid. VNU confirmed that the head of its Supervisory Board, Aad Jacobs, and VNU's Executive Board met Monday with Eric Knight, who heads the Knight Vinke Asset Management investment group, to hear his views on the possible sale of VNU to a consortium of equity investment funds. VNU says it is continuing to have active talks with the equity funds about a buyout of the company. But while there are lots of talks going on, VNU management appears to be in no hurry to strike a deal.
TVBR observation: As we've noted before, the equity buyout firms haven't given any indication what parts of VNU they intend to keep for a while and build up for an eventual sale or IPO and which ones might be sold off immediately. The general view from outside observers is that the publishing and trade shows unit is the most likely to be put on the auction block. The most profitable division - - and the least likely to be sold unless there's a really impressive offer - - is the media ratings business, led by Nielsen Media Research in the US.
02/08/06 TVBR #27
ABC leads strong quarter for Disney
Powered by ABC Television and its theme parks, Disney reported fiscal Q1 (October-December 2005) results that exceeded expectations. Media Networks revenues rose 6% to 3.67 billion and operating income rose 7% to 606 million. Within that, operating income for the Broadcasting segment shot up 87% to 234 million, primarily due to higher ratings at ABC Television driving higher ad revenues. Broadcasting revenues rose 9% to 1.81 billion.
There is more see
02/07/06 TVBR #26
Citadel + ABC: Done
Here's how the deal will work
The merger of Citadel and ABC Radio will be a complicated one. Because its tax basis in the radio assets is essentially zero, Disney insisted on a "reverse Morris Trust" so it (and its shareholders) will not have to pay capital gains taxes on the transaction....ABC's O&Os, 22 stations in nine markets, will become part of Citadel Communications, as will ABC Radio Networks. Citadel will have an exclusive 10-year licensing agreement to deliver ABC News Radio programming to terrestrial radio stations.
02/07/06 RBR #26
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Local Sales Executive
TeleFutura 49 in Dallas seeking a motivated and dedicated individual to join local sales team. Minimum 2 yrs experience in TV, Radio or Cable Sales. Excellent opportunity for growth. EOE.
See TV Careers
Companies Looking
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2. Top TV editor for TVBR
3. Sales executive for TVBR
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