Networks and Small-Market Affiliates

[upstate29651]

That's why I've said for years - and I hope I'm wrong - that NBC and Fox will be the first networks to throw in the small-market OTA sponge. This isn't the 1960s or earlier. It's not important that their programming "plays in Peoria" - it has to play in midtown Manhattan, and Beverly Hills. The national advertisers and their agencies don't care about Peoria. Peoria's along for the ride.

And as I said on the other related thread, you're forgetting about three very important things: NFL, MLB & NASCAR. These three sports will ultimately determine who stays OTA & who doesn't (or who gets moved to .2 or .3)

G

 

[charlestondxman]

Media General has not only Raleigh, Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville, Tampa and Birmingham but a dozen smaller markets, including Charleston, Savannah, Augusta, Florence/MB, Greenville/New Bern, and several others.

Them and Raycom dominate the South.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

While the Scripps demands for Cleveland and Detroit had relevancy 15 or so years ago, I doubt it still holds now.

DMAs "in decline" or not, WXYZ and WEWS are still very strong stations, and ABC wouldn't want to lose them.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

A lot of times ads are sold in market blocks.

For instance, an ad company might buy time in the top ten markets only.

This is important, because there may be little difference between the actual numbers in the tenth market and the eleventh market.

But if ad agencies are going to cut off the eleventh market, it will hurt number 11.

So you can see if the market is small enough, say under #100 ad agencies may not be interested at all. It is by taking all these under #100 markets together that they can be sold as one.

Markets #101-210 together have about the same number of viewers as #1-3 (NY, LA, Chicago) combined - about 15% of the total.

But how many advertisers court the small towns? Makers of pickup trucks, farm equipment, Blue Bell ice cream, and maybe a few others, but not many in comparison to those who actively seek the young, affluent, urban/suburban folks in and near the big cities - especially those on the coasts. The only important markets in Flyover Country are Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, and Atlanta since they are in the Top 10.

It goes back in the early '70s, when shows like The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Ed Sullivan, and Lawrence Welk were cancelled due to being too old- and rural-oriented. From what I remember from those days, the advertisers and their agencies didn't care about that audience. They wanted young, wealthy, and hip, not old, poor, and decrepit. That wasn't and isn't exactly true (I'm sure there are/were some young millionaires in Grand Junction, Wausau, and Bangor), but perception is reality.

That's why I've said for years - and I hope I'm wrong - that NBC and Fox will be the first networks to throw in the small-market OTA sponge. This isn't the 1960s or earlier. It's not important that their programming "plays in Peoria" - it has to play in midtown Manhattan, and Beverly Hills. The national advertisers and their agencies don't care about Peoria. Peoria's along for the ride.

At least, this is the impression that I've gotten during my adult life (almost 40 years), based on watching, reading, and having the occasional conversations with advertising-agency folks that I ran into during my years in Chicago. I haven't seen anything to make me change my mind, although I really hope to.

There also weren't cable channels like CMT or subchannels that target "real America" like there are now. An advertiser seeking a small town or rural audience can go directly to the small market stations or find a cable channel. There are plenty of cable channels targeting niche audiences that advertises can go to and spend less $. Many small market network stations run Andy Griffth reruns in the daytime and evening. If a small market station pre-empts a show that a local preacher finds offensive, it does little to affect national ratings. The average age of a network viewer is actually outside their target range. If a network dumps a station (or a station dumps a network), the cable systems can just pipe in a station from a bigger nearby market. It wouldn't affect ratings for any network if they dumped all markets below 100

 

[rgseark2009]

In Miss, LA, and AR the smaller market stations via digital TV have increased local network offerings. Granted in Greenville MS the new NBC affiliate is a digital LPTV (WNBD-LD) sister of WABG (which provides a primary ABC affiliation and FOX on its -2 subchannel). There is also the case in Alexandria LA where no local CBS service existed but KLAB provides HD on the 5-2 subchannel. The CW+ (KHOG/KHBS) and My (KFSM) have local stations (via -2 subs) instead of importing out of town affiliates on local cable systems in Northwest Arkansas.

Plus unlike most subchannels, these which carry Big Four networks are generally carried by local cable companies, plus Dish Network.