RBR's Daily Morning Epaper

Volume 21, Issue 215, Jim Carnegie, Editor & Publisher

Wednesday Morning November 3rd, 2004

Radio News®

Broadcasters fare poorly at the pools
With votes still being counted in one race as this story was written, it appeared that none of the broadcasters seeking their first terms on Capitol Hill were successful. The only victor for election to the US House of Representatives was incumbent Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), pictured, who easily won re-election in Oregon, where he and his wife own radio stations. Although the race had not been called at deadline, Democrat Dave Ross was trailing the local sheriff in his bid for an open House seat in Washington, so it appears Ross will be going back to his talk host duties on KIRO-AM Seattle. Fellow Democrat Nick Clooney, a former Cincinnati radio and TV personality, was defeated by a local businessman in his bid for an open House seat in Kentucky. Also coming up short in his first political race was Republican Dave Magnum, a radio/TV group owner who ran against an incumbent Congresswoman in Wisconsin. And in a local race that drew some national media attention, fired shock jock Bubba Clem, running as a Democrat, was soundly defeated in his bid to become Sheriff of Pinellas County, Florida, the county that includes St. Petersburg and Clearwater.

CC Traffic aiming to expand revenues with new hire
Clear Channel Radio is increasing its focus on optimizing revenues from providing local customized traffic incident and flow information to the broadcast industry - - in other words, stepping up competition with Westwood One's Metro Networks. Leading this sales initiative will be radio vet Pat McDonnell, who has been named to the newly created position of VP/Traffic Sales & Affiliations. He'll be responsible for optimizing existing traffic sales efforts with advertisers as well as increasing the number of non-CC affiliates. McDonnell most recently served as the Market Manager for CC's Atlanta cluster. Based out of Atlanta, McDonnell's appointment is effective immediately. CC Traffic currently operates in over 135 markets, providing local, customized, traffic reports and roadway data to radio, TV and websites.

Watchdog tries to take a bite out of Sinclair
Media watchdog organization Free Press has filed to deny license renewals to Sinclair Broadcast Group and its LMA partner Cunningham Broadcasting Corporation. Free Press notes two 40K fines against Sinclair and Cunningham's precursor, Glencairn, for running too cozy of an LMA operation, and says that the relationship is as cozy now as it ever was. | More... |

But wait, there's more
Also under attack is the license of WBTW-TV in Myrtle Beach-Florence SC. The Channel 13 CBS affiliate is owned by Media General. The TV group also owns daily newspaper Florence Morning News, a relationship made possible by a waiver. Free Press and Common Cause are opposing Media General's attempt to make the waiver a permanent arrangement. Media General, like many other multimedia companies, was hoping that by now the FCC's crossownership rules would have been relaxed. "While it was Media General's choice to bet so heavily on this prediction, they did so at their own risk," said Angela Campbell of the Institute of Public Representation, which is working at the behest of Common Cause and Free Press. "Participants in regulated industries act with the knowledge that their property is held subject to limitations imposed for the public interest, and that these limitations can change. Here, Media General did not even rely on pre-existing rules; it relied on a prediction about the future of media regulation." John Crangle, a local representative of Common Cause, said that WBTW is the biggest station in the area and that FMN is the only daily newspaper. "The Florence area is a rich and diverse community that deserves to get its local news from diverse sources."

RTNDA fighting news blackouts in OH polls
Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell has banned reporters from providing accounts of the voting process in that state, enforcing a "100-foot protection zone" which the media are not allowed to cross. The US District Court Judge Paul Matia has upheld the ban, which is being challenged by the Radio-Television News Directors Association.

RBR observation: A voter's right to privacy is guaranteed by the curtain around whatever vote-counting device is being used. A 100-foot artificial curtain is completely unnecessary. | More... |

"Stolen Honor" got infomercial airing
After all of the hubbub about whether Sinclair Broadcast Group would air the anti-John Kerry documentary "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" on all of its stations (it didn't), the film did air nationwide - - with hardly anyone noticing. The conservative website NewsMax paid to run the 42-minute film several times over the weekend on Pax. The network, which regularly runs paid infomercials outside of primetime, covers more of the country than Sinclair, although its programming is watched far less than the major networks which Sinclair airs on its stations.

