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Graeme Newell
602 Communications
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In This Issue
Stations Websites: Use New URL Name to Pull New Audience
Stations Brace for Oprah Void
Dobbs Hints of Political Aspirations
Bill Moyers Announces Retirement
Gore Brings Annual Green Message to SNL
Consumers Value Traditional Attributes In Online Brands
Ratings May Be Down, But Viewers More Affluent
Coors Ad to Appear on TiVo as Users Timeshift During NFL
Messsage from Michael
The Craziest Online Dating Sites You Never Knew Existed


Quotes

“Advertising generally works to reinforce consumer trends rather than to initiate them.”
- Michael Schudson

"There is no room for dictating taste in the diverse and dynamic world of media.  To limit taste only limits the role we play for people of all kinds."
- Lachlan Murdoch

“In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy”
- Ivan Illich


Stations Websites: Use New URL Name to Pull New Audience
WCWJ Jacksonville VP/General Manager Marc Hefner figured he'd see a traffic bump when the station rebranded its Website in the spring, though maybe not quite the spike that materialized.  Following its acquisition by Nexstar, WCWJ swapped its MyCW17.com URL for YourJax.com—scrapping the CW outlet's traditional branding for an entirely new Web moniker.

Users in DMA No. 47 have responded to the new URL, along with fresh content like celebrity-focused weekly Webisodes and interactive weather radar for the market.  Hefner says that page views are up a whopping 150% from May to September, clicks on banner ads are up 44% and the revenue increase has been “significant.”

“It's been fun to see it grow,” he says, “and it's been fun to see the revenue outgrow the page views.”

Ever since stations took their first steps onto the Web, local broadcasters have been faced with the dilemma of simply moving the station branding, such as call letters or a channel position, to the Web, or creating a unique brand as the URL.  As station chiefs speak frequently about not using the Web to regurgitate on-air content, many are similarly trying to avoid repurposing the station's branding in their domain names.

“By using your call letters, you're automatically limiting yourself to those who follow your newscasts,” says Steve Safran, Senior VP of Media 2.0 at Audience Research & Development.  “Why not open it up, make it more inclusive and pull in a whole new audience online?”

Nexstar, for one, has uniquely branded “community portals” as a cornerstone of its digital strategy.  Relaunching station sites with URLs like PAHomepage.com and Rochesterhomepage.com, the group has posted 12 consecutive quarters of revenue growth online, reported Chairman/President/CEO Perry Sook in a quarterly conference call Nov. 11.  Station branding is hardly visible on the station sites, which are viewed as standalone businesses.

“Our online strategy has been to build community portals that are only associated with our local television stations by the fact that the TV station promotes it as a separate business,” Sook said during the call.

NBC Local Media has tapped a similar strategy for the Websites representing its 10 owned NBC stations.  Relaunched with the Locals Only branding in November 2008, the sites—with URLs such as NBCNew-York.com and NBCChicago.com—feature lifestyle content and a hipster attitude, with minimal resemblance to the hard-news sites they supplanted.

Promoting the new sites on its various platforms, NBC reported that unique visitors jumped from 6 million in November 2008 to 12 million in October 2009, and page views from 29 million to 113 million.  Instead of trying to push newscast viewers to the station site, NBC Local Media set out to reach a different and broader audience.

“We did a lot of work before we launched to focus on who the target audience should be, and what they're looking for,” says Brian Buchwald, executive VP of NBC Local Integrated Media.  The so-called “social capitalists” the sites aim to reach are urbanites with a taste for nightlife and culture—not exactly the traditional news viewer the sites sought previously.

Yet for many stations, the call letters that have been branded into the community's consciousness over the decades are too valuable not to use online—especially if it's a breaking-news site that's closely aligned with its on-air sibling.  The bulk of the Meredith stations employ either the calls or station branding in their URLs.

The same goes for the LIN stations, though a host of local LIN microsites, focused on categories like entertainment and politics, feature original branding.  “The best way to get people to go to the sites is to take the brand they already know,” says Robb Richter, LIN's senior VP of new media.  “We don't want users to have to go to Google to find us.”

Moreover, Websites with branding that's consistent with the station help promote the on-air product more than a uniquely branded site.  While the NBC local sites' numbers have skyrocketed, they are not designed to drive viewers to the NBC owned stations, which have suffered significant viewership declines for a variety of reasons.

Some believe scrapping the traditional branding online can hamper ratings. “Your Web success can come at the sake of the mother ship,” warns WorldNow President/CEO Gary Gannaway.

Hefner, however, says the YourJax rebrand has had only upside.  The Nexstar bosses have drilled the standalone mantra into his head: “You could shut down either the station or the site,” he says, “and still have business going on the other one.”

Broadcasting & Cable


Stations Brace for Oprah Void
The news that Oprah Winfrey has set an end date for her departure from syndication likely comes as no great surprise for general managers at partner stations.  "I don't think any GM is really shocked by this," says Mark Toney, Senior VP at consultancy SmithGeiger.  Yet it still represents both an end of a lucrative era and perhaps a significant opportunity for affiliates.  At a time when stations are keen to own their content--and escape the shackles of pricey syndicated programming--many will use the vacated slot to launch a local program that might be a more thematic lead-in to early evening news.  Local news is, of course, a popular option, and some will experiment with a mash-up of news and local lifestyle/entertainment fare.  "It's good news and bad news for stations," says Toney. "It gives stations more control of their inventory and a chance to reinvent themselves in a crucial time period. But it's truly the end of a huge era; there'll be a sense of, ‘Man, we had a great run.'"  While Oprah's ratings have been lagging in several markets, stations can probably expect a bump upon today's announcement, with renewed interest as the show winds toward its September 2011 finale.  A limited supply of Oprah is likely to generate considerable viewer demand for the iconic host.
Broadcasting & Cable


Dobbs Hints of Political Aspirations
Lou Dobbs covered politics for CNN for years but now Dobbs may be heading to the other end of the political spectrum, as a possible Senate or presidential candidate.  "I am ruling nothing out. ... I have come to no conclusions and no decisions," Dobbs told Reuters about rumors that he may run for the New Jersey Senate or for the White House in 2012 as a third-party candidate.  "Do I seek to have some influence on public policy?  Absolutely.  Do I seek to represent and champion the middle class in this country and those who aspire to it?  Absolutely.  And I will."
Yahoo TV


Bill Moyers Announces Retirement
Bill Moyers is leaving weekly television.  The New York Times' Elizabeth Jensen reports that the PBS newscaster is retiring from his Friday night program, "Bill Moyers Journal," on April 30, 2010.  "Bill Moyers Journal" launched in April 2007.  Jensen reports that it was Moyers' intention to retire at Christmas this year, but PBS asked him to stay on through April to help raise funds.  "I am 75 years old," Moyers told Jensen. "I feel it's time."
Huffington Post


Gore Brings Annual Green Message to SNL
Al Gore took his message to Saturday Night Live for NBC's "Green Week," joking that he had a "backup plan" and zinging the network for the patronizing opportunity to let him appear once a year — "like Punxsutawny Phil."  "I'm going to start acting crazy," he told "Weekend Update" anchor Seth Myers.  "I think it's crazy that our politicians aren't worried about the climate crisis.  So it's time to outcrazy the crazy."  Among his insane plans: planting trees in politicians' front yards in the middle of the night with toy guns taped to them — pointed at the door.  "So that when they wake up and walk out of their houses in the morning, they'll think it's the forest coming to get their revenge."  The 61-year-old former vice president — who's won the Nobel Prize, an Academy Award and a Grammy for trying to bring an international focus on global warming — said he knows the score and needs to make his time count when he's on TV.  "Once a year during 'Green Week,' NBC calls up Al Gore to come on TV to talk about the environment," he deadpanned.  "Thanks, by the way. I can't tell you how exciting it is to have a bully pulpit on a fourth-place network."
Yahoo TV


Consumers Value Traditional Attributes In Online Brands
While Google remains consumers' favorite online brand, Yahoo and Amazon are not far behind, according to a new report from Forrester Research.  "In the minds of their fans, the top online brands exhibit very traditional attributes such as trustworthiness, helpfulness, and relevance, all at the expense of more-predictable tech-friendly characteristics such as innovation and speed," reads the report authored by Forrester analyst David Card.  According to the report, direct-to-consumer brands in categories including media, retail, financial services, and travel -- and consumer electronics, given its technology angle -- should position themselves against competitors' weaknesses, and deliver their brand messages through site experiences that complement offline marketing.

For the report, Forrester surveyed more than 4,823 U.S. consumers about their favorite online brands or companies; what brand attributes make them popular, and how brands can make themselves more online-friendly.  Online and off, Google recently ranked seventh in an annual brand value study conducted by BusinessWeek and Interbrand.  Coca-Cola topped that list for the ninth year running.  Online, however, Google has gained ground in the past two years, with 44% of online adults rating Google their favorite in 2009 compared with 36% in 2007.  Two years ago, Yahoo held a strong second place behind Google, with a clear gap between it and third-place Amazon.  While Yahoo has lost a little luster -- dropping from 32% to 27% -- it's nothing like MySpace, which has faded dramatically from 13% to 5%.

