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sales@spotsndots.com Copyright 2017.The Daily News of TV Sales Tuesday, November 7, 2017

FL. BROADCASTERS ASK NIELSEN FOR A BREAKNIELSEN SAYS “RATINGS ARE RELIABLE” It’s been just over two months since Hurricane Irma hit Florida and some broadcasters there say they’ve been dealing with a different sort of storm in recent weeks as they fight with Nielsen over how much stations should be charged for hurricane-impacted ratings. “We don’t want to be charged because the data is unreliable,” says Bob Beville, VP of sales for Waterman Broadcasting’s WBBH-TV (NBC 2) and WZVN-TV (ABC 7) in the Fort Myers-Naples, FL market. “There were times we did a 70 rating and there were times that we did a zero rating. Because there weren’t enough in-tabs, so you can’t use it on both sides of the spectrum.” Adding to the rub is ad buyers are telling him the September book that was delivered is worthless. “It’s caused agencies to be upside down because they can’t do anything since the data is unreliable for those two weeks or so,” Beville says. “They want to post, but we’re suggesting they post either off of August or October—but October is still not back to where it was to pre-Irma in-tabs.” While complaints that Nielsen’s sample size is too small is nothing new, it’s exacerbating the post-storm effort to return to normal, according to some. Beville says Ft. Myers-Naples typically has about 400 meters in the market and a 375 in-tab. But after the storm the in-tab fell to as low as 44 households for three weeks as the market got back on its feet. He says it’s not much better and points to an in-tab of 345 two weeks ago—still 30 short of target. In a memo sent to several markets in the Southeast, Nielsen tells subscribers that it believes the data used to create the September book was “reliable and can be used.” It says the survey—which ran from Aug. 24 to Sept. 20—only lost a handful of days in most of the nine Florida, Georgia and South Carolina markets impacted by Irma. But some markets took a bigger wallop. Nielsen excluded 12 days from the Fort Myers-Naples book and 10 days from Miami’s book. Stations are also pointing to a precedent set back in 2004 when Hurricane Charlie upended ratings in the Southeast for nearly two months—and Nielsen didn’t demand payment from subscribers. “We just feel strongly that we shouldn’t be charged and they are just digging their heels into the ground,” Beville says. The rub seems to come down to what one manager says is “totally different” readings of the contract that Nielsen has with stations. He says the company’s position is it delivered a monthly book and it deserves to be paid. Nielsen says that as a corporate policy it won’t discuss business relationship with its clients. “At Nielsen we deeply value our relationship with each of our clients and we work closely with them to ensure they have the data they need to conduct their business,” a company spokesperson says in a statement.(Continued on page three)

ADVERTISER NEWS The day after the Sprint/T-Mobile deal fell apart Sprint announced a deal with Altice that will allow the cable and internet provider to offer its customers phone and data service. Altice is the fourth-largest cable provider in the country and has a large piece of the NY market……Overall revenue for CVS Health rose in the Q3, but the retail segment sagged. Pharmacy same-store sales were down 3.4%, mostly due to the recent introduction of new generics. And front-end comps were off by 2.8% due to

softer customer traffic and what the company calls “efforts to rationalize promotional strategies”……Nissan, which had a successful movie tie-in with Star Wars movie Rogue One, will again team with Lucasfilm for the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi that debuts in theaters on 12/15. Five new commercials will highlight Nissan Intelligent Mobility functions such as braking and blind spot warnings.…QSR is reporting Apollo Global Management may be interested in buying Qdoba

from current parent Jack in the Box, which has set an 11/20 deadline for bids for the chain. Apollo is already the owner of Chuck E. Cheese and there’s some speculation that if it were to take over Qdoba, it would potentially combine the two and take the new company public……Bojangles is the next chain to start testing delivery at ten stores in its home market of Charlotte. It was down 3.3% in same-store sales at company-owned stores in the third quarter and off by 1.5% at franchised units. Its CEO said the “very competitive retail environment…is especially true for regional limited-service restaurant brands”……Bloomin’ Brands says third quarter comps were up 0.6% at Outback Steakhouse with traffic up a tiny 0.1%. Its smaller chains were down, however, with comps off by 2.8% at Carrabba’s, 4.3% at Bonefish Grill and 1.0% at Fleming’s……It had been 54 consecutive quarters (that’s 13 ½ years) since Habit Burger had a negative same-store sales quarter, but the streak is at an end, after a 0.2% decrease. It did see a 0.8% increase in average check, but that failed to make up for a 1.0% decrease in traffic. The chain will increase its “value offerings” to meet competition that has been offering combos below the $5 price point……Competition from fast-food burger chains was a key reason that Red Robin’s stock plummeted more than 20% in after-market trading Monday after a poor earnings report. The casual dining chain’s third-quarter earnings failed to meet analysts’ expectations. The chain had revenue of $304.2 million and earnings per share of 21 cents. Thomson Reuters had expected revenue of $331.5 million and earnings per share of $1.01. Murphy USA was impacted by the hurricanes with about 80 stores closed for as long as five days and it says that even after the storms were over there was a noticeable drop-off in customer traffic. For the full quarter Murphy sold 5.5% less gas while total merchandise sales managed a 1.1% increase. During the quarter it opened twelve new stores to reach 1,432 retail locations.

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

NETWORK NEWS ABC’s reboot of American Idol has a premiere date. Host Ryan Seacrest revealed on Live with Kelly and Ryan that the singing competition series will start on Sunday, March 11th at 8 PM (ET). The new American Idol features Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Ritchie as judges while Seacrest returns as the series host. Seacrest’s career launched on the long-running Fox series in 2002. Auditions for the new American Idol contestants have been taking place around the country for the last month……NBC has canceled tapings of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for this week following the death of Fallon’s mother on Saturday. NBC said in a statement that repeat episodes will air in the late-night time slot through Friday. The network said in a statement, “On behalf of everyone at NBC, we extend deepest condolences to Jimmy and all his family at this time of enormous loss. Our hearts go out to Jimmy and everyone else whose lives were touched by Gloria Fallon’s love, kindness, and support.” Though Fallon keeps much of his personal life private, he revealed touching moments with his mother over the years in a show segment called #MomQuotes……The writer of the blockbuster Fast & Furious movie franchise, Chris Morgan, has sold three police dramas to NBC under his Chris Morgan Productions banner. One of the dramas is entitled Darwin’s Blade, based on a novel by Dan Simmons, about a brilliant yet arrogant accident-reconstruction specialist who consults with police on bizarre cases no one else can solve. Another is called MSU which is described as a high-octane police drama that follows an elite unit of LAPD motor cops on their dangerous assignments. MSU is written by Heather Zuhlke (Power), who will executive produce with actor Josh Duhamel and director-producer Jude Weng (Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce). Walkaways will revolve around two disgraced NYPD detectives who are paired up and given one last chance to redeem themselves by solving the department’s toughest and most radioactive “walkaway” cases……ABC has a cop drama in the works as well from the Mark Gordon Company and Liz Friedlander, the team behind last season’s legal drama Conviction. The new project is described as a character-driven procedural that follows the first female partnership in an elite division of the Los Angeles Police Department, where two detectives use their set of skills to tackle the most high-profile cases as well as a system that does not necessarily want them there. Friedlander’s credits include the Las Reinas pilot, Jessica Jones, Stalker and The Following……At NBC, an hourlong legal drama called Local Counsel from Franklin & Bash co-creator Bill Chais, Debra Martin Chase’s Martin Chase Productions and Universal TV, is under development. The project revolves around a powerful female New York lawyer who is sent to New Orleans to handle a case. A misadventure results in her losing her job, reputation, and fiancé and she soon finds herself in an unlikely partnership with a new female lawyer as they start a law firm dedicated to fighting for those who need it most.

AVAILS Edward R Murrow Award Winning Broadcaster WJZY, the FOX O&O in Charlotte, NC is looking for a Traffic Coordinator. This person is responsible for the accuracy of spot placement to maximize inventory, and separation of the daily log. One to two years of TV traffic experience in commercial television station preferred. Knowledge of WideOrbit, Commercial Delivery Systems, and Microsoft Office is helpful. Must be detail oriented and able to handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment. CLICK HERE for full details or to apply now. EOE.

WWBT NBC12/Raycom Media seeks a Multimedia Sales Consultant. This commissioned position is partnered with their own Success Manager, Digital Sales Specialist, Research Director and other support personnel so that they can focus almost solely on new business and account retention. Must be a highly motivated self-starter with the ability to manage business independently. Minimum 3 years of media sales experience. Experience

in Matrix, Wide Orbit Traffic, Media Sales, and Microsoft Office preferred. CLICK HERE to apply or for more info. EOE M/F/H/V WTOG-TV, CW44 in Tampa/St. Petersburg is looking for an experienced salesperson to sell multi-platform media and marketing solutions. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of success in online and offline media sales with a demonstrable record of successful prospecting, closing and retaining new advertisers. 4+ years of media sales experience, including digital experience. CLICK HERE to apply, and be prepared to submit a resume. And please pass this along if you know a qualified candidate who should apply! EOE Univision Chicago seeks an enthusiastic Account Coordinator to assist National TV/Digital Sales AEs and Managers with existing accounts, as well as performing general office clerical work. This is a numbers-intensive position demanding extensive computer data entry and computer competence. Keys tasks of the Account Coordinator include: entering orders, creating packages, resolving make goods, communicating commercial air times, coordinating ad copy, responding to incoming requests, getting credit approvals, posting, following up on invoice discrepancies, collections and more. CLICK HERE to apply. WPBF 25, Hearst Television’s ABC affiliate in beautiful West Palm Beach, FL, seeks a National Sales Manager to join our winning team. Our ideal candidate will have a proven record of growing revenue share, while over-achieving TV, digital and multi-platform budgets. Prior experience handling Political business is a plus. Our NSM will be responsible for setting the vision and leading our excellent team of National sellers to continued success. Applicants must possess strong leadership, negotiation, interpersonal, organizational and computer skills. CLICK HERE to apply. EOE.

CLICK HERE to place a job in Spots n Dots! 11/7/2017

Conan O’Brien

First day back in New York and I’ve already received

dirty looks from 7 different police horses.

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

END-OF-THE-YEAR CAR WARS? Less than two months to go and several automotive sales competitions remain very hot, a fact that in some past years has prompted extra end-of-the-year spending, especially in the heavily advertised week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Automotive News says the competition for sales titles will test automakers’ restrain, as increased incentives are the primary tool to get sales crowns. The Toyota Camry has been the best-selling car in America for the last 15 years, but this year through October the Honda Civic has sold 5,940 more units than the Camry. And while Toyota could lose that race, it’s also in a tight battle for the top-selling vehicle excluding pickups, with the RAV4 only about 19,100 sales ahead of Nissan’s Rouge. The pickup battle has already been decided as Ford’s F-series has a huge lead over Chevy and Ram. That will make it 40 years with the F-series the top pickup truck in sales.

DISNEY LOOKING AT FOX ASSETS The Walt Disney Co. recently held talks to purchase a large chunk of 21st Century Fox’s entertainment businesses, according to The Wall Street Journal. The move suggests that Disney is serious about bolstering its laggard TV operations and that media mogul Rupert Murdoch is open to a surprising restructuring of his empire.Disney approached Fox about buying its cable TV networks such as FX and National Geographic Channel, the Twentieth Century Fox studio and international distribution operations, the people said. Such a deal would have left 21st Century Fox focused on sports, news and broadcast TV. The talks, first reported by CNBC, ran into an impasse over price and other key terms and have cooled substantially, though they could be restarted, one of the people said. Acquiring some of Fox’s prized assets would help Disney upgrade its struggling television business, which has been hit by ratings troubles and subscriber declines at networks such as Disney Channel and ESPN. A deal would also give Disney more content for streaming services it plans to launch in the next two years and would significantly increase Disney’s exposure to foreign markets in which Fox has a stronger presence. Fox shares rose 10% Monday on news of the talks, while Disney stock was up 2%.

THIS AND THAT If you’ve followed the promotional efforts of Gallery Furniture in Houston and you know the Astros won the World Series, you could guess some customers got money back for their purchases. In May, the store advertised if the Astros won the Series, it would refund bedding-related purchases of $3,000 or more, and owner Jim McIngvale told Furniture Today he’ll be paying back “north of $10 million.” One difference this time—after having paid back millions in self-insured promotions on prior sports and politics-related bets, McIngvale bought insurance on the promotion this time. He said his wife made him do it.

ACCOUNT ACTIONS Amazon has consolidated its $1 billion global media account with Mediabrands, the media management arm of Interpublic Group. The winning pitch by a group drawn from various IPG agencies held onto an account which had mostly been handled by IPG’s Initiative since 2013……Adweek reports that biotech firm Amgen has put its $200 million media account into review. WPP and GroupM’s MEC is incumbent media agency handling consumer media, while Ominicom’s SSCG Media handles media aimed at the healthcare industry……CKE

Restaurants, holding company for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, announced that its creative and digital accounts are up for review. The company is inviting “a select group of agencies to respond to the RFP including current agency, 72andSunny who has been the AOR for six years”…... Young & Laramore, Indianapolis, has been named as AOR for the Speedway gas station and convenience store chain. MediaPost reports that Y&L and its media division,

EchoPoint Media, will be responsible for brand strategy and positioning, creative, digital, social media, media planning and buying, as well as in-store communications and packaging design.

NIELSEN RATINGS (Continued from page one) ...But the company defends its effort to return data collection back to pre-Irma numbers. “The majority of Florida markets are over our pre-hurricane installed levels with solid in-tab performance,” a Nielsen rep says. “As part of our natural disaster recovery process, we work with panel members whose homes were impacted to ensure they can begin contributing to the ratings once their home is back to normal. In all cases our field follows same procedures that are used in any natural disaster.”

11/7/2017

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