Newspaper Circulation Falls 2.1 Percent

Monday April 30, 10:26 am ET By Seth Sutel, AP Business Writer

Weekday Circulation at Daily Newspapers Falls 2.1 Percent in Latest Reporting Period

NEW YORK (AP) -- Weekday circulation at U.S. daily newspapers fell 2.1 percent in the latest six-month reporting period, according to figures released Monday, in the latest sign that people are turning to the Internet and other media for news.

Comparable figures for Sunday newspapers fell 3.1 percent, according to the Newspaper Association of America, an industry group. The calculations are based on reports that newspapers deliver to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Among large newspapers, the performance was mixed for the six months ending in March, with several showing gains, most notably The New York Post, which is locked in a fierce competition with the New York Daily News.

Those papers had the largest gains among the major dailies, with the Post's average weekday circulation rising 7.6 percent over the same period a year earlier, while the Daily News rose 1.4 percent.

The New York Post, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate News Corp., recently announced that it would double its weekday price as of Monday to 50 cents from 25 cents. The Daily News, owned by the real estate developer Mortimer Zuckerman, charges 50 cents on weekdays.

Gannett Co.'s USA Today remained the largest daily in the country, with circulation of 2,278,022, up 0.2 percent from the same period a year earlier, ahead of The Wall Street Journal at 2,062,312, up 0.6 percent.

The Dallas Morning News, owned by Belo Corp., posted a 14.3 percent decline to 411,919, reporting for the first time since being censured in 2004 for misstating its circulation figures.

Newsday, based in New York's Long Island, had a 6.9 percent decline to 398,231. That paper, owned by Tribune Co., had also previously been censured for misstating circulation but returned to reporting circulation for the period ending in March 2006.

The Chicago Sun-Times remains the only major newspaper that had been censured by the Audit Bureau for misstatements in 2004 and has still not yet resumed reporting.

The Sun-Times' parent company had previously been known as Hollinger International Inc., run by the now-deposed press baron Conrad Black, and is now known as the Sun-Times Media Group Inc.

Newspaper circulation has been declining steadily for years amid changing reader habits and the emergence of other media for news, particularly 24-hour cable TV news and the Internet.

However the average weekday decline of 2.1 percent in the latest period was not as steep as the fall of 2.8 percent reported for the six-month period ending in October, or the six months ending in March 2006, when the decline was 2.5 percent.

Many newspapers are attracting readers and advertising dollars through their Web sites, but the growth in online revenues is generally outweighed by declines in print advertising, which still makes up the vast majority of newspapers' business.

Online readership of newspaper sites continues to grow. The NAA pointed to recently released data from Nielsen//NetRatings showing a 5.3 percent increase in the number of people who visited newspaper Web sites in the first quarter of 2007.

AP STORY: Circulation at the Top 20 Newspapers Monday

April 30, 10:59 am ET By The Associated Press

Average Weekday Circulation at the Top 20 U.S. Newspapers

Average paid weekday circulation of the nation's 20 largest newspapers for the six-month period ending in March, as reported Monday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. The percentage changes are from the comparable year-ago period.

1. USA Today, 2,278,022, up 0.2 percent

2. The Wall Street Journal, 2,062,312, up 0.6 percent

3. The New York Times, 1,120,420, down 1.9 percent

4. Los Angeles Times, 815,723, down 4.2 percent

5. New York Post, 724,748, up 7.6 percent

6. New York Daily News, 718,174, up 1.4 percent

7. The Washington Post, 699,130, down 3.5 percent

8. Chicago Tribune, 566,827, down 2.1 percent

9. Houston Chronicle, 503,114, down 2 percent

10. The Arizona Republic, 433,731, down 1.1 percent

11. Dallas Morning News, 411,919, down 14.3 percent

12. Newsday, Long Island, 398,231, down 6.9 percent

13. San Francisco Chronicle, 386,564, down 2.9 percent

14. The Boston Globe, 382,503, down 3.7 percent

15. The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., 372,629, down 6.1 percent

16. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 357,399, down 2.1 percent

17. The Philadelphia Inquirer, 352,593, up 0.6 percent

18. Star Tribune of Minneapolis-St. Paul, 345,252, down 4.9 percent

19. The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, 344,704, up 0.5 percent

20. Detroit Free Press, 329,989, down 4.7 percent

The Dallas Morning News is reporting for the first time since being censured in 2004 for misstating circulation figures. The Chicago Sun-Times has not yet resumed reporting.
Source: Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Dear Automotive Clients: I found this article on Reuters today, Many interesting points--wanted to share with you!--Don

Honda set for record car sales, sees more growth
Tue Dec 19, 2006 4:39 AM ET
By Chang-Ran Kim, Asia auto correspondent (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Honda Motor Co. <7267.t> said on Tuesday it was heading for a 5 percent rise in global car sales to a record 3.55 million units this year and predicted continued growth in most regions for 2007.

Japan's no.3 auto maker, known for building fuel-efficient vehicles and power products, is enjoying runaway demand for the remodeled Civic sedan and CR-V crossover, keeping supply chronically short of orders, particularly in North America.

To alleviate the bottleneck, Honda will begin production of the CR-V at its plant in Mexico from the fall of 2007, Chief Executive Officer Takeo Fukui told a year-end news conference, adding the auto maker would also double annual capacity at its Brazilian car plant to 100,000 units by mid-2007.

The Tokyo-based car maker has already announced a slew of new factories and expansions over the past year, including plans for a car plant in Indiana to start operations in late 2008.

In the United States, its single-biggest market, Honda aims to increase sales by 3 percent to 1.56 million units in 2007, extending its record run to 11 straight years. Part of that will be fueled by an all-new Accord, which Honda said would hit North American showrooms next fall.

"Most customers around the world want value-for-money products, and in that sense we expect to sharpen our competitive edge and boost sales," Fukui said, playing down increasing competition from lower-cost South Korean and other brands.

Honda, the world's top motorcycle maker, also estimated its motorcycle sales to rise 3 percent to a record 12.7 million units this year, and power products to surge 15 percent to 6.4 million units.

Honda did not provide a global sales forecast for 2007, but said it expected its European car sales to jump 13 percent to 350,000 units, and sales in the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan and China to also rise 13 percent, to 360,000 units.

In China, which most global car makers consider a strategically crucial market, Honda estimated its sales grew 23 percent this year to 320,000 units, short of the 350,000-unit target due to a delay in the sales network expansion at its smaller local joint venture, Dongfeng Honda.

For 2007, Executive Vice President Satoshi Aoki said Honda would aim for sales of around 400,000 units in China, outpacing his forecast for overall market growth of 10-15 percent.

To become more competitive, Honda said its main China joint venture, Ghuangzhou Honda, is looking at establishing a local automobile research and development center.

JAPAN MARKET TOUGH
Japanese auto makers are counting on sales expansion overseas to make up for tepid demand at home, where low-tax 660cc minivehicles are stealing all the growth.

Despite integrating its three sales channels into a single network this March, Honda estimated its domestic sales would fall 2 percent to 700,000 units this year, betraying the company's expectations for a rise.

Honda said it would aim to reverse that trend by launching a new seven-seater vehicle next spring, while developing more competitive minivehicles through its beefed-up collaboration with auto parts and minivehicle maker Yachiyo Industry Co. <7298.q>. Honda on Tuesday completed its purchase of more Yachiyo shares, boosting its stake to over half from 34.5 percent.

Fukui said Honda would also consider introducing in Japan a clean-diesel engine currently under development, after promising the powertrain for the U.S. market within three years.

Honda also said it would invest 25 billion yen ($212 million) to build a new engine plant in Saitama, north of Tokyo, with an annual production capacity of 200,000 units. The factory will employ about 500 people and supply Honda's car factories both inside and outside Japan.

Further out, Honda has said it wants to boost sales to 4.5 million cars and 18 million motorcycles in 2010 globally.

Shares in Honda have gained 27 percent in the year to date, outperforming the transport sector's <.ITEQP.T> 17 percent rise.

Banc of America this month named Honda its top pick in the autos sector for 2007, ahead of Toyota Motor Corp. <7203.t>, citing its upcoming new product pipeline, volume leverage and defensive nature.