Adbiz©

2005 Mustang to play
starring role on
"America's Next Top Model"
As the 2005 Ford Mustang begins to arrive in dealer showrooms this fall, it will be showcased on UPN's reality series "America's Next Top Model" tonight to attract women and African-Americans. The "America's Next Top Model" 7th episode product integration is another key part of Ford's all-new divisional marketing campaign, "Built for the Road Ahead," which will broaden consumer reach by integrating traditional methods with emerging communication trends. "With the all-new Mustang arriving in showrooms across the country, we have a unique opportunity with 'America's Next Top Model' for potential buyers, especially women and African Americans, to discover this iconic car," said Ford Division President Steve Lyons. "The show provides valuable and relevant visibility for our product." The car is featured in a studio ad photo shoot that shows the Mustang standing out in various lifestyle situations. Ford 2005 products will also serve as transport vehicles for the models at various televised activities throughout the third cycle of the show. The current cycle of the show ranks among the top 10 programs on television this year among African American adults 18-49, and is the highest rated reality show on television among African American viewers. These demos are relevant for Mustang because the brand resonates strongly with a large demographic that crave the car for its power, performance and affordability. Roughly 40% of its buyers are women and it holds a strong position in the urban marketplace among Hispanics and African Americans. In addition to its America's Top Model product integration, viewers will see Ford vehicles like the 2005 Freestyle, Five-Hundred and Super Duty on "The OC" on Fox, "Alias" and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on ABC and on NBC's "American Dreams." Beginning in January, Ford returns as a primary sponsor of "American Idol" for the fourth-consecutive year as well.

Molson selects ZiG as AOR
CBC News reports the agency that gave Molson some of its best-known campaigns including "I Am Canadian" has been dumped as the AOR for the brewer's flagship brand, a few weeks ahead of its vote to merge with a U.S. brewer. ZiG of Toronto was selected after a review, beating out five-year incumbent Bensimon Byrne, as well as Cossette Communication Group and Taxi. Molson saw a need to solicit for a new agency to support Canadian after the creative team at Bensimon Byrne left the ad firm for Grip Ltd., the ad agency for Labatt Blue. Molson said this summer that the work Bensimon Byrne does for other Molson Ultra, Black Label and Miller Genuine Draft and other brands would not be affected by the review surrounding Canadian. Quebec City-based Cossette handles advertising for Molson Canadian Light and Molson Dry. The value of the creative assignment and the brand's total marketing budget are confidential, the company said. Molson spends about 50-million a year on advertising in Canada, according to Nielsen Media Research. Molson has tentatively scheduled a shareholders vote on its merger with Adolph Coors deal for the week of 12/13.

January 2005 Debut! Radio & Television Business Report Look for RBR/TVBR in-depth RAB & TVB ad chiefs forecasts revisited: What they said in 2004. Were they were Right or Wrong? What Radio & TV need to overcome in 2005 Where do they stand on People Meter? GM Talkback Examining the Sarbanes-Oxley Act with Bill Moll, President/CEO, CC Television Joe Barlek, SVP\Controller, Susquehanna Radio Ed Piette, CBS's KCCO-TV Minneapolis AdBiz Marc Goldstein Mindshare CEO explains his clients' biggest concerns. Answering the biggie: Has the network television upfront peaked? And Much More... Close-up analysis of Arbitron's PPM and Nielsen's LPM \| Register for your debut issue! \|
		Added point of distribution 43rd annual NATPE convention January 25-27, Mandalay Bay Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas. Limited marketing/ad space available, Contact: Publisher--Jim Carnegie [email protected] 813 909 2986 or Director of Sales--June Barnes [email protected] 803 731-5951

Media Markets & MoneyTM

Price revealed on CBS Gold Coast buy
The price was dug up, to describe the situation a bit more accurately. The contract for the CBS/Viacom proposal to acquire a pair of Class A television stations in the West Palm Beach DMA (10/27/04 TVBR Daily Epaper #210) has reached the FCC database, and we have the details. CBS will pay 3.85M each for the two stations, independent WTCN-CA Palm Beach (Channel 43) and Spanish-language TV Azteca affiliate WWHB-TV Stuart (Channel 48), for a total of 7.7M. The seller is Bill Brothers and his American Netcom. An important key to the deal is the stations' continued relationship with Adelphia Cable. The retransmission agreement currently in place must convey to CBS for the transaction to be consummated.

Washington Beat

NAB argues to keep TV JSAs
off the books
The National Association of Broadcasters is opposing new rules which would make television stations joint sales agreements (JSA) attributable to the station tally of the controlling organization, as is currently the case for radio stations since the Third Circuit allowed the FCC to implement certain rules in that regard from its 6/2/03 ownership ruling. NAB notes that JSAs provide public benefit in the form of keeping otherwise nonviable stations on the air, thus providing program alternatives which would be otherwise unavailable. It says this is particularly critical as stations bear the costs of the DTV transition. It also argues that the rules should not be changed just to impose interdisciplinary parity. "NAB discerns in the Notice the Commission's unmistakable intent to attribute TV JSAs simply because radio station JSAs are treated that way, and describes several distinctions between television and radio that counsel against similar treatment of JSAs in the respective industries. Most notably, the television ownership limits are in flux, thereby making it virtually impossible for the Commission to predict the impact of its proposal." Finally, NAB notes that increased competition faced by telecasters makes this a particularly inopportune time to be faced with further regulatory restraints than are already in place.

TVBR Ratings

Nielsen adds software
for Hispanic analysis
Nielsen Media Research has told clients that a new National and Local Hispanic Reach and Frequency Model system is now available to them. The system is based on separate reach and frequency models of each of the 19 markets measured by the Nielsen Hispanic Station Index (NHSI), as well as the National Hispanic model. The new product was developed with Nielsen's VNU sister company IMS. Schedules can be built on the desktop, either directly into a website or into IMS MarketMate software, providing immediate reach and frequency results. Here are the 19 NHSI markets with their Hispanic household counts for the 2004-2005 TV season. | More... |

Transactions

WINA-AM, WWWV-FM & WQMZ-FM Charlottesville VA from Eure Communications Inc. to Saga Broadcasting Corp.

WPLC-AM Washington (Silver Spring MD) from Metro Radio Inc. to Bonneville International Corporation.

WGAB-AM Evansville IN (Newburgh IN) from Newburgh Broadcasting Corp. to Faith Broadcasting LLC.

| More... |

Stock Talk

Stocks end Election Day mixed
Election jitters kept a lid on stock prices Tuesday, despite another decline in oil prices. The Dow Industrials fell 19 points, or 2%, to 10,036, but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite were up slightly.

Radio stocks moved up a bit. The Radio Index rose 1.582, or 0.7%, to 223.984. Univision was the day's leader, up 3.9%. Entercom rose 3.6% a day after reporting its Q3 results.

Radio Stocks

**Here's how stocks fared on Tuesday**
Company	Symbol	Close		Change	Company	Symbol	Close		Change
Arbitron	ARB		36.73	+0.34	Jeff-Pilot	JP		48.24	-0.07
Beasley	BBGI		16.57	+0.07	Journal Comm.	JRN		16.45	+0.03
Citadel	CDL		14.76	+0.12	Radio One, Cl. A	ROIA		14.37	-0.01
Clear Channel	CCU		33.29	+0.37	Radio One, Cl. D	ROIAK		14.29	-0.02
Cox Radio	CXR		15.88	+0.18	Regent	RGCI		5.67	+0.06
Cumulus	CMLS		16.10	-0.04	Saga Commun.	SGA		17.35	-0.16
Disney	DIS		24.46	+0.23	Salem Comm.	SALM		25.66	+0.26
Emmis	EMMS		18.82	+0.15	Sirius Sat. Radio	SIRI		3.96	+0.05
Entercom	ETM		34.93	+1.20	Spanish Bcg.	SBSA		10.16	+0.12
Entravision	EVC		8.18	-0.02	Univision	UVN		31.86	+1.18
Fisher	FSCI		47.64	-0.18	Viacom, Cl. A	VIA		37.12	+0.39
Gaylord	GET		33.08	-0.19	Viacom, Cl. B	VIAb		36.60	+0.46
Hearst-Argyle	HTV		26.07	+0.17	Westwood One	WON		23.03	+0.01
Interep	IREP		0.75	unch	XM Sat. Radio	XMSR		33.13	+0.07
International Bcg.	IBCS		0.01	unch	-	-	-	-	-

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Bounceback

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Upped & Tapped

Moran joins Salem
Salem Communications has named Mike Moran as Station Manager for the company's four-station Atlanta cluster. Moran is a 27-year broadcast veteran with experience on the station, rep and agency sides of the business.