Back in 2007, meanwhile, Facebook was just gaining momentum, and Forrester didn't even offer it as a choice.  Now it's three times as popular as MySpace.  Google is the favorite brand for each of the age groups Forrester examined. Among young adults ages 18 to 24, Facebook ranked second at 36% to Google.  MySpace triples its share with young adults at 16%, but can't match Yahoo, at 23% -- or YouTube, at 18%.  With the exception of Facebook, the other top five brands all do well with older age groups, maintaining or modestly bettering their share. Notably, Microsoft's popularity directly correlates with age, ranging from a low of 5% among young adults to a high of 24% among seniors (65 and older).  Among the wealthy, Google is by far the most popular brand.  Indeed, 55% of those making more than $100,000 name Google their favorite.  Amazon, at 31%, is next -- and more weighted to higher-income households than eBay.

"Trustworthy," "helpful," and "relevant" are the top brand attributes, according to Forrester.  Analyzing the phrases consumers assigned to their favorites revealed four tiers of characteristics.  The most popular brands did a good job on the first tier: establishing trust, helpfulness, and relevance to their fans.  They also did well with the next tier, which comprised value, fun, and quality.  The seemingly online-friendly characteristics fell into a third tier of attributes -- and things such as prestige, authenticity, and "cares about the customer" either didn't move the popularity needle or have been neglected by the top online brands.

More than half of the consumers who called Amazon one of their favorites said it was trustworthy; 40% of Microsoft's "fans" used the same description.  Google, Yahoo, and eBay also did well in that attribute, which combined to drive "trustworthy" to the top of the charts.  Half of Google's fans believe it to be helpful, compared with 42% of Yahoo's. The two shopping brands -- Amazon and eBay -- do well on value, while Facebook and MySpace are both social and fun.
MediaPost


Ratings May Be Down, But Viewers More Affluent
Overall ratings may not be thriving, but more wealthy people are watching the major networks this season.  So far, 11% more upscale viewers are tuning in to the Big Four, a figure propelled by a huge jump at Fox.  Among 18-to-49 viewers in $100,000-plus homes, rating points are a combined 14.7 compared to a 13.2 last year, according to one measure.  That comes as overall ratings for the Big Four are flat at an estimated 12.5, marking a silver lining for networks.  The upscale increase comes mostly via Fox, which is up 56% this season to a 3.9 versus a 2.5 last year, with help from new show "Glee."  On the backs of comedies such as "The Office" and football, beleaguered NBC has an upscale spin to take to advertisers -- with ratings up 12.5% from a 3.2 to a 3.6. ABC and CBS are down 5% and 3% -- to a 3.8 and 3.4, respectively.  But each network has a higher concentration of affluent viewers, coveted by advertisers seeking their disposable income.

ABC has posted a 115 index among 18-to-49 viewers in $100,000-plus homes.  That means its concentration is 15% higher than what would be found in the general population.  For ABC, that's up from a 113 a year ago, and keeps it at the top in the index area.  NBC, which for years dominated the competition in upscale viewers, has a 113 index this year -- up from 112 last fall.  Series such as "30 Rock" and "Community" are helping drive up the figure, along with the "The Office."  CBS is also up slightly, to a 102 from a 101.  "60 Minutes" is a strong performer.  Top shows "CSI:" and "CSI: NY" have indexes below 100, hurting the network-wide figure.  Fox has soared, with its index going from an 88 -- 12% below an average concentration -- to a 106. In addition to "Glee's" high percentage of upscale viewers, the three hours a week of "So You Think You Can Dance" -- which was not on last fall's schedule -- is a contributor.

Although an index only refers to a percentage and not actual viewers, some view it as the most insightful benchmark for upscale performance, partly because an advertiser can receive more affluent viewers per rating point purchased.  There may be a simple reason for the increases.  A large percentage of upscale viewers may have DVRs that allow them to watch more TV. Cable news competition is losing appeal, which may be another reason.

Highest-Rated Upscale Series

"Grey's Anatomy" (9.5), ABC

"House" (7.8), Fox

"The Office" (7.6), NBC

"Sunday Night Football" (7.5), NBC

"Big Bang Theory" (7.2), CBS

"Desperate Housewives" (6.7), ABC

"Private Practice" (6.2), ABC

"Glee" (6.0), Fox

Two and a Half Men" (5.9), CBS

"30 Rock" (5.4), NBC

Upscale Series with Highest Indexes

"Glee" (146), Fox

"30 Rock" (142), NBC

"The Office" (139), NBC

"Community" (131), NBC

"60 Minutes" (129), CBS

"Grey's Anatomy" (129), ABC

"Brothers & Sisters" (127), ABC

"Private Practice" (126), ABC

"How I Met Your Mother" (124), CBS

"Parks & Recreation" (122), NBC

MediaPost


Coors Ad to Appear on TiVo as Users Timeshift During NFL
In watching the chaos that time-shifted, ad-skipping viewing has rained down on primetime TV advertisers in recent years, many beer-marketing executives have expressed relief, roughly paraphrased, in something like these terms: "Thank goodness most of our budgets are tied up in sports, where we don't have to worry about all that."  But a first-of-its-kind deal between MillerCoors and TiVo suggests those concerns are finally reaching sports marketers' radar.  The deal calls for Coors Light's branding and messaging to appear on TiVo viewers' screens whenever they are deleting, pausing, fast-forwarding or rewinding NFL content.  MillerCoors describes the deal as a complement to its long-running status as the official beer of the NFL, a platform from which it bombards football fans with those fake press-conference ads starring former NFL coaches, rather than as insurance in case those ads get skipped.  "We don't look at it as an either-or question, because the consumer is in the middle," said Jackie Woodward, VP-marketing services. "We're looking at it as another way to engage consumers with Coors Light's official sponsorship [as the NFL's official beer]."  Pro sports are far less prone to time-shifting than other types of programming. Only 20% of first-run football viewing is done on a time-shifted basis, according to TiVo StopWatch data.  That's half of the 40% rate for all viewing, and only a third of the 61% afflicting primetime.  "It's true that sports are much less time-shifted than anything other than news," said Todd Juenger, TiVo's VP-general manager for audience, research and measurement.  "But it's 20%, and that's not zero."  Mr. Juenger also noted that there are key differences between the ways viewers use time-shifting with sports.  While primetime programming might sit in a DVR for days before being watched, 91% of sports time-shifting occurred during a single day, and 77% occurred with an hour.  And the average time-shifter hits the pause button 5.5 times per broadcast, which suggests they're hitting pause while they get up for a beer, a bathroom run or some housework, and likely skipping ads as they try to catch up to the action in real time.
TV Week


Message From Michael
POLITICS MAKES FOR STRANGE BEDFELLOWS:   And none so strange as the media, as evidenced by a number of efforts by the federal government.  The one generating the most heat, if not the most light, is the Performance Rights Act which would impose a ‘performer’ fee on local radio in addition to the royalties paid songwriters and publishers.  While radio stations are fighting against that, many are fighting FOR another requirement – that would require cell phones to be able to receive FM signals.  Evidence of the growing power of mobile.  Even more evidence of that growing power is the fact that the Federal Communications Commission is looking at buying back some of the broadcast TV spectrum that the commission just auctioned off, for the digital transition.  Meanwhile, as noted in a previous Message, the Federal Trade Commission will be holding a two-day workshop to study the future of journalism.  Not to be outdone, the Federal Communication Commission has tapped the founder of BeliefNet to lead a study into the future of media.  On top of which legislation has been introduced to allow newspapers to operate under the non-profit 501(c) (3) provision of the tax code.  Considering the present economic climate, the original source for the quote in the headline might be more applicable.  The quote from Shakespeare’s the Tempest said it was “misery” that made for strange bedfellows.   

TURN YOUR RADIO ON:  Singers from Roy Acuff to Randy Travis, Merle Haggard to Wanda Jackson and the Statler Brothers have sung this old Gospel favorite which urges you to “get in touch with God” by just listening to “the music in the air.”  But it was an Oklahoma born shape note gospel music composer that you probably never heard of, named Albert E. Brumley who actually wrote the song.  And it is Brumley who is supposed to get paid when the song is played on radio, not the singers.  But some federal legislators working with the Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA) want to change that.  They want to charge a performance royalty fee on terrestrial radio, similar to what is charged satellite radio and which would go to the artists.  But that is the question.  Who does get the money?  The National Association of Broadcasters and others say it will go to the recording companies, many of which are located overseas.   Joining in the fight are college radio stations from Harvard and Rice to Kansas and Virginia Tech who say the fees will make their operations cost prohibitive.   Former client and KFVS/ Cape Girardeau General Manager Mike Smythe has become the hero of the radio world with his editorial arguing that free over-the-air radio provides not only music but support of local events such as the United Way.  Opponents argue that artists get the publicity in exchange for their music being played.  Not good enough, says an array of musicians ranging from Alanis Morissette to Barry Manilow, Chaka Kahn to Dionne Warwick listed by musicfirstcoalition.org website – one of several that have popped up to fight for (and against) the measure.  They argue that it is a matter of “fair play for air play” and that it is corporate radio that has gotten a free ride.  As it now stands, the Performance Rights Act has 46 sponsors in the House and 6 sponsors in the Senate, according to the Library of Congress’s Thomas website, while the Local Radio Freedom Act has 251 sponsors in the House and 26 sponsors in the Senate.
 
THE BILLION DOLLAR BROADBAND BONANZA:  Here are some numbers for you -- $7.2 Billion…. $12 Billion…$62 Billion.  The first number represents the amount the Obama Administration has set aside out of the $782 Billion stimulus package, to ‘stimulate’ broadband Internet development.  The second figure is how much a report by the Consumer Electronics Association estimates the television spectrum available for broadband use is valued, based on broadcast use.  The third figure represents how much the CEA estimates the spectrum would actually be worth if it were made available for mobile broadband use.  The National Association of Broadcasters and a group known as the Association for Maximum Service Television say those numbers don’t accurately reflect broadcasters’ use or value.  That may be understandable when you look at the actual report (which took forever for me to find and which I still haven’t fully digested.)  The report was based on figures calculated from ten broadcast groups.  Excluded from the study were ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox along with Gannett, Cox, Scripps, Meredith, Tribune and Media General because they had too much “non-broadcast business” as well as Ion Media, Raycom Media, Trinity Broadcasting and Local TV Holdings because they are privately held and their financial data is not revealed.  However, it is interesting to note that in his blog about the broadcast spectrum buy-back idea, Blair Levin, the Executive Director of the Omnibus Broadband Initiative, says the conversation originated from some broadcasters who “recognized they had more spectrum than they needed to deliver an economically efficient bitstream.”  As noted in a previous Message, much of the conversation originates from the fact that mobile broadband use is growing exponentially and there are legitimate fears that America will run out of spectrum.  One last number:  The CEA report says the “consumer surplus” – defined as the value derived by consumers from a good or service beyond what they actually pay for it – which would be derived from the buy-back is between $500 Million and $1.2 Billion.

SIDENOTE:  Almost needless to say, this is only a prelude discussion of the broadband initiative.  There will be more in future Messages.  Also, more mature (that sounds so much better than ‘older’) Message readers will remember a quote that comes to mind after going through these numbers.  Former Senator Everett Dirksen is credited with saying during a federal budget hearing, “A Billion here, a Billion there, pretty soon, you’re talking real money.”

FOOTNOTE:  As a sometime consultant myself, I can possibly get away with noting this.  The “Senior Policy Advisor” to the Obama “broadband team”, Carol Mattey, joins the FCC group after four years with the consulting firm of Deloitte Touche.  Actually she is ‘re-joining’ the FCC because before she became a consultant, she was a deputy bureau chief for the FCC for 10 years.  Also, part of the controversy surrounding the broadband stimulus grants is that the FCC is asking for ‘volunteers’ to review the applications.  But, just as interesting (to me, at least) is that after that review, the applications will be reviewed by agency staff AND the consulting firm of Booz Allen Hamilton.  And as long as I’m being semi-snippy, the Omnibus Broadband Initiative has both an executive director, noted above, and a general manager, to say nothing of the general counsels, associate general counsels and policy advisors.

RIGHT HAND AND LEFT HAND:  As noted above, and in previous Messages, the FTC and the FCC are both launching investigations into the news media business.  The FTC workshop is titled “From Town Criers to Bloggers:  How Will Journalism Survive the Internet Age.”  Cute, hey?  The workshops on December 1 and 2 will “bring competition, consumer protection and First Amendment perspectives to bear on the financial, technological and other challenges facing the news industry.”  The FCC’s ‘agency-wide initiative’  is designed “to assess the state of media in these challenging economic times and make recommendations designed to ensure a vibrant media landscape.” Finally, I would be remiss in not noting the Knight Commission report “Informing Communities:  Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age”  which notes in a very similar vein to what the FCC and FTC say, that “the current financial challenges facing private news media could pose a crisis for democracy.”  Again, probably needless to say, there is a lot more to these reports that we will be exploring in a near-future Message.  

TALES FROM THE CRYPT:  Remember that old television series.  Well, the 21st Century version has a digital twist to it.  A website called The Digital Beyond has been created to deal with the digital assets of people who die.  An article in The New York Times, for example, talked about a film producer from Michigan and an accountant from England who ‘married’ online and ‘bought’ a home on an island where they ‘lived’ for three years.  When the man died, the island home was dissolved by the Second Life folks leaving the woman with nothing to show for their three years together.  As the website put it, not so facetiously, it’s a matter of “till deletion do you part.”

Before you dismiss all this, keep in mind that, according to analytical firm Inside Virtual Goods, the virtual goods market is expected to pass $1 Billion this year in the U.S. and five to six times that amount worldwide.  And if that isn’t enough to make you think twice about it, think about your email accounts, blog sites, websites and passwords.  How about all your social networking contacts and links on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, MySpace?  What happens to them when you die?  The creators of the website, John Romano and Evan Carrol, two Internet professionals from Raleigh, North Carolina, put it in real basic terms when they titled their SXSW Interactive Festival presentation – Who Will Check my Email after I die?

Not only that, the website creators as well as the reporter in the New York Times article make a very interesting point about preservation of the past.  We have all manner of archaeological and sociological efforts to discover our history.  Well, the history of the future is being created in the digital world of today.
 
Michael Castengera is an instructor at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia AND President of Media Strategies and Tactics Inc., a consulting firm that works with all media but primarily broadcasting.  You can visit his website at MediaConsultant.tv.


The Craziest Online Dating Sites You Never Knew Existed

You're single and looking for someone as unique and special as you are.  That's why a regular online dating site like Match or eHarmony just isn't cutting it.  No worries -- we've found a stellar selection of niche dating sites for just about every interest, subculture and semi-socially acceptable fetish.

If:
You Think You're the Dark Lord -- or Just Want to Date Him: You wear black on the outside because black is how you feel on the zzz.....We get it, you're goth.  And every gorgeous gothic maiden deserves her own personal Satan.  Find your blackhearted mate on Gothic Match.

You Love Your Cat. A Lot: If it's absolutely critical that your lover love Chairman Meow as much as you do, then head to PURRsonals.com, "Where cat lovers meet and greet."

"The Fountainhead" Is Your Personal Bible: You believe that "reality exists as an objective absolute."  You don't care about feelings so much, or at all.  You're probably a lot of fun in a relationship.  Ayn Rand devotees can meet and coldly profess the futility of emotion via The Atlasphere.

You know your Picard from your Kirk: Hey, "Star Trek" isn't just a mediocre TV franchise -- it's a way of life.  Just ask the single souls looking to mingle at Trek Passions, the "Star Trek" dating site.

You Own a Horse Costume. And It Turns You On: We're not here to judge.  If dressing up in a furry pig costume is your idea of a good time, head to Pounced to find a suitable -- and well-suited -- companion.

You Speak Fluent Nerd: CSS lights your fire.  LARP-ing (um, live-action role playing) makes you leap for joy.  You've seen every iteration of "Dr. Who" and can argue Potter vs. Baggins.  You'll find your true love on Geek 2 Geek, we promise.

You Embrace Your Inner Hick: Jerry Miller started Farmers Only for, well, farmers who were interested in meeting others to share the farmer lifestyle.  Maybe you plow your own fields or grown your own food -- or just find that really sexy.  Because "city folk just don't get it." -- Farmers Only.

You Know That 4:20 Isn't Just a Time of Day But a State of Mind: Because the couple that smokes together stays together, there's 420 Dating, the world's first (only?) weed-themed dating site.

Joey Ramone Is Your Personal Hero: You own several crusty jars of Manic Panic.  You've seen the inside of a Hot Topic. You're looking for a Sid to your slightly less-insane Nancy.  Find him on PunkMatch.com (even though there is probably nothing less punk rock than Internet dating).

LemonDrop


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The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. 602 Communications is a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and promotion skills. We teach workshops on teasing, marketing, reporting, producing, lighting, editing, internet and graphics. Get more information on all our workshops.

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The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. 602 Communications is a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and promotion skills. We teach workshops on teasing, marketing, reporting, producing, lighting, editing, internet and graphics. Get more information on all our workshops.

The Marketing Ideanet is sent via TVSpy's e-mail servers. Visit TVSpy's Marketing Matters online community.

Graeme Newell
602 Communications
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(919) 217-4438
http://www.602communications.com

In This Issue
Promo of the Day
Letterman Picked Most Favorite Host in Poll
NBC Shakes Up Format For ‘Leno’
Lopez Debuts Strong
CBS Cuts Off Halderman's Paycheck
Not Extortion, But 'Treatment of Sale' Lawyer Contends
Dobbs Quits CNN
Obama To Give Interview To Fox News
White House Communications Chief Resigns
Top 10 Men Earners on TV
News Corp. Would Risk Losing Traffic Without Google
Google Tests Skippable Ads
Media Rule Easing Unlikely
CEA Calls Spectrum Lack a 'National Crisis'
Google to Open Line of Retail Stores


Quotes

"The strategy you use should depend entirely upon strategy of the person you're dealing with."
- Tony Robbins

"The answer controls everything we do. We respond to the emotional and psychological desires of our visitors."
- Steve Wynn

"Expand your forces from singular to multiple. One piranha alone might not have any impact; however, hundreds of piranhas will surely overcome the shark."
- Chin-Ning Chu


Promo of the Day
Meet Ted and Liz, 2 users of NBCNewYork.com. They might be a little 'unique'....but aren't we all? 2 great spots that make NBCNewYork's site about you the viewer and your 'special' needs.

