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Radio Revenue Up 6% in October
Center for Media Research December 13, 2006

According to the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), the grand total of spot and non-spot Radio revenue increased 6 percent in October of this year compared to last year. National ad dollars grew 14 percent October 2006 over October 2005. Total combined national and local ad sales dollars increased 5 percent for the month of October 2006 over the same month from 2005.

From a year-to-date perspective, grand total combined spot and non-spot dollars in Radio remained flat over the first 10 months of 2006 when compared to that same time period from 2005. National sales figures January through October 2006 increased 3 percent over January through October 2005, while total combined national and local ad revenue for the first 10 months of 2006 stayed flat compared to the first 10 months of 2005.

Local and national revenues are based on a pool of more than 150 markets, and the Ad Sales Index equates base year 1998 to 100.

More Money on ABC
By Jim Benson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/8/2006 1:53:00 PM

In an expected move, ABC has picked up an additional six episodes of its new variety/game show, Show Me the Money, hosted by William Shatner.

The program has averaged 7.5 million viewers and averaged a 2.1 rating/6 share among adults 18-49, ranking second from 8-9 p.m. Wednesdays. It has risen from 7.5 million to 7.6 million viewers and 2.0/6 to 2.2/6 from the first to second half-hours.

As previously reported (B&C, Dec. 5), ABC has announced that it will move to a new time period at 8 p.m. Tuesdays starting Jan. 2 as part of its revamped midseason schedule.


by Erik Sass, Wednesday, Dec 6, 2006 8:00 AM ET Media Daily News
SATELLITE RADIO SUFFERED ANOTHER SETBACK on Monday with Sirius Satellite Radio's announcement that it was going to miss its subscription forecast for the end of the year, giving a jolt to the company's stock as it joined competitor XM in the missed-forecast doghouse.

Sirius reported that it will cut its year-end subscriber forecast from 6.3 million to a range between 5.9 and 6.1 million, due to sluggish post-Thanksgiving sales. At the end of the third quarter, Sirius had a total subscriber base of about 5.12 million.
According to Banc of America analyst Jonathan Jacoby, retail sales of satellite radio sets may fall by up to 20% in the fourth quarter.

Evening-News Ratings: NBC Sweeps It
By Rebecca Stropoli -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/5/2006 1:37:00 PM

NBC's Nightly News With Brian Williams took first place in the November sweeps in total viewers, homes and the adults 25-54 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research.
During the sweeps period, Nightly News averaged 9.568 million total viewers, a good 7% more than ABC's World News With Charles Gibson (8.920 million) and 23% more than CBS' Evening News With Katie Couric (7.783 million in its first sweeps since Couric took the anchor chair in September).

In homes, NBC earned a 6.5 rating/12 share over ABC's 6.2/12 and CBS' 5.4/10.
And in adults 25-54, NBC scroed a 2.4 rating over ABC's 2.3 and CBS' 2.0.

Ad Spend Up, but Growth Lags Projections
By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/5/2006 3:29:00 PM

The growth rate in total advertising expenditures over the past six months is trailing projections, even as total ad spend in the first nine months of 2006 ticked up by 4% over the same period in 2005 to $108.4 billion, according to a study by TNS Media Intelligence.
"Record-setting levels of political advertising, which will also impact fourth-quarter figures, have not been enough to overcome continued weakness within the automotive, retail and travel sectors," says Steven Fredericks, TNS Media Intelligence president and CEO.

ABC Asks 'Lost' to Stay Up Later
Show moves to 10 p.m. Wednesdays in Feburary; comedies take on 'Idol'
Zapit2.com December 5, 2006

ABC has had trouble the past two seasons finding a show that will retain a good percentage of the audience from "Lost." Come February, that will no longer be a problem.The network has decided to move "Lost" to the 10 p.m. ET timeslot on Wednesdays, starting with its return from hiatus on Feb. 7. That should make ABC affiliates happy, as they'll have a much better lead-in for their local newscasts, and it's likely to give ABC's prime-time ratings a substantial boost in that hour.

The Governor Bares A Great Deal Of Responsibility In The Fiss Fiasco. He Twisted Enough Local Arms To Make The Loans To Fiss. Where Are You Carol Pella When We Need You?