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sales@spotsndots.com Copyright 2017.The Daily News of TV Sales Monday, April 3, 2017

NEWS CONSUMPTION UP 18% LAST YEARNEW DATA FROM NIELSEN TOTAL AUDIENCE REPORT Adults 18+ spent over 72.5 billion minutes consuming news in the average week last year, according to the Nielsen Total Audience Report just issued. Broadcast TV (combining national news and local broadcast news) accounted for 29.4 billion of those minutes, while national cable news networks combined for 27.1 billion minutes weekly. Those cable news nets were the biggest gainer on a year-to-year basis, with a 79% gain over their combined viewing in 2015. Adding in other potential sources including radio and news from PCs and smartphones, total news consumption was up 18%. Cable news’ share of total cable viewing grew from 6.0 in 2015 to 8.5 in 2016, while news’ share of broadcast TV consumption was little changed. The network newscasts were 4.5% of total network viewing last year, up from 4.3%, while local broadcast news slipped very slightly from 6.4% to 6.3%. The 50+ demo was the biggest factor for every news source. The 50+ demo spent 11.6% of its cable viewing watching news, while local TV news drew 7.5% of all 50+ viewing and network news got 5.6% of 50+ network viewing. Radio was even higher—19.1% of AM/FM listening done by the 50+ demo went to radio news in Personal People Meter markets. While cable beat both local and network broadcast news in total minutes of news viewing, both broadcast types held large advantages in audience reach. Among adults 18+, national broadcast news reached 46.2% in an average week, with local news just behind at 44.9%. National cable news reached 28.6%, not much more than radio news (26.8%). Reach also was heavily skewed towards older viewers and listeners. Among adults 50+, national broadcast built a 65.0 reach, followed by local news’ 62.3, national cable’s 42.3, and radio’s 35.2. In people 35-49, national’s 42.3 reach was slightly ahead of local news’ 42.0, and radio news’ 24.9 actually was ahead of cable’s 23.6 reach. Interestingly, about a third of adults 35-59 were reached by news via their smartphones. Females were the primary viewers of news on broadcast sources, 60% of the audience for national news, and 59% for local news. But men were in the majority on other news sources, with 51% of the viewing on cable news, 53% of the audience for PC news, 64% of smartphone news and 59% of radio news listeners. (Story continued on page 3)

ADVERTISER NEWS Stage Stores won a bid in bankruptcy court and will take over 57 of the 106 Gordmans stores, including inventory, fixtures, trademarks and other intellectual property. Stage, which operates 798 department stores under the Bealls, Goody’s, Palais Royal, Peebles, and Stage banners, says it has taken the “most desirable Gordmans locations,” which will give it “a strong Midwestern presence in markets generally larger than those we serve today”……There’s always a lag in getting data from the furniture business,

and the just-released Furniture Insights study for January says business was essentially flat for that month compared to January, 2016. January shipments were up 2%, but backlogs were down slightly from December as shipments were slightly higher than new orders…..Bassett Furniture company-owned stores reported a 1% comp store sales gain for the quarter that ended on 2/25. Looking at business from both its owned stores and others, Bassett’s CEO noted “an unpredictable sales environment”……Nation’s

Restaurant News says McDonald’s announcement that it will make its quarter-pound burgers with fresh meat only starting next year represents one of the biggest operational changes in the company’s history, with 40 people having worked for two years to develop the processes needed. But Big Macs and smaller burgers will still be made from frozen meat patties. Within a couple of hours of McDonald’s’ announcement, Wendy’s tweeted out:” So you’ll still use frozen beef on MOST of your burgers in ALL of your restaurants? Asking for a friend”……Jack in the Box only started its delivery partnership with DoorDash six months ago, but says the service is now available in more than 200 cities in most of the largest DMAs in the West and Southwest. Jack’s entire menu can be delivered as late as 1AM in most areas and even as late as 3AM in select locations……PepsiCo is introducing another line extension of Mtn Dew with the Mtn Dew Label Series, premium sodas with unique flavors and herbal and citrus bitters. Suggested retail price is $1.99 for a 16-ounce can....(Continued on page 3)