Shakala named
in Atlanta
David Skalka has been named Regional Director of Sales, Traffic with Clear Channel Radio Sales in Atlanta. He was previously VP/Sales there.

Stations For Sale

AM Opportunities
Great AM's in Wyoming,
Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia,
Idaho and New Mexico
Cliff at Clifton Gardiner & Co (303)758-6900
[email protected]

Opportunities in the West for Groups or Owner Operators. Profitable combos. Major market move-ins (FM and LPTV). AM's, both Rated and Unrated. The Exline Team, Andy McClure, Dean LeGras, 415-479-3484, [email protected]

More News Headlines

ACNielsen reups with Beiersdorf

Correction

Competing Media

Clear Channel targets worldwide TV market
Television may be only a small part of the domestic business of Clear Channel Communications, but Clear Channel Entertainment (CCE) has big plans for the international TV market. The new effort to distribute CCE-originated TV programming and home video products around the globe will be headed by Joe Townley, President of CCETV, and Steve Sterling, Sr. VP of CCETV. The company's international distribution strategy intends to capitalize on all media rights opportunities resulting from the more than 32,000 events CCE produces and promotes annually, as well as further servicing the objectives of artists, managers, labels and other live event creators. The company has also included a global television distribution strategy on rights for all Clear Channel Entertainment and Clear Channel Entertainment Television originated productions. The division will be working directly as both a program licensor and a supplier to specialty third party distribution partners in addition to serving other international distribution channels. CCETV will also be overseeing the global strategy for distribution of Clear Channel Entertainment TV's home video properties.

October Digital
Solutions Magazine

Who Will Sit on the Throne?
The election -What is in it
for Broacasters?

One On One
with PHD's Patrick McNew -
The man that over sees spot
for Chrysler Group.

Engineered For Profit
'05 budgets and capital expenditures, our close up look at who's planning to buy what next year.

October Zinio Solutions Magazine
Read RBR in 2 simple steps:
1.Create a simple account with Zinio and download the Zinio Reader.
2. You can then download the October Issue of RBR

RBR Radar 2004

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

Broadcast still tops with LPM
For the week ended October 24, the number crunchers at the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) report that broadcast TV drew a higher aggregate primetime rating than ad-supported cable in all five LPM markets in the three measured demos: HH, A18-49, and A25-54. LPMs are now up and running in Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
11/02/04 TVBR #214

"Less is More" is on a fast track
CCU speeds up the process to next month, December. Clear Channel officials say advertisers are showing interest in the company's attempt to sell 30-second spots, priced at 75% of the rate for 60s. CEO John Hogan said Clear Channel is not trying to get premium rates for 30s, but rather is offering advertisers premium positions at premium rates.
RBR observation: CCU's top premium is heading to one stop set is called the 'Island Position' where one advertiser owns that set. Unclear the length but in respect it breathes similar to television getting content into the programming. Fort Lauderdale based auto retailer AutoNation, which spends around 25M only on local advertising, should take kindly to this Island Position especially if any content is involved. 11/01/04 RBR #213

Meredith fires broadcast
chief O'Brien
In a stunning announcement, Meredith Corporation said its board of directors had terminated Meredith Broadcasting Group President Kevin O'Brien "for violations of Meredith's Equal Employment Opportunity policies." O'Brien had been hired to head the company's broadcast division in 2001. 11/01/04 TVBR #213

Viacom begins
"mega-buyback" of stock
Demonstrating just how deeply he's dissatisfied with how Wall Street values his company's stock, Sumner Redstone announced that Viacom's board of directors had authorized an unprecedented eight billion dollar stock buyback plan. Redstone was a happy camper in his conference call as total revenues were up 4% to 5.5 billion, with radio the only real laggard. Redstone vowed that the company would be aggressive in buying back its own stock at current price levels. The buyback started Thursday, 10/28- at 1:30pm.
RBR observation: In Viacom case we can't spout go private. We can say maybe Sumner should loosen up the marketing and promotion dollars and get people excited again about Viacom with Karmazin gone. And, show a vote of confidence to Les Moonves. Karmazin never spent a dime. 10/29/04 RBR #212

Account Manager Arbitron Outdoor
Selling and servicing the Arbitron Outdoor products to outdoor media companies. 3-4 years media sales experience, Outdoor industry sales preferred.

General Sales Manager
Los Angeles need with 5 years radio sales management experience. EEO. Reply to: [email protected]

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