After the news on Tuesday, Honda ended down 0.9 percent at 4,320 yen, in line with the main Nikkei average <.N225>.

($1=117.92 Yen)

(Additional reporting by Edwina Gibbs)

This service is not intended to encourage spam. The details provided by your colleague have been used for the sole purpose of facilitating this email communication and have not been retained by Reuters. Your personal details have not been added to any database or mailing list.
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Again, Newspapers keep changing due to a shrinking audience. --Enjoy.. Don!

By William Spain Friday, Dec 15, 2006
Newspapers New Model Could Be PDF
Media LifeThe new model for newspapers could be a big departure from the one-size-fits-all, one edition per day, that is now standard practice. Instead, it could be a fully customized newspaper with a version for every possible need, in whatever format a reader might want. One new format is the PDF, which is emailed. While yet to catch on here, PDF editions are out in Canada, the UK and elsewhere. Publishers see real potential as the PDF is highly portable and easy to print on short notice. And at 8.5 inches x 11 inches, it fits easily into briefcases for reading during a commute. If a printout is lost, another can be done up quickly. For publishers, there's no real added cost for paper and ink and distribution, since it is delivered by email. And it offers yet another means of reaching readers and providing advertisers exposure. Read the whole story...

I found this on www.mediapost.com . Interesting Story for media folks like me... Have a great day. Don Mast...

By William Spain Friday, Dec 15, 2006
Cable Looks To Top Nets In Prime Time
MediaweekFor the fifth straight year, ad-supported cable looks to top the broadcast nets in prime time, grabbing a 55.4% household share year-to-date, way ahead of the six broadcast nets' 40.4%, according to Nielsen Media Research data crunched by Turner chief research officer Jack Wakshlag. But if cable's dominance of prime time continued in 2006, growth appears to be easing. If the 69 measured cable channels reach a projected 55.5 share by the end of this year, that represents growth of just one-tenth of 1% over 2005. But if cable's surge over the last five years--up 15.8% in the 18-49 demo as opposed to a drop of 16% for the nets--is easing back, that may be because prime time has reached saturation. Viewership in the daypart hasn't changed and is holding at an average of 7.5 hours per week per person. Read the whole story...

http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=52620

Dear Mast Report Readers, This is a growing trend in advertising and communications--using TV and Internet to reach your customers... Try It!

Media Business
December 11, 2006

Capture Customers With Triangulation
Combine TV Spots With TV Station and Company Web Sites for Added Punch

By Adam Armbruster
Special to TelevisionWeek

Looking to stretch your television advertising budget in 2007? Then consider the proven power of a mixture of several media tools. Through the linking of television media choices in this way, you will enjoy improved profits and more specific campaign measurability, plus a higher sense of satisfaction with your campaign.

It is called "triangulation" and it is the powerful concept of "linking" your television commercial message, the Web site of the television station(s) with which you are advertising and your business Web site.

When these three media are properly triangulated, your campaign can become up to 50 percent more effective. It's got the power of television, plus the trackability of direct mail. It performs like television advertising on steroids.

To understand the importance of this concept, consider the following recent statistics:
According to the National Retail Federation, half of 2006 holiday shoppers will shop online (47.1 percent) and most (88.7 percent) also say they browse online before going to stores to shop. They'll begin by using a variety of search Web sites to begin their research and to compare products, among them Google (23.6 percent), Yahoo (7.2 percent), Amazon.com (5.5 percent) and eBay (3.7 percent).

We also know that they "preview" a business's Web site before visiting across all major spending categories: furniture stores (82 percent), auto dealers (78 percent to 91 percent) and homebuilders (90 percent).

See the trend? They shop virtually every major purchase online before even considering a store visit. This poses a big problem for advertisers: How to win over a consumer who won't even come into your store.

And here's a shocker: Buying search engine keyword ads is not the answer. This will not guarantee success. In our experience, keyword searches have not been proven to make mid-size or larger businesses successful in the long term. Keyword searches are far too vulnerable to being blunted by a competitor who can, and usually will, buy the same keywords against you. Many companies spend 30-plus percent of their marketing budget buying keyword searches, when these dollars could be used more efficiently to promote their business's Web site, thereby driving more "organic" traffic to the Web site. Google works on algorithms based on the popularity of a Web site.

So clearly the goal is to make your own Web site the destination for the consumer.
We know that new customers who were brought to a company through triangulated media have been on average a higher-quality lead, and therefore a more profitable lead. This could be attributed to the fact that these new consumers sought out and found your company based on a real personal need, versus a casual click-through from a Google ad.

So if you agree that the real goal is to get more consumers directly onto your Web site before they visit your business, we must begin to build our triangle.

Here are the three easy steps:

· Write and design your TV commercial to serve as a retail-driver and a Web-driver message. To do this you need to include the key proven elements for a successful television message and then add your Web site to the end of the message as the "closer." Forget listing addresses and phone numbers, since those should be readily available on your Web site anyway. Also, make the Web address prominent; many trendy producers are placing the Web address in a smaller font and placing it in the lower left- or right-hand corner of the screen. This is a mistake, as most viewers only "see" the middle of the television screen. When done right, significant new-customer Web contacts can occur.

Case in point: Recently a homebuilder client of ours reported that it is enjoying a sales pacing that is far superior to its local weakened housing marketplace thanks to its triangulated television and Internet media plan. Notably, its Web site exploded by 338 percent in local unique visitors when its newly designed TV commercial aired, thereby driving quality traffic to its business.

· Harness the power of local television station Web sites. These highly promoted Web sites are teeming with local customers who are worth far more to you than out-of-town traffic. However, think of local station Web sites as if they were actually a local newspaper: You need to design Web ads that are similar to print ads in a newspaper and not just logo ads.

This kind of ad can send a buyer around Google and directly to your Web site, thereby creating a faster route to you without the risk of the consumer encountering competitive Web messages.

· Optimize your own Web site to receive more local organic Web traffic by including the keywords, phrases, images and terms that are most often used by consumers to search the Internet. Also, the first page of your Web site must be what we call "retail-friendly," meaning that the consumer should not have to drill down to find out the basics of your business such as product offering, locations, phone numbers and the like. If the most exciting page on your Web site is still the "About Us" section, it's clearly time for a major overhaul.

Finally, the triangulation of these media must be activated. This is the process of linking the elements electronically so that a person driven to any Web element can "click over" to the next elements.

Consumers seeing your television commercial will instantly know where to go next online. If they miss your Web site address, they can go to the TV station site and find you there. Finally, by seeing your ad on the TV station Web site, they can instantly learn more about you on your own Web site by clicking the ad.

Planning a successful retail campaign incorporating true triangulation takes a little more time, but the steps are already proven to generate additional profit by connecting the media together for the benefit of the consumer.

As my mentor, Gerry Summers, once said: "Give the consumer what she wants, and she'll beat a path to your door." And these days, the front door she'll beat a path to is really your Web site.

Adam Armbruster is a partner in the Red Bank, N.J., retail and broadcasting consulting firm Eckstein, Summers, Armbruster and Co. He can be reached at adam@esacompany.com or 941-928-7192.

Additional sources: DM News (via MarketingVox), Home Builder Magazine, Ward's Dealer Business, Furniture Today.

Dear reader, I found this article and thought it was very interest. My goal is to I find research that will assist you in making the right decisions regarding advertising and communications revenues. Enjoy.--Don.

Newspapers are finding that their Web sites, like this one for the News & Observer in North Carolina, are producing more of their ad revenue.

Troubling ’07 Forecast for the Old-Line Media but Not for the Online

By STUART ELLIOTT
Published: NEW YORK TIMES December 5, 2006

THE first Monday in October is known in legal circles as the start of the Supreme Court term. Similarly, on Madison Avenue, the first Monday in December has become familiar as the kickoff of the advertising forecast season.

And yesterday a flood of forecasts indeed flowed from analysts and agencies, all generally pointing to a challenging year ahead for the traditional media along with substantial growth for all things online.

(For those wondering why early December brings the predictions, it is because two brokerage firms, Credit Suisse and UBS, have long held their annual media conferences in the first week of the month. Other firms schedule the release of their forecasts at the same time, to ride the coattails of the competing conferences.)

Most forecasters are predicting growth in ad spending in the United States next year of 2 to 5 percent over 2006. That would represent a decline from the rate of growth in ad spending this year compared with 2005, which is expected to finish in the range of 3 to 6 percent. But it is not bad considering that 2007 will be missing two major events that help administer a hypodermic to ad budgets in even-numbered years: Olympics and national elections.

“You normally see a real drop-off in a non-Olympics, non-election year,” said Robert J. Coen, senior vice president and forecasting director at Universal McCann in New York, who opened the UBS conference.

Rather, Mr. Coen said, he believed that more marketers next year would increase ad budgets as they decide to “start turning their attention back to long-term communications” from a focus on cost-cutting.

Still, reactions to the predictions for 2007 depend upon the perch from which they are considered. Those in the traditional media like television and newspapers will no doubt frown after hearing that most forecasters expect at best flat growth in ad spending for them.
Those who sell ads on Web sites, on the other hand, are likely to be beaming at the high double-digit percentage gains being predicted for them.

“The trend that will continue to affect the media universe in 2007 is the ongoing shift in advertising dollars from traditional media into nontraditional media, most notably the Internet,” Fitch Ratings concluded in an outlook report.

Television, radio and newspapers will “experience slow growth and ongoing audience declines,” according to the report, “and ad spending continues to follow consumer patterns.”

For instance, the Newspaper Association of America is predicting that spending for ads on the Web sites of newspapers will increase a robust 22 percent next year from 2006. But ad spending in the print editions of those newspapers in 2007 will be flat, the association is forecasting, pulled down by a decline in classified advertising and no growth in demand from national advertisers.

An analyst for Credit Suisse, Debra Schwartz, questioned in a report whether even the prediction for an anemic gain of 1.2 percent was “too optimistic.”

A forecast from the Morton-Groves Newspaper Newsletter, issued last week, may be pessimistic enough for her. The publication predicted that ad spending in newspapers next year will fall 2 percent from 2006, a bigger decline than the 1.8 percent it is forecasting for this year compared with 2005.

(For ad spending on newspaper Web sites, the newsletter predicted an increase in 2007 of 23.3 percent from this year, coming after a gain of 34 percent it is forecasting for 2006.)
James Conaghan, vice president for business analysis and research at the newspaper association, offered a reason for the upbeat outlook for newspaper Web sites.

In a test recently started by Google to sell advertisements that appear in the print versions of 50 major newspapers, “the ad volume placed in the newspapers in the first three weeks has exceeded Google’s expectation for the entire three months of the test,” Mr. Conaghan said at the UBS conference.

“The advertisers and the publishers are also satisfied with the results,” he added.
Gordon Borrell, chief executive at Borrell Associates, who spoke with Mr. Conaghan, suggested that “10 years out, many newspaper Web sites could be as large as the newspapers that spawned them” in terms of ad revenue.

In another striking example of the divergence in forecasts for the traditional and new media, Mr. Coen, whose agency is part of the McCann Worldgroup unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies, predicted that ad spending on the four largest national broadcast television networks would increase just 3 percent next year from 2006.

In contrast, ad spending by national advertisers on the Internet will grow five times as fast, at 15 percent, Mr. Coen said.

Mr. Coen does not include search engine marketing in his estimates for Internet ad spending, classifying it as more promotional in nature. Another forecaster who does include it within his online totals — Steve King, worldwide chief executive at ZenithOptimedia, part of the Publicis Groupe — offered a prediction that Internet ad spending next year would grow 29 percent from 2006.

By comparison, Mr. King offered forecasts for many traditional media for percentage gains in low single digits like 1.5 percent for local radio and 2 percent for newspapers.
In fact, Mr. King said, he expected online ad revenue to grow at “seven times the rate for traditional ad growth.”

Internet ad spending as a percentage of the total for all American media will reach 7.1 percent this year, Mr. King said. He predicts that it will hit 10.4 percent in 2009.

Mr. Coen, who offers forecasts twice a year, predicted that American ad spending in 2007 would total $298.8 billion, up 4.8 percent from $285.1 billion in 2006. That is a full percentage point lower than the 5.8 percent increase he predicted last June when he gave his initial forecast for 2007.

Mr. Coen’s total for 2006 represents an increase of 5.2 percent from 2005. By contrast, last June he forecast a gain of 5.6 percent. Twice before, in June and December 2005, he predicted an increase of 5.8 percent.

Mr. Coen attributed the decline largely to “the beleaguered local sector” of ad spending, “which hasn’t done very well in traditional media,” he said, because local advertisers “continue to cut to the bone.”

Also, “consolidations are killing things” locally, Mr. Coen said, referring to combinations of local department stores, pharmacies and hardware chains, which are reducing the ranks of potential advertisers.

That was demonstrated — painfully, if you own a local newspaper — in Mr. Conaghan’s presentation. In the third quarter, when Federated Department Stores replaced a host of local retail names with the Macy’s brand, he said, the company’s ad spending in newspapers fell about 14 percent from the same period a year ago.

The declines were even more pronounced in certain Macy’s regional markets, Mr. Conaghan said, citing decreases of 34 percent in the South, 39 percent in the Midwest and 42 percent in the West.

The great gap incollege TV watching Study:

Half of their vieiwing is untracked

By Samantha Melamed Aug 3, 2006

In their pursuit of the elusive young consumers, one of the gaps for advertisers has always been college kids and their use of media, in large part because their TV viewing was not tracked by Nielsen.

Somewhere, in dorm rooms or off-campus apartments or bars, a lot of college kids were watching TV. Just how many and how much they were watching was not known.
It turns out to be a sizable amount.

More than one-fifth of 18-34s are college students, and they do more than half of their TV watching outside of their parents' home. When that is included in 18-34 measures, the audience rises 15 percent.

The study, by Total-TV Audience Monitor, found that 54 percent of college student viewing takes place in venues not measured by Nielsen--those dorm rooms, off-campus apartments and bars--and that a third of all adults 18-34 who watch television in such venues in an average week watch no television at home.

Total-TV Audience Monitor conducted its research using a panel of 1,017 two- and four-year college students and graduate students. The panel tracked their viewing in diaries over the month of October 2005.

That sample group represents a significant population of young people: 22 percent of 18-34s are college students, or some 16.9 million Americans. And of that number, 74 percent live away from home during the school year, according to T-TAM.

"It's surprising how large the college student population actually is," says Lynnae Psaras, vice president at T-TAM. "I've always wondered how networks could talk about their 18-34-year-old audience and leave out so many viewers who are away at school."

In fact, T-TAM's report comes as Nielsen Media Research is preparing to include students' out of home viewing in ratings. According to a Nielsen spokesperson, a pilot study of college students' viewing confirms T-TAM's 15 percent out of home findings. But details as to the size and composition of Nielsen's upcoming college panel are uncertain as yet. Says the spokesperson: "The measurement that we're going to do is an extension of our in-home ratings, so if a panel household has a student in college, then we will include them."

Here are some other findings of the T-TAM study:
Male and female students watch at significantly different hours. Men are most likely to watch on weekends from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., while women are most likely to be watching any day from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

As to where they're watching, 46 percent of viewing takes place in permanent homes, 37 percent watch in off-campus housing, 16 percent watch at on-campus locations including dorms, and just 1 percent of TV viewing takes place in bars or restaurants.

Viewing also varies by place of residence. Students living on campus watch three hours less per week than those living off campus, according to the study. And on average, those who live on campus do only 1.32 hours, or 9 percent of their weekly viewing, in-home, while the rest of their viewing for now goes uncounted.

While students who live away from home watch less television than their counterparts, 81 percent have TV sets in their rooms, 68 percent have cable, 26 percent have digital cable and 9 percent have satellite television. Some 13 percent have digital video recorders.

The study also found that in the average 15-minute viewing span, the college audience was split between broadcast (48 percent) and ad-supported cable (46 percent) viewing. Pay cable, video on demand, public television and other content account for the other 6 percent.

Network series constitute 27 percent of students' viewing and were the top genre overall. Sports and sports-related programming was No. 2 at 18 percent overall but No. 1 for men. Syndicated programs was No. 3 at 13 percent, followed by movies (10 percent) and talk shows (9 percent).

Samantha Melamed is a staff writer for Media Life.

Study: Web is the No. 1 Media
By Candace Lombardi, Staff Writer, CNET News.com, News.comCNETJune 05, 2006

Web media is the dominant at-work media and No. 2 in the home, according to a new report from the Online Publishers Association.

The Web also ranked as the No. 1 daytime media.

A research project, conducted by Ball State University's Center for Media Design, tracked the media use of 350 people every 15 seconds. The subjects represented each gender, about equally, across three age groups: 18 to 34, 35 to 49 and 50-plus. The people were monitored by another person for approximately 13 hours, or 80 percent of their waking day.

"Someone actually came into their homes and workplaces and had a handheld computer, every 15 seconds registering their media consumption and life activities," Pam Horan, president of the Online Publishers Association (OPA), told CNET News.com.

According to Horan, this is the first type of study of its kind. Previously, consumers were monitored for media usage by phone survey or diary method.

Not surprisingly, newspaper use peaked in the morning; that print media was consumed by 17 percent of the subjects between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. When this media was combined with Web consumption, the potential reach for advertisers climbed to 44 percent. During the same morning period, the number of consumers using magazines jumped from 7 percent to 39 percent, and from 44 percent to 62 percent for television.

"The point is that there is an incremental reach that someone can gain by putting together a multimedia campaign," Horan said.

A conservative estimate from the study says 17 percent of overall media is consumed via the Internet, and Horan notes that other researchers like Forrester have placed that number even higher.

The OPA-commissioned study also used census data to determine the spending habits of its 350 monitored subjects. Web dominant consumers' retail spending averaged $26,450, while the TV-dominant group's spending averaged $21,401.

Yet, studies have shown that only about 8 percent of advertising goes to the Internet, Horan said.

"I hear more and more from marketers that they have shifted their business to be more responsive and realign. There is an active movement by traditional advertisers to be able to explore platform strategies," Horan said. She believes that research studies are attracting the attention of advertisers and media buyers and may result in a faster shift in advertising dollars to match the actual statistics of consumer media usage.

Others agree.

In March, the Pew Internet and American Life Project published a report that found more than 50 million Americans per day in 2005 used the Web as their primary news source. It also noted that news gathering was the third most popular Internet activity. A research report released that same month from the Association of National Advertisers, in conjunction with Forrester Research, indicated that advertising money would likely follow those people.

Researchers conducting the OPA study also found a consistently direct correlation between offline referrals to Web sites and Web traffic. When PBS tells people they can find more info about the topic being discussed on PBS.org, people do go to that Web site. The same was found for print media referrals to online counterparts like the New York Times and NYTimes.com.
CNET Networks is a member of the Online Publishers Association. OPA's Eyes on the Internet 2006 Tour is sponsored by CBS Digital Media, CNET Networks, the New York Times Media Company and Reuters.com, among others.

Milestone: Cable Widens Lead in 18-49s

From Media Life, April 21, 2006By Kevin Downey

“Every year, more of the audience shifts from broadcast to cable, but recently cable has been picking up steam because of original programming, as opposed to the 1990s when it was due to coverage gains.” John Spiropoulos, V.P., MediaVest.

With just weeks to go before the upfront market breaks, the broadcast networks are facing yet more bad news: Their long dominance among adults 18-49 is all but over.For the first time, ad-supported cable can claim a larger share of the coveted 18-49 audience in primetime for the broadcast season through late March.

Further, broadcast’s prospects for reclaiming that lead in the last weeks of the season appear slight, all but ensuring cable’s first season win ever in the demographic.Much of cable’s rising share can be attributed to its own growth, as it commands increasing amounts of viewers’ attention.

But it also reflects the broadcast networks’ faltering on key nights. NBC’s 25 percent dip and CBS’s 7 percent decline on Thursdays this year, for example, have opened things up for cable on a night that was long the most powerful of the week for broadcast.

Cable’s share of the 18-49 audience is up to 42 percent for the period Sept. 19 through March 26, from 41 percent during the same timeframe last year. The six broadcast networks’ share dipped to 40 percent from 42 percent, according to an analysis of Nielsen Media Research data released last week by media buying agency MediaVest.

As a point of comparison, the networks claimed 46 percent of the 18-49 audience four years ago, when cable’s share was only 37 percent.To make matters worse, the broadcast networks aren’t likely to ever reclaim dominance in primetime, predicts John Spiropoulos, vice president and group research director at MediaVest.

“The number of cable networks out there that continue to grow is driving this,” he says. “This is not necessarily due to anything other than the fact that people are exercising their options in terms of expanding their viewing pool for the programs they are looking for.”

Cable’s share of the primetime audience has been steadily climbing for years. In fact, it has ranked No. 1 in households since the 2003-04 season.

In the past, cable’s growth largely reflected its growing penetration. As more subscribers signed on, ratings went up. But today, with cable and satellite penetration leveling off at about 85 percent, ratings are increasing simply because viewers in the 18-49 demographic increasingly prefer cable programs to network shows.

“Every year, more of the audience shifts from broadcast to cable, but recently cable has been picking up steam because of original programming, as opposed to the 1990s when it was due to coverage gains,” says Spiropoulos. “For cable to continue this kind of growth, it will become more dependent on the amount of money it invests in original programming.”

As a result, he says, the cable networks are touting a slew of original productions in this year’s upfront presentations.Cable’s lead in the 18-49 demographic this season has been exacerbated by the broadcast networks’ troubles, notably on Saturday and Thursday nights.

On Saturdays, the broadcast networks have essentially stopped programming in favor of putting costly productions on ad-rich weeknights. The broadcast networks’ aggregated rating on Saturdays so far this season is only a 7.2, compared to cable’s 16.1 rating.

Cable doesn’t yet have the lead on Thursday night, but its rating is growing as the broadcast networks are losing viewers. Cable’s 18-49 rating this season is a 14.4, up 6 percent, while the broadcast networks have a 17.6 rating, down 7 percent.

This trend began a few years back when NBC’s ratings tumbled after “Friends” went off the air.

Now, CBS is having problems on the night, says Spiropoulos.“Cable’s growth is not only on Saturday night, but it’s also on Monday and Thursday. Thursday is key,” he says. “That night is important for cable if they want to combat the broadcast networks. And in recent weeks, we’ve seen some pretty significant weakness with CBS’s lineup on that night.”

Super Bowl improves with final ratings

Most-watched in 10 years with 90.7 million

By Diego Vasquez Feb 7, 2006

The Pittsburgh Steelers won their first Super Bowl title since the 1970s, and ABC also made a bit of history: the most-watched Super Bowl game since 1996.

According to updated ratings released late yesterday, the game averaged a 41.6 household rating, up a half a point from last year’s 41.1 rating for the game between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.

Early metered market ratings from 56 cities published yesterday by Media Life indicated that the game had slipped 3 percent year to year. But those don’t reflect the 210 total markets measured by Nielsen, nor do they reflect totally accurate time period data. It’s not uncommon for final ratings to flip for an event as big as the Super Bowl.

The game averaged 90.7 million total viewers, about 5 percent more than last year’s 86.1 million viewers. The 1996 Super Bowl averaged 94.1 million, the most in Super Bowl history.

The game got especially strong tune-in in Pittsburgh, which averaged a 57.1 household rating, and Seattle, which averaged a 55. The Steelers beat the Seahawks 21-10 in what many sportswriters described as a dull game, as Seattle never seriously threatened to score during the fourth quarter.

But positive buzz about the advertisements, as well as the somewhat close score, likely kept viewers tuning in.

Among adults 18-49, ABC's rating was up slightly over last year. The game averaged a 34.6 in that demo, up 4 percent over last year's 33.2 on Fox.

ABC easily finished first for the night among 18-49s, according to Nielsen overnights, with a 28.7 average rating and 57 share from 7-11 p.m. Fox was second at 2.1/4, CBS third at 1.6/3, NBC fourth at 1.3/3 and the WB fifth at 0.6/1. Ratings for Univision weren’t immediately available.