And 3 fun morning metaphors for WBZ's morning newscast.  You don't need OJ, bacon or coffee in the morning, but they are all oh-so good!

602communications.com/VideoExamples

Have a video clip to share?  Email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Flash (.flv) or QuickTime (.mov) files, size 320 x 240, are preferred, but WindowsMedia (.wmv) files will also be accepted.  Large files may be sent via http://www.yousendit.com.  You can also mail your clip on VHS or DVD to Graeme Newell at 1011 Lyndhurst Falls Lane, Knightdale, NC  27545



Letterman Picked Most Favorite Host in Poll
Jay Leno's new late-night show has been overhyped, but David Letterman's exploits with an intern haven't lost him any admirers.  A poll of what's hot and not on the screen this fall shows the kings of evening TV are getting different reactions from viewers.  Nearly three-quarters (74%) of respondents to an AOL Television poll, said they never watch Leno's new NBC show - and 15% say they only tune in for a big-name guest.  By contrast, the vast majority (79%) of those questioned said revelations of Letterman's affair with a junior staffer had not affected their love of his long-running "Late Show."  The CBS funnyman remains the most popular evening host, voted the top pick by 45% of voters, followed by Conan O'Brien (22%), Craig Ferguson (15%), Jimmy Kimmel (12%) and Jimmy Fallon (6%).  The AOL poll received more than 335,000 votes and gives an insight into what programs viewers are tuning into this season.  In the comedy stakes, "Modern Family" and "Glee" tied for second place, with "The Big Bang Theory" narrowly ahead in first place.  "NCIS" was ranked the best drama, followed by "House" and "Grey's Anatomy."  And "Dexter," "Mad Men" and "Sons of Anarchy" were voted the best new shows this season.  Julianna Margulies of "The Good Wife" is considered fall's most buzzworthy star, getting 35% of the vote, and Matthew Morrison of "Glee" is the current breakout star, with 34% of people giving him the thumbs up.
NY Daily News


NBC Shakes Up Format For ‘Leno’
When NBC announced the format of The Jay Leno Show, the network made it a point to note that it would be turning the structure from The Tonight Show on its head.  While it would start with a monologue, the network said Jay would save the signature comedy bits for the end of the episode in order to provide the strongest news lead-in for its local affiliates.  “The signature pieces people like such as ‘Headlines,’ ‘Jay Walking,’ those will be the pieces that bring us into the 11 o’clock news,” Leno said at the Television Critics Association Summer press tour in August.  “We want to provide a strong lead-in for the 11 o’clock news.”  Indeed, since its launch September 14 launch, Leno has presented Headlines every Monday night as the last segment of the show.  However, on Monday, November 9, the show finally broke from that mold, and returned to a format much closer to that of Leno’s Tonight Show.  As usual, the program opened with Leno’s monologue, followed by a commercial break.  Then, just as on Tonight, Leno presented Headlines, less than 15 minutes into the program.  That was followed by another commercial break, before welcoming Kathy Griffin on as his first guest.  The first half hour or so of Monday’s Jay Leno Show was nearly identical to the first half hour of Leno’s Tonight Show.  A spokesperson for NBC says that Headlines will be towards the front of the show again next week (Nov. 16).  Other episodes will feature a retooled format as well, with certain comedy bits and interviews appearing earlier or later than they normally would.  Nielsen fast nationals data shows that Leno averaged a 1.2/3 rating/share, with the second (Headlines-free) half hour dropping to a 1.1/3. The 1.2 rating matched a series low.  The second half of the show returned to the more normal Leno format, with Griffin taking the “green car challenge” in the next segment, followed by a satellite interview with Diablo Cody and another comedy bit about internet videos closing out the show.  Of course, as NBC executives (and Leno himself) have noted, it is the long haul that matters.  Maybe shifting the format to something more in line with Tonight can help boost its ratings, or maybe it won’t.
Broadcasting & Cable


Lopez Debuts Strong
The Nov. 9 premiere of TBS's new late-night series Lopez Tonight drew 3.2 million viewers combined for its simulcast airing on TBS, TNT and truTV.  The series, starring comedian George Lopez, averaged 1.8 million adults 18 to 49 for the simulcast, according to Nielsen data.  The show, which featured such guests as Ellen DeGeneres, Eva Longoria-Parker and Kobe Bryant, drew 1.7 million viewers on TBS, where it will air four days a week.  TNT garnered 1 million viewers, while truTV averaged 500,000 viewer during debut at 11 p.m. Check out a review here.  TBS's telecast of Lopez Tonight, which also featured musical guest Carlos Santana, was watched by more adults 18 tp 34 (608,000) and adults 18 to 49 (1,022,000) than the current season averages for such late-night series on broadcast and cable as Last Call with Carson Daly, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.  The TBS telecast was also watched by more adults 18 to 34 than the season-to-date average for the Late Show with David Letterman.  "Viewers are ready for a change, and George Lopez is an exciting addition to late-night television," said Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks.  "We are extremely proud of the success of last night's premiere of Lopez Tonight and are confident the show will continue to be a big late-night hit."
MultiChannel


CBS Cuts Off Halderman's Paycheck
Accused David Letterman extortionist Robert "Joe" Halderman will try to wiggle out of his indictment with a thick packet of pretrial motions when he comes to court today -- and he has more reasons than ever to want out quick.  CBS has cut off the "48 Hours" producer's paychecks, changing his status to suspended-without-pay effective two weeks ago, sources told The Post.  It was decided that he had violated the morals clause of his contract, one source explained.  Already broke and -- in the words of Manhattan prosecutors, "desperate" -- when charged in the alleged $2 million plot in early October, Halderman now faces an indefinite future without income.  His high-powered lawyer, Gerald Shargel, said he'll file papers at noon today asking Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Charles Solomon to toss the indictment against the disgraced producer, a charge of attempted grand larceny in the first degree.  "I'm asking for dismissal on multiple grounds," Shargel said.
NY Post


Not Extortion, But 'Treatment of Sale' Lawyer Contends
An attorney for Robert Halderman, who allegedly sought to extort $2 million from comic David Letterman, filed court papers today seeking to have the indictment dismissed, saying that the CBS producer had merely been seeking to sell the late-night host a screenplay treatment.  “Having experienced certain circumstances, he had the right to publish, he had the commercial right to sell and he had the right to offer the product to Mr. Letterman,” defense attorney Gerald Shargel told reporters after a brief appearance in Manhattan criminal court today.  “There was no extortion,” he added, as Halderman stood by him silently.  “There was a treatment for sale.  The facts of this case are largely undisputed.  They’re simple and straightforward.  This was a commercial transaction.  It was nothing more.  It did not violate the penal law.  The district attorney’s office jumped all over this, I suggest, without taking an appropriate, objective view.”  Halderman, dressed in a dark suit and a green tie, maintained a somber expression throughout the court hearing and news conference, but did not comment.  The veteran producer for the CBS newsmagazine “48 Hours Mystery” was arrested Oct. 1 after attempting to cash a fake check for $2 million given to him by Letterman's attorney.  New York Dist. Atty. Robert Morgenthau said his office has evidence that Halderman left Letterman a letter and a proposed screenplay in the back seat of his car early Sept. 9, threatening to make a movie exposing the comic's affairs unless Letterman paid Halderman money.  Halderman pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted grand larceny in the first degree, a crime punishable by as much as 15 years in prison, and has been suspended from CBS. He is due back in court in January for the judge's ruling on his motion to dismiss the case.
LA Times


Dobbs Quits CNN
CNN's Lou Dobbs, a lightning rod for criticism following his transition from a business journalist to an opinionated anchor on such issues as illegal immigration, told viewers on Wednesday that he was quitting his nightly show to pursue new opportunities.  "This will be my last broadcast," Dobbs said after giving the day's headlines.  Dobbs, who hosts a daily radio show unrelated to CNN, said the network had allowed him to be released early from his contract.  Dobbs was a CNN original, signing on when the cable network started in 1980.  For much of that time, he hosted a nightly business broadcast that became one of the most influential shows in the corporate world, and CNN's most profitable show for advertising revenue.  But Dobbs said his world view changed after the 2001 terrorist attacks and corporate corruption scandals, and he began to more freely express his opinions.  He was particularly persistent in bringing the immigration issue to the fore, winning him both higher ratings and enemies.  Latino groups had an active petition drive seeking his removal.  His presence became awkward for CNN, particularly as it began emphasizing reporting and non-opinion shows.  He angered management this summer by pressing questions about President Barack Obama's birth site after CNN reporters determined there was no issue.  Dobbs said the decision came after many months of discussion with CNN U.S. President Jon Klein.  Dobbs said he wanted to concentrate on his role as a commentator and on advocacy journalism.  Klein hailed Dobbs' "appetite for big ideas, the megawatt smile and larger than life presence he brought to our newsroom.  "With characteristic forthrightness, Lou has now decided to carry the banner of advocacy journalism elsewhere," Klein said.  "We respect his decision."
Huffington Post


Obama To Give Interview To Fox News
President Obama will give an interview to Fox News' Major Garrett, Drudge reports.  The interview will take place in China next week and comes just one day after it was reported that Obama Communications Director Anita Dunn -- the so-called general in the administration's war against Fox News -- will be stepping down.  The Obama administration's battle against Fox News has been two-pronged: members of the administration have characterized Fox News as not a legitimate news network while also regularly denying the network interviews with key figures.  When Obama did the Sunday morning talk show rounds, for instance, he skipped out on "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace.  "This White House has demonstrated our willingness to exclude Fox News from newsmaking interviews, but yesterday we did not," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the day after Garrett interviewed "pay czar" Kenneth Feinberg.  Fox News executive Michael Clemente met recently at the White House with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, and since then the tensions between the two parties have cooled; senior adviser David Axelrod granted an interview to Garrett last week.  The president's interview, coupled with Dunn leaving her interim post, are further signals that the administration is ramping down its battle against the cable news outlet.  The New York Times had reported that the White House "informed Fox News not to expect to bump knees with the president until 2010."
Huffington Post


White House Communications Chief Resigns
In an expected development, White House Communications Director Anita Dunn is stepping down after a brief tenure marked by a dust-up with Fox News Channel over its coverage. She will be succeeded by her deputy, Dan Pfeiffer.  Dunn joined the administration in the spring with the understanding that she would stay only a few months because of family considerations.  In her time with the Obama administration, she came to epitomize a more combative White House approach in dealing with critics.  She advocated a "rapid response" to counteract charges that she deemed to be meritless.  She also pushed for President Obama to do more interviews, said an administration official who asked not to be named when discussing strategy.  Pfeiffer, a veteran of Obama's 2008 campaign, also favors using aggressive means to communicate the White House message.  Dunn declined to comment on her departure.  Her work was largely behind the scenes, but she found herself in the headlines when she asserted that Fox was not a traditional news-gathering operation.  Last month, she told CNN that Fox was "part of the Republican Party."  She said that the network's practice was to take the party's "talking points and put them on the air.  Take their opposition research and put them on the air -- and that's fine.  But let's not pretend they're a news network the way CNN is."  That touched off a small-screen feud.  A Fox talk show host, Glenn Beck, aired footage of Dunn addressing a high school graduation ceremony in June and describing Mao Tse-tung and Mother Teresa as two of her "favorite political philosophers."  Beck said on his show: "The guy responsible for more deaths than any other 20th century leader is her favorite philosopher!"  Dunn later took a swipe at Beck on CNN: "The use of the phrase 'favorite political philosophers' was intended as irony, but clearly the effort fell flat -- at least with a certain Fox commentator whose sense of irony may be missing."
LA Times


Top 10 Men Earners on TV
Forbes.com is reporting the top 10 men earners on primetime TV, based upon their pretax earnings from June 1, 2008 to June 1, 2009.  At the top of the list, with $75 million in earnings from all his entertainment venures, is the "American Idol" judge America loves to hate, Simon Cowell.  He is followed by Donald Trump, who Forbes says makes $50 million just from his entertainment-related ventures.  Then comes 'Idol' judge and DJ and all-around TV entrepreneur Ryan Seacrest at $38 million. In fourth place is Charlie Sheen ($21 million), closely followed by Steve Carell ($20 million).  The remainder of the top 10:
6. Howie Mandel ($15 million)
7. Kiefer Sutherland ($13 million)
8. Jeff Foxworthy ($11 million)
9. Hugh Laurie ($10 million)
10. David Caruso ($9 million)

TV Week


News Corp. Would Risk Losing Traffic Without Google
As you may know, Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of News Corp., is saying he may block search engines from accessing the organization's content. He expressed this notion in a recent interview.  If Murdoch were to act upon this, it would mean theoretically that you would no longer be able to find Wall Street Journal, New York Post, etc. content on Google.  Of course that would be in a world where scraped content isn't frequently crawled by search engines.  If Murdoch were to pull all of the original content, he would risk all of his content just being found on other sites through Google (or Yahoo or Bing or wherever).  The reality is that illegal scraping will continue to exist, and search engines aren't perfect.  There is a great chance that they will still crawl the content, without even knowing it was originally produced by News Corp. properties.  With News Corp.'s content in the search engines, at least the engines will be able to place that content higher in results where it would be more likely to drown out the scraped versions.  This week, a Google spokesman told Emma Barnett at the Telegraph, "Google News and web search are a tremendous source of promotion for news organizations, sending them about 100,000 clicks every minute."...."If publishers want their content to be removed from Google News specifically all they need to do is tell us."  So in other words, Google is fine with Murdoch pulling out.
WebProNews


Google Tests Skippable Ads
Google will begin testing "skippable" pre-roll ads in videos on YouTube Wednesday that could lead the Mountain View, Calif. search engine toward a new advertising model.  The small sampling, which runs indefinitely, will allow people who find the videos to click on the link and skip the ad, which takes them directly to the content.  The ads will run on videos from content partners, which have already opted into the test.  The goal to move the industry toward more engaging high-quality ads requires a lesson in human behavior.  The test that determines if and when people watch the video clips will provide Google with insight into the type of person who may skip an ad, what type of ad they might skip, and what piece of content does better than another.  Google also will look at whether some ads are skipped in a specific portion of the session.  Does the person skip the ad in the first video versus the third during a 30-minute time slot while on YouTube?  The research also examines the correlation between television and video ads.  The results could lead Google toward a different type of advertising model other than pre-rolls, overlays, and traditional display ads.  The model is cost per engagement, where advertisers would only pay for opt-in engaged views of the ads.  "We're already down that road with promoted videos," says Phil Farhi, product manager at Google's YouTube.  "We see the ability to skip ads as another form of engagement."  Farhi says Google eventually sees a model where the advertiser only pays for a completed view of the ad.  Quality and user signals would determine the correct place in the video to serve up the ad.  When Google first tested in-stream ads in 2007, it learned that abandonment rates -- especially for pre-rolls -- were as high as 70%, and users were far more likely to watch and engage with overlays.  It turns out that pre-roll ads in short-form video content work.  Pre-rolls in short-form videos, defined as less than between 15 and 20 minutes, can keep the attention of people watching the clip. The test will also run on long-form videos. But when a pre-roll ad runs 15 seconds, YouTube registers completion rates as high as 85%.  Creativity and quality also matter.  Google's research suggests that a high-quality advertisement can influence someone into sticking around to finish viewing the ad three times more than if that same person watched the ad on television.  "On television you might need 30 seconds to make sure people know the Web site and phone number, and tell them the offer three times," Farhi says. "Online, you can run a much shorter industry ad, and use the companion ad space for the call to action."
MediaPost


Media Rule Easing Unlikely
Newspaper publishers and other struggling media companies want the U.S. government to help them survive the toughest times they have ever known, mainly by easing rules on how big they can get.  They will be lucky if they get any aid at all.  The Federal Communications Commission held meetings this week with policy experts and consumer groups to see if it should change rules that define how many people newspapers, television and radio stations can reach and that limit their size to protect free speech and allow for healthy competition.  But other more pressing concerns on Capitol Hill and in the Obama administration, and the threat of lawsuits to thwart any changes to the rules, are muffling enthusiasm.  "Nobody cares," said Jonathan Knee, a media banker at investment firm Evercore Partners Inc.  "Nobody is willing to spend political capital over it."  As advertising sales shrink and more people get information and entertainment online, media companies want the government to let them operate more freely.  Sentiment also is growing that the Internet and other technology advances have rendered media regulation debates obsolete, media industry observers say.  The FCC rules have come up for review before, but the stakes are higher now, with broadcasters and publishers like Tribune Co going bankrupt.  But lawmakers and the White House are dealing with multiple problems that loom larger, from health care and climate change to financial industry overhaul, so little might get done.  "This is an administration that's taken on a whole host of very large initiatives that are sucking the oxygen out of Washington in a big way," said John Chachas, a media banker at Lazard who supports deregulation. "Reconsideration of these ancient rules is desperately needed, but not a top priority in a country suffering 10 percent unemployment."
Reuters


CEA Calls Spectrum Lack a 'National Crisis'
The Consumer Electronics Association again weighed in Tuesday on the ongoing debate over how the U.S. should best use its wireless spectrum, as CEA president and CEO Gary Shapiro called the lack of available spectrum for new consumer devices a "national crisis" and recited findings of a CEA-backed study which estimates the broadcast spectrum could be worth some $60 to $100 billion if auctioned off for "creative purposes."  CEA drew the ire of broadcasters last month when it submitted the aforementioned study to the FCC, which has been taking a fresh look at spectrum allocation under new Chairman Julius Genachowski.  CEA defended itself by saying that it was merely trying to encourage creative thinking about how wireless spectrum could be utilized, and wasn't directly supporting such a move by the FCC.  But at a press event in New York previewing the upcoming CES show in Las Vegas this January, Shapiro again took a shot at broadcasters, noting that broadcasters' channels represented the "only spectrum out there that has not been paid for."  Some broadcasters have found CEA's spectrum study to be a figurative stab in the back in a year in which the broadcast industry has successfully completed a digital TV transition that helped sell millions of new HDTV sets for CEA members, as well as finalized a new standard for broadcasting DTV to mobile devices. When asked about the timing of the CEA study, Shapiro reiterated that CEA was not directly supporting a reclamation of broadcast channels by the FCC and defended CEA's actions as a simple byproduct of technological innovation amongst a diverse base of members.  "I learned a long time ago that no matter what we do, we're going to affect somebody else," he said.  "But innovations in technology must move forward."
Broadcasting & Cable


Google to Open Line of Retail Stores

Following in the footsteps of Apple and Microsoft, Google announced it will be opening its own line of retail stores in 2010.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt said, "We own the Internet, now it's time for us to own the real world."

