• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Commercials v. Programs

N

NewsVet

Several years ago I was working at the CBS Radio Network and was struck by the fact that some of the network's affiliates actually carried few (if any) of the network's newscasts. I was told that the CBS suits really didn't care, because those stations were carrying the networks's commercials and that was all the suits really carried about. The network commericials were fed both in programs and in separate spot feeds.

In an earlier thread on this board somebody said that Air America's Providence affiliate had dropped AAR's programming, which apparently isn't strictly true, since the station's web site says that it still carries two hours of Randi Rhodes daily and nine hours of AAR programming on the weekends. I'm wondering if the station also runs AAR commercials that don't appear in those particular programs -- and if other AAR affiliates might be carrying commercials from programs that the stations don't clear.
 
I don't know about AAR, but I do know stations which carry Rush MUST make up spots if the program is pre-empted (for breaking news or a sports event, for example). One station, with which I am familiar, dropped Dr. Laura's show (like Rush, distributed by Premiere Radio) and continued to run the spots (some of them done by Dr. Laura).

Other syndicators and programs do not have such a requirement (such as Salem's Mike Gallagher). I don't think AAR has the clout to require stations to air spots for programs not carried. AAR could offer some compensation to stations to carry spots but I have heard nothing to suggest they do so.
 
> I don't know about AAR, but I do know stations which carry
> Rush MUST make up spots if the program is pre-empted (for
> breaking news or a sports event, for example). One station,
> with which I am familiar, dropped Dr. Laura's show (like
> Rush, distributed by Premiere Radio) and continued to run
> the spots (some of them done by Dr. Laura).

This is common when a syndicator allows a station to cancel a show before certain contractual obligations are met. For example, a station can cancel an underperforming show immediately or with short notice rather than go through with the one year contract, but they have to run the full or partial spot load. If a show has 5 min/hr network inventory and the station is contracted to take a minimum of 2 hours, they'd run 10 min/day if they had to run 100%. Of course, Dr. Laura's network spots include some with her voiceover. This is why some agency sales sheets will list multiple affiliates in certain markets where a host has moved.

Dr. Laura isn't carried by Premiere anymore, although they act as the sales agency.

> Other syndicators and programs do not have such a
> requirement (such as Salem's Mike Gallagher). I don't think
> AAR has the clout to require stations to air spots for
> programs not carried. AAR could offer some compensation to
> stations to carry spots but I have heard nothing to suggest
> they do so.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
http://talkwatch.blogspot.com
</P>
 
On most affiliation agreements I've ever seen/signed, there's generally an 'out', whether it be thirty, sixty, or ninety days. You can generally dump the program right away, but are required to carry the network spots until the end of the out.

However, if you drop a syndicated program, and your competitor picks it up, you are still required to carry the inventory even though it's being cleared across the street as well.

Another example is when a station carries a 24-hour satellite-automated format, such as ABC's Real Country. If the station preempts any part of the programming, such as for a live morning show or for football on Fridays, they'll still generally have to carry the network commercials.
 
> Another example is when a station carries a 24-hour
> satellite-automated format, such as ABC's Real Country. If
> the station preempts any part of the programming, such as
> for a live morning show or for football on Fridays, they'll
> still generally have to carry the network commercials.

Right. They reasonably claim that the market exclusive 24/7 affiliation requires stations to take the 2 min/hr.<P ID="signature">______________
http://talkwatch.blogspot.com
</P>
 
> > Another example is when a station carries a 24-hour
> > satellite-automated format, such as ABC's Real Country. If
>
> > the station preempts any part of the programming, such as
> > for a live morning show or for football on Fridays,
> they'll
> > still generally have to carry the network commercials.
>
> Right. They reasonably claim that the market exclusive 24/7
> affiliation requires stations to take the 2 min/hr.
>
This example is more like the CBS example early. I worked for an FM
country station owned by ABC. For years, we used cuts from the ABC newscalls
without giving up any spots because ABC was coming into the building for our
AM news talk station. Then ABC made us carry 160 spots a week and the
only newscast we aired was one at 5am (and of course, when some national emergency would occur such as the Oklahoma City bombing).

At the news talk station where I work now, when we had ABC, the PD told me we had to give them more than 200 spots a week even though we only aired their newscasts between 1 and 4am (as well as their material in our newscast plus airing Paul Harvey and using their sports cuts). I presume for both stations, the network paid the stations some money as well for the spots but don't know any specifics.
 
Exactly. The only acception is for AM daytimers, who are only required to carry the two minutes for the hours the station actually broadcasts, rather than taking the ads from off-air hours and plugging those back in during regular broadcast hours.
 
Actually, this is probably the only way your station can secure market exclusivity for the ABC affiliation for Harvey and their news services.

Another example is the Coast To Coast AM program syndicated by Premiere. Stations are required not only to carry the network spots during the overnight program, but also to plug in a certain number of network spots during the day as well.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom