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Volume 23, Issue 6, Jim Carnegie, Editor & Publisher

Tuesday Morning January 10th, 2006

TV News ®

Hearst-Argyle does group deal with EchoStar
Hearst-Argyle Television has entered into a retransmission consent agreement with EchoStar to have all of the Hearst-Argyle TV stations carried on EchoStar's Dish Network local-to-local satellite service in their markets. Financial details of the deal are being kept under wraps, but Hearst-Argyle stated in its filing with the SEC that it is receiving cash compensation from EchoStar. The retransmission deal was effective New Year's Day and runs through November 30, 2008.

"Book of Daniel" stays on shelf in most homes
If four NBC affiliates in smaller markets, three of them owned by Nexstar, had aired Friday's premier of "The Book of Daniel," it still wouldn't have made much difference in the show's disappointing ratings. In fact, if it hadn't been for the buzz created by a few affiliates refusing to air the religious-themed (opponents charge "anti-Christian") drama, the audience might have been even smaller. As it was, 'The Book of Daniel" finished third for each hour in its target 18-49 demo. It was beaten in the first hour Friday by CBS' "Close to Home" and ABC's "InJustice" and in the second by CBS' "NUMB3RS" and ABC's "20/20." Drawing an audience of only nine million viewers to the much-hyped premier of the series starring Aidan Quinn as a troubled Episcopal priest who regularly talks with Jesus, played by Garret Dillahunt, is yet another disappointment for NBC, which has been trying to find some traction to rebuild its schedule.

Broadcaster moves ahead
in PA gubernatorial race
ABC football commentator Lynn Swann, who is considerably more famous for his role on powerhouse Pittsburgh Steeler NFL teams in the 70s and 80s, is looking to turn his statewide fame into a plus as he seeks the Republican nomination for governor. Swann did well in a party caucus, one of several which will be held before primary elections are held. Observers are watching to see if the party will go with Swann or main challenger ex-Lt. Gov. William Scranton, thus avoiding a big primary battle. Whoever prevails - - Swann, Scranton or someone else - - will be going up against an entrenched and well-financed sitting Democrat in Ed Rendell, who is thought to be sitting on a war chest in the tens of millions and who raised about 40M last time out, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

TVBR observation: A high-profile gubernatorial race will only add to the tsunami of political cash flowing over the Keystone State, which is already home of the biggest US Senate battle of the year as Bob Casey (D) attempts to unseat Rick Santorum (R-PA) in what is expected to be a 50M battle. Many state Republicans are not anxious for a protracted primary battle - - they'd rather spend campaign cash going after Rendell, not one another - - but for broadcasters, either scenario will probably result in the same political windfalls, and the same danger of choking traditional clients off the airwaves, at least during the campaign's peak weeks.

Philly pirate walks the plank
In what is generally a radio-exlusive penalty category, a Philadelphia man has been hit with the standard 10K fine for operating an FM station without a license. The pirate's notice of apparent liability was promoted to forfeiture order status in the face of his conflicting testimony. Following up on a complaint, FCC agents traced the 107.7 mHz signal to an Oakmont St. residence and confirmed that it was using power in the license-required range. They also said they received a confession from operator Louis Gentile, who "admitted that he operated a radio station on 107.7 mHz on May 6, 2004 without a license." Upon being notified that he owed the government 10K, Gentile responded that he never admitted to anything. The FCC decided his unsupported denial was not credible. The agents traced the signal to the residence - - Gentile's residence, and also noted the presence of a radio transmitting antenna on the roof and coaxial cable leading down to the basement.

TVBR observation: Has anyone ever heard of a pirate TV station going out over the air? Now, that would be doing something.

Wall Street Media Business Report TM

How'd Emmis TV do last quarter?
Good question. Although Emmis Communications operated its entire TV group right up to the end of its fiscal Q3, which ended November 30, 2005, the TV stations are being treated as discontinued operations and their results were not included in yesterday's quarterly financial release. Thus, all we know from the release is that the net income from discontinued operations totaled 5.29 per share. That would include profits from the TV sales to Gray and LIN which closed on November 30th, producing net proceeds of 441.6 million. However, we found more in Emmis' 10-Q filing at the SEC, showing that the TV group produced net earnings of 11.1 million for the quarter. TV revenues were 63.5 million, down from the political-loaded 78.4 million of a year earlier. Station operating expenses rose to 43.7 million from 41.7 million. Net of tax, Emmis booked a profit of 189.5 million on the station sales that closed in fiscal Q3. For continuing operations (radio and publishing) Emmis beat expectations for earnings per share from continuing operations by two pennies, with a single cent to the positive side. Pro forma radio revenues were up 4% to 76.4 million. Publishing revenues (Emmis owns several city and regional magazines) shot up 18% to 24.5%.