The stores' look will have a familiar feel for people who have used Google.com before.  The bright Google logo will adorn the outside of the store, but inside it'll all be white space.

The stores will not sell any physical merchandise save a few token Google logo T-shirts.  Revenue will be generated by a single employee, called the "Oracle," sitting amidst a sea of white ready to "Google it" for you for only $1.95 per search.

Google will be targeting consumers who get sent links from letmegooglethatforyou.com more than twice a week.  "Obviously educated geeks aren't going to drop by the store, but maybe their moms and dads will," said Schmidt.  "Although we may have something geeks desire as well."

Before you balk at the $1.95 price for something you can do on your own for free, Schmidt assured us that each Oracle will be trained to use all advanced features of Google search of which most people are unaware.

"Oracles will have access to search parameters that normal people only dream of.  For instance, with a simple two character switch all comparison shopping sites will disappear from search results for a product," said Schmidt.  "This will be the hook for geeks as they devise ways to hack our system to get at these store-only features."

Despite the moniker "Oracle," the Google store employee will be unable to tell the future, because Google has yet to make that publicly available even in their own stores.

Asked if he would be poaching employees from Apple Stores as Microsoft is doing for their new stores Schmidt answers, "Oh hell no.  We want smart people."

Google's stock was up on the news.

Brian Briggs, BBSpot


------------------------------------
The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. 602 Communications is a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and promotion skills. We teach workshops on teasing, marketing, reporting, producing, lighting, editing, internet and graphics. Get more information on all our workshops.

TVSpy.com is home to ShopTalk, the FREE daily newsletter for the TV news industry, read by more than 25,000 subscribers. For more than 20 years, ShopTalk has given TV news professionals the daily inside scoop on the industry. Read today's ShopTalk and subscribe for FREE. news professionals the daily inside scoop on the industry. Read today's ShopTalk and subscribe for FREE.

The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. 602 Communications is a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and promotion skills. We teach workshops on teasing, marketing, reporting, producing, lighting, editing, internet and graphics. Get more information on all our workshops.

The Marketing Ideanet is sent via TVSpy's e-mail servers. Visit TVSpy's Marketing Matters online community.

Graeme Newell
602 Communications
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In This Issue
Dynamic Ad Targeting - Cable TV's Vision of the Future
Fox Exec Defends News Coverage
Murdoch No Fan of MSNBC-Fox Feud
World Series Most Watched Since '04
Oprah Rumored to Make Cable Home
CBS Dominates Business & Financial Emmy Nods
'Office' Suicide Joke Not Funny to Mental Health Groups
Sesame Street Turns 40, Touts Health to Kids
Comedy Central Orders Onion TV Pilot
CNN.com Launches News Trivia Quiz
Publishers to Start Testing New Pay Site System
NBC-Comcast Deal to Test Obama's Merger Views
Marketers Call for Multicultural Focus
eSarcasm.com's TechList: 07.November.2009


Quotes

"Genius is the talent for seeing things straight.  It is seeing things in a straight line without any bend or break or aberration of sight, seeing them as they are, without any warping of vision.  Flawless mental sight!  That is genius."
- Maude Adams

"You can't hit a target you cannot see and you cannot see a target you do not have."
- Zig Ziglar

"Three people were at work on a construction site.  All were doing the same job, but when each was asked what the job was, the answers varied.  "Breaking rocks," the first replied.  "Earning my living," the second said.  "Helping to build a cathedral," said the third."
- Peter Schultz

Dynamic Ad Targeting - Cable TV's Vision of the Future
by Graeme Newell
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.602communications.com
Twitter: gnewell
Facebook: facebook.com/gnewell

In last week's article I laid out five trends motivating the future of the cable TV ad business.  In this week's article, seven more.  If you would like to read all three parts of this article, click here.

Dynamic ad targeting is the great hope of the cable TV future. Just as Google delivers custom ads designed to the user’s personal tastes and desires, the cable industry is building a new generation of hardware and software solutions to deliver the perfect ad to the perfect prospect at the perfect time.  The ultimate goal is elimination of ad waste. For example, a smart cable box will know that a viewer only buys healthy and natural foods.  It will eliminate ads for Pizza Pockets, Burger King and fried cheese sticks.

Major Advertisers are Angry
The precision of internet metrics has changed the game.  Major companies such as Walmart, P&G and Ford have diverted major portions of their ad budgets to online because of its efficiency and message targeting precision.  In speech after speech, CEOs from huge companies have given the ad business a tongue lashing.  They have put the broadcast and cable business on notice – get more efficient or the blood letting will continue.  They will not tolerate cable’s ever-increasing CPMs and clumsy, outdated, wasteful ad targeting.

Lack of Reach is Keeping the Current TV Ad Model Alive
As much as they hate the current TV ad model, advertisers know that TV is the only game in town if they want convenient and effective national penetration. These advertisers love the detailed metrics and focus of the internet, but a efficient national online buy is still impractical.  They will begrudgingly continue to pay the ever-increasing fees as TV audiences dwindle because they have few other choices.

But make no mistake, they are angry, and will do everything possible to knock the cocky TV business down a few notches.  As TV rates continue to go up, national advertisers will be more willing to go through the tedious process of placing numerous small internet buys.  If the internet can ever build an efficient national platform, the exodus will be huge.  The cable industry knows it must change and do it fast, or it will lose its best customers.

Lack of Standards is the Biggest Hurdle
Huge dollars and herculean effort are being put into developing this new lifestyle-targeted addressing technology, but each major cable company has its own flavor of hardware and software.  One company may find a solution, but unless ALL the companies share a standard, efficient national buys will not be possible.  A hardware solution will soon be found, but ego may delay implementation for years.

The cable companies know they must get along and work together, but it’s just not something that comes naturally.  Technical standards committees have been formed, but there are still huge players who refuse to participate, preferring to go it alone. This has led some industry analysts to predict that this technology is still at least five years away.

This means that the limbo of ever-declining TV ad revenue will continue for the next few years.  TV audiences will continue to leak away as gaming, DVRs, online video continue to chip away at the base.  Until ad targeting shows up, there isn’t a better plan and TV advertisers must simply endure this walk through the desert, but there could be an oasis on the other side.

Everyone Hates Hulu
The cable programmers are jazzed to deliver their programming to everyone on any screen they choose – laptop, phone, or home theater.  But in order to do that, they need to make at least a little bit of money.   The internet and companies like Hulu and YouTube got out there early and set the pricing standard – unfortunately, that standard was free.  Now the expectation is set and going back to a viable revenue model will be tough for consumers to swallow.  The cable programmers feel that these early companies ruined it for everyone, and they are more than a little bit mad.  Cable programmers have dabbled in online content delivery with projects such as TV Everywhere, but they refuse to get in the direct content delivery game without a solid model for building revenue.  So for the foreseeable future, cable programming on multiple screens will be experimental at best.

Daily TV Viewing Time is Topping Out
Despite the fact that ratings for individual channels are down, overall TV viewing is at an all-time high.  The consensus is that there are not enough hours in the day for substantially more viewing in the home.  This means that one of the best ways to increase revenue is to increase ad efficiency – get more dollars through better ad targeting.  The other major hope is to increase viewing outside the home. This is also why mobile is such a coveted new platform.   If mom can watch TV while she’s in the grocery store line or waiting to pick up the kids, big growth in actual viewing time is still possible.

Pre-roll and Interruption Advertising are Dead for Younger Demos
Total control is a huge factor in the viewing choices for younger viewers. An entire generation of people have grown up watching Youtube videos in their bedroom on a laptop, and they are accustomed to that delivery mode.  They rarely go to the living room for the ten-foot experience of traditional TV.  Older viewers are more amenable to being held hostage by ads in the middle of their programming, but a whole generation of younger viewers is already lost.