At 7 p.m. ABC led with a 32.3 rating among 18-49s for its coverage of Super Bowl XL. Fox was second that hour with a 1.4 for an hour of “Simpsons” repeats, NBC third with a 0.9 for “Dateline,” CBS fourth with a 0.7 for “60 Minutes” and WB fifth with a 0.4 for the first of three “Beauty and the Geek” repeats. ABC led again at 8 p.m. with a 31.8 average for its continued coverage of the Super Bowl.

Fox remained second with a 2.4 for repeats of “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy,” with CBS third with a 1.5 for a repeat of “Criminal Minds,” NBC fourth with a 0.8 for a “Crossing Jordan” rerun, and WB fifth with a 0.6 for another “Beauty and the Geek” repeat.

At 9 p.m. ABC led again with a 31.2 average for the Super Bowl. Fox held onto second place with a 2.4 rating for an hour of “Family Guy” repeats, with CBS third with a 2.0 for a repeat of “Cold Case,” NBC fourth with a 1.2 for another “Crossing Jordan” rerun and WB fifth with a 0.7 for its last repeat of “Beauty and the Geek.” During the 10 p.m. hour, ABC led once more with a 19.4 average rating for the end of its Super Bowl coverage and the beginning of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

NBC moved into second with a 2.4 for a repeat of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and CBS was third with a 2.2 for a repeat of “CSI: Miami.” Among households, ABC led the night with a 34.6 average rating and a 52 share. CBS was second at 4.1/6, NBC third at 3.5/5, Fox fourth at 2.7/4 and WB fifth at 0.9/1.

Cable's big break: Winning in 18-49s

Now beating broadcast in the desired demo

By Kevin Downey Dec 9, 2005

The broadcast networks are accustomed to the drill by now, but familiarity certainly doesn’t make this latest setback any easier.Having lost its dominance in household ratings to cable television nearly four years ago, network TV is now losing its dominance in the 18-49 demographic that broadcasters rely on for a good chunk of revenue.Ad-supported cable TV for the first time ever at this point in the season is beating broadcast in 18-49s.

Cable has been ahead of broadcast for a week or two early in the season, but it’s never held onto that lead this late in the fall before.

Cable TV’s share of the 18-49 audience in primetime through the first 11 weeks of the season is 42.3 percent, compared to network TV’s 41.7 percent, according to a year-end ratings analysis issued on Wednesday by Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting. Cable is up from 40.5 percent the same time last season while the broadcasters have dipped from 42.8 percent.

What makes it all the more troubling is that it comes at a time when network TV is going through what some media people call a renaissance.ABC’s ratings, of course, are rebounding with hits like “Desperate Housewives,” “Lost” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” CBS trails No. 1-ranked ABC by only one-tenth of a point in the demographic it had long struggled to attract. Fox had its first season-long win in 18-49s in 2004-'05 and, with “American Idol” returning next month, may very well do the same this year.Even NBC, with its dramatic ratings declines, has come out of a sitcom drought with hit “My Name is Earl.”

But, no matter, cable TV is continuing to chip away at the broadcast audience.“This does not surprise me, particularly the aggregate [ratings], because cable has a lot more programs for people to surf around within than the big six broadcast networks,” says Susan Hajny, broadcast research manager at GSD&M.“The younger demographic is more apt to be a channel-surfing demographic and it’s also more apt to be a program viewer as opposed to a network viewer.”

Cable’s climb has been steady and dramatic. In fact, at this point in the 2000-'01 season, cable’s share in the demographic was 33.9 percent to the networks’ 49.1 percent.Meanwhile, Turner reports that cable’s most-watched networks among adults 18-49 for the year so far are TNT, USA, TBS, ESPN, Spike, Lifetime, FX, MTV, Sci Fi and Comedy Central. Each network except ESPN and MTV is up from last year.Still, the broadcast networks can take consolation in remaining the dominant of the two in ad revenue.

While the broadcaster’s share of the household audience in primetime this year is 42 percent, its share of ad revenue is 69 percent. Ad-supported cable’s household share is 55 percent, but Turner estimates that its share of advertising is only 31 percent.That is directly linked to the continuing disparity between top-rated network and cable shows.Advertisers have few options outside of network TV to reach many millions of 18-49s in one shot. Individual cable programs aren’t making much headway in generating comparable numbers.

As a point of comparison, network’s most-watched show in 18-49s is “Desperate Housewives,” reaching an average 14.3 million people for the week ending Dec. 4. Cable’s top original series so far this year is FX’s “Nip/Tuck,” which averaged a sizeable but relatively paltry 2.6 million viewers.

“There are exceptions, there are cable programs that pop, but for the most part the networks are still providing the reach vehicles,” says Hajny. “And they have the big-rated shows like ‘Desperate’ that provide potential for reach and that have a higher dollar value than several smaller networks.”

Kevin Downey is a staff writer for Media Life

Newspaper Circulation Falls 2.6 Percent

Nov 07 10:12 AM US/Eastern
By SETH SUTELAP Business Writer
NEW YORK

Average weekday circulation at U.S. newspapers fell 2.6 percent in the six month-period ending in September, the latest sign of trouble in the newspaper business, an industry group reported Monday.

Sunday circulation also fell 3.1 percent at newspapers reporting to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, according to an analysis of the data by the Newspaper Association of America.
The declines show an acceleration of a years-long trend of falling circulation at daily newspapers as more people, especially young adults, turn to the Internet for news and as newspapers cut back on less profitable circulation.

In the previous six-month reporting period ending in March, weekday circulation fell 1.9 percent at U.S. daily newspapers and Sunday circulation fell 2.5 percent.
Circulation at the country's three largest newspapers was relatively stable, but many others showed significant declines.

Gannett Co.'s USA Today, the largest-selling daily, slipped 0.6 percent from the same period a year ago to 2,296,335; The Wall Street Journal, published by Dow Jones & Co., fell 1.1 percent to 2,083,660; and The New York Times Co.'s flagship paper rose 0.5 percent to 1,126,190.

Of the rest of the top 20 newspapers reporting, all but one, the Star- Ledger of Newark, posted declines generally ranging between 1 percent and 8 percent. The San Francisco Chronicle, published by Hearst Corp., posted a 16.4 percent tumble in circulation.
___
On the Net:
Newspaper Association of America:
http://www.naa.org

MORE BAD NEWS!!! UPDATE!!!

Newspapers Appear to Be Dying, but Who Will Miss Them?
The Philadelphia Daily NewsNovember 29, 2005

I'm slightly embarrassed by the bagpipe dirges played when American newspapers drop employees like autumn leaves. Some columnists practically bawled over the accelerating decline and decay of American newspaper.

How many tears rolled down columnists' cheeks when GM announced it would cut 30,000 jobs by 2008? Their self-pity showed that some journalists believe the planets orbit around them.
Newspapers seem to be dying and that brings on the tears. When dinosaurs went extinct, who cried?

No one. Unlike newspapers, dinosaurs couldn't write their own obituaries.

Like dinosaurs, newspapers have massive bodies and brains the size of walnuts.

They give away their product for free on the Internet, then run in circles squawking like chickens when circulation goes down like the Titanic.

Even the dimmest hooker knows to get paid upfront. "Put the money on the dresser, honey."

But suicidal corporate geniuses leaped into the Internet before figuring how to get the money off the dresser. Because everyone else was doing it, newspapers raced to post content on the Net for free, which is like burning furniture to warm your house. Eventually you're left in the cold with no place to sit.

In addition to dumb, newspapers were dishonest. Some big ones falsified circulation numbers. Some reporters were revealed as cheats. Credibility tumbled.

Newspapers scrambled for circulation with futile schemes that could have been devised by Wile E. Coyote. Some offered sudoku, some tried Lucky Bucks, many inserted color posters of athletes. Nothing worked; the idea tank is dry.

Since a lingering death is painful (and embarrassing), newspapers should accept a quick, honorable death _ and just shut down. (Yes, my pension is safe.)

A "product" so out of touch with today shouldn't hang around like seagulls over a landfill.
And they're not. Daily newspapers are dropping dead almost as fast as daily newspaper readers.

Newspapers are an "old peoples'" medium in a youth-dominated market. Worst of all _ they are not cool.

Newspapers destroy forests and create litter.

