Ad Picture Brightening for Local Television Stations
Media
by Claudia Peschiutta
After suffering through an especially tough 2001, L.A. television stations stand to fare better than those in other U.S. markets this year, according to media consultant BIA Financial Network Inc.
BIA projects that L.A. station revenues would end up 6 percent ahead of last year, while going up only 5.1 percent nationwide.
A big reason for the difference is heavy ad spending that’s anticipated from this year’s governor’s race, according to BIA Vice President Mark Fratrik.
Last year proved especially painful for L.A., according to the BIA report. While stations nationwide averaged a 12.9 percent drop in revenues, local stations fell by 15.2 percent. Besides the general economic downturn, L.A. also was hit by the energy crisis, which required companies to spend more on power and thus curtail ad spending.
Three L.A. outlets managed to keep their spots on BIA’s annual list of the Top 10 billing television stations in the United States.
KABC-TV (Channel 7) ranked third in the nation last year with an estimated $244.4 million in revenues. KNBC-TV (Channel 4) followed with $240.8 million and KTTV-TV (Channel 11) came in at No. 8 with $183.7 million. The top stations were WNBC-TV and WABC-TV in New York, the nation’s largest TV market.
Though ad spending does appear to be improving not everyone is as positive as Fratrik. Media newsletter publisher Jack Myers said he expects ad revenues nationwide to grow by 2 percent, at best, but warned they might decline by up to 5 percent compared to last year.
Leveling the Field
Azteca America has turned to the Federal Communications Commission for help in its fight to gain a foothold in the growing Spanish-language television market dominated by L.A.-based Univision Communications Inc.
Mexico’s Azteca International Corp., parent of the Azteca network, is seeking a waiver of the FCC regulation that prohibits networks from representing affiliate stations in the “spot sales” advertising market. Azteca’s petition points to the fact that Univision and rival Telemundo Group Inc., which was recently purchased by General Electric Co.’s NBC network, have been granted such waivers.
“This waiver is necessary in order to ensure a level playing field in the U.S. Spanish-language broadcast television market,” Azteca said in its petition.
Azteca America was launched last year by TV Azteca SA de CV and Visalia-based Pappas Telecasting Cos. with just one station, L.A.’s KAZA-TV (Channel 54). The network has since gained a few affiliates, including KTNC-TV (Channel 42) in Northern California.
From L.A. to N.Y.
Anita Busch’s byline keeps popping up in the pages of The New York Times.
Busch left her position as editor of the Hollywood Reporter last April after Publisher and Editor-In-Chief Robert Dowling refused to publish a story about a Screen Actors Guild investigation of former Reporter columnist George Christy.
While Busch’s work first appeared in the Times in 1988, she recently has been making more regular submissions as a free-lance business writer covering the entertainment industry especially the recent tumult involving Michael Ovitz and his Artist Management Group.
Keeping It Real
KTLA-TV (Channel 5) hopes to appeal to viewers by showing off the human side of its news anchors and reporters.
The station recently launched the first phase of a promotional campaign titled “Real People Real News,” which features KTLA personalities talking about themselves and their lives.
In one spot, anchor Carlos Amezcua plays football with his children. In another, anchor Emmett Miller talks about his cat. This is the station’s first major promotional campaign in four years.
Promoting the Gateway
The success of “Gateway to L.A.” will depend, in part, on MWW Group.
The public relations firm has been retained by the Gateway to L.A. Business Improvement District to promote the 4.4 million-square-foot area along Century Boulevard. The BID includes 13 hotels and several restaurants and other businesses east of Los Angeles International Airport.
The Gateway work is one of six accounts totaling nearly $700,000 that MWW’s local office, headed by veteran political consultant Harvey Englander, has picked up over the last few months.
In Other News…
LATimes.com last week began the process of restricting access to registered users. The Features section was closed to non-registered users on April 25. The same was scheduled to happen in Business on May 2, Sports on May 9 and the news sections on May 16. Registration is free… Preparing to become the new radio home of the L.A. Dodgers, KFWB-AM (980) has started airing live, two-minute interviews with Manager Jim Tracy on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:15 a.m. The station will begin broadcasting regular season Dodger games next year… Hyundai Motor America awarded a contract to L.A. ad agency Hamon & Associates, which will design and produce marketing materials for 2003 models. The account is worth between $5 million and $6 million… Talk show host Dennis Prager of KRLA-AM (870) is taking his weeknight program on the road. “The Dennis Prager Show” was set to take on the conflict in the Middle East with a series of live broadcasts from Jerusalem this week.
Staff reporter Claudia Peschiutta can be reached at (323) 549-5225 ext. 229, or at
[email protected].