Ad Business Report TM

Nielsen releases Super Bowl ad stats
The final teams for Super Bowl XL have yet to be determined but one thing is for sure...no matter who is playing, there will be a substantial number of viewers tuning in to see the year's hottest commercials.
| Read More... |

Targeting females to buy cars
Cox Target Media (CTM), a direct marketing company, announced it has partnered with the DaimlerChrysler MarketCenter division to promote new car sales among female consumers. An ad sales program has been launched between the 3,900 U.S. Chrysler Group automotive dealers and the nearly 200 U.S.-based Valpak ad sales franchise owners as well as the national Valpak sales department. The full-line of Valpak products are offered to Chrysler Group dealers through this new, special program and partnership. Valpak was selected for its reach to women, the direct marketer's primary audience for nearly 40 years. Through this special program, Valpak products are available via a customized Web site linked into Chrysler Group's Intranet site for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealers. Presently, nearly 40 million Valpak households are located within a five-mile radius of U.S. Chrysler Group dealerships. This program is a new, cooperative advertising partnership established by CTM and rolled out nationally to the direct marketer's Valpak franchise network. Templated new car ads, designed by the direct marketer, and pre-set recommended targeting tools have been developed for Chrysler Group dealers to use in their Valpak advertising. Rates and detailed mailing information broken down to mail-carrier routes are available as well. Via zip codes, Chrysler Group dealers will be directed to their local Valpak offices. Customized Geographical Information Science (GIS) audience research is an essential feature of CTM's service and this program. Daimler Group dealers will identify and target key demos within the Valpak audience by Neighborhood Trade Areas (NTA), a single zone of 10,000 households. Dealers will choose from among several audience profiles to tie into the line or model of automobiles they wish to feature in their advertising campaigns.

Fewer spots for satellite Stern
Sirius Satellite Radio went commercial free for Howard's first day yesterday. The satcaster is telling advertisers it will air no more than six spots per hour to avoid clutter and keep audiences tuned in. Infinity stations had been playing upwards of 18 minutes of ads per hour. Vermont Teddy Bear, which has signed on for a full year with Stern on Sirius. Comedy Central, also expects to advertise on his new show, reported The NY Post. Advertisers are reportedly spending 10,000-15,000 bucks for a Stern live read - - substantially less than what it cost for airing on his terrestrial radio show (20,000). A pre-recorded spot sells for as much as 6,500.

TVBR observation: Even though Sirius only has 3.3 million subscribers - - many of which aren't going to listen to Stern - - the rate he's getting isn't too bad. More Direct Response advertisers - - which traditionally find ROI tough to achieve with the medium - - will likely want to test the show at the lower rate. The buy will be quick and easy to measure effectiveness and ROI - - it's a completely national footprint now and may be easier to plan and buy (another issue which spooks DR advertisers is the complexity of buying national spot).

Media Markets & Money TM

Una Vez Mas gets investor
Spanish specialists Una Vez Mas, which owns the largest affiliate group of the Azteca America network, announced that Alta Communications has made an investment in the company. Terms were not disclosed, but Una Vez Mas says Alta will be providing it with financial and strategic support to develop its existing and prospective markets.

Washington Media Business Report TM

Congress can't get enough of decency
The Senate Commerce Committee is set to hold its third hearing on broadcast indecency, with cable and satellite TV guys added to the hot seats this time. Here's the witness list for the January 19th hearing:

Panel 1:
Jack Valenti, Motion Picture Association of America
Charles W. Ergen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, EchoStar Communications Corporation
David Cohen, Executive Vice President, Comcast Corporation

Panel 2:
Bruce Reese, Joint Board Chairman, National Association of Broadcasters, Chief Executive Officer, Bonneville International
Brent Bozell, President, Parents Television Council
Martin Franks, Executive Vice President, CBS
Alan Rosenberg, President, Screen Actors Guild
Jeff McIntyre, Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer, Public Policy Office, American Psychological Association

Noncom FM in battle with disgruntled patrons
Non-profit WDET-FM Detroit, licensed to Wayne University, is locked in a court battle which could just as easily happen to a noncom television station. It ran its public pledge drive as usual last fall. Then, six weeks after its conclusion, it announced programming changes. The result - - a group of disgruntled listeners who pledged their support based on the old schedule want their money back, and they're going to court to get it, according to reports. The station is said to get 90% of its operating budget from private contributions. Station management said there was no deliberate timing for the changes. The protesting listeners want music programming returned to the schedule, and is scheduling a 1/13/06 demonstration to get their point of view before the public. According to the New York Times, the station is replacing music with NPR fare, but says it added the music itself as a replacement for other noncommercial syndicated talk programs.

TVBR observation: It's the non-profit version of a schedule change that sends advertisers scrambling for make-goods. Our take: A station cannot be expected to consult its entire audience when making program decisions. Although NYT notes a precedent of a noncom station holding public hearings before making major program changes, at some point station management must have the ability to make decisions about what does and does not go on the air.

Ratings & Research

Council for Research Excellence issues RFP
The Council for Research Excellence, created by Nielsen Media Research in 2005, serves as an independent forum for Nielsen to gain greater insight into industry perspectives on R&D development and collaborate further with its clients in R&D efforts. The issues identified for this RFP by the Media Consumption committee include media satisfaction and engagement, map of consumers' use of media by time of day and season of year, use of new technologies such as DVRs, VOD and video consumption both in-home and out-of-home. The Council committee charged with addressing Media Consumption is co-chaired by Shari Anne Brill, VP/Director of Programming at Carat USA and Steve Sternberg, EVP/Director of Audience Analysis at Magna Global.

"The very definition of television viewing, and the landscape overall, is rapidly changing as DVRs and related time-shifted viewing, VOD, and a host of new mobile content providers are about to have a major impact on how, where, and when people receive and watch video content. Through this RFP, the Council for Research Excellence is attempting to gauge the effects of these evolving changes on overall media habits, media engagement, and other media dynamics as they occur," said Sternberg. In regard to the availability of the RFP, Howard Shimmel, SVP/Client Insights at Nielsen said, "We look forward to the results of this study, which should provide Nielsen Media Research and the industry with greater insights on media consumption and help decide priorities for the measurement of emerging and new technologies." All proposals are to be submitted by February 10, 2006. Moving ahead in 2006, The Council will be launching additional RFPs from its other committees, including Non-Response and Valid Use of Data.

Traffic

What's new for 2006? - Part I
As many GMs and traffic managers will be looking to update their traffic and billing systems this year, RBR/TVBR asked a few current (and new) vendors to detail their latest and upcoming offerings. As well, what sets their systems apart from the rest.
| Read More |

Stock Talk

TV stocks mixed as Dow shoots up
General Motors led the way as blue chip stocks advanced on Monday. The Dow Industrials rose 53 points to 11,012 - - breaking the 11,000 barrier for the first time since 2001.

TV stocks were mixed, with soft guidance from Emmis about radio weighing on all broadcast stocks. Emmis itself fell 7.3%. Saga fell 4.9% and Sinclair was down 3.4%.

Stocks

**Here's how stocks fared on Monday**
Company	Symbol	Close		Change	Company	Symbol	Close		Change
Acme	ACME		3.71	-0.03	LIN TV	TVL		11.01	-0.08
Belo	BLC		22.45	+0.40	McGraw-Hill	MHP		51.55	-0.90
CBS CI. B	CBS		27.03	-0.20	Media General	MEG		50.96	+0.15
CBS CI. A	CBSa		26.98	-0.17	Meredith	MDP		53.40	+0.36
Clear Channel	CCU		32.47	-0.16	News Corp.	NWS		16.78	+0.27
Disney	DIS		25.00	+0.26	Nexstar	NXST		4.28	+0.02
Emmis	EMMS		19.18	-1.51	NY Times	NYT		28.10	+0.42
Entravision	EVC		7.18	+0.16	Paxson	PAX		0.91	unch
Fisher	FSCI		42.04	unch	Saga Commun.	SGA		10.40	-0.54
Gannett	GCI		63.74	-0.08	SBS	SBSA		5.21	-0.01
Gen. Electric	GE		35.38	-0.09	Scripps	SSP		49.98	+0.40
Granite	GBTVK		0.24	+0.01	Sinclair	SBGI		8.89	-0.31
Gray	GTN		9.29	+0.09	Time Warner	TWX		17.56	-0.17
Gray, C1. A	GTNa		8.53	unch	Tribune	TRB		31.31	+0.42
Hearst-Argyle	HTV		24.15	+0.05	Univision	UVN		31.62	+0.58
Jeff-Pilot	JP		58.07	-0.15	Wash. Post	WPO		790.25	+1.75
Journal Comm.	JRN		14.06	+0.03	Young	YBTVA		3.69	+0.01
Liberty Corp	LC		46.92	+0.05	-	-	-	-	-

Bounceback

Send Us Your Opinions We want to
hear from you.
This is your column, so send your comments and
a photo to tvnews@rbr.com

I'm not frequently prone to writing "Letters to the Editor," but given all of the press attention about Nielsen and DVR measurement, I felt the need to drop you a line.