Once printed, they are thrown into CO2-belching trucks that clog highways and irritate commuters. When you pick up the "product," your hands get dirty.

Newspapers are hobbled by the labor-intensive technology of Ben Franklin, a publisher who could ignore the baying of Wall Street wolves.

Anyway, most people now say they get their "news" from the Internet and TV. That's why everyone is so smart and so well-informed about the world around them.

If there were no stodgy newspapers to set the agenda with boring stuff like government, world news, politics and finance, TV news would be free to give viewers what they want _ more weather, cute animal videos, traffic accidents, house fires and "special reports" on the dangers (or promise) of cosmetic surgery.

The dilemma: While people get their news from the Internet, the Internet gets its news from newspapers. Without newspapers, who provides the content?
Bloggers!

Blogs are an excellent source of "news," much of it overheard and passed along by the blogger's girlfriend. If she's sick, the blogger can make something up. No editors or accountability gum up the works.

When you tire of the "news" (in a minute or two), you are just a mouse click away from porn.
Newspapers can't touch that.
___

ABOUT THE WRITER
Stu Bykofsky is a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News. Readers may write to him at the Daily News, 400 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19130, or via e-mail at stubyko@phillynews.com.
___

(c) 2005, Philadelphia Daily News.
Visit Philadelphia Online, the World Wide Web site of the Philadelphia Daily News, at http://www.philly.com/
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

World Series Is Lowest-Rated Ever
Oct 27 10:44 PM US/NEW YORK --Associated Press

The Chicago White Sox's first world championship in 88 years was also the lowest-rated World Series ever.

Chicago's four-game sweep of the Houston Astros averaged an 11.1 national rating with a 19 share on Fox. That's down about 7 percent from the previous low, an 11.9 with a 20 share for the 2002 World Series between the Anaheim Angels and the San Francisco Giants.

While the 2002 World Series, which went seven games, rated higher overall, it was only averaging an 11.0 through four games.

This year was a drop of almost 30 percent from last year's series, in which the Boston Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals for their first title in 86 years. That had a 15.8 rating with a 25 share.

Wednesday night's 1-0 Chicago win had a 13.0 preliminary national rating with a 21 share. It was the highest-rated prime-time show on Fox since the final of "American Idol" in May, but still not enough to save the series from being the lowest-rated. Despite rating so low in comparison to other World Series, the four games of this series were each the highest rated prime-time network programs on their respective nights.

**Note to Readers--I added this story to my blog to show the true POWER of cable over broadcast programming. Fox is a broadcast network--If the World Series games were shown on ESPN or ESPN 2--I am sure the ratings would have been higher. When looking at buying your television advertising--Cable is the Winning Investment! Low Cost/High Return! Buy advertising that your customers will see! The next time you need to advertise your business, organization, or event--Please call me (814) 235-1783 ext 286, I will share all of the local and national research information that will help you make quality advertising decisions. My goal is to work harder for you and make you successful!
---Don Mast ***

Consumers aren't pulling in the reins
on Holiday spending

©2005 Radio Business Report/Television Business Report, Inc.

Consumers will be feeling the spirit of the season when they hit the stores for their holiday shopping, according to the findings of the latest National Retail Federation survey. The NRF 2005 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, found that the average consumer plans to spend 738.11 this holiday season, up 5.1% from the previous year. Furthermore, consumers will spend an additional 86.62 on themselves. The survey is in line with NRF's holiday sales forecast, announced last month, which expects total holiday retail sales to increase 5.0% over last year to 435.3 billion.

"Just as retailers plan ahead for holiday sales and promotions, consumers plan ahead and budget for the holidays," said Tracy Mullin NRF CEO. "With extra money tucked away to spend on what's important, shoppers will be hitting the stores and spending on their loved ones, and on themselves."

Shoppers will be scooping up a variety of merchandise this holiday season. According to the survey, consumers will be dedicating the majority of their holiday spending to gifts for family (421.30) and friends (78.99). Their generosity will also spread to the other people in their lives, with consumers planning to spend 21.05 on co-workers and 44.16 on gifts for other people, including babysitters, teachers and clergy. Other items holiday shoppers will purchase this year include decorations (40.86), greeting cards and postage (28.22), candy and food (87.75), and flowers (15.78).

Consumers aren't forgetting to pick up a few items for themselves while shopping. According to survey results, consumers will spend an additional 17.68 billion on non-gift purchases for themselves or their families this holiday season. Men will be the most generous when it comes to treating themselves, with the average male spending 108.87.

Consumers have not forgotten to add a few of their favorite items to their wish lists. Books, CDs, DVDs, videos, and video games once again remain popular items, with 55.5% of consumers hoping to receive something in that category. Apparel is also another gift favorite, with 54.4% hoping to receive clothing or accessories this year. Other popular items on their lists include gift cards (52.3%), consumer electronics (38.4%), jewelry (26.4%), and home décor (23.3%).
When it comes to choosing where to purchase holiday items, shoppers are looking for a deal.

More than one-third of consumers (37.9%) said that sales or price discounts are the most important factor in their decision to purchase from a particular store. Selection is also important, with nearly a quarter (23.1 %) of consumers polled ranking selection of merchandise as a top factor, while other consumers chose where to shop based on quality of merchandise (11.0%) or location (6.5%). Consumers also appreciate good, knowledgeable customer service, with 3.7% saying it was the most important factor when choosing where to shop.

Many consumers have already gotten head start on their holiday shopping. According to the survey, 15.3% of consumers started their holiday shopping before September with an additional 6.3% starting last month. Retailers are seeing more holiday shoppers in their stores, with 18.5% of consumers saying they planned to begin in October. More than one-third of consumers (37.4%) will begin their holiday shopping in November and nearly one in four (22.5%) will wait until December.

Roaring Ratings

ESPN's Saturday pregame show before Penn State's upset of Ohio State drew a record audience and the game itself was the second most-watched of any regular-season match up on the cable network.

The Nittany Lions' 17-10 victory averaged 4,435,000 households and a 4.9 rating. Only the Florida State-Miami game on Oct. 8, 1994, drew a bigger audience.

The College Game Day telecast from State College, Pa., on Saturday averaged 1,861,000 households and a 2.1 rating.

- Associated Press

GO PENN STATE!!!

In broadcast's big week, cable won out

winning premiere week for a second year!

By Abigail Azote Sep 28, 2005

The broadcast networks went gaga promoting their new shows to kick off the new season. But all the pomp and pageantry was not enough to steal viewers away from cable networks. Basic cable more than held its own against the broadcast networks in a time that’s usually one of broadcast’s strongest, premiere week.

For the week ended Sept. 25, the first full week of the new season, ad-supported cable averaged a 43 share among viewers 18-49 in primetime, compared to the 41 share by the six broadcast networks. Cable’s share was up 5 percent from the comparable week last season, while broadcast’s was down 7 percent.

The difference is more dramatic among households. Cable had a 54 share versus broadcast’s 45, representing a 20 percent difference between the two. This is the second year in which cable surpassed broadcast during premiere week. Says Lifetime executive vice president of research Tim Brooks: “Clearly, cable viewership isn’t even impacted by broadcast premieres.”

At least some of the credit for last week's viewing surge goes to Hurricane Rita, which drove up audience numbers for all the news networks. Fox News was the top-ranked cable network among households last week.

“People now habitually turn to cable for coverage of a breaking story,” says Brooks. “That, added to the strength of entertainment cable networks, is what’s driving the strong showing for cable.”

“It’s just a continuation of what happened the last year,” Ira Sussman, vice president of research for the Cable TV Ad Bureau, says.

Other factors that contributed to cable’s strong performance last week include the premiere of FX’s “Nip/Tuck,” which averaged a network record 5.3 million total viewers last Tuesday and outdelivered ABC among 18-49s, and ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” special to raise money for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Meanwhile, in other cable ratings for the week ended Sept. 25:

Top five networks in primetime (18-49s): ESPN, USA, TNT, TBS, FX

Top five networks in primetime (total viewers): ESPN, Fox News, CNN, USA, TNT

Top movie (18-49s): TBS’s “The Waterboy” (Sunday 11 a.m.) 1.55 million

Top sporting event (total viewers): ESPN’s “Sunday Night Football” (Sunday 8:28 p.m.) 9.75 million

Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s: ESPN’s “Sunday Night Football” (Sunday, 8:28 p.m.); FX’s “Nip/Tuck” (Tuesday, 10 p.m.); Spike’s WWE Entertainment (Monday, 10 p.m.); ESPN’s NFL Game: Giants v. Saints (Monday, 8:50 p.m.); Spike’s WWE Entertainment (Monday, 9 p.m.); ESPN’s NFL Prime Time (Sunday, 7:30 p.m.)

Show on the rise: Yankees vs. Orioles, YES Network, Thursday, 7 p.m. There is something on cable that can beat “CSI,” at least in one market: With the New York Yankees in the playoff race, the YES Network drew huge ratings in New York among men 18-49 and 25-54 last week, culminating in Thursday’s game with the Orioles. The network outdelivered ABC, NBC, CBS and UPN that night, with a 4.6 men 18-49 rating and 5.0 men 25-54 rating.

Show on the decline: “Sportscenter,” ESPN, Sunday, 11:50 p.m. As the football season gets underway, “Sportscenter” will get a boost in ratings. But Sunday the ESPN show was down 11 percent from the week prior, to 2.1 million viewers 18-49.

Third quarter ratings: Katrina also boosted the news networks during third quarter. Though TNT was tops in primetime with 1.16 million viewers 18-49 and 2.7 million total viewers, the news networks saw some of the biggest gains.

Fox News rose 24 percent over last year in 18-49s, to a 14th-place 504,000, and placed second among total viewers at 2.27 million, up 29 percent over last year. CNN was 13th among total viewers with 1.13 million, up 28 percent, and 24th in 18-49s with an average 321,000, up 65 percent. CNN Headline News and MSNBC tied with an average 421,000 total primetime viewers, though Headline News was up 108 percent and MSNBC just 12 percent.

Oddly, the Weather Channel was down 12 percent to an average 513,000 total viewers.

Adult Swim, Cartoon Network’s post-primetime lineup from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily except Friday, averaged a basic cable record 408,000 18-34s and also set a record among men 18-34 with 252,000.

KATRINA DISASTER RELIEF

Support for Katrina Victims can be sent to the North American Mission Board of the SBC:
Online: www.namb.net/disasterelief -Or-
http://www.namb.net/root/beonmission/donations/

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, NLT).

Hurricane Katrina Response DonationsSouthern Baptist Disaster Relief FundToll-Free: 1 888 571-5895Mail: PO Box 116543, Atlanta, GA 30368-6543 (make checks payable to North American Mission Board)

Louisiana Disaster Relief Fundc/o Louisiana Baptist Convention PO Box 311 Alexandria, LA 71309

Mississippi Disaster Relief Fund c/o Mississippi Baptist Convention Board 515 Mississippi St. PO Box 530 Jackson, MS 39205-0530

Alabama Disaster Relief Fund Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions 2001 East South Blvd. Montgomery, AL 36116

At this time, in-kind donations (e.g. food, clothing, etc.) are not being received due to logistical issues. Please continue to check back, as we are working on a process to accept your in-kind donations.

(EVERY DOLLAR WILL GO TO DISASTER RELIEF--NO FUNDS WILL BE USED FOR ADMINISTRATION COSTS)

Cable’s Summer Heating Up!!!
Ad-supported networks hope to ride momentum into fall
By Anne Becker -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/22/2005

With just two weeks left in its high season, basic cable is on track to notch its fifth straight summer ratings triumph over broadcast, winning by its largest margin ever. From the beginning of summer through Aug. 15, cable averaged a 60.9 share to broadcast’s 32.4. That’s compared with a 58.1/34.6 split last year.

Cable’s summer task, beyond producing new hits, is to use those shows to create viewer loyalty. That way, viewers keep tuning in when the big boys in broadcast come out swinging with new fall series. Turner’s TNT, for example, has laid out plans to ride its summer ratings wave into fall. The network grew 16% over last summer in prime, averaging 2.9 million total viewers through Aug. 15 (and 1.21 million in 18-49)—the most of any basic-cable network.

That was due to a record-breaking ratings draw in The Closer and a second original hit in Wanted, along with successful Friday-Sunday scheduling of its $100 million limited series Into the West. TNT also buffeted its originals with acquired series and movies, such as Saving Private Ryan and Jurassic Park III, that fit into the drama niche it has carved out over the past few years.

“Cable Made a Lot of Fans”

The network will keep its summer characters top of mind by weaving them into promotional spots that will run throughout the year. It will also run Wanted into the fall, luring viewers into the premieres of three new acquired dramas: Alias, Cold Case and Las Vegas.
“Cable made a lot of fans this summer, not only eyeballs,” says TNT/TBS Executive VP/COO Steve Koonin. “We’re not only open three months a year.”

Lifetime also triumphed this summer, notching a 9% increase in total viewership over last summer with an average 1.81 million viewers in prime, 723,000 of those 18-49. Because the women’s network scored largely through Monday-night original movies (including Murder in the Hamptons and The Dive From Clausen’s Pier), Lifetime aims to hold viewers through the fall season with more flicks. It will pack early September with not only more Monday movies but some Sunday ones, too, sometimes preempting original dramas.

“We’re delivering on a promise we’ve made as a network to deliver a certain type of genre,” says Tim Brooks, executive VP of research at Lifetime. “You come back to the network, not the programming.”

Finding a Branding Niche

But not all basic-cable networks saw gains. USA, summer’s second-most-viewed, dipped 10% in prime from last year, averaging 2.3 million total viewers (1.07 million 18-49). Although the network brought back hit dramas Monk, The Dead Zone and The 4400, it still seems to be finding its branding niche. In July, USA introduced a new logo and slogan “Characters Welcome,” and it will drive home the catchphrase going into fall, with promos for U.S. Open tennis running in August and September, and WWE’s Monday Night Raw, which returns to USA in October after a five-year absence.

FX also dropped in the ratings, losing 8% of total viewers from last year, with an average 1.17 million in prime (681,000 in 18-49) this summer. Returning favorite Rescue Me performed well, but new comedies Starved and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, as well as Iraq-war drama Over There, saw dwindling audiences each week. FX will promote Nip/Tuck’s September return with promos that will run in three of the five commercial breaks during each hour-long episode of Over There, and graphics bugs for Nip during the credits.

Summer: TNT triumphed in the ratings with originals, including The Closer.
Fall: Turner’s drama network begins running a trio of new acquired shows, including Alias.
Summer: Lifetime scored with original movies, including Murder in the Hamptons.
Fall: The women’s network keeps flicks going with Human Trafficking Oct. 24.
Summer: USA’s originals, including Monk, performed, but the network dipped 10% in prime.
Fall: Newly rebranded, the network brings back WWE on Oct. 3.

(Click on images to make larger)

WEEKLY TELEVISION AUDIENCE MEASURES

Week 46 of the 2004/05 Season (8/1-8/7/05)

Primetime:

During Week 46 of the 2004/05 Broadcast Season, Ad-Supported Cable's HH rating increased by 2.2 points to end at 34.3. Cable captured 62.0% of total TV viewing and outperformed the Broadcast 7-nets by 30.9 share points. Ad-Supported Cable’s delivery grew by 2.7 million homes. Broadcast experienced a decrease in all audience measures. CBS, NBC, UPN and WB had rating decreases.

Ad-Supported Cable is off to a great start in the Third Quarter of 2005. It is currently averaging a 33.7 rating, up 1.7 points from same time last year. Cable is also commanding 61.5% of total TV viewing. Broadcast on the other hand only captured 31.3% of total TV viewing.
Ad-Supported cable is performing strongly during the 2004/05 Broadcast Season. Delivery is averaging 35.5 million homes, up 2.2 million from last year and ratings have increased 1.7 to end at 32.4. Cable is demanding more than half of total TV viewing to date this season, with Broadcast falling 11.0 share points behind Cable.

