REMARKS of Jack Sander, Vice Chairman, Belo Corp
Delivered at the TVB Annual Marketing Conference, April 20, 2006

Thank you, Larry, Max and the B&C team -

I very much appreciate this wonderful award and very great honor. To receive this from Broadcasting & Cable Magazine, which for decades has been one of the great First Amendment advocates and supporters of local television, and at the TVB Conference, which has been the strongest voice for local and spot television revenue, is indeed a humbling, yet exciting experience.

Equally exciting is being in the company of previous winners, both Dennises, - Swanson and FitzSimons - along with David Barrett and Alan Frank. All are distinguished broadcast leaders, great community citizens, and just plain terrific guys. The Broadcasting & Cable executives have assured me that next year’s recipient will re-establish the higher bar that these four leaders have demonstrated.

I could use my entire time recognizing and thanking hundreds of colleagues, bosses, mentors, and associates over the last 40-plus years that are part of this award.

Let me start my thank you's with my wife Jeanne, who is here today and has been willing to be a broadcast gypsy, while assuming the primary role of raising three wonderful daughters.

My Belo colleagues, led by our chairman, Robert Decherd, who has given me far more opportunity than I probably deserved, yet has always been there to guide, support and lead. A number of my other Belo pals are here today, and I am grateful for their support, patience and commitment to excellence.

I’m also very grateful for the incredible people and experiences earlier in my career at Liberty/Cosmos, Taft, Gillette and New World that have helped me, personally and professionally.

As I look at the audience, it reminds me of what a great profession we are in. Broadcasters have and will continue to make powerful contributions to our communities, viewers and advertisers for many decades.

I am particularly grateful to be here today as part of the 2006 Television Bureau of Advertising’s annual meeting, focused on Multi-Platform selling.

As that legendary Yankee, Yogi Berra, once said, “The FUTURE ain’t what it USED to be.”

We have so many opportunities in front of us in what is becoming an increasingly video-on-demand world. And no one knows the impact of video better than broadcasters. We’ve been presenting it and selling it for a long time. Now, we’re challenged to find new ways to deliver our video content to consumers, not just over the air, but wherever and whenever they want it. In this increasingly complex media environment, I’m confident that our television stations will continue to be the leading local video content creators and providers in our markets.

One of the best examples of our world’s rapid shift to multi-platform communications arose during Hurricane Katrina. When much of the population in the New Orleans area had trouble receiving any local television signals, Belo’s WWL-TV not only stayed on the air continuously, but also began streaming live video coverage non-stop through WWL-TV.com, as did other broadcasters.

The Tuesday after the storm struck, the WWL-TV website received more than 10 million page views in one day – worldwide. In a truly dramatic way, one of the nation’s worst natural disasters created an immediate and urgent market for multi-platform information.

This same crisis also underscored two of broadcasting’s greatest strengths:

• compelling local content that makes a difference in the lives of people in our communities;
• and a sincere commitment to community service.

As we expand into this more diverse world of communications, it will not surprise you that I believe the 30-second spot will continue to be the foundation of any great advertising campaign, but that’s not enough. We may supplement it, reinforce it, and present it with ancillary products. But the 30-second spot will remain a powerful advertising tool in any smart advertiser’s media plan.

As we look ahead, we have compelling local content, the credibility with our viewers, the power of established brands, and the inherent local news and information infrastructure that cannot be duplicated. Our focus as sales professionals must be on new ways to maximize advertising opportunities in this multi-platformed world.

The one thing that will hurt us in the future is our not using these new media to their full potential.

Will things be different?

Of course, they will! When haven’t they been?

Do we need to take our message not only to Madison Avenue and Wall Street, but also to Washington , DC ?

You bet we do!

It’s more important than ever before for us to speak out. Our elected officials need to understand and support the vital role we play in communications in our local communities. I have lobbied with many of you in this room, including Alan and David a few weeks ago. Just as we must be proactive with our advertising agencies and clients, we must be equally as aggressive with industry and mainstream media, investors and government regulators.

We may no longer be the “favored child,” but when has that stopped a good salesman, sales organization, or great TV station? We need to re-commit ourselves to the positive, aggressive “CAN-DO” spirit that got us here in the first place.

When it comes to crises or breaking news, Congressional leaders need to commit the resources we need as early and first responders to stay on the air and keep people informed. Congress also needs to recognize that broadcasters need contemporary rules for governing multi-platform media.

I hope that the FCC will create new ownership rules that reflect the realities of the modern-day marketplace, and that Congress will authorize new laws to protect our investments as content creators.

I’ve used a term within Belo that Dunia, Rick, Dave, Peter, Kathy, and others are surely tired of hearing by now, and that is, “We must be NEW thinkers.” That’s what this TVB conference is all about, and I hope it’s expanded your mind and yournew thinking.

That great entertainer and comedian, George Burns, once said, “I look to the FUTURE, because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.”

That’s pretty good advice. Let’s do the same – approach the future with the energy and passion that has always characterized our great industry.

To the editors of Broadcasting & Cable and to all of you, I sincerely appreciate this unexpected honor and for you allowing me a few moments to share my thoughts. Here’s to a great next decade for local television.

Thank you very much.