One of the major MSOs did a study asking younger viewers what they would do if they had 30 minutes to watch TV.  85% said they would go to YouTube or some other streaming video service.  Only 15% said they would turn on a traditional TV.

In-Show, Permission Marketing is on the Horizon
The exodus of younger viewers is just one of many trends that is converging to destroy the interruption ad model.  DVR penetration is moving up too.  Coke saw the stats on ad viewing of DVR homes and moved their marketing out of the breaks and into the show where younger demos would actually see it.  Powerful interactive cable boxes mean this trend will be supercharged.

As services like Hulu, YouTube, DVRs and Itunes all converge to give the audience more control over the viewing experience, advertisers who lack a personal connection with a targeted viewer will be eliminated by ever-more-sophisticated ad zapping techniques.  If viewers don’t love you, they won’t listen to your message. 

This means cable companies will use their new interactive tools to make advertisers a huge part of the program.  Advertisers will no longer be content to live in the breaks.  Who says ads have to be in the breaks?  The same technology that works on placing content in ad breaks works equally well at placing content in the actual show.  These new interactive cable boxes mean advertisers will join programmers in an ever-increasing creative role.  Program producing will take on a whole new definition, requiring a wider skill set.  Games, fan blogs, quizzes, Facebook sharing, and permission marketing will all be imbedded in the show.  Traditional ads will be seen as less and less viable.

Next week, seven more trends motivating the cable TV ad business, including major advertiser's discontent with the ad agency skill set, or read the entire three-part article now by clicking here. 

Graeme Newell is a broadcast and web marketing specialist.  He guarantees that his teasing seminar will immediately increase your news ratings or his workshop is free.  Find out more here.

Fox Exec Defends News Coverage
A Fox television executive on Wednesday rejected suggestions that the broadcaster's international brand had been dented by a high-profile battle with the White House over its news coverage.  Critics have long accused Fox News of a right-wing bias, with the latest flare-up coming last month when a top aide to US President Barack Obama said the network was waging "war" on the Democratic administration.  But Hernan Lopez, chief operating officer for Fox International Channels, said only "media savvy or left-of-center" viewers would likely switch to a rival network in protest at news coverage.  "People are a lot more driven by whether the show they want is on one of our channels," Lopez told a cable and satellite industry conference in Hong Kong.  Remarking on his international business, he said: "It's not affecting the perception of the Fox entertainment brands as far as we can tell."  He was responding to questions from Stephen Sackur, host of the BBC current affairs program HARDtalk, during a special live episode at the conference.  Lopez said there was little Fox could or should do about presenters -- such as conservative commentator Glenn Beck, who called Obama a "racist" -- because of employment contract constraints and guarantees on freedom of speech.  "The commentators have a wide scope to say what they say on air," he told Sackur, adding that people often asked him about Fox's news coverage.  "And I say 'do you think the New York Times doesn't editorialize on the front page?'  That is the end of the conversation."
Yahoo News


Murdoch No Fan of MSNBC-Fox Feud
Rupert Murdoch says News Corporation will resume its truce with General Electric — if MSNBC stops slinging mud at Mr. Murdoch’s Fox News Channel.  This contest needs a referee, stat.  The two media companies reached a fragile pact to halt personal attacks between the two cable news channels earlier this year.  Executives at both companies were said to be fed up with the vicious sniping between Keith Olbermann and Bill O’Reilly, the 8 p.m. hosts on MSNBC and Fox.  The feud between those two men sparked a broader rivalry between the top-rated Fox News and the lower-rated MSNBC.  After The New York Times reported on the attempts to ease tensions in August, the sniping resumed, but some executives at the companies are still seeking to keep the invective at a minimum.  Asked about the feud on a conference call Wednesday, Mr. Murdoch pointed a finger at MSNBC, saying “we did not start this abuse.”  But he said the fighting became “personal” and “finally we had to allow people to retaliate.”  Then Mr. Murdoch proposed a peace treaty of sorts: “The moment they stop, we’ll stop.”  Mr. Murdoch added: “We don’t believe in it.  We don’t think it’s good business.”
MediaDecoder


World Series Most Watched Since '04
Powered by a 6-RBI performance by designated hitter Hideki Matsui, the New York Yankees on Wednesday night secured their 27th World Series title, notching a 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies that drew an average audience of 22.3 million viewers.  With an average delivery of 19.4 million viewers, the six-game series outdrew last year’s Rays-Phillies set by 38 percent, per Nielsen ratings data.  It now stands as the most-watched Fall Classic since 2004, when the Boston Red Sox snapped a run of futility that stretched back to 1918 with a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.  That series drew an average crowd of 25.4 million viewers.  The 2009 World Series ranks as the sixth most-watched of the 12 MLB championships covered by Fox.  (The network carried the 1996 and 1998 series before going on to air every Fall Classic in this century.)  The most watched contest of this year’s series was Game 4, which drew 22.8 million viewers.  Along with total viewers, the Yankees-Phillies tilt set five-year highs across every major male and adult demographic.  Versus the 2008 series, Fox was up 38 percent among men 18-34 (6.5 rating), 37 percent among men 18-49 (7.8) and 32 percent among men 25-54 (8.7).  Philadelphia topped all markets in every game of this World Series, with a six-game average household rating/share of 41.0/57.  New York posted a 30.4/45.
MediaWeek


Oprah Rumored to Make Cable Home
The rumor seems to surface every few years: Oprah Winfrey is on the brink of leaving her hugely popular syndicated talk show.  The difference this time is where she's rumored to be going, to her long-delayed cable network, when her contract with CBS Television Distribution ends in 2011.  Whether it's true this time remains to be seen.  After a report on the blog Deadline Hollywood yesterday said Winfrey's as good as out the door, Les Moonves, head of CBS, said on a third quarter earnings conference call that Winfrey will make a decision on her future sometime in the next few months.  A move to cable would have huge ripple effects, not just on CBS and the distribution of Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), but also on the ABC local station group that has carried Winfrey for more than 20 years.  She is a lucrative lead-in to many local news programs.  Winfrey has hinted at retirement before, but she always ends up returning. This time is different, however, because she has another outlet for her show.  In fact, she may be hoping to give a boost to the troubled Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), which is backed by Discovery.
MediaLife Magazine


CBS Dominates Business & Financial Emmy Nods
CBS dominated the nominations for the seventh annual Business & Financial Reporting Emmy Awards, announced yesterday.  The network garnered 15 nods, triple the number of No. 2 PBS, which received five nominations.  BBC America and CNBC got three apiece.  "60 Minutes" led all shows with eight nominations, followed by the "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric" and "BBC World News America" with three apiece.  PBS's "Frontline" grabbed two nods.  Outgoing PBS "Nightly Business Report" anchor Paul Kangas will receive a lifetime achievement award, as will Linda O'Bryon, the founder of the "NBR" 30 years ago.  The awards will be handed out Dec. 7 at Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus in New York.
MediaLife Magazine


'Office' Suicide Joke Not Funny to Mental Health Groups
"The Office's" Halloween haunted house has spooked several suicide prevention groups.  They have complained about a scene in which clueless boss Michael (Steve Carell) appears with a noose around his neck, trying to scare the young children at the haunted house.  The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Mental Health America, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Suicide Awareness say the NBC show should not have used suicide as a punchline.  In last week's episode, Michael wears the noose while scaring the kids, then tells them, "Kids, just remember, suicide is not the answer.  It is the easy way out."  Not funny, say the groups.  They claim that seeing media depictions of suicide makes suicidal people more likely to take their lives.  NBC has not responded to the protests.
MediaLife Magazine


Sesame Street Turns 40, Touts Health to Kids
It is almost too perfect that the first African-American president of the United States was elected in time for the 40th anniversary of “Sesame Street.”  The world is finally beginning to look the way that the PBS show always made it out to be.  So it is to the credit of this daunting cultural landmark — a program that has taught generations of children to count, countless parents how to teach and is seen in 125 countries around the world — that Tuesday’s anniversary is not a frenzy of preening self-celebration.  Episode No. 4187 is as child-centric and respectful of routine as any other.  The special guest — the first lady, Michelle Obama — doesn’t make her appearance alongside Big Bird until midway into a show crammed with the usual preschool didactics.  The letter of the day comes first — H, as in help and hug and healthy.  The only real difference is that on this day, viewers have to count to 40.  The pedagogy hasn’t changed, but the look and tone of “Sesame Street” has evolved. Forty years on, this is your mother’s “Sesame Street,” only better dressed and gentrified: Sesame Street by way of Park Slope.  The opening is no longer a realistic rendition of an urban skyline but an animated, candy-colored chalk drawing of a preschool Arcadia, with flowers and butterflies and stars.  The famous set, brownstones and garbage bins, has lost the messy graffiti and gritty smudges of city life over the years. Now there are green spaces, tofu and yoga.  It’s still a messianic show, but the mission has shifted to the more immediate concerns of pediatricians and progressive parents, especially when it comes to childhood obesity.  “Sesame Street” takes the Muppets, rhymes and visual verve that were developed to instill tolerance, racial pride and equality, to preach exercise and healthy eating.  It is an urban myth that Cookie Monster was turned into Veggie Monster to appease nutrition Nazis, however — that was a blogosphere rumor in the Paul-Is-Dead school of whispering campaigns.  But Cookie Monster’s palate was refined during Season 36 as part of the show’s “healthy habits for life” campaign.  He now also gobbles fruits and vegetables, which are labeled by the show as “anytime” foods while cookies are held in reserve as “sometime” food.  And almost every episode has a subliminal message about exercise and nutrition, along with a fruit bowl.

