Cross_over Shows Content Drives the Transition

Seeking Alpha Media Stocks has a great story about Jim Cramer (the Booyah man on Mad Money / CNBC) moving his radio presence to the web!

Aha! Could a local TV station move a good portion of its presence to the web and profit? I think so. Remember, people watch content, not a channel. Too many in the old media have got stuck on the concept that they are there to entertain a captured local audience.

Local advertisers want local audiences, and lot and lots of people are spending hours searching the web. Why not have a strong local presence? Local TV's real strength is its LOCAL content .. They can ex plot it even more than they do, as far as I can see now.

Advertisers (Should) Demand Accountability

Odd, but why would someone who spends $100,000, or $1M or $10M on a TV ad campaign want accountability? When I use that word in the TV world context, it consists of a check list of items:

• Did the ad run? If so, what copy?
• When did it run?
• Who watched it? (Not the 1/2 hour program, but how many people (in my target demo), actually sat through the commercial?)

I've been around the media sales guys enough to know that this level of "privilege" (some might call it "service") is reserved for a few customers. If you're a local advertiser, few advertisers will get any assurances on all 3 categories .. some of the problem tracing back to Nielsen's lack of comprehensive information.

"Why should they expect this?", sales guys ask. Because, a small advertiser with $10,000 can run a very accountable campaign on-line. that's the choice .. and that's the choice many of them are making.

Steven Fredericks of TNS writes a touching article in Ad Age. Let's hope someone is listening.

Clear Channel, Largest Radio Group, On the Block

A Reuters new story today says that Clear Channel, the largest radio group in the world, is up for sale, with private equity firms the likely buyers.

In other words, they are going private, so they can restructure without the spotlight of being public. The list of potential buyers are all skilled at restructuring for big profit gains.

I believe this is a bell-weather event. It's not just Clear Channel that needs a massive make-over to generate better returns for their shareholders. It is the entire traditional media space.

Stay tuned!

Disney Impresses- Thank You Politics!

The Disney group showed a very nice profit increase. I'm particularly interested in the local TV revenues and profits. They were strong, as has been all the local TV revenues.

Politics, run on schedule every 2 years in this country, create a great surge in local advertising dollars.

Is is reliable? No? can they match the performance in the future?

I doubt it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061110/bs_nm/media_disney_earns_dc_5

Hmm .. Mobile TV Shows A Viewer Time Shift

Advertising spending rates have traditionally peaked in "Prime Time" (8 pm-11 pm in most locations) ... because that is when people are at home, watching TV.

But a recent report by the Center for Media Research shows that prime time for Mobile TV viewers is noon to 8 pm!! And even more interesting, the study shows that the viewing is NOT dominated by the under 24 year old crowd. More than 3/4's of mobile users are 25 and over!

Their conclusion --- Mobile TV is a "freedom machine" that allows people to watch what they want, when they want, as opposed to wrestling with the remote with others at home.