Broadcasting & Cable - Multichannel News - December 2023

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2023 BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR

ADAM SYMSON

Scripps chief builds a media brand with future-minded moves in sports, news and national programming PLUS: The Best of Local TV

HOW CABLE LET YOUTUBE INTO THE LIVING ROOM SYNDICATION’S ONE BIG SWING FOR 2024

2023 STATION AWARDS EDITION

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8 COVER STORY FEATURES 8

COVER STORY: B+C STATION AWARDS Future-focused E.W. Scripps president and CEO Adam Symson, B+C Broadcaster of the Year, leads our group of local television standouts for 2023.

PLUS: How Station Group of the Year CBS Stations is building local TV for today, and tomorrow.

4 LEAD-IN DEPARTMENTS 22 PROGRAMMING 24 LOCAL NEWS 32 FATES & FORTUNES 36 FREEZE FRAME 38 DATA MINE 39 VIEWPOINT 40 THE FIVE SPOT

4 LEAD-IN By integrating the now ubiquitous YouTube app into their platforms, pay TV providers gave a huge lift to a big competitor.

By Stewart Schley 28 SYNDICATION A new daytime talker starring Ken Jeong looks like it will be one of the few big swings taken in the syndication market in 2024.

By Paige Albiniak

28 SYNDICATION

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Cover: E.W. Scripps. This Page: Adam Symson: E.W. Scripps; YouTube: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images; Ken Jeong: Michael Rowe/Getty Images

Content Director Kent Gibbons, kent.gibbons@futurenet.com Content Manager Michael Demenchuk, michael.demenchuk@futurenet.com Senior Content Producer - Technology Daniel Frankel, daniel.frankel@futurenet.com Senior Content Producer - Business Jon Lafayette, jon.lafayette@futurenet.com Senior Content Producer - Programming Michael Malone, michael.malone@futurenet.com Senior Content Producer - Programming R. Thomas Umstead, thomas.umstead@futurenet.com Contributors Paige Albiniak, John S. Eggerton Production Manager Heather Tatrow Group Art Director Nicole Cobban Art Directors Andy McGregor, Anthony Wuillaume

3

LEAD-IN

YouTube to MVPDs: Thanks for the Lift Pay TV integrations have helped the powerful video service thrive in the living room

By Stewart Schley

stewartschley@gmail.com

B Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

@stewartschley

4

ehind surging revenue and consumer attention for Alphabet’s YouTube is a shift in the physical location where much of the service’s viewing now takes place. Increasingly, the catchall video repository is getting serious traction not from PCs and mobile phones, but from its presence on TV sets. And for that, YouTube has the pay TV industry at least partly to thank.

As of 2023, TV sets fed by cable set-top boxes and connected TV devices are said to account for more than one-third of total viewing of YouTube in the U.S., with that number steadily rising as viewing over alternative screens — mobile devices and PCs — shrinks. eMarketer believes U.S. YouTube viewing over computers will slip to slightly less than 13% of viewing time by 2024, compared with more than 16% in 2020. Mobile viewing, in turn, is projected to fall to 48.5% from 53.1% in 2020.

In contrast, the TV screen is where the growth is happening: Broadcastingcable.com

• TV has gone from 30.5% of U.S. YouTube viewing time in 2020 to 38.1% this year, and a projected 39.2% next year, per eMarketer; • Per YouTube, viewers globally watch more than 700 million hours of YouTube content on a TV daily; • On the advertising side, TV-set viewing accounted for 30% of total ad spending on YouTube in the third quarter of 2023, a big jump from 20% a year earlier, per digital advertising management firm Tinuiti.

It all adds up to surging economics. In the third quarter, YouTube set a record: $7.85 billion in advertising revenue, putting the do-it-all video service on pace for more than $30 billion in annualized ad money. For comparison, YouTube’s Q3 ad revenue, up 12.5% from the prior-year period, was more than the ad revenue generated in their respective latest fiscal quarters by Fox ($1 billion) Comcast’s NBCUniversal ($1.9 billion) or The Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN collective ($3.3 billion).

Living-Room Presence The numbers reflect how important the pivot to the living room has been for a service whose original purpose was almost entirely based on

streaming to PCs. For YouTube and its corporate cousin Google, the TV set has been a powerful propellant, giving the video service real-estate parity on the television screen alongside legacy television brands like ABC, ESPN, MTV and Fox News. For millions of TV watchers, tuning into YouTube is now little different from summoning ESPN or Fox News Channel to the screen, with one big exception: YouTube engrosses viewers in a more personalized, interactive experience when compared with a linear television network.

It’s the pay television industry itself that played a big role in making this so. Pay TV providers like Dish Network, Comcast, Cox Communications, Charter Communications and others represent an important distribution avenue for YouTube, and a vital part of the broader “connected TV” ecosystem that has transformed YouTube’s viewing patterns.

YouTube introduced its app for TV screens in 2012, six years after Google acquired YouTube for $1.6 billion, and described the service as a way “for people to watch and share original videos through a Web experience.” Today there are three ways to watch the service on a TV set: • Through a connected TV platform like Roku, Chromecast or Amazon’s Fire TV; • By casting YouTube from a mobile device to a TV set; • Through a multichannel TV distributor, such as Dish or Comcast.

It’s the third leg of that stool that helped YouTube gain its living-room presence early on during the transition from PCs to TV sets. Although much of the attention has gone to connected TV platforms like Roku or Apple TV, tens of millions of viewers are able to summon YouTube to the TV screen over a cable or satellite TV connection. YouTube’s road to the living room has been paved by some of the same companies it now competes with for attention, eyeballs and advertising money.

(YouTube TV, the virtual pay TV service, competes for cable customers and partners with some operators, including WideOpenWest and Frontier Communications, as the video option for broadband subscribers.)

Verizon Communications’ Fios TV, then with more than 3 million subscribers, broke the ice with an April 2010 arrangement to make YouTube available over TV sets used by Fios TV and internet customers. Customers had to download specialized software, but it resulted in YouTube being available on the TV set using the same Multichannel.com

LEAD-IN

digital video recorders and remote controls that summoned familiar cable channels to the screen.

Other MVPDs remained wary of what bringing the novel video service to the channel lineup might mean. It wasn’t until 2016 that Dish became the next major provider to pave the way for YouTube, adding the service to its advanced DVR boxes on Dish’s channel 371. Where Fios TV was confined to the northeastern U.S., satellite-TV provider Dish had a national footprint and, at the time, roughly 13 million customers. It was the first time YouTube could be watched on a big-screen TV, via MVPD, anywhere in the U.S. After that, industry attitudes changed. About a year later, Comcast integrated YouTube into the X1 digital video platform, which at the time was in more than 11 million homes, or about half of Comcast’s total video subscriber base. Comcast not only added access to the YouTube app via voice command but intermingled specific YouTube program titles into users’ browsing requests, where they appeared alongside more traditional fare. Cox followed, introducing

YouTube as a part of its Contour digital video service. By 2021, as both Charter and Altice USA integrated YouTube into video services and devices targeting internet households, YouTube had deeply infiltrated the U.S. MVPD marketplace. The capstone was the April 2023 arrangement with DirecTV that put YouTube on the same video menu that offered access to mainstay TV channels like CBS or CNN.

Connecting With CTV Beyond the impact of YouTube’s arrangements with Fios TV and Dish, another reason rose up for MVPDs to consider adding YouTube: It was showing up on the TV screen anyway, courtesy of the rising category of “connected TV” devices ranging from Blu-ray Disc players and game consoles to newcomers on the multichannel TV scene like Roku and Apple TV, which made YouTube available as one of many apps that could be clicked and selected. YouTube’s owner Alphabet also stoked the movement by introducing add-on devices of its own, including Chromecast ones

manufactured by corporate cousin Google.

Leichtman Research Group estimated that in 2017 connected-TV devices were present in about 41% of U.S. homes and growing fast.

If the Roku streaming box in the bedroom offered up YouTube, why shouldn’t it be on the cable receiver in the living room?

In making YouTube easily available over living-room devices and menus, MVPDs played at least some role in propelling YouTube to its place of prominence in the video economy at large. There is little doubt that some share of YouTube’s advertising revenue comes from ad budgets that otherwise might have gone to the cable industry’s born-andbred programmers: the likes of ESPN and USA Network.

A service that began life by aggregating cheap, user-generated videos had morphed into something else. The sprawling video service began to look more like a cable TV collective in its own right: an entryway into almost every conceivable type of video content. ●

YouTube Meets the MVPD: Selected Integrations Provider

Platform

Requires …

Date added

Available to …

Notes/Commentary

Verizon

Fios TV

Fios TV DVR or set-top plus Media Manager software

April 2010

Fios TV and Fios Internet customers

Addition of YouTube access to Fios TV Internet video platform provided an “unprecedented amount of online content on the biggest screen in their home.”