The show’s original intent was to present enjoyable and beguiling preschool education to poor children who did not have access to decent preschools while bringing diversity to children’s programming. “Sesame Street” wasn’t the only children’s show with a social message. (Rocky and Bullwinkle are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year.  Some of the earliest cartoons, back when the show was still known as “Rocky and His Friends,” were way ahead of the times; a 1962 retelling of “The Ugly Duckling” on “Fractured Fairy Tales” is a screed against cosmetic surgery.)  But it was the mixture of whimsy, pop music and didactic rigor that distinguished “Sesame Street” from everything else.  It has arguably had an even greater impact overseas, especially in places like Kosovo and South Africa, where the show is made in partnership with local television producers and tailored to local concerns.  Kami, the world’s first H.I.V.-positive Muppet, made her debut on the South African version in 2002 when the government of Thabo Mbeki was still questioning the value of anti-viral drugs.  Peace in the Middle East can be measured by the status of “Sesame Street.”  For a while, in the more hopeful 1990s, there was an adaptation that catered jointly to Israeli and Palestinian preschoolers — in Hebrew and Arabic.  That entente died in the first Intifada, and now Israelis have one version, Palestinians another.
NY Times


Comedy Central Orders Onion TV Pilot
Onion sports Comedy Central is teaming with satirical newspaper the Onion for a half-hour scripted comedy.  The as-yet-untitled pilot will be based on the Onion Sports Network online video series and take on teams, fans, sports products and sports coverage.  The show will be geared toward sports lovers and long-time followers of the Onion.  "We are thrilled to be in business with a cultural icon like the Onion to give our audience the sports show they deserve," said Comedy Central programming president Lauren Corrao.  "The short-form content on the OSN Web series is outstanding, hilarious and exactly what you'd expect from the gang.  We're really excited to take this great idea and turn it into a regular, weekly series."  "The Onion is the biggest, most fearless, most influential news organization in the free world," said Steve Hannah, CEO of Onion, Inc.  "And we see a collaboration with Comedy Central as the next logical step in the expansion of the Onion Sports Network's hard-hitting coverage."
THR Feed


CNN.com Launches News Trivia Quiz
CNN.com said Thursday it is introducing a new interactive online news trivia quiz called the CNN Challenge.  CNN Challenge will focus on both historical news events and the top stories of the week. New quizzes about historical events will be available every Tuesday and Wednesday, and a new current news quiz will be available every Thursday.  The CNN Challenge features three rounds of five question, focused on the who, what, when, where and why of certain news events.  In the final stage of the quiz dubbed the "Lighting Round" users will have 90 seconds to answer five questions.  Users receive points based on their response time and value of the question, which varies by the stage of the quiz.  After taking the quiz, users can check the "Newsbin" for answers to and additional context on each of the questions, as well as links to more information related to the questions.  There is also a social aspect allowing users to share the quiz on Facebook, Twitter and Mixx.  Users can also see where they rank on a "Leaderboard" for the quiz or challenge other members of the community.  CNN has signed on in-car communications system, Ford Sync to sponsor the quiz. Fifteen-second Sync video ads will run between some rounds starting later this month.  "The CNN Challenge offers CNN.com's users the ability to expand their knowledge of the news and current events in a fun and engaging way," said KC Estenson, senior vice president and general manager of CNN.com.  "At its core, the CNN Challenge is another example of how we are leveraging interactivity and the social nature of the web to create a unique online experience."
WebProNews


Publishers to Start Testing New Pay Site System
Anywhere between five and 15 content providers will start beta testing Journalism Online's system for paid content.  None of the participants were revealed and only vaguely categorized as magazines, newspapers, online-only organizations and blogs from the U.S. and abroad.  Poynter's Steve Myers revealed the latest piece of news from Journalism Online co-founder Steve Brill who said these unknown participants will start charting users at the end of the year but the change will be so slight, that many users won't notice.  Publishers have been waffling on whether to move to an online pay model and Brill contends Journalism Online is testing a method that will ease content providers into the process.  "There's going to be nothing for customers that's going to be sudden about this," Brill told Myers.  Journalism Online said there are several different ways to wring revenue from content including charging for time sensitive articles, then setting them free at a later period; setting a certain amount of the article free and charging for the entire piece; and charging users to access comments or tools to share content.
Editor & Publisher


NBC-Comcast Deal to Test Obama's Merger Views
The Center for Digital Democracy, a public interest group, has already called the potential union of Comcast and NBC Universal “the equivalent of Godzilla swallowing Rockefeller Center.”  Ronald D. Sugar, chief of Northrop, said the deal was good for shareholders.  Clearly, some media reform advocates are girding for a fight.  Comcast’s plan to gain control of NBC Universal, which is expected to be announced in the weeks ahead, barring any unforeseen developments, is likely to be the first major test of the Obama administration’s media regulators.  Given its scope, analysts and public interest groups anticipate that the deal will undergo intense government scrutiny.  Comcast and General Electric, which owns 80 percent of NBC Universal, are close to a deal that would give Comcast a stake of about 51 percent in NBC, people close to the deal have said.  The programming arms of both companies could be spun out into a separate venture, according to those people.  The venture would create a media behemoth.  Comcast is the biggest cable system operator in the United States.  NBC Universal owns broadcast networks and a portfolio of popular cable channels.  Bernstein Research has estimated that the combined entity “would be calling the shots for one out of every five viewing hours in the United States.”  One prominent progressive group with a history of opposing media mergers, Free Press, has flagged the combination as being “bad for the public interest.”  The Center for Digital Democracy told Broadcasting & Cable magazine last month that the deal would be “a political test for the Obama team.”  As a candidate, President Obama called for closer inspection of media mergers and said Bush-era media consolidation had diminished the diversity of information available to TV viewers.
NY Times


Marketers Call for Multicultural Focus
If one way to outfox the economy is to stimulate growth, increasing the attention paid to multicultural or ethnic consumers is a smart strategy, according to speakers at the opening general session of the 99th annual conference of the Association of National Advertisers.  Neil Golden, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at the McDonald’s U.S.A. division of McDonald’s, devoted his presentation to what he called “leading with ethnic insights” – in other words, initiatives in multicultural markets can generate significant gains in sales and market share.  “The multicultural, ethnic segments are leading lifestyle trends,” Mr. Golden said.  Mr. Golden offered examples of how McDonald’s U.S.A. sells new products like the Angus Third Pounder and coffee drinks with campaigns tailored to groups like African-Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans.  For instance, a TV commercial for the Angus burgers shows a Hispanic man riding a bus enjoying his meal so much that he does not notice he has reached the end of the line and is sitting in an empty bus.  If McDonald’s U.S.A. conducts nine focus groups, Mr. Golden said, two will be composed of Hispanics and be conducted in Spanish, two will be for African-Americans, two will be for Asian-Americans and three will be composed of a cross-section of consumers.  Andy England, chief marketing officer at MillerCoors, the joint venture of the brewers SAB Miller and Molson Coors, said that advertisers not reaching out to young Hispanic consumers “are not going to win in the market,” whatever the category.  Among the commercials he presented was one in Spanish for Coors Light.
MediaDecoder


eSarcasm.com's TechList: 07.November.2009

1. ChristianChirp.  Jesus friendly Twitter rival launches.  If Twitter has a liberal bias, why do so many right-wing assholes follow me?

2. T-Mobile.  Shares the gift of porn.  Because if tits weren’t meant to be shared, God wouldn’t have made them in pairs.

3. Google.  Big brother gives us a privacy dashboard.  So now we can play with the rats before they strap the cage to our faces.

4. No Doubt.  Band sues over Guitar Hero, claiming avatar abuse.  Turns out making Gwen Stefani sing like Mick Jagger is a federal crime.

5. Carrie Prejean.  Gay-marriage-bashing beauty queen has book coming out.  We understand it was ghost-written by her new breasts.

6. Pew Research.  Good news: Study shows tech isn’t turning us into hermit-like pervs.  Bad news: It’s already too late for most of us.

7. iPhone Store.  Hits 100K apps.  Subtract the ones for picking up chix, plastic surgery, & farting, and you’re down to about 37.

8. Bluebeat.  Judge denies copyright claims to Beatles songs via “psycho acoustic simulation.”  Yet another reason not to buy street acid.

9. Intel.  New York AG Cuomo accuses chipmaker of bribery & coercion.  If he’s not careful, he could end up sleepin’ wid da fishes.

10. Droid.  Near-mythic handset debuts.  Thousands hundreds three people line up outside Verizon stores to purchase it.  Two are winos.

eSarcasm.com

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