PAGE 2 The Daily News of TV Sales @ www.spotsndots.com

NETWORK NEWS Neil Patrick Harris will host and executive produce NBC’s new game show Genius Junior, which celebrates the brightest children in America. How many adults can memorize the entire U.S. highway system, do mind-bending math equations or spell incredibly complex words—backwards? What if they had to do this against the clock? And what if they were all 12 years old and under? In the 10-part series, with no premiere date yet set, 12 teams of the most incredible children in the country will compete to be crowned Genius Junior……The CW has given an early renewal to its freshman drama Riverdale for the 2017-18 season. On a competitive Thursday night, the network says Riverdale posts tremendous ratings gains on a delayed viewing basis, particularly with its young skewing audience, growing 78% in adults 18-34 and 85% in women 18-34 in Live+7 day ratings over Live+Same Day……The CW also announced its Summer 2017 schedule. Whose Line is it Anyway? returns Monday, May 29; all new episodes of Masters of Illusion premiere Friday, June 30; the new season of Penn & Teller: Fool Us debuts Monday, July 10; and the new globetrotting adventure series Hooten & The Lady premieres Thursday, July 13……CBS has ordered Ambulance, a new one-hour alternative series that takes a look into the intense world of emergency medical workers and the 911 dispatchers who make split second decisions during life-threatening emergencies. The series is based on the format of the U.K. show of the same name, and will be produced by Endemol Shine North America…...NBC Sports is wrapping up the NHL regular season with 10 games in eight days across NBC and NBCSN. NBC had yesterday’s Boston-Chicago game and will air the Washington-Boston game on Saturday ……Deadline|Hollywood reports that Ed Weeks, previously the male lead for The Mindy Project, has been tapped to lead the ensemble cast in the FOX comedy pilot LA -> Vegas. The workplace comedy is set on the Friday night flight from LAX to Las Vegas and the returning flight on Sunday. DONE DEAL Nexstar has named Gregory Raifman to the newly cre-ated position of President of Nexstar Digital LLC. He will report directly to Perry Sook, Chairman, President and CEO of Nexstar Media Group. The appointment follows the announced merger of Nexstar’s local digital advertising and content monetization products into one wholly-owned subsidiary company, Nexstar Digital, LLC. Raifman most recently served as President and Board Member for The Rubicon Project, Inc.

THEATRE ADS PRODUCE MORE REVENUE IN 2016 Movie ticket sales were flat in 2016, off just 4M out of 1.3 billion tickets sold. But ad revenue in the U.S. movie theatre ad marketplace grew 5.8% last year, according to the Cin-ema Advertising Council. The group estimated advertisers spent $758.3 million in CAC member theaters in 2016, up from $716.4 million in 2015. The same report, citing Nielsen data, estimated that the number of cinema advertisers in the U.S. grew 3.2% in 2016 to 1,128 from 1,093 in 2015.

AVAILS WAVY TV (NBC) / WVBT TV (FOX), Nexstar Media Group duopoly in Hampton Roads, Virginia, is looking for a Director of Sales. We’re seeking a business minded, dynamic leader, who is passionate about television and digital. The DOS must build and maintain a thriving sales organization through successful recruiting, development, and leadership. 3-5 years as GSM or 6+ years as sales manager in mid to large market required. Send cover letter & resume to: Carol L. Ward, VP/GM, WAVY/WVBT, 300 Wavy St., Portsmouth, VA 23704. EOE. No calls!

A leader in broadcasting has an excellent opportunity for a Director of Sales. This position is in a top 40 market and will oversee multi-stations to include a major national affiliate. The ideal candidate will have a passion and understanding to lead his/her team to build strong business growth and customers relationships. Must have 3-5 years’ experience in TV sales management and the ability to grow revenue through digital interactive

and other approaches. Send cover letter and resume in confidence to apply@spotsndots.com. EOE. WAVY-TV10 and WVBT FOX43 in the Norfolk, VA market seeks an energetic, creative, result-driven Account Executive/New Business Developer. Responsibilities include the development of new business for digital and

television, client relationship building, proposal preparation and presentation to a diverse customer base. This professional sales AE must have a winning attitude and a desire to succeed! The ideal candidate will be a people person who is responsible for developing large-

scale new business clients and growing digital revenue! Visit the Nexstar Career Center to apply. No calls please. EOE. WIVB News 4 (CBS) and CW 23 in Buffalo, NY is looking for a Director of Sales to lead its Broadcast and Digital sales operations. We are seeking a “game changer” and proven leader who can communicate a vision, while developing a management and sales team to generate extraordinary growth. Our DOS has direct responsibility for national sales efforts. Bachelor’s degree and a minimum five years’ experience in television sales management required. CLICK HERE for additional info or to apply now. EOE/M/V/F/D Cox Media, Chesapeake/Norfolk/Virginia Beach, VA is searching for a Media Consultant. This person sells local commercial advertising on 50+ cable and/or broadcast networks and other media to new and existing clients. The Media Consultant will identify and make cold calls on pro-spective clients, is accountable for meeting sales goals, servicing accounts after the sale is made, and for main-taining an up-to-date client database. BS/BA degree in related discipline strongly desired. More details HERE. To apply for this position, send cover letter and resume to: jobs.coxenterprises.com

4/3/2017

Jim Gaffigan

When is the news going to get

boring again?

The Daily News of TV Sales @ www.spotsndots.com PAGE 3

BUSINESS BYTES Automotive News reports some Chevrolet, Buick and GMC dealers “hit the ceiling” recently when told GM had mandated they needed to install digital signage in their dealerships, which will include advertising on video screens in showrooms and controlled content for screens in customer waiting areas. Initial reports dealers heard were that they would have to pay $2000-$3000 monthly for programming approved by the manufacturer, but now Automotive Broadcasting Network, one of the approved vendors for the scheme, is telling dealers its packages start at $499 monthly for smaller dealerships. Still some dealers are up in arms about the requirement and GM’s “micromanagement” of dealerships to the point of deciding what customers can watch on television. One small rural dealer commented it’s “absolutely ridiculous” to take money out of something else (advertising or direct mail) and spend it on digital signage. New NPD data on millennials finds Amazon having the largest overall e-commerce penetration among that generation, while Target was noted as having made the biggest gains year-to-year with them of all general merchandise retailers. Other retailers noted for increases in their respective segments were Nike, Best Buy, Jet.com (acquired by Walmart last year), Toys R Us, Wayfair.com, Walmart itself, and ASOS, a British apparel seller that offers free shipping worldwide. “Retail is finally meeting millennial demands,” NPD Chief Industry Analyst Marshal Cohen said. “Retailers that transform the shopping experience to deliver a more personalized approach, whether online or in-store, will be better equipped to compete for this generation’s dollars.” Generally, NPD has found that while millennials still shop more frequently at bricks and mortar stores, they tend to spend more money while shopping online. WORRIES ABOUT CAR LOANS It’s not a major problem yet, but we’ve been seeing growing reports lately about automotive financing and concerns that increased defaults may be ahead. A report just issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis says serious delinquencies in some markets in its area have now risen to levels last seen in the recession that stated in 2008. The report specifically mentions the metro areas of St. Louis, Louisville, Memphis, and Little Rock—for example in Memphis the serious delinquency rates rose to 6% in the fourth quarter. Add that to other recent commentary such as Moody’s warning last week that “The combination of plateauing auto sales, growing negative equity from consumers, and lenders’ willingness to offer flexible long terms is a significant credit risk for lenders.” And Moody’s is pessimistic about what might occur going forward—with auto sales having plateaued, it says lenders will be chasing fewer loans “which could cause them to further loosen loan terms.”

NEWS CONSUMPTION UP 18% (Continued from page 1) Nielsen summarizes all its data saying the share of viewing going to TV news was higher in 2016 than the 2012 presidential election year. The overall reach of news was lower due to the fragmentation of media audiences, but news consumers spent more time viewing each week. The study was done for the 2016 year, but at least for January, 2017 (which included Donald Trump’s inauguration), the heavier viewing continued. Compared

to January, 2016, based on minutes viewed, National cable news was 20% ahead of last year with local broadcast news up 12% and national broadcast news up 6%. ADVERTISER NEWS (Continued from page 1)....Kroger will slow down development this year with 55 projects planned (new stores, expansions and relocations), compared to 85 last year according to Supermarket News, which says

the cutback parallels slowdowns by others in the grocery business including Walmart and Whole Foods. In addition to those projects though, it will do 175 major remodels of existing stores……J Jill has beaten most of its peers among mall-based apparel sellers with a 10.8% gain combining comp stores with comp direct-to-consumer sales. The company expects the momentum to continue the rest of this year and is predicting high single digits comp gains.

REPORT: COMCAST READYING OTT Cable giant Comcast is lining up channel rights to offer a nationwide OTT service, according to a Bloomberg report. But don’t look for a launch anytime soon. The story also says that Comcast is primarily focused for the immediate future on adding cable subscribers within its footprint. That is seen as more profitable than competing with Sling TV and DirecTV Now in the skinny package streaming marketplace. Comcast, of course, already has access to the co-owned NBCUniversal networks. Nailing down “most favored nation” rights for a potential future OTT rights with other content providers will give it the option to quickly enter the streaming competition at some future date—if the company decides that makes sense.

4/3/2017

FunnyTweeter.com

SATURDAY NIELSEN RATINGS - LIVE + SAME DAY

I asked a millennial why she spent so much money on her wedding. She said you only

get married once! Then I laughed and laughed.