— Shawn Strickland, former VP customer strategy, Verizon

Dish Network

Dish TV

Hopper 3 or later receiver

July 2016

All Dish TV customers “By aggregating apps like YouTube and Netflix with live, linear television.

Hopper 3 is capable of serving as a household's comprehensive entertainment hub.” — Niraj Desai, former Dish VP of product management

Comcast

Xfinity X1

X1 set-top box

September 2017

X1 customers

“The launch of YouTube TV on Flex isanother example of how we surround our broadband service with value.” — Colin Petrie-Norris, former SVP, Xfinity

Cox

Cox Contour

Contour TV set- top box

July 2018

Contour customers

“… providing seamless access to billions of videos right alongside TV programming, on-demand content, DVR recordings and more.” — Cox press release

Altice USA

Optimum/ Suddenlink Stream

Optimum Stream box or compatible streaming device

July 2021

Broadband-only customers

“Your favorite streaming apps built in.” — Optimum website

Charter

Spectrum TV

Compatible streaming device plus Spectrum Internet account

August 2021

Broadband-only customers

“With the YouTube app for TV screens, users can see what the world is watching — from the hottest music videos to what’s popular in gaming, fitness, movies, shows, news, learning and more.” — Charter Communications press release

Gemini set-top receiver

April 2023

DirecTV satellite TV and/or DirecTV Internet customers

“From live TV to streaming apps like Netflix, Max, Prime Video, YouTube and more — all in one place. No more switching inputs or swapping remotes.”

— DirecTV press release Kieran Stone

DirecTV Group DirecTV

SOURCES: Company releases, news reports Multichannel.com

Broadcastingcable.com

5

LEAD-IN

THE WATCHMAN

WATCH THIS …

Senior content producer Michael Malone’s look at the programming scene

By Michael Malone michael.malone@futurenet.com @BCMikeMalone

Detectives on the Case in London …

Criminal Record: Apple TV Plus; True Detective: Michele K. Short/HBO; Celeb IOU: HGTV; Good Trouble: Freeform/Mike Taing; We Are Family: Tommy Garcia/Fox

Edgy crime drama Criminal Record debuts on Apple TV Plus January 10. Set in London, it is the story of two detectives — an older white man near the end of his career and a Black woman just starting on hers. Peter Capaldi plays Daniel Hegarty and Cush Jumbo is June Lenker.

6

when you watch him play the part,” she said.

Rutman said Jumbo, who played Lucca in The Good Wife and The Good Fight, shines as the underdog. “There’s something very, very honest and real and unguarded about the way she acts,” he said. “She’s very good for those small moments.”

… and Detectives on the Case in Alaska

True Detective: Night Country premieres on HBO Sunday, January 14. Jodie Foster and Kali Reis play a couple of detectives trying to figure out why eight men at a research station in Alaska have disappeared. They confront the darkness of winter in Alaska and the darkness within themselves.

Issa Lopez is the showrunner, writer and director of all the episodes, and executive produces as well. From Mexico City, Lopez has a background in horror, including directing the 2017 film Tigers Are Not Afraid.

She described the new season as a “modern Western” and said it pushed her way out of Criminal Record her comfort zone.

“Why not make the thing that scares you the An anonymous phone call offers a tip on an most?” López said at an HBO event in New York old murder case. Lenker suspects the wrong that saw her interviewed by Casey Bloys, chairman may be in prison and Hegarty is keen to man and CEO, HBO & Max Content. keep his legacy intact — and leave the case An anthology crime series, True Detective alone. debuted in 2014. Matthew McConaughey and “The story lends itself to looking at the Woody Harrelson were the detectives in the world of London from two very different first season, set in Louisiana. Season two, lenses,” executive producer Paul in 2015, had Colin Farrell, Rachel Rutman said. “Their different McAdams and Vince Vaughn world views drew us into in the cast and was set in drilling into issues and California. Season three, questions about gender from 2019, featured Maand institutional racism. hershala Ali, Carmen We hold a magnifyEjogo and Stephen ing glass up to what Dorff and was set in it feels like to be in the Ozarks. those moments.”

True Detective: Executive producer Night Country has Elaine Collins said plenty of scares. López Capaldi injects Hegarty hinted at “something inwith a sense of mystery. credibly sinister hiding in True Detective: “He brings a lot of intelligence the shadows that goes deeper Night Country to the role — the intellect is clear than human understanding.” ● Broadcastingcable.com

Celeb IOU New Year’s Eve parties are up and down the dial, including Nashville’s Big Bash on CBS. Performers include Lynyrd Skynyrd and Lainey Wilson.

Sticking with the musical theme, the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony airs on ABC January 1. Stevie Nicks, LL Cool J and Carrie Underwood are among the talent. Also on January 1, Celeb IOU happens on HGTV. Celebrities show their gratitude to friends and mentors by surprising them with

Good Trouble a home renovation. Drew and Jonathan Scott do the work, and Mayim Bialik, Sterling K. Brown and Rosario Dawson are among the A-listers giving the gifts.

On January 2, Good Trouble returns on Freeform. The series follows 20-something residents of a Los Angeles building. Cierra Ramirez stars and exec produces. We Are Family premieres on Fox January 3. Relatives of famous people sing, and contestants try to guess who they are related to. Jamie Foxx executive produces and Anthony Anderson and his mother host.

We Are Family Multichannel.com

2023 STATION AWARDS

2023 STATION AWARDS

BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR ADAM SYMSON KEEPS SCRIPPS FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE Journalist-turned-executive finds station group new opportunities in national networks, sports

E.W. Scripps

I 8

By Jon Lafayette jon.lafayette@futurenet.com @jlafayette

f you were going to pick a time to be the new CEO of a broadcast company, you might not have chosen 2017, amid cord-cutting, new streaming competition and the advertising slump that has been challenging for most media executives — not even counting the worldwide pandemic that was coming soon.

Those were the conditions, though, when venerable E.W. Scripps Co. named 41-year-old Adam Symson as its new CEO. Kim Williams, board chair at Scripps, said Symson was the right choice and has since helped the company navigate through the turbulence by taking the Cincinnati-based station group owner into new businesses, including national networks and live sports.

Broadcastingcable.com

Williams said Symson has “the ability to have a vision for the future, the ability to identify trends early and to position the company so that we can create value with our existing assets.”

The CEO also has been able to “determine where there might be additional value we can

Adam Symson speaks to KNXV Phoenix GM/VP Anita Hecht.

create by adding assets to the portfolio,” Williams said. She pointed to Scripps’s 2020 acquisition of Ion Media for $2.65 billion as a deal “many people wouldn’t have undertaken, given the level of uncertainty that we were in during the pandemic.”

Ion Propulsion The deal doubled down on Scripps’s spectrum, brought the company a national platform and set the foundation for what has emerged as a sports strategy, Williams told B+C. Corporate strategy is not necessarily what one might have foreseen for Symson when he started out as an investigative producer at TV stations in Chicago and Los Angeles, before joining KNXV, Scripps’s station in Phoenix, as executive producer of investigations and special projects.

At KCBS Los Angeles, he produced a story, “Behind the Kitchen Door,” that used an undercover camera to show the conditions in Multichannel.com

2023 STATION AWARDS

restaurants and led to restaurant inspections being revamped, first in California and then nationally.

Despite that impact, Symson said he became “very disenchanted” with L.A. news and looked to take his investigative skills to the FBI. He passed the physical fitness test but chose not to take the job. Instead, he ran Scripps’s digital businesses until moving into the corner office.

While most top executives are schooled in finance or the law, the creative and problemsolving skills involved in investigative journalism are valuable to a CEO, Symson said.

“One of the things that I didn’t realize before I got this job was how much of my time was going to be spent on communication,” Symson said. “So in that way, being a journalist actually prepared me well to understand how to articulate our story so people understand where we’re going.”

Like on TV, sometimes the news isn’t good.

Since January, the company has been undergoing a reorganization that has led to layoffs.

“The business is under revenue pressure, so we’ve got to be a little bit leaner,” Symson said.

“We’ve got to be more effective in executing our strategy. It’s been a time of incredible change at Scripps. We have transformed several times over and I recognize that that’s been difficult on our employees.”

Adam Symson with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

Scripps added games from the league to its Ion network’s schedule as part of its plan to heavy up on sports content.

2023 STATION AWARDS

BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR

One goal of the reorganization is to transform Scripps from a holding company of brands into a media firm. “We’ve got to become a media company in the minds of the American consumer and the American advertiser,” Symson said.

Under Symson, Scripps has been leaning into linear television, particularly over-the-air broadcasting. Buying Ion, with its national footprint, gave Scripps more stations, more spectrum and more coverage.

“I have become a believer in the necessity to have scale in a marketplace like this, and the acquisition of Ion was transformational,” Symson said. “It opened up so many options for our company.”

The key opportunities for Scripps were in sports and news.

“Sports and live news are two of the most durable and important genres for the future of linear television,” he said. “And if we wanted to make sure that our brands and our platforms were going to retain their relevancy, we’re going Multichannel.com

I have become a believer in the necessity to have scale in a marketplace like this, and the acquisition of Ion was transformational.”

Broadcastingcable.com

Mike Lawrence/NBAE via Getty Images

Making a Media Company

9

2023 STATION AWARDS

Ray Hopkins, president of U.S. Networks

Adam Symson takes an on-stage selfie with champion Zaila Avant-garde at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Distribution at Paramount, observed that Scripps has always taken a lot of pride in its local journalism.

“The name Scripps is synonymous with quality,” he said. “They are a great partner within their communities and CBS is proud to be associated with them.”

Hopkins, who deals with station groups, added that Symson has been both innovative and contrarian.“He’s trying to figure out how to navigate this crazy business. He’s not looking to manage loss. He is looking to grow.”

Symson also spends a lot of time as a director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, according to the group’s chairman, Steve Adler.

“He has a clear commitment to press freedom and to local journalism,” Adler said.

“We have a lot of lawyers on the board and a lot of journalists. We don’t have as many people

to need to make sure that we were a significant player in sports.”

Scripps established a sports unit and made a deal to put WNBA basketball games on Ion on Friday nights. With regional sports networks melting down, Scripps stations arranged to broadcast games locally for a pair of NHL teams, the Stanley Cup champion Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Arizona Coyotes.

Scripps followed up by getting Ion a package of Saturday-night National Women’s Soccer League games.

E.W. Scripps

Ahead of the Curve on Sports Among broadcasters, Symson was ahead of the curve in targeting the sports opportunity.

“He read the data before the rest of us, honestly before the leagues did,” said Hillary Mandel, executive VP, head of Americas, IMG, who negotiated for the NWSL. “They didn’t want to believe that model for local sports was falling apart.”

While new to sports, Symson was no rookie in the business of television, Mandel added.

“They are more than a local station group there,” she said. “This is an established company with real expertise in all of the divisions that matter.”

On top of that, Symson has been hands-on in tackling sports. “It takes a certain tenacity and he brings a personal commitment to the table,” Mandel said.

Symson said he’s not the kind of sports fan

10 Broadcastingcable.com

who can rattle off statistics. He roots for his alma mater, UCLA, and for Cincinnati’s teams.

“I don’t play fantasy sports,” he said. “I don’t do sports betting. But I do spend every Sunday on the couch with my daughter watching the Bengals game.” A bigger thrill was taking one of his two daughters to Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, when the Bengals played the Rams.

Of course, journalism remains a preoccupation for Symson.

“Folks inside Scripps know for better or for worse that if they send me a script, I will mark it up and send it back to them,” he said.

On a more fundamental level, Symson said he considers democracy a stakeholder, along with the Scripps family, shareholders, employees and audiences.

Scripps this year rebranded Newsy as Scripps News, a free over-the-air news network that contributes content to Scripps’s local stations.

Symson also announced a $10 million investment in increasing journalists’ salaries and hiring up to 250 newsroom staffers over the next year.

“The way we are approaching local journalism is all about future-proofing the approach and making sure that we get ahead of some of the pressures we see in the marketplace and create a really durable model for a better level of quality journalism in those markets,” he said. “Cutting your way to existence — or even cutting yourself out of existence, as we’re starting to see in some markets — is not the Scripps way.”

who really understand business. He’s been incredibly useful.”

Debt Overhang Speaking of business, Scripps stock traded at about $16 a share when Symson became CEO, but now trades at less than $8, weighed down by corporate debt.

Wells Fargo analyst Steven Cahall rates Scripps stock “equal weight.” In a recent report, Cahall said: “Local sports are set to add growth at Scripps, while [advertising at its national] networks face pressure. We still think the free-to-air focus could be compelling if leverage comes down.”

“Our bu​siness is on a really firm financial footing,” Symson said. “We generate significant free cash flow and the moves we are making are putting the company onto a growth trajectory. I think the stock price ultimately should take care of itself.”

Williams, the Scripps chairman, is also bullish.

“We have opportunities in datacasting and there are two generations now who don’t actually know you can get free TV, so introducing the notion of over-the-air television and the launch of the new Tablo digital video recorder are very exciting for us,” she said.

As for Symson, she said, “I expect him not to be standing still.” ● Multichannel.com

2023 STATION AWARDS

CBS Stations Builds Local TV For Today — and Tomorrow Local news launches in Detroit, morning monster debuts in Los Angeles

By Michael Malone michael.malone@futurenet.com @BCMikeMalone

CBS Stations

T

his has been the year that CBS Stations set out to reimagine local TV. It began with the launch of CBS News Detroit in January, as WWJ Detroit built a full-scale news department, which it had not had since CBS acquired the station in 1995.

“This is Detroit, a major market,” Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures, said. “How do we not have news? How are we not serving the local viewer in that market?”

CBS News Detroit enabled CBS to imagine what a newsroom would look like if it was built for 2023 and beyond.

“What would you do in local news if you could start from scratch?” Brian Watson, WWJ VP and general manager, asked in a memo to staff.

Reporters were embedded in Detroitarea neighborhoods and produced packages from specially equipped Ford Broncos. WWJ deploys what CBS Stations president Jennifer Mitchell called “character-driven storytelling.” Streaming is the first priority, and WWJ debuted with weekday news on linear TV at 6 and 11 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. on streaming.

Several other newscasts, including a morning one, followed both on linear and streaming.

“What we set out to do was setting up

12 Broadcastingcable.com

STATION GROUP OF THE YEAR

WBBM Chicago anchors Joe Donlon (l.) and Irika Sargent

a modern, innovative newsroom to meet the audience where they are,” said Adrienne Roark, president, content development and integration for CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures.

What’s working in Detroit is being deployed elsewhere in the CBS group.

In multiple markets, reporters are embedded, spending their days in the neighborhood instead of at the station.

The streaming-first mindset is pervasive. CBS Stations has gone from fourth (2021) to third (2022) to first in digital minutes viewed in 2023, per Comscore, versus the competition (owned stations and affiliates) in the 14 markets where the group has local news streaming channels.

“We’ve become very aggressive in standing up and sustaining big story coverage,” McMahon said. “Streaming has really become the place where we live that mission and that mantra most directly.”

Up Before the Sun in L.A. CBS Stations has made noise in several markets. In January, KCAL Los Angeles launched a seven-hour morning news block, its first venture into morning news in the station’s 75-year history (see Local News, page 24). KCAL News Mornings is such a priority that Matt Goldberg was hired as a second news director in September, with oversight of the morning program. “He is focused solely on the growth of that daypart,” said Mitchell.

In September, eight The CW affiliates in the group, including ones in Philadelphia and San

Francisco, went independent. Several have launched primetime news, and KDKA+ (WPKD) in Pittsburgh debuts its 8 p.m. weekday broadcast in January. In September and October, the new independents have grown their 8-10 p.m. audience by 8% in viewers and 11% in viewers 25-54, according to Nielsen, compared to those months in 2022.

McMahon said those station staffers feel more connected to their market than they did a year ago. “Moving those stations to independents was absolutely the right choice,” she said.

Station Innovation The group continues to innovate to make its stations’ content stand out from the competition. Last year, CBS Stations launched the CBS Local News Innovation Lab. Based at KTVT-KTXA Dallas-Fort Worth, the lab has a team tasked with experimenting with next-generation storytelling, including data journalism, and testing new workflows and production models.

The Innovation Lab has played a key part in signature reports from the CBS group this year, including “Kids in Crisis,” a weeklong series about mental health in young people. It produced three special “Kids in Crisis” reports for the group.

Key hires for CBS Stations this year include Dave Malkoff, who was chief environmental correspondent at The Weather Channel, and has joined the Innovation Lab; John Kelly, who is VP of data journalism; Kari Patey, VP of producer development; and Tracy Wholf, senior producer of climate.

Earlier this month, McMahon announced the launch of CBS News Confirmed. The initiative tackles AI-generated misinformation.

Like much of what CBS Stations rolled out this year, CBS News Confirmed sets up the long-term relationship between station and viewer. “It’s about elevating our ability to verify and confirm the veracity of videos and claims that are made,” McMahon said. “It is to ensure our audiences truly do have the facts.” ● Multichannel.com

2023 STATION AWARDS

Kyle Grimes Sets Up Boston Behemoth for the Long Run Hearst TV’s WCVB makes moves to extend its lead in the market

By Michael Malone michael.malone@futurenet.com @BCMikeMalone

T

he Boston Marathon had aired on Boston rival WBZ for 17 years, but that changed this year, as market leader WCVB secured the rights in a joint bid with ESPN. The 127th Boston Marathon happened in April, and WCVB was all in. Coverage went from 4 a.m. until 8 p.m. that day, and it was also carried on other Hearst TV stations around New England as well as ESPN itself. WCVB followed not just the elite racers, but the many more who were running the fabled event for the first time — the runners who viewers would probably find more relatable.

Securing marathon rights meant a lot more than one day of frenzied coverage. Year-round news segments such as “Better by the Mile” focus on health and wellness, and WCVB president and general manager Kyle Grimes credits news director Margaret Cronan for keeping the marathon relevant all year round.

“If we do this, it has to be about more than a single day,” Grimes said. “It has to be a year-round commitment.”

Planning is underway for the 2024 event.

Sharing marathon content with Hearst TV sister stations in the region went smoothly, thanks in part to Grimes getting corporate oversight of WMUR Manchester, New Hampshire; WPTZWNNE Burlington (Vermont)-Plattsburgh (New York); and WMTW-WPXT Portland, Maine; which began in July.

While sharing is easier, Grimes said each Multichannel.com

station is encouraged to do what’s best for local viewers. “I have a lot of respect for that which makes all those markets different,” he said.

Grimes took over at WCVB in 2020, after stints as GM at WPTZ-WNNE and at WGAL Lancaster, Pennsylvania, following a run as news director of WPBF West Palm Beach, Florida. When he started in Boston, he aimed to sit with every WCVB staffer and hear from them about their job and their view of the station. The pandemic made meetings difficult, but he forged ahead and did them all — around 225, all told — from July to November that year. Some took place outside and some via video. But they all happened, and Grimes came away with a clear view of what made WCVB stand out.

“My single largest takeaway was that I had not worked at a place where, to a person, everybody cared as much about the station and well-being of the station as they care about it here,” Grimes said.

Forward-Looking Leader Michael Hayes, Hearst senior VP and Hearst Television president, said the Boston GM has a knack for not only reading the market today, but sussing out what tomorrow looks like as well.

“Kyle possesses the ability to operate in today’s immediacy of the broadcast business, but also the ability to look up and see down the road,” he said.

“He’s very good at taking today’s problem and seeing how that impacts the station in tomorrow’s landscape.”

GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR, MARKETS 1-25

Grimes’s promotion to a VP role with oversight of multiple markets has led to what Hayes called “measurable results in terms of content and revenue.”

With an eye on keeping WCVB entrenched in the top spot in Boston, Grimes and his department heads continue to innovate. A new factchecking partnership between WCVB, WMUR, ABC News and PolitiFact ensures viewers get fact-based information on electoral candidates. Longtime chief meteorologist Harvey Leonard stepped down last year, and Cindy Fitzgibbon, who grew up in Maine and had spent a decade at WCVB, took over the position. She’s also the principal meteorologist for WCVB’s Forecasting Our Future specials, a group-wide initiative focused on weather and climate.

The WCVB investigative team will tally more than 150 reports this year, including a recent one on the incarceration of mentally ill individuals. The I-team obtained hours of video and hundreds of pages of documents that revealed how violent matters can get for the officers trying to handle the inmates.

WCVB got regional Emmy Awards in 10 categories this year and helped raise more than $37 million for charities through station-sponsored events.

Every station in America is facing serious challenges from Netflix, Hulu and other streamers for users’ attention, but Grimes noted that digital players are not producing much local content. “We are committed to serving the community in a way that very few others do,” he said. “I don’t know that you need to find much more motivation than the responsibility of serving your community.” ● Broadcastingcable.com

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2023 STATION AWARDS

Adam Chase Has Hands-On Approach to Station Management WTKR-WGNT Norfolk GM seeks feedback from inside and outside station HQ

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dam Chase, VP and general manager of WTKR-WGNT Norfolk, Virginia, would rather be up on his feet than seated at his desk.

“You can’t be an office dweller in this job,” Chase said. “You’re serving two communities, the internal one in your office and your community. So I like to be walking around, listening, talking to people, learning what’s happening inside. Too often in this role, you get bogged down with just the business of this station and you lose sight of the people.”

Taking over WTKR-WGNT in 2021, Chase was transparent in stationwide meetings as he led a business reorganization. He takes risks unheard of in local news, like cutting nearly nine hours a week of news programming to give journalists more time to dig in on quality stories. He is

also focused on bringing a fresh approach to other platforms like Instagram.

“I want to reach people in the ways that they want to be served on those platforms, even if it makes our jobs 10 times harder,” he said, adding that the goal is not immediate revenue but building a long-term relationship with the entire community.

Unsurprisingly, when a high school was looking for help launching a journalism program, Chase responded immediately.

“We brought all of our department heads and they talked to the students about their respective fields so it even goes beyond news to production, sales and engineering,” he said.

His community involvement led to his nomination as an

2023 STATION AWARDS

Honolulu’s Katie Pickman Stayed Cool During Firestorm KGMB-KHNL-KFVE GM provided Hawaii and the nation with critical information when disaster struck

I

n the nearly four years she has been general manager of Gray Television’s powerhouse triopoly of KGMB-KHNLKFVE Honolulu, Katie Pickman has had to figure out how to handle serious situations on the fly. She was named GM in 2020, right before the world shut down due to the pandemic. Suddenly, she had to decide how the stations would continue to produce and air the news while in quarantine.

And then in August, Hawaii faced wildfires that ended with the devastation of the historic town of Lahaina, Maui.

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“As soon as we realized the severity of it, we decided to go wall to wall,” Pickman said. “We rented two apartments immediately and put two more teams out there. Gray sent three additional teams because it was such a worldwide story of interest — everyone across our Gray footprint also needed coverage. We realized this was one of the most important stories that we would be telling for a long time.”

The stations’ output was massive.

From August 8-31, they aired 450 unique linear hours of dedicated coverage, said Pickman.

honorary commander for the Air Force Reserve 755th ISRG Wing at Langley Air Force Base. “I wanted to learn from them about leadership, but also to see how we’re impacting our military community, instead of just taking stories from them.”

News director Allison Herman said Chase maximizes those interactions because of his openness and curiosity.

“My favorite thing about Adam is that he manages each person the way they need.

Each has their own needs and communication style and he takes the time to find the best way to communicate with each member of the team,” she said. “And out in the community he meets with business, political and community leaders for conversations about what we could be doing differently. He’s genuinely trying to figure out how to keep local news alive and he listens to the criticisms.”

Herman said Chase can even sometimes be found in jeans, contributing to office construction projects.

“I never had a general manager so hands-on in creating a place that’s more inviting.” — Stuart Miller

Beyond the stations’ linear reach, its news brand, Hawaii News Now, has built a digital audience that far exceeds the population of Hawaii, which is around 1.44 million. “On just a monthly basis, we see 4 million unique visitors to our website,” Pickman said.

Hawaii News Now, which has a vertical dedicated to the Maui wildfires, also boasts 1 million Facebook followers and a half-million Instagram followers.

Its streaming app rocketed to 42,000 streams in August, up from an average of 17,000.

“Katie has been a fantastic leader for us,” Matt Jaquint, senior managing VP and chief revenue officer for Gray TV, said. “You really saw it during the fires where she just took charge, concentrating on how to help the region — not only covering the news but bringing perspective and empathy to the area.”

— Paige Albiniak Multichannel.com

2023 STATION AWARDS

Des Moines News Director Allison Smith Provides Vital Viewer Access to Candidates KCCI wins major awards this year and will start ’24 with a bang 2023 STATION AWARDS

NEWS DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

With the caucuses set to start in Iowa in January, KCCI offers Coffee With the Candidates, which sees GOP presidential candidates sit for a long-form interview. KCCI scopes out coffee shops and diners in medium-sized towns to stage them in. The specials run for 30 minutes and typically premiere at 6:30 p.m.

Brian Sather, KCCI president and general manager, calls the segments “a refreshing way to help viewers get to know these candidates.”

Iowa residents want a little personal time with candidates before they decide who gets their vote, Smith said. “People in Iowa feel a responsibility to come out and meet the candidates,” she said.

Smith knows the market well. She was named KCCI news director in 2018, the first woman in that role. After graduating from Drake University in Des Moines, Smith got her start at KCCI as a producer, then moved on to newsrooms in Columbus, Ohio, and Pittsburgh before heading back to Des Moines.

KCCI is in a hot race with WHO. Year to date, KCCI has won 6 a.m. in households and total viewers (P2+), tied at 5 p.m. and took the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. battles.

Thoughtful and Patient

KCCI news director Allison Smith

I

By Michael Malone michael.malone@futurenet.com @BCMikeMalone

t has been an eventful year, to say the least, for Allison Smith and KCCI Des Moines. In April, the Hearst TV station was honored with the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation’s Celebration of Service to America Award. The honor was for “Essential: Iowa’s EMS Emergency,” which investigated how emergency medical services are not deemed “essential” in Iowa, and there’s no legal obligation for EMS workers to show up when they are called.

The idea for the story came after a KCCI photojournalist saw a sign for a fundraiser set up

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for a new ambulance and wondered why public funds would not pay for it. Investigative reporter James Stratton spoke with families who lost loved ones as a result.

Each year, three stations nationwide get Service to America awards based on their market size. This is KCCI’s first. “That was a really proud moment for us,” Smith said.

KCCI also earned six regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. Stratton, who left KCCI for Hearst TV sibling WISN Milwaukee, got one for the EMS report; KCCI Storm Team 8 picked one up for its coverage of deadly tornadoes; and the station got another for a documentary on a paperboy who vanished four decades ago.

While KCCI picked up five regional Murrows last year, Smith said the station more typically gets one or two.

In an era where newsgatherers are focused on getting their stories out as fast as possible, Smith is “thoughtful and patient,” according to Barbara Maushard, Hearst Television senior VP of news. “Allison is there to help grow the team and focus on the mission,” Maushard said. “She believes in the truth and making sure we are doing the right thing. She’s a journalist through and through.”

With an eye on growing the team, Smith hired anchor Jodi Long, who previously anchored at WHO. Long works on the noon and 5 p.m. newscasts. Smith calls the anchor “a great fit for us culturally” and “the whole package” — good on the air, yes, but just as good when the camera is not on her.

Sather said Smith sets the tone for the KCCI newsroom. “I love having Allison as my partner and couldn’t ask for a better steward of our newsroom and news brand,” he said.

“She cares deeply about her team and our mission. Her leadership has led KCCI to improved storytelling, improved investigative and enterprise reporting, and dynamic and impactful political coverage.” ● Multichannel.com

2023 STATION AWARDS

Tegna’s Station-Branded Apps Are Luring in New Audiences Viewers have streamed over 2 billion minutes of content

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ith cord-cutting eroding traditional linear TV viewing, all of Tegna’s stations last year launched local streaming apps, helping them reach a new audience.

So far this year, people have streamed more than 2 billion minutes of content from Tegna stations, said Adam Ostrow, senior VP and chief digital officer, with the average user engaged for more than 10 hours a month. “We’re finding it, among all of our digital products, to be the most engaging one, so that’s been really exciting,” he said.

At this point, Tegna has an installed base of more than 30 million users for its mobile apps and is looking to broaden the distribution of its connected TV apps.

The streaming apps offer the stations’ live local news programming and other original Tegna content from its Locked On

Sports and Verify journalism units.

Some stations are independently creating original programming for the apps and Tegna is working with stations on new franchises that can be scaled across all markets.

In Cleveland, WKYC anchor Maureen Kyle hosts a show called Mom Squad.

Gordon Severson of KARE Minneapolis hosts a personal finance show, Your Money. And in San Diego, KFMB meteorologist Shawn Styles hosts the weekly Cooking With Styles.

The apps also enable Tegna’s stations to deliver developing stories without interrupting broadcast programming.

A scheduling tool has been integrated into Tegna’s drag-and-drop content management system, making producing the app similar to producing a newscast.

“Behind the scenes, we want to make it

MULTIPLATFORM BROADCASTER

Adam Ostrow

Phil Brooks Sets Up KRIS To Thrive Long-Term Corpus Christi, Texas, station is hub for several others, and its engineering director makes it all hum

T

he operational capabilities of a television station depend on its technological infrastructure. Fortunately for KRIS Corpus Christi, engineering director Phil Brooks has made sure the station is built for success.

Over the last year, Brooks, who joined the E.W. Scripps-owned station in 2021, has overseen the rebuilding of the NBC-The CW outlet’s overall plant.

KRIS is one of the group’s more complicated operations because it is

18 Broadcastingcable.com

also the hub for KAJA, Scripps’s Telemundo affiliate; independent station KDF; and SagamoreHill Broadcasting-owned KZTV, which Scripps manages. This year, Brooks facilitated the building of two new studio sets and two new control rooms.

“He pretty much rebuilt the whole station, from replacing transmitters to supervising the construction of a new tower,” KRIS VP and general manager Ramon Pineda said. “One takes for granted the infra-

UNSUNG HERO

easier for our stations to program their 24/7 feed and provide the best possible experience to users,” Ostrow said.

Tegna has also been building up its Verify brand, which aims to counter the misinformation that appears on social platforms and other outlets.

Across platforms including TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube, Verify has about 467,000 followers.

A weekly OTT show, Verify This, has increased its viewership for four straight quarters, accumulating 2.48 million minutes watched in the third quarter.

Demand for Verify is likely to ramp up during the upcoming election season.

But Ostrow noted that “one of the things that distinguishes Verify from some of the other fact-checking brands that are out there is that we go a lot broader than politics.” Verify content also deals with personal finance and other topics.

“One of our most popular stories ever actually was about whether you should warm up your car before driving in cold weather,” Ostrow said. The answer, according to Verify, is no. — Jon Lafayette

structure of a television station when you don’t have it, and there was a lot of work to be done here. But Phil loves a challenge and he likes to do things that haven’t been done before.”

Brooks has also improved KRIS’s local newsgathering by spearheading the acquisition of new field equipment and trucks for its multimedia journalists.

While Brooks’s engineering talents are undeniable, Pineda said his ability to work with others and lead a team are Brooks traits, too.

“The best accolade that I could give him is his ability to coalesce and work as a team, not only in engineering but also in operations and news,” he said. “The whole station understands that Phil is here to make sure that we have the best infrastructure possible, and his commitment to the team and staff members is very valued here.” — R. Thomas Umstead Multichannel.com

2023 STATION AWARDS

DAVID ONO KABC LOS ANGELES (ABC OWNED TELEVISION STATIONS)

D

NEWS ANCHOR

avid Ono, co-anchor for KABC Los Angeles Eyewitness News at 4 and 6 p.m., stepped past his anchor desk this year, touring his own multimedia production about the Japanese-American Nisei soldiers during World War II. Defining Courage: Celebrate the Legacy of True American Heroes, which has sold out more than a dozen shows, features live music (with lyrics by Ono), historic film footage and eyewitness interviews.

“It’s still journalism because the details and accuracy are important, but the story is so dynamic this way,” Ono said.

Profits go toward building an educational curriculum and Ono hopes to expand his repertoire. “This is a beta test for telling other stories that are really dynamic, especially to high schoolers and middle schoolers,” he said.

Ono went even further afield while on vacation with his family this year in Hawaii. “We saw a plume of smoke and lost our electricity,” he recalled of the horrific Lahaina fire. “So I loaded my daughter’s backpack with water and other supplies and started hiking toward the fire.”

Ono spent seven hours and covered 14 miles hiking and then recording, navigating downed power lines and other hazards. Afterward he “smelled of soot and was black from smoke,” he said. But he had provided some of the earliest news footage and reporting of the tragedy.

Cheryl Fair, KABC’s president and general manager, said Ono’s work behind the desk is equally vital, especially when handling breaking news. “David carries us through untested waters,” she said. “David puts things in context, explaining them in a way that we can feel like we’re part of what’s happening and that we understand what’s going on.” — Stuart Miller 20 Broadcastingcable.com

PETE DELKUS WFAA DALLAS (TEGNA)

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METE0ROLOGIST

hen a tornado suddenly turns up in Texas, viewers look for someone they truly trust. Typically, that’s WFAA Dallas-Fort Worth chief meteorologist Pete Delkus. “There’s no one you’d rather have in the closet with you than Pete,” Carolyn Mungo, station manager at Tegna’s WFAA, said.

It’s that quality of feeling like everyone’s best friend, while also being serious about forecasting, that has kept Delkus as WFAA’s chief meteorologist for the past two decades. “He has a delivery and presentation that draws you in,” Mungo said.

“His is a calming voice during severe weather but he also knows how to have fun.”

In an August broadcast, an on-screen weather map came up saying it was 101,105 degrees in McKinney, Texas. “Everyone in McKinney is dead,” Delkus deadpanned. The moment became a viral meme and wound up on T-shirts.

Delkus is also a constant presence across WFAA’s social media platforms, including X, Facebook and Instagram. “His personality is such a driver for us at WFAA,” said Mungo, “and that’s not just on our linear platforms.”

Delkus spent his childhood dreaming of playing baseball, leading to six years in the minor leagues. He earned his degree in broadcast television from Southern Illinois University, thinking he would become a sportscaster once his baseball career ended. Instead, he found himself pressed into service as a weather caster while working as an intern at WFTV Orlando, Florida. That led to him getting his degree in meteorology and the rest is history.

“I feel so fortunate that I went from one fun, rewarding career to another that has provided my family and me with this wonderful life,” Delkus said. — Paige Albiniak

HÉCTOR LOZANO WSNS CHICAGO (TELEMUNDO/NBCU LOCAL)

SPORTS ANCHOR

H

éctor Lozano is well into his third decade as the Spanish-language voice of sports in Chicago. And the last three years, since joining Telemundo Chicago (WSNS) as sports anchor/reporter for Noticiero Telemundo Chicago, have been among his happiest.

Lozano spent 25 years at Univision Chicago (WGBO). After he was laid off, he called WMAQWSNS’s then-general manager, David Doebler, and got a quick offer to join the team in 2021.

“I was out of a job for like two hours,” Lozano said, demonstrating the mix of skill and luck that has helped the Mexico-born, Chicago-raised former soccer player build a broadcasting career wholly in his adopted hometown.

