Mad Men is not great television. Just ask TV viewers in markets like, Denver, Miami, Phoenix, Seattle…and LA! Let’s be clear about something — this is not a value judgment over the dramatic quality of the show. Whether or not you feel that it’s chock-full of nuanced performances and pretty set pieces, a storytelling oeuvre[...]
Defining Local Passions Key to Ratings Success The truth is “my old Kentucky home” should be a gymnasium. Because the people of Kentucky – at least the leading Nielsen representative of Kentucky viewing, Louisville – are about as rabid over college basketball as the people in Pittsburgh are for the NFL. It certainly helps[...]
While many American homes today have some sort of subscription television service, whether it’s through cable, satellite, or some other content-providing box attached to the television set, the NAB reports that 15% of all US TV homes still get their TV signal from over-the-air, free broadcast stations and their digital subchannels. That represents about 17.2[...]
So Lance, you’re a fallen American icon seeking some damage control and a way to rebuild your brand. But you have some harsh realities to face. You’ve been branded a cheat by most of the public. You need some soft focus and a gentle hand, hoping that the public can see you as a sympathetic[...]
At the end of the day – Election Day, that is – numbers matter. They matter very much. There are three numbers that matter for two men in particular, and thus for their beloved country. They are: 65,899,557, 51.1%, and 332. Total votes, percentage of the popular votes, and the Electoral College delegates. Those were[...]
The next holiday shopping list you check off is likely to be done on your new gift. With over 21 million tablets flooding the marketplace this holiday season, chances are good that tablets are going to be declared the hot electronics item under the 2012 tree. eMarketer sets the number at 54.8 million tablet owners[...]
Somewhere in the suburbs of northern New Jersey, a phone rings. The caller is bearing news: “I just heard that there’s a station open. I’ll text you where you need to go.” It doesn’t matter that it’s 9PM. You have to take your opportunity when you can. So you run out the door to get[...]
Driving drunk is never a pre-planned decision. It’s usually a bad decision compounded by unintended circumstances, but one that very often has dire consequences. To make sure that message sinks in, the Ad Council, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the TVB and local TV broadcasters are banding together for the ninth annual “Project Roadblock”[...]
Now that Election 2012 has been handed off to the history books, it’s a good time to take stock of what broadcasters did to serve the American voting demographic. There will be a lot said about the tidal wave of political ads that aired during this election cycle, yet that is only the paid side[...]
During the beginning of this month, it became eminently clear to millions of Americans in the Northeast that at least one part of the future can’t come soon enough. Hurricane Sandy was the latest example of how isolating a blackout can be – not just a power blackout, but an information one as well. As[...]
NEW YORK — The TVB (www.tvb.org), the not-for-profit trade association of America’s commercial broadcast television industry today issued the following statement from Steve Lanzano, President and CEO of the TVB: “Following the devastating Hurricane event of last week, the New York TV DMA was hit with a significant Nor’easter causing a second bout of power[...]
“Watching cable news because you want to become better informed is like going to Olive Garden because you want to live in Italy.” – Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker
This season, NBC’s The Voice has averaged nearly 11 million viewers per episode. Each episode of ABC’s Dancing With The Stars brings in over 12 million viewers. They’re among the highest-rated programs on Primetime TV for the season, a pattern that’s held for over a decade, since the first episode of American Idol took hold of American television and never let[...]
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TV’s Digital Subchannels: Narrowcasting to Subcommunities
Recently we took a look at the audience value of local broadcast TV’s digital subchannels (D2) to advertisers. What went unsaid at that point was the sociological value that these subchannels provide to the communities that they serve. Oftentimes, the broadcasters are showing patience instead of profit in support of networks that are providing selective[...]