Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.ads From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: ads Fri, Jun 5 1992 Date: Fri, 5 Jun 92 05:20:08 EDT Message-ID: 06-05 0000 DECISIONLINE: Advertising USA TODAY Update June 5-7, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network MORNING WARS ARE BREWING: After nearly a year of early morning slumber, the network breakfast show wars are heating up. After NBC's resurgent "Today" won three of the past four ratings weeks, Thursday ABC's "Good Morning America" was back on top, with a 3.9 rating:18 share just beating out "Today's" 3.7:18. "CBS This Morning" is a distant third with a 2.5:12. (For more, see special Mornings package below.) ROCHESTER PAPERS TO MERGE: The editorial staffs of the Rochester, N.Y.'s two daily newspapers will be merged but both will continue to publish, officials said. The morning Democrat and Chronicle and the afternoon Times-Union, owned by Gannett Co. Inc., will merge Aug. 10. The newspapers already had combined photography, circulation and advertising departments. NBA OPENER GETS GOOD RATING: NBC ratings for the NBA Finals game between the Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday scored a 13.5 in overnight ratings, 7% above last year's Lakers-Bulls Finals opener, played on a Sunday afternoon. Still, for NBC to come anywhere close to last year's 15.8 Finals rating average, the network needs Portland to win or play the Bulls close in Friday's game. WORLD LEAGUE IS FLOP: USA Network, which has lost about $5 million on its $10 million World League contract in 1992, televises the World Bowl Saturday at 8 p.m. EDT. ABC's league ratings finished at 1.6, USA at 1.0. "The NFL has to make big changes if it wants the World League to continue," USA vice-president Rob Correa. "They've got to get marquee players and bigger markets." ANTI-DISCRIMINATION ADS TO RUN: The first television commercials in a new public service advertising campaign to combat racial and other forms of discrimination has been unveiled. The campaign, expected to run $25 million in donated media time over its first year, is sponsored by the Leadership Conference Education Fund and by the Advertising Council. It was created by the Mingo Group of New York. COMEDY CENTRAL TO AIR `HALL': Comedy Central will continue airing episodes of "The Kids in the Hall," even though the comedy series moves from HBO to CBS next fall. CBS will air new, fourth-season episodes in late-night on Fridays. After they air there, Comedy Central will broadcast them. BUYS NOT SURE ABOUT `EXTREMES': Advertisers are gearing up to buy time on the new fall shows, but one series that has buyers concerned is ABC's drama "Going to Extremes." Slated to air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. EDT:PDT, it's from the creators of CBS' "Northern Exposure." Ad buyer Paul Schulman says ABC hasn't given anyone a peek at the show. Word is the show is being reworked. Says Schulman: "I get nervous about that." OLYMPIC ADS TO BE ON CABLE: The Pay-per-view summer Olympics will run many of its promotional ads on cable. In the final weeks leading up to the games, more than 2,000 spots are scheduled on national cable, Broadcast reports. The Triplecast's $40 million promotional effort will use 60-second spots during NBC programs, including Wimbledon, the NBA Finals and select late night and prime time shows. AD AGENCY CUTS STAFF: Campbell-Mithum-Esty has cut its Chicago staff nearly in half to about 70, ADWEEK reports. Billings for CME's Chicago office have fallen from an estimated $240 million 18 months ago to less than $100 million. The office's media buying duties will be shifted to other offices in Southfield, Mich., New York and Minneapolis. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON MORNINGS: `TODAY' CATCHES UP: "Good Morning America" had won 109 consecutive weeks until February in the morning ratings race. But for the first nine weeks of the second quarter, "Today" and "GMA" are tied with a 4.0 rating:19 share. A ratings point represents 921,000 TV homes; a share represents the percentage of sets in use). RACE WON'T TAKE WEEKENDS OFF: The morning ratings race is about to continue into the weekend. ABC this week announced that "GMA" will add a Sunday edition Jan. 3, 1993. It will compete with CBS' 13-year-old "Sunday Morning," the ratings leader, and NBC's 5-year-old "Sunday Today." The unknown is if Sundays - traditionally a lazy day - can support three programs. NBC TO TRY SATURDAY SHOW: ABC hopes the addition of a sixth day of "GMA" will boost the daily program, creating a promotional platform on Sunday for the week ahead. But NBC goes one up on both ABC and CBS when "Saturday Today" premieres Aug. 1. "Viewers are not going to click off on Friday and not tune in again until Sunday," says Karen Curry, NBC executive producer of morning programming. NBC MAY HAVE WEEKEND TEAM: Curry has added more live reports and interviews to "Sunday Today." "Saturday Today" will add stories on subjects such as "home repair, personal finance, tips on how to buy a car," Curry says. "Sunday Today" co-anchor Mary Alice Williams is pregnant and will eventually take maternity leave. Word at NBC is a new weekend team could be installed for both weekend programs. (End of package.) 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. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM