KATZ TELEVISION GROUP PROGRAMMING
ANNOUNCES FALL 2009 PROGRAM OPTIONS
Katz Television Group Offers Reviews for the Programming
Marketplace and the Upcoming NATPE Convention
New York, January 18, 2009 – The Katz Television Group’s (KTVG) Programming Department announced its Fall 2009 program previews to more than 450 client stations. The highly anticipated annual reviews will help determine the programming selection of broadcast stations across the country.
“As we prepare for the upcoming NATPE conference and programming season, KTVG continues its commitment to providing recommendations that will keep our client stations informed of important industry trends,” said Bill Carroll, KTVG’s Vice President and Director of Programming. “This report confirms that well produced programming continues to prevail as a key element in insuring that stations stand out from their competitors.”
The programming reviews are determined by market forces and industry trends. KTVG clients were presented recommendations and reviews prior to the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) convention, scheduled to take place next week in Las Vegas. Katz’s Programming Department will be represented at the conference.
The program reviews break down as follows:
Talk:
“Talk shows are exhibiting a steady decline in daytime and early fringe performances. The Ellen DeGeneres Show is the only exception to this troubling trend,” notes Carroll. “The program maintained and grew its audience in these competitive times, especially demographically in the LPM markets. As the year progresses, stations should keep a wary eye on declining ratings, including top ranked shows including Oprah and Dr. Phil. This is particularly important as we weigh the merits and reasonable license fees for on-going renewals.”
Each season, several syndicated talk offerings are introduced and this year is no exception. “The most talked about and truly anticipated is Dr. Oz, a virtual spinoff from Oprah Winfrey, Harpo Productions and Sony,” said Carroll. “As Oprah begat Dr. Phil several seasons back, she’s now developed and nurtured one of her favorite guests, cardiologist Mehmet Oz. The training and honing of his style and approach, along with the belief that if you are going to roll the dice, you have no better croupier than Oprah, So realizing that cost always has to be considered, we recommend Dr. Oz in markets where the show is still available and encourage stations to aggressively but prudently seek their station clearance.”
“Using her extensive radio experience and the good fortune of a successful limited test run, Wendy Williams enters the national syndication scene. The series will premiere in July, making use of the positive tactic of a summer launch and the Fox-owned and operated line-up. The program is described as a talk show for busy women interested in food on the quick, fashion on the cheap and fun with no headaches. The Wendy Williams Show may not be for every station. But for stations seeking a younger-skewing contemporary, edgy and urban program, Wendy Williams should be your choice. We recommend the show for non-traditional affiliates, especially in large urban markets and as a logical replacement for the departing Tyra Banks Show.”
“Talk variety is a daytime staple and it makes sense that an established talk talent such as Marie Osmond would return to the genre. Marie’s history with the Donny & Marie Show, her recent Dancing with the Stars popularity and current Las Vegas success makes this the logical time for Program Partners to bring a show to the marketplace for next fall,” said Carroll. “Announced at NATPE 2008, the syndicator had early acceptance in midsize markets, but has faced the daunting task of acquiring major market clearances, which appear to be difficult. Despite significant clearance levels, there are still questions about the launch. But if stations are having success with Rosie, Ellen or the Bonnie Hunt shows, Marie could be a solid addition to talk variety stations or to extend talk variety programming blocks.”
Off Network:
“The resurgence of off-network sitcoms over the last two seasons is due singlehandedly to the success of Two and a Half Man. The program debuted strongly in ‘07 and this season it continues to build on that success,” said Anthony Spirito, Director of Programming for Katz Television Group. “While there was guarded hope that the Two and a Half Men debut would provide momentum for access time periods, its continued audience expansion and dominant demo performance are welcome surprises.”
“The supply of off-network comedies has been thinning. With the exception of Two and a Half Men’s syndication debut during fall 2007, we have likely seen the last major off-network comedy with any broadcast exclusivity. The Office and My Name is Earl will debut in fall 2009 in broadcast syndication, having spent several years exposed to sizable audiences on cable. Concurrent and exclusive cable windows are becoming the rule rather than the exception for present and future off-network properties.”
Spirito also adds, “For 2010, we feel that it is important for those in the sitcom business to take a closer look at 20th Television’s How I Met Your Mother, which has already been sold to Lifetime for a concurrent cable play. Keep in mind that less established sitcoms and third and fourth cycles of Seinfeld and Friends are on tap for 2011.” Spirito concludes, “We recommend How I Met Your Mother to refresh sitcom blocks. This show will likely represent one of the last opportunities in the foreseeable future to acquire a solid sitcom property.”
Digital:
“At this time no one truly has digital multicasting expertise and we are no exception” comments Jim Curtin, Senior Programmer and Director of Programming for Katz Television Group. “Planning for the multicasting future should play to station’s strengths. We believe those to be brand marketing and sales.”
“Through LMAs and duopolies, many stations are now marketers of several stations and network brands. In most cases, stations have been able to juggle network brands with their own news identity and increasingly, a website brand of their own. While this is a difficult task, it has generally been done with great success.”
“Programming of the digital space will be a challenge, but stations are encouraged to seek out strong brands, which can be marketed effectively to local marketplaces. Some of the digital network choices for next year include programs with strong viewer familiarity. Currently airing is This TV from MGM and Wiegel Broadcasting, which features MGM library products. RTN from Equity Broadcasting offers classic television products taken from the NBC-Universal library. Retro TV’s marketing approach is similar to Nick-at-Night, a network that was built based on viewer familiarity of classic TV programs.”
“Spanish language programming is the next big category to consider. America has undergone massive demographic changes over the last 10 years and pursuing Hispanic audiences makes sense in markets that are underserved by full power Spanish broadcasters. The strongest new players in this category are Mexicanal and LATV. Mexicanal compiles popular regional programs and news from Mexico. LATV, which is aimed at bilingual second generation Hispanics, tends to skew towards a younger audience by airing music videos.”
“Additional multicast digital networks on the horizon include the Dot Two Network; projects from Entertainment Studios; multicultural programs from Colours TV; sports programming from NBC-Universal and the Princeton Media Group; a variety of channels from Ion Television; and short form programming for younger viewers from Local Point TV.”
Curtin concludes by stating, “As important as it is to acquire new and sellable brands for local markets, we caution that this should not occur at the expense of existing brands. We believe that offering a complementary brand of news, one that is heavier in local sports or other new local content, is a better solution to expanding the your news brand to a digital channel without hurting your primary newscast. Programming new digital platforms will a challenge, but we believe that there are good programming options that will be can bear fruit in the log term for broadcasters.”
Game shows:
"Freshman game show entries are turning in less than winning performances, but there are a few options in development for next fall,” said Lisa Hollaender, Katz Television Group’s Director of Programming Research. "At this time however, the only one we hear as a go-ahead for 2009 is the off-FOX show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader. This show is currently exhibiting a competitive performance in HH’s and key demos while in its third year of primetime season.”
"Going forward, if it was pulling in reliable to good numbers for your station, you may want to consider renewing Deal or No Deal. If your station is looking at game shows for other than access play, Family Feud has at least one more season on its two-year deal and Millionaire was renewed through 2010. If you are seeking to refresh or expand game show blocks, we see potential for Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader.”
Court:
“Court shows continue to deliver solid performances for traditional and non-traditional affiliates in daytime and early fringe,” confirmed Greg Conklin, Senior Programmer/Director of Programming for Katz Television Group. “While prime access is also becoming a viable alternative for some stations, many non-traditional stations are also showing solid performances in primetime.”
“For the past few years the court genre has added two to three shows per season and the standard continues to hold true this year. Potentially, two new court shows will debut this fall. Street Court from Litton TV, a new take on the court genre, allows viewers to visit crime scenes. Judge Mazz presides over cases right on the street. Judge Jeanine Pirro comes to us from Warner Brothers and is rumored to be moving from the CW Network early fringe block. "
Conklin concludes by stating, “We recommend stations renew court shows that work for you and consider which new court shows you need to maintain a solid court block for the foreseeable future.”
Magazines:
“The magazine category remains an important programming genre in the prime access and post-prime dayparts, but most of the category appears to be declining,” comments Jim Curtin, Senior Programmer and Director of Programming for KTVG. “Unfortunately, the better behavior of Hollywood seems to have hurt the genre. Newly sober stars, such as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, have meant less juicy gossip.”
“While all of the shows in this category are declining compared to last season, Inside Edition and TMZ declined the least among households. TMZ was the only program to show a time period growth from 2007 among women 25 to 54 years old.”
“With the high cost of production and the general decline in the magazine category, it’s not surprising to find there are no plans for a new first-run magazine show to premiere next year,” said Curtin. “But a new show is expected to debut in this category next season when Debmar-Mercury rolls out True Hollywood Stories, fresh from its run on the E! Entertainment Network. The series profiles stars and their triumphs and failures.”
Weeklies:
"Station’s weekend schedules have been inundated over the last few years with off-network dramas,” says Spirito. “In 2009 and beyond, more of the same is likely. A potential bright spot could be Legend of the Seeker. Its first week of national numbers were impressive, averaging a 4.1 live +SD HH rating, which is the best debut for a first-run weekly program in recent history. If it maintains current performance levels, it’s likely to spur new development in this genre that hasn’t occurred in years.”
“Grey’s Anatomy, our recommendation from last year, along with Bones, Supernatural and Deadliest Catch will launch in weekly broadcast syndication in the fall of 2009. For fall 2010, many stations have already cleared episodes of CBS’ Criminal Minds and Numbers to replace the departing runs of CSI: NY and CSI: Miami. These all-barter deals make perfect sense to replace CSI. While neither show performs as well as the CSI franchise, they return consistently solid deliveries in their respective network time periods and have more potential as procedurals to succeed in weekly syndication. TNT’s The Closer, another early recommendation from last year, will be offered through Warner Brothers and off-CBS episodes of The Unit will appear on weekly syndication through 20th Television.”
“While solid options exist in the weekly programming arena, it’s necessary to impart some caution on the growing problem of weekend over-commitment to off-network hours,” cautioned Spirito. “Over the last two seasons, stations have found themselves with too much off-network product than available weekend time periods. With mandatory sixth and seventh runs of sitcoms and some first-run products, in addition to network sports programming, stations should approach weekend acquisitions with caution.”
In closing, Carroll stated, “As always, the goal of the Katz Television Group Programming Department is to serve as a consistent resource for stations especially as they prepare for the seasons ahead and the emerging digital transition.”
About Katz Television Group Programming
Katz Television Group’s industry renowned Programming Department supports the Katz Television Group by advising approximately 450 client stations on the availability and the potential of syndicated television programs. In addition, the department makes recommendations as to when and where programs should be placed on local market schedules in order to maximize their viewing audiences with special emphasis on reaching the demographics that are most desired by advertisers.
About Katz Television Group
The Katz Television Group (KTVG) is comprised of Continental Television Sales, Eagle Television Sales and Millennium Sales & Marketing. KTVG provides national sales representation for over 450 television stations. Headquartered in New York City, KTVG is an operating unit of Katz Media Group, the nation’s leading full-service media sales and marketing firm serving the broadcasting industry. Katz Media Group is a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications. For additional information about the company, visit www.katz-media.com.
Media Contact
Michael Sherman
Katz Media Group
(212) 424-6484
michael.sherman@katz-media.com
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Recommendations are based on potential scheduling within each category. Individual market availability may cause stations to have to choose among others than on our recommended list. KTVG Programming does not imply that any program that does not receive recommended status has no utility. It is our judgment that the programs we do indicate have greater potential.
Certain statements in this release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results performance of achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.