Total Day:

Ad-Supported Cable delivered 21.3 million homes in the 46th week of the 04/05 Season, representing an increase of 1.6 million viewers from last year on a Total Day basis. Cable’s household ratings were up by 1.3 points from last year to end at 19.5 and the share increased by 2.6 points to end at 59.7. Cable’s share was once again greater than that of the Broadcast Networks (4 Net.), with the difference being a solid 30.4 points. The Broadcast Networks saw a decrease in all audience measures. Cable, to date, in the third quarter, has a very strong lead over the broadcast networks. It ended with a 59.9 share, 30.5 points above Broadcast’s level. Ratings increased by 1.5 to end at 19.8, and share increased 2.5 points from last year.

The Broadcast Networks have experienced decreases in all audience measures. For this season, Cable rose to 20.8 million homes, up 1.7 million homes from last year. Cable’s ratings increased by 1.3 points to end at 18.9 and its share rose to 55.5, an increase of 2.7 points from last year. The Broadcast Networks experienced losses across all audience measures.

Source: Nielsen Galaxy.

Can Newspapers Reverse Their Decline?
Michael SocolowThe Baltimore Sun August 14, 2005

THOSE OF YOU who paid for this newspaper, turned to this page and are reading these words are a dwindling breed. The newspaper industry is in trouble. Its future is precarious, and the social, political and cultural ramifications of the decline of this uniquely positioned business will affect everybody - not simply you and your colleagues who are reading this op-ed, but the entire public sphere.

How did daily newspapers reach this point? Those who work for them - journalists and those on the business side - point primarily to the impact of new communications technology. The Internet, cable TV news and cell phones that provide headlines have irretrievably altered news consumption habits.

Other arguments include the idea that the average American news consumer now favors celebrity news and gossip over the kind of robust public interest reporting that was once a hallmark of the daily press. American youths, in particular, are blamed for this trend. Demanding news at their convenience, they insist it conform to their interests.
These trends unquestionably factor into the widespread circulation declines. But something important is missing from this analysis: what the newspapers themselves contribute to the problem.

Newspapers sell you their credibility. That is the single most important value of any newspaper brand in the marketplace.

Newspapers compete in a market that is not solely limited to their product category; thus, recent changes in the media landscape have intensified the importance of credibility.

Several severely damaging ethical lapses over the past four years not only have hurt the specific newspapers involved but have created a widespread feeling that reporters are less accurate and ethical than they once were. This may or may not be true. But the veracity of the statement is less important than the fact that a large proportion of the industry's consumer base believes it.
Improving reporting and editing at daily newspapers is a key component of several initiatives within the business. So is being more honest - called "transparency" - with the audience.

Newspapers should be applauded for their attempts to repair the self-inflicted damage done to their product.

Yet other key, but too often ignored, issues in the history of the newspaper business have played a role in the industry's problems. Very few Americans - or even journalists - realize that Congress passed, and President Richard M. Nixon in 1970 signed into law, the Orwellian-titled Newspaper Preservation Act. That law (essentially) allowed local newspaper monopolies to flourish throughout the country. In all but a handful of markets, dominant newspapers would employ tactics that in other industries would be considered restraint of trade in order to corner their local markets for newspaper advertising.

Joint operating agreements between newspapers that otherwise would have been competitors became legal. The cost certainty of operating in a noncompetitive environment allowed these "hometown" newspapers to grow fat with advertising revenue. New sections were added. Newspaper chains such as Gannett and Knight-Ridder scooped up these profitable properties around America. The chains grew accustomed to profit margins that would have been impossible to achieve in a truly competitive environment.

By the early 1990s, newspaper companies and their corporate owners believed double-digit profit returns were normal for the business. They forgot the competitive - almost cutthroat - atmosphere of the newspaper business before the 1970 legislation. Worse, they took their monopoly for granted and assumed news consumers were satisfied.

As soon as the marketplace opened, and the news audience had new options, those consumers started going elsewhere. First cable news in the 1980s and then the Internet in the late 1990s revealed a hunger for new news sources. Many alternative weeklies, including the most influential, began offering their product for free. The very product that comprised the bedrock of this monopoly business - news - began to be seriously devalued.
How did newspapers react?

They brought in consultants, armed with MBAs and experience in other troubled industries, to evaluate their operations. Recommendations were simple: Cut staff, cooperate more closely with advertisers (i.e., create "partnerships") and offer the public more of what it wants to read - not what experienced editors believe the public needs to read.

Demographic studies are used to identify a core readership and to serve it by providing more "news you can use." This has meant an increase in medical, travel and lifestyle news, often at the cost of international reporting and investigative pieces.

The reinvented newspaper has failed to stem the readership losses. The consultants' reports are useless so long as the leadership of the industry clings to profit margin goals that are unrealistic and were originally an artificial creation of antitrust exemption.

By desperately trying to serve its core - but dwindling - audience, the newspaper business is shortchanging that audience. Most newspapers are offering little more than a comfortable rehash of events that their consumers are already aware of. Instead, newspapers should be challenging their readers by providing difficult-to-obtain firsthand reports from around the world that are unavailable anywhere else. They should combine that reporting with bracing, counterintuitive commentary that would provoke thought and discussion in the civic arena.
In other words, daily newspapers should drop the consultants, lower their unrealistic earnings targets and do what they do best. If they fail to do this, they will have nobody to blame for their demise but themselves.

Michael Socolow is an assistant professor of American studies at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, where he directs the journalism program.

TV viewing is actually rising Americans spend more
hours in front the tube
By Kevin Downey

Everyone knows that TV viewership has taken a big hit because of other media competing for viewers’ attention, especially the internet. Too bad it's not true. TV viewership is actually up over the past four years, according to new research from Turner Broadcasting, and it’s been climbing over the very same years that internet penetration has grown. People may be using the internet more, but they’re also turning on their TVs more. And they’re watching more broadcast as well as more cable. Indeed, while the presumption has long been that broadcast is suffering at the hands of cable, the reality is that they’re both doing well. “People are watching more television than ever before,” says Jack Wakshlag, chief research officer at Turner. He notes that while his analysis focuses on a comparison of viewing this year to 2001, the average amount of time people spend watching TV has steadily been increasing. “What’s happening is that the total amount of television viewing keeps going up, despite what other media types say or what people believe or what people tell you when you ask them in a survey.” In the just-concluded broadcast season the networks halted audience erosion in the 18-49 demographic on a season-to-season basis for the first time in as long as most people can remember. Among households broadcast's share stayed the same while cable rose. According to Turner, the average person watched 30.7 hours of television each week in second quarter through June 19, up 10 percent from 27.9 hours four years earlier. Viewing in the highly sought-after 18-34 demographic in that timeframe increased to 26.3 hours, up from 24.3 hours. Adults 35-49 watched 31.8 hours compared to 28.3 hours in second quarter 2001. Viewing among people 50 years or older jumped to nearly 40 hours in an average week, from 36.3 hours. Within the growing television audience, the networks this past season, on the strength of programs such as ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” CBS’s “CSI” and Fox’s “American Idol,” lost a scant 264,000 primetime viewers in the 18-49 demographic. That was essentially flat at down only 1 percent, compared to a 6 percent loss of 1.33 million viewers a season earlier. At the same time, cable TV’s 18-49 audience was up 1.2 million people over last season. That came on top of an increase of 580,000 adults 18-49 the previous season. Wakshlag attributes cable’s growth and the broadcast networks’ relatively good performance to more and better programming to keep viewers tuning in. “It’s because there are more choices, more options, more [television sets] and people are simply turning on the television more than ever before,” he says. “There has been an aggressive campaign to try to get advertisers to move money away from television. Other media are claiming there are losses. But the only data they’ve ever been able to show is that people think they are watching less television, but we know they’re not.” This summer, in the first three weeks since the regular broadcast season ended in late May, cable TV has averaged about 60 percent share of the primetime household audience, up from roughly 57 percent the same time last year. The network share has slightly dipped to about 34 percent from nearly 35 percent. Wakshlag says cable TV is off to a strong summer because of original programs like FX’s “The Shield” and TNT’s “The Closer.” “This is an ongoing trend,” he says. “You have larger cable networks investing the money they’ve been making in big-time original programming. And there has been a pretty good batting average for cable hits in the past few years.”

June 28, 2005 © 2005 Media Life
-Kevin Downey is a staff writer for Media Life.