Recently much has been written about Nielsen Media Research's "brand new" DVR measurement. While most writers have pointed out that this is new to Nielsen's national (NTI) service, another important aspect of this story is being missed. Nielsen has actually been measuring DVR usage in its local metered markets since April 2005 and in its local diary markets since the introduction of the new 8-day diary during the May 2005 Sweep. In fact, Tampa Bay has been one of Nielsen's most-measured markets for DVR usage as it's had more Active-Passive meters in it than any other Designated Market Area in the U.S.

We've seen 2.6% sign-on to sign-off HUT increases with the inclusion of DVR viewing comparing data year to year in the Tampa Bay DMA. Additionally, according to WFLA-TV Research Director Jennifer Yarter, we have witnessed these improvements in NBC primetime programming with the addition of DVR-included (or "LivePLUS") data: "Las Vegas" and "Surface" have both gained nearly a full household ratings point, increasing their program average rating by 9%. "The Apprentice" and "ER" have also each gained close to a ratings point. As broadcasters, we've long felt that we weren't necessarily getting all of the credit that was due in terms of time-shifted viewing like this. It's nice to know that Nielsen is finally able to capture it.

With regards,

Brad Nimmons
Director of Broadcast Research
Media General Broadcast Group
Richmond, VA

Below the Fold

Ad Business Report
Nielsen releases Super Bowl ad stats
Final teams for Super Bowl XL have yet to be determined but...

Washington Media Business Report
Noncom FM in battle
With disgruntled patrons...

Media Markets & Money
Una Vez Mas gets investor
Alta Communications has made an investment...

TV Media Moves

Brittain to
Fox Stations Sales
Alan Brittain has been named Vice President and General Sales Manager of Fox Stations Sales, the national rep for the 35 Fox O&O stations. He was previously with NBC Station Sales. "Alan's 20 years of experience at the local, national rep and owned-and-operated level will help Fox Stations Sales win in a fragmented marketplace," said Tom Fleming, Vice President and Director of Sales.

Bressler helping
to run big money
Former Viacom CFO Richard Bressler surprised everyone nearly a year ago when he decided to exit, rather than join either side of the company post-split (2/2/05 TVBR #23). Now he's now surfaced as a Managing Director of Thomas H. Lee Partners, one of the nation's oldest private equity firms, and will head its Strategic Resource Group, providing various services to companies that the firm chooses to invest in.

NATPE Day Time Planner

The following will be attending NATPE. Call or email to make your appointment in advance.

The Television Syndication Company, Inc.
Cassie M. Yde, President
THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay,
Phone at THE Hotel: 877-632-7800,
Cell Phone: 407-252-7386
Email: Cassie@tvsco.com

Patrick Communications
Larry Patrick, President,
Greg Guy, Vice President,
410-740-0250,
larry@patcomm.com,
greg@patcomm.com

More News Headlines

Service to America entries sought
The NAB Education Foundation (NABEF) is seeking entries from local stations for the 2006 Service to America Awards, which recognizes outstanding community service by radio and TV stations. "Local radio and television stations generate an astounding nine billion annually in community service.In 2005, broadcasters were widely praised for our life-saving coverage of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and for raising more than 200 million in victim relief," said NAB President and CEO David K. Rehr. Finalists and winners will be honored at the Service to America Awards Gala, June 12th in Washington, DC. Info at www.nabef.org.

January RBR/TVBR Digital Magazine

2006 - Time Waits
For No One!
Exclusive on Clutter
What have we done???
Ms Jean Pool, EVP/Director of North American Operations for Universal McCann and Chairman of the Media Policy at the AAAAs outlines and truly kicks all in gear - "Just why is it 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." - page 12 Solutions Magazine

Read RBR/TVBR in 2 simple steps:
1.Create a simple account with Zinio and download the Zinio Reader.
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January Issue of RBR/TVBR

TVBR Radar 2005

Television News you won't read any where else. TVBR--First, Accurate, and Independently Owned.

Go ahead and cry Political hit dropped Q3 revenues
With no federal election to pump up results (national and spot combined) fell 11.7% in Q3 of 2005. Add in network (-12.6%) and syndication (+11.2%) and the TV industry was down 10.2% for the quarter.

TVBR observation: Go ahead and cry now because Q4 is not going to register any better. The holidays did not shine that bright to make any difference when the books get closed on 2005. TV has got to begin to think less clutter and multi-platforming or making allies with local media partners to bring an ROI to the advertiser. If you do not think as TVBR does then view the data from your TVB as it says the story - Not pretty.
01/09/06 TVBR #5

TVBR Searching for 2 Pros
To join the best TV business publication in the media B2B today. Searching for one (1) Top flight Editor that does not need direction and one (1) Top Experienced Sales person that knows how to Sell/Market quality and wants to make money. Team work expected. Only the pros need apply as TVBR's expansion is now. Confidentiality honored by TVBR publisher Jim Carnegie (813 909 2986) Email qualifications to publisher@rbr.com

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