Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.ads,americast.usa-today.ads From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: ads Tue, Sep 8 1992 Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 04:30:16 EDT Message-ID: 09-08 0000 DECISIONLINE: Advertising USA TODAY Update Sept. 8, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network GWINNETT NEWS IS NO MORE: The Gwinnett Daily News of Gwinnett County, Ga., published its final edition Sunday. The New York Times Co., which bought the Daily News for $90 million in 1987, announced Aug. 24 that it would fold the suburban Atlanta newspaper because of continued losses. The Times company will sell the Daily News' printing plant and other assets to Cox Enterprises Inc., for $40 million. GM TO START PRODUCTION: General Motors hopes to restart production of its popular Saturn model Tuesday following the resolution Saturday of a nine-day strike at a stamping plant in Lordstown, Ohio. GM and other automakers kick off ads soon for 1993 models. If GM doesn't have enough cars to sell, ad dollars will be wasted. Worse, customers attracted by the ads for '93s might buy another brand. MASTERCARD IS LAUNCHED: General Motors launched its new MasterCard with teaser ads that aired Monday on "All My Children," "ABC's Monday Night Football," "Murphy Brown" and other shows. The automaker plans to spend $70 million promoting its GM Card, which is expected to offer cardholders credits toward purchase of new GM cars and trucks based on their use of the credit card. ITEM BREAKS TREND: Some might say The Huntsville (Texas) Item is going against the flow. It switched to afternoon publication Oct. 1, 1991. "We knew from all over the country that the trend was going the other direction, but we didn't let it cloud our decision," says Publisher Arlena McLaughlin. Research showed that the largest pool of potential readers was reading the newspaper after 2 p.m. CIRCULATION HAS GROWN: Since the switch to the afternoon, The Huntsville (Texas) Item has had 11 consecutive months of circulation growth. Circulation the first quarter jumped 14% over first-quarter 1991 to about 6,400 daily. Publisher Arlena McLaughlin says advertisers tell her they like the switch, too, although ad volume is about the same as before. CAST OF SHOW HAWKS CARPET: The interior designers portrayed on CBS' "Designing Women" are now hawking carpeting for Monsanto. The actors will help Monsanto embark on a national ad campaign focusing on Monsanto's Wear-Dated carpeting as a "fashion element," says Monsanto marketing chief Joseph Pratt, who hopes to have a TV campaign ready by spring. LOUIS RICH GETS NEW LOOK: Philip Morris' Oscar Mayer division has revamped the packaging of its Louis Rich turkey products, which will have a red-diamond logo. The design change is being touted in a three-month, $5 million ad campaign, mostly focused at magazines. A TV ad campaign, begun in April, is being updated to show the new packaging and the theme "Taste the Difference Slow Roasting Makes." `CBS THIS MORNING' TO CHANGE: "CBS This Morning's" future format may be determined this week. CBS News executives are expected to present a plan to affiliates that would give them up to 15 minutes per hour for local news and commercials. They now get four minutes per hour, similar to ABC's "Good Morning America." On Sept. 21, "Today" will increase its local allotment from four minutes to seven. MOVE WOULD HURT FINANCIALLY: "CBS This Morning" plans to give additional local ad time to affiliates. That would hurt the bottom line of a show already losing $8 million annually. Affiliates are unhappy with CBS' plan to cut the money it pays local stations to carry network programs. Already, Atlanta's WAGA and Detroit's WJBK have dropped "CBS This Morning." SMALL-MARKET STATIONS REBOUND: Small-market TV stations are rebounding from the economic lows they reached last year, Broadcast reports. Small-market affiliates have had double-digit growth in revenue from local ad sales since the beginning of the year, the trade magazine says. The two major categories helping the stations have been automotive and retail. REMNANT SPACE TO BE SOLD: Marketers and agencies will soon be able to buy discounted remnant newspaper ad space via computer, Advertising Age reports. The Newspaper Space Bank will list remnant ad space at discounts of 40% to 60%. So far, 40 dailies have signed up for the service that will be launched next month by Media Space of Ridgefield, Conn., and AD:SAT, a satellite ad transmission service for newspapers. ORDERS TO BE MADE VIA COMPUTER: Advertisers using the Newspaper Space Bank will be able to check a database to find remnant ad space in newspapers and make their orders electronically. The service will cost advertisers $1,495 per year for unlimited use, or $295 for a software package and $85 for each ad. Remnant space is made when an advertiser drops an ad at the last minute or pages are reconfigured. ASICS SIGNS YOUNG TALENT: Sneaker manufacturer ASICS Corp. has signed Alex O'Brien, Brian Dunn and Byron Black to the ASICS tennis team. ASICS says the sponsorship of the young talents reflects the corporation's worldwide philosophy: A sound mind in a sound body. Advertising Editor: Ed Kelleher. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. 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