“Obviously, I’m very fortunate.”

Kevin Cross, president and GM of WMAQWSNS and NBC Sports Chicago since mid-2021, has seen Lozano’s role expand to also include doing sports at WMAQ and calling Chicago White Sox games in Spanish on NBC Sports Chicago Plus. His co-host for those games (eight in 2023) is former Sox manager Ozzie Guillen.

“One of the things I’ve always liked about Hector is his versatility,” said Cross, who has been in the Chicago media since the 1990s. “I mean, here’s the person who does your nightly updates in your news, who you can have go and do play-by-play for three hours for a White Sox broadcast. That’s what makes him special.”

Lozano said he loves doing sports for the NBC Chicago “triopoly,” even when the local pro teams aren’t winning. The key, he said, is “you have to make it exciting. And when you have a passion for what you do, which I think I have, even if you have to report on the losses, you do it. And you have to project the pain that you feel as well.” — Kent Gibbons Multichannel.com

PROGRAMMING

Gail Berman on What Makes ‘Grimsburg’ Special Jon Hamm voices Det. Marvin Flute, who ventures home to Grimsburg to sort stuff out, on Fox animated show

By Michael Malone michael.malone@futurenet.com @BCMikeMalone

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nimated show Grimsburg premieres on Fox Sunday, January 7. Jon Hamm gives voice to Marvin Flute, a pot-bellied detective with a mustache. Flute has solved a lot of mysteries in his career, but can’t quite figure out who he truly is. He returns to Grimsburg to redeem himself in the eyes of his fellow detectives, his ex-wife and his son. The town has some secrets it would like to remain secret.

Hamm — who, of course, played Don Draper on Mad Men — got on board with Grimsburg when executive producer Gail Berman reached out to his manager, Connie Tavel. Tavel and Berman are old friends, and Berman said

Jon Hamm is on the case voicing lead character Det. Marvin Flute (l.) in the animated Grimsburg. she’d never once pitched Tavel on a project.

Until she read the Grimsburg script.

“I was like Con, it’s really funny,” she said.

“It’s so perfect for Jon. He will make this character shine.”

Hamm loved the script too, and signed up to voice the main character and executive produce.

After its January preview, Grimsburg slides

into its regular time slot Sunday, February 18.

Fox has committed to a second season.

“I’m really, really excited to be on [Fox’s] Sunday-night lineup,” Berman said. “I think it’s a perfect place for the show. I think the show deserves that kind of quality lineup around us.”

Berman was Fox president of entertainment from 2000 to 2005, then president of Paramount Pictures. She’s now chairman and CEO of The Jackal Group.

Also in the Grimsburg cast are Erinn Hayes as Marvin’s wife Harmony, Rachel Dratch as his son Stan and Alan Tudyk as Dr. Rufis Pentos and Mr. Flesh.

Catlan McClelland and Matthew Schlissel created the show.

Hamm is also on the new season of FX drama Fargo, where he plays ill-tempered North Dakota sheriff Roy Tillman. “I wouldn’t draw too many parallels between my animated character and [Tillman],” he told B+C. “When people get a chance to see Grimsburg they’ll know what I’m talking about.”

Across her long career, Berman said there’s only been a few times when a script that landed on her desk truly blew her and her colleagues away. “I think the only other time I had that happen to me was Malcolm in the Middle, where something came across the desk that was just kind of undeniable,” she said.

“This was like that.” ●

Grimsburg: Fox, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Disney/David Bukach

‘PERCY JACKSON’ AUTHOR ON WHY IT WORKS ON TV tapes before settling on Scobell. “There’s something about Walker — a star PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS is on Disney Plus. Two episodes went quality you can’t really define, but you know it when you see it,” he said. live December 20, and new episodes come out weekly. The show sees Percy, Rebecca Riordan, Rick’s wife and an executive producer, mentioned how hard and pals Annabeth and Grover, put to the test in their quest to restore order at the kid worked on the set. “Adults should have that kind of work ethic,” she said.

Mount Olympus and save the world.

Chris Columbus directed the movie Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Rick Riordan and Jon Steinberg created the show, and Riordan wrote the Lightning Thief, which came out in 2010. The Riordans were not involved in many Percy Jackson novels. The seventh book in the Percy Jackson and the that project. The series offers more space to detail Olympians series comes out next year.

Percy’s coming-of-age story, Riordan said.

The producers have the tricky challenge of satisfying “The series is definitely true to the books tonally,” those who read the books and those who did not. “The he said. “There’s a mix of humor and seriousness that guiding principle is, just to try to tell a great story,” Rioris so important to engage viewers with. The more dan said. “That, in my opinion, is why Greek mythology is serious something is, the more you need comic relief still with us thousands of years later.” to balance it out.”

Riordan spoke of taking myths and modernizing them The TV project started back in 2019. “We’re in evin Percy Jackson, making them “relevant and fun and a ery writers’ room, looking at every script,” Riordan little wacky” in the contemporary world.

Walker Scobell in Percy Jackson and said.

“We have been there for the entire length of Walker Scobell plays Percy. Riordan said producers went the Olympians. the process.” — MM over “thousands and thousands and thousands” of audition

22 Broadcastingcable.com

Multichannel.com

PROGRAMMING

moment in declaring that monsters are real, so the show allows viewers to have escapist fun. But we also recognize a changed world that we’ve all gone through with COVID and other things that are relevant to humans.”

Godzilla is on the loose again in Apple TV Plus’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

Why Classic Monsters Are on a TV Rampage In uncertain times, viewers tune in for familiar escapist fare

By R. Thomas Umstead

thomas.umstead@futurenet.com

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@rtumstead30

igger-than-life classic movie monsters such as Godzilla, Gamera and King Kong are once again leaving a big footprint on the media landscape in the form of original series for a new generation of fans.

Apple TV Plus’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the latest project to feature scary beasts who first thrilled audiences in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s as threats to humanity due to their massive size and destructive power. Much as in their theatrical heyday — when society was recovering from the Great Depression, the devastation of World War II and, later, fears of nuclear annihilation — shows like Monarch and Netflix’s animated series Skull Island and Gamera Rebirth are gaining popularity with viewers looking to be entertained in the midst of uncertainty, observers said.

“One of the reasons why these monsters have such a lasting impact is they are borne out of a tragedy and a fear of the future, and right now it seems like with the shape of the world, it feels like there’s quite a bit to contemplate,” science fiction author and journalist Richard Newby said. “I feel like a lot

Multichannel.com

of these monsters work really well as allegories.”

Giant monsters have stomped their way onto TV screens in recent years in shows such as Netflix’s Emmy-winning Stranger Things, HBO’s House of the Dragon and MGM Plus horror series From. But unlike those shows, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Gamera Rebirth and Skull Island feature creatures with name recognition forged from the classic Japanese-produced movies popular at the dawn of television.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, which follows the descendants of a covert organization created to monitor giant monsters, is a direct spinoff from Legendary Entertainment’s 2014 Godzilla theatrical film, part of its “MonsterVerse” franchise. Along with Godzilla, three other films in the series — Kong: Skull Island (2017), Godzilla: King of Monsters (2019) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) — have grossed nearly $2 billion in global box office.

While the movies have served up plenty of action and epic monster battles tailor-made for the big screen, Monarch delves more into how people are adjusting to the reality that monsters exist, executive producer Tory Tunnell said.

“The movies have done what they’ve done so well in delivering on those epic monster battles,” Tunnell said. “What we’re looking at are the characters behind those battles and what was happening within the world during this time.

We look at our show as our September 12

Newby, author of the science fiction book We Make Monsters, also said the shows let the producers and programmers introduce the classic monsters to a new audience that may not be familiar with the old movies, or who aren’t going to the theaters to watch the new films.

“I think it’s easier to introduce new audiences to the characters through a TV show rather than dozens of movies,” he said. “Especially today, I feel like it’s a bit difficult to convince someone to watch 36 Godzilla movies unless you’re really invested in it.”

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters roared out of the gate for Apple TV Plus. Its November 17 premiere was the most-watched series in TVision’s Power Score ranking of shows on connected TV services for the week of November 13-19.

Also extending Legendary’s “MonsterVerse” to television is Netflix’s Skull Island, where a group of shipwrecked travelers encounters King Kong and other giant monsters on a mysterious island. Netflix also tapped the international market to secure rights to the Japanese-produced animated series Gamera Rebirth, which resurrects the fire-breathing prehistoric amphibian first seen in the 1965 black-and-white film Gamera, the Giant Monster and in several subsequent movies through the 1990s.

Classic monsters also touched the free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) space this summer, when Pluto TV launched a 24-hour Godzilla channel. It featured classic Godzilla films (more than 27 at launch) from the 1950s through the early 2000s.

Godzilla remains a draw on the big screen.

Godzilla Minus One earlier this month set an opening weekend record for a live-action Japanese release in North America with $11 million in box office. A fifth Legendary “MonsterVerse” movie, Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire, is set to debut in the first quarter of 2024.

More monster mayhem is also slated for the small screen. An FX series prequel to the 1979 horror film Alien is planned to debut in 2025, with Noah Hawley, producer of the series Fargo, fronting the project. ● Broadcastingcable.com

Apple TV Plus

Finding New Monster Fans

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LOCAL NEWS

KTLA’s morning news team (from l.): Mark Kriski, Jessica Holmes, Frank Buckley and Sam Rubin.

L.A. News Battle Begins Before Sunrise Stations use all available dayparts, platforms to connect with Angelenos

By Michael Malone

michael.malone@futurenet.com

@BCMikeMalone

KTLA

M

ornings are a massive priority in the Los Angeles TV scene. In January, KCAL launched a 4 a.m. to 11 a.m. monster block, matching the hours KTTV is live on weekday mornings. KTLA does them one better, or perhaps two, with the 4-11 a.m. block and local news continuing until 2 p.m.

The 2 p.m. slot has Off the Clock, which Janene Drafs, KTLA VP and general manager, called “a localized version of The View.” Then it’s local news from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“We’ve run out of time periods to expand to,”

24 Broadcastingcable.com

Drafs said. “There’s just no place left to go.”

The morning program is such a focus at KCBS-KCAL that the stations hired a second news director, Matt Goldberg, just to manage that daypart. “It’s a new structure,” Joel Vilmenay, KCBS-KCAL president and general manager, said. “I don’t know if there’s one like it anywhere else in the country.”

Nielsen’s No. 2 DMA features ABC-owned KABC, CBS-owned KCBS-KCAL, NBCUniversalowned KNBC and Telemundo station KVEA, Fox-owned KTTV and KCOP, Nexstar Media Group’s The CW station KTLA, and Univision’s KMEX, KFTR and three radio stations.

The market’s primary pay TV operator is Spectrum.

The writers and actors strikes are over, which means many of the businesses that support TV

and film production, including restaurants, hotels and dry cleaners, are seeing business on the uptick. The I-10 freeway reopened much earlier than expected after the horrific blazes that struck it November 11.

Still, the general managers said the local economy is, like Los Angeles’s infamous traffic, stop and start. “It’s hard to tell what the new normal is,” Drafs said.

In November, KTLA won the 6 a.m. races in both households and viewers 25-54, per Nielsen, with KABC in second in both and KMEX in third.

KABC, known as ABC7, won 5 p.m. households and KVEA won the demo race. KMEX took both titles at 6 p.m. KCAL won both 10 p.m. contests, with KTLA in second and KTTV in third.

At 11 p.m., KABC won households with 100,300, while KMEX scored 91,300, KNBC 58,000, KVEA 55,000, KCBS 51,500 and KTLA at 35,300. In the 11 p.m. demo, KMEX had 70,200, KVEA 34,700, KABC 26,800, KTLA 17,500, KNBC at 13,500 and KCBS at 12,200, according to a station source familiar with the numbers.

Cheryl Kunin Fair is ABC7 president/general manager and Pam Chen is VP/news director.

“In front of and behind the camera, we have stability,” Chen said. “We are experienced in this market, and we reflect the audiences we serve.”

GMs on the Move Steve Carlston became senior VP and general manager at KTTV-KCOP (known as Fox 11 and Fox 11 Plus, respectively) just over a year ago, after 11 years running KNBC. Carlston referred to “a big palette to paint on” in terms of the Fox stations’ local presence.

Bobbi Gearhart joined as VP/news director in June. She said her top priority as she joined the station was Good Day LA. “We have incredibly authentic anchors that are super-relatable,” she said. “We set them up to be themselves.”

Earlier this year, Brooke Thomas and Bob DeCastro began anchoring Good Day LA from 4 to 6 a.m., Melvin Robert and Jennifer Lahmers from 6 to 9 a.m. and Araksya Karapetyan and Sandra Endo are on 9-11 a.m.

“It’s a great place to wake up, shake up the day, and get things going in a positive way,” Carlston said.

He mentioned a new lineup coming to KCOP in the new year, and KTTV doing a fully local Multichannel.com

LOCAL NEWS

Rudabeh Shahbazi and Jamie Yuccas (r.) anchor KCAL News Mornings from 7 to 10 a.m.

‘FAST’ Forward Todd Mokhtari took over as KNBC-KVEA president/general manager in 2022. He’d been news director there from 2012 to 2019. A major focus is FAST channels, one for KNBC and a regional one for Telemundo in California. There are unique newscasts in the 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. slots on KNBC’s channel. “Expect us to start doing more,” Mokhtari said.

KNBC debuted a 3 p.m. news last year, when The Ellen DeGeneres Show went off the air. Annabelle Sedano anchors. The station has the live feed of NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt at 3:30 p.m. and on delay at 6:30 p.m.

In May, Marina Perelman was named KNBC VP of news, and Miguel Gaytán took on the role at KVEA. Mokhtari spoke of the combo “taking advantage of what no one else can do — attract a Hispanic and English-speaking audience. When you combine the two stations into one, you really see the power of it.”

Vilmenay started at KCBS-KCAL in October 2021. Mike Dello Stritto was Multichannel.com

named VP/news director in 2022, and Matt Goldberg started as VP/news director, with oversight of the morning show, in September.

Dello Stritto incorporated the assignment desk editors into newscasts. Mark Liu appears in the morning show and Mike Rogers in the evenings, discussing stories with anchors. Vilmenay mentioned their “depth of knowledge and ability to report and convey information on the air.”

Fully 33 staffers have been hired at KCBSKCAL over the past year, the bulk of them on the morning show. That includes Jamie Yuccas and Rudabeh Shahbazi, who anchor 7-10 a.m.

KCAL also brought back NHL action, with a half-dozen Los Angeles Kings games on its air for the first time in 24 years. “It’s exciting for our team,” Vilmenay said.

KTLA is local from 4 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. weekdays, those hours stocked with local news, except the 2-3 p.m. Off the Clock, hosted by Megan Henderson, Chris Schauble and Henry DiCarlo, and 7 p.m. show L.A. Unscripted. “It’s a show about what makes Los Angeles, Los Angeles,” said Drafs. “If you live in Los Angeles and want to

Pam Chen is VP/news director at KABC Los Angeles, a local news force in Nielsen’s No. 2 DMA.

know everything that’s great and cool, that’s what L.A. Unscripted should do for you.”

Erica Hill-Rodriguez came on as KTLA news director in May. Syndication finally appears on the station when Two and a Half Men rolls at 7:30 p.m.

Diverse Audiences In October, KMEX brought back the Posible L.A. Entrepreneurship Summit for the first time since the pandemic. “We provided tools and resources for Latinos to succeed as entrepreneurs, either starting a new business or growing existing ones,” said Veronika Moroian, president/ general manager, Univision Los Angeles.

KABC contributed to the ABC group’s Our America: Unforgettable project on Alzheimer’s disease, and launched abc7.com/espanol to better connect with the diverse population in Los Angeles. Chen called it “an example of how ABC7 is evolving in spaces where our audiences are.”

That diversity is what the general managers mention when asked what they like most about Los Angeles. “It’s a melting pot of people you just don’t get anywhere else in the world,” Carlston said.

The sunny skies come in second. “The weather makes up for everything,” Vilmenay said. “It even makes up for the traffic.”

They also like the frenetic pace of the news game in town, and how local news often becomes national news. “You’re competing with the best in the business when you are here,” said Drafs. “And when you compete against the best, you get better.” ● Broadcastingcable.com

KCAL News: CBS News & Stations; Pam Chen: KABC

version of the 11 p.m. West Coast Wrap show it currently shares with KTVU San Francisco.

25

SYNDICATION

Big Swings Are Rarer, but Studios, Stations Remain in the Game Debmar-Mercury’s ‘Ken Jeong’ so far is 2024’s only famous name

By Paige Albiniak palbiniak@gmail.com @PaigeA

Michael Rowe/Getty Images

A

s 2023 comes to a close, syndication’s one big swing for 2024 looks to be Debmar-Mercury’s talker starring and executive produced by Ken Jeong.

Other potential offerings include a true-crime strip from Warner Bros.

Discovery’s Telepictures, one or two shows from Sinclair and possibly new games from CBS Media Ventures and Sony Pictures Television.

It’s early, though, as station groups and studios are making budget decisions before deciding whether to go forward with their latest projects.

Producers and their station partners face a paradox. TV stations have plenty of room for new shows, particularly because many stations are airing repeats of out-of-production shows — such as Judge Judy, Dr. Phil, Maury, Jerry Springer and various court shows — and double- and triple-running these and other programs. But stations don’t feel they can afford to pony up cash for new original fare — especially in low-rated daytime — even though they could clear the space for it.

Producers also are unwilling to bring shows to the market unless there’s a strong sense they can be profitable.

“To be successful, the shows need to be sustainable. The general principle is that you can’t go into this business with blinders on, pretending that there’s a path to success when there isn’t,” Sinclair chief innovation officer Scott Ehrlich said.

28 Broadcastingcable.com

“It’s a math problem,” Fox Television Stations executive VP, programming and development Stephen Brown said. “You have to come up with good [intellectual property] and then you have to back into the number that it’s going to get. You have to be fiscally responsible.”

That’s a marked difference from the days when producers would just take a chance, do some marketing and cross their fingers that daytime viewers would show up and turn their program into a hit.

“Stations are looking at their bottom lines and saying, ‘Why are we paying money for something that’s going to get a 0.1 or 0.2 in the demo?’ ” Brown said.

“The market is what the market is.”

Some Shows Still Get Cash That’s not to say that there are no shows for which stations will pay cash. Cash changes hands for all of the big-name talk shows, including Disney’s Live With Kelly and Mark, NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson, CBS’s Drew Barrymore, Warner Bros.

Discovery’s Jennifer Hudson and DebmarMercury’s Sherri.

Debmar-Mercury thinks stations will pay cash for its project with Ken Jeong, who stars on Fox’s The Masked Singer and I Can See Your Voice. Debmar-Mercury is positioning the show as an afternoon new leadin, and there’s a need for such shows, especially with both Judge Judy and Dr. Phil, former 4 p.m. anchors, exiting original production in the past few years.

“There’s no 4 p.m. show in the marketplace right now that

Ken Jeong’s forthcoming show for Debmar-Mercury looks to be the sole star power-driven syndication entrant for 2024.

someone looks at and says, ‘Wow, that’s my news lead-in,’ ” Debmar-Mercury co-president Ira Bernstein said.

Added Debmar-Mercury co-president Mort Marcus: “There is room for new programs. Stations need shows. The mistake would be if everyone does the lower-tier shows. If you keep taking lowend swings, it’s unlikely you are going to get a big hit.”

Station groups might be willing to ante up for Ken Jeong if any of the current batch of talk shows go away.

Debmar-Mercury’s own Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, was renewed for two seasons last year.

WBD is standing firmly behind Jennifer Hudson, in its second season and on the Fox Television Stations as its launch group.

“We’re building Jennifer Hudson to be a long-term franchise for the studio and our hope is to be in business with her for many years,” Matt Matzkin, executive VP, business operations and production for Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, said.

Veteran talkers Tamron Hall, Drew Barrymore and Kelly Clarkson are all expected to return. That means that all of the space and budget allocated for talk shows on ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC affiliate groups is occupied. That could block Ken Jeong’s entry in 2024.

In the meantime, companies that produce those talk shows are working hard to expand their brands and keep them on the air.

NBCUniversal this season moved Kelly Clarkson to New York City, where it’s produced out of NBC Studios in 30 Rockefeller Center.

Multichannel.com

SYNDICATION

Multichannel.com

A move to 30 Rock in New York breathed new energy into Kelly Clarkson’s daytime talker (above).

Below, Sherri Shepherd’s Sherri earned a twoseason renewal in 2023.

And former CBS distribution executive Scott Koondel is in the market with Judy Justice and possibly Tribunal Justice, both off of Amazon Freevee and created by Judge Judy Sheindlin.

Whether either of the shows will get cleared for 2024 remains unclear, although if they do it is expected to be on an all-barter basis.

Making such a deal a little more difficult is the fact that stations already carrying Judge Judy repeats seem unwilling to rock that boat. “I would not want to mess with something that still is effective for us,” Frank Cicha, executive VP, programming, Fox Television Stations, said.

Also in favor of Judge Judy, which CBS is actively renewing in the market, is that it performs well for stations during political years. The majority of political spending next year will take place in September and October — early in the 2023-24 broadcast season — as campaigns race toward Election Day. While audience fragmentation and the move to streaming has made syndication a far more challenging business,

stations are expanding their platforms while broadcast networks are contracting. The result is that TV stations need more programming than ever, and that need is only expected to grow. Figuring out the best way to finance that is the challenge going forward.

“I would be hard-pressed to say that syndication right now is vibrant but it continues to be relevant,” Sean O’Boyle, executive VP and general sales manager, domestic television distribution, NBCUniversal, said. “As fragmented as the market is, stations still need content.”

Supply and Demand NBCU, under O’Boyle’s leadership, has had a lot of success with repackaged episodes of Dateline and off-network runs of Dick Wolf’s Law & Order and Chicago franchises. It’s exactly the kind of content TV stations are turning to when they can’t afford original, exclusive shows.

“These shows are cost-effective and lots of stations have a need for that sort of programming,” O’Boyle said.

Producers are making other cost-cutting moves as well, such as moving production to places where there is a strong tax credit in place, such as Atlanta.

“We are going to move all or most of our shows to Atlanta,” Fox’s Brown said. “We have to. That’s the trend. That 30% tax break means that when you are talking about an $8 million show, it’s now $6 million. When your margins are that thin, you have to be smart about it.”

Despite the challenges, companies still see opportunities in syndication.

“We are very committed to the syndicated marketplace,” WBD’s Matzkin said.

“From the pandemic to the present day, we are looking for ways to turn creative opportunities into business enterprises that make sense. It’s been an exciting challenge but one that we are here for.”

Said Erlich: “We think that the broadcast platform continues to be a place in which we want to invest and where we want to keep seeing great content coming first. It may take a cocktail of windows to make these shows successful, but that’s life in 2023.” ● Broadcastingcable.com

Kelly Clarkson: Weiss Ewbanks/NBCUniversal; Sherri: Debmar-Mercury

“New York audiences are better for live TV — we’re putting 200 people in the seats every show and Kelly is really feeding off that audience,” Tracie Wilson, executive VP, syndication and E! News, NBCUniversal, said. “It feels joyful when you’re there.”

NBCU also is continuing to back its new conflict talker, Karamo, starring Karamo Brown and now in its second season. The show is up 25% in total viewers and 31% in households compared to last year, according to NBCU research.

“We heard from our clients that creatively they wanted us to up the ante a little bit,” Wilson said. “So we met with Karamo and the production team and we really honed in on how we could keep Karamo distinct to who he is while delivering to stations what they are looking for in this lineup. Stations are really resonating with what we are delivering for them.”

This month, NBCU rolled out new promos for Karamo that include Maury Povich and Steve Wilkos, the three stars of the shows that form NBC’s block of conflict talkers.

Beyond that, Sinclair is preparing to enter the marketplace with one or two shows developed in concert with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation creator Anthony Zuiker. While station groups have seen pitches for three shows from Sinclair, only one or two are likely to go forward this fall, said Ehrlich.

“Part of our challenge is we have so many great show ideas but we have to be realistic about what the shelf space is,” Ehrlich said. “Sinclair has not brought shows to the market like this before, so we want to be thoughtful about how we enter the market.”

WBD has been pitching stations on a true-crime strip. In 2015, Telepictures produced a daily strip called Crime Watch Daily, created and produced by the producers of entertainment magazine Extra.

It aired for three years before it was canceled in 2018 but the website, now called True Crime Daily, has remained active.

Like Crime Watch Daily, the new show comes from Extra’s producers.

29

FATES & FORTUNES

People Notable executives on the move

CBS NEWS AND STATIONS

CHARTER

COMCAST

DISNEY

EFFECTV

John Kelly was named VP of data journalism at CBS News and Stations, overseeing a team of data journalists. He comes from ABC, where he led the data journalism programs for both ABC News and ABC Owned Television Stations.

Charter Communications has named Jamal Haughton as the cable operator’s executive VP, general counsel and corporate secretary, based in Stamford, Connecticut. He served in the same role at Madison Square Garden Entertainment in New York.

Drew Brayford was elevated to senior VP, content acquisition at Comcast Cable. As a VP, Brayford was involved in making deals with Nexstar Media Group, Paramount Global, the NFL and Sinclair and had also been counsel, content distribution, at NBCUniversal.

Hugh F. Johnston was named senior executive VP and chief financial officer of The Walt Disney Co., tasked with leading its worldwide finance organization. He comes from PepsiCo, where he he finished a 34-year career with the food and beverage firm as vice chair and CFO.

Effectv, Comcast Cable’s ad sales division, has named Chris Vail as VP, political sales, heading its political sales unit and its relationships with Comcast Government Affairs and Ampersand. He was head of government, political and omnichannel advertising at Snap.

GREYFOX SERVICES

INNOVID

MAGELLANTV

NBCUNIVERSAL

NBCUNIVERSAL

Eric Williams was elevated to director of operations at Greyfox Services, a Bedford Heights, Ohiobased company providing contract installation and services to cable TV operators. The 27-year veteran had most recently been operations manager.

Seattle-based Innovid has hired Alex Rowe as senior VP, enterprise sales, working with brand and agency clients to provide measurement and creative technologies for converged advertising.

He had been VP of sales at Stackline.

MagellanTV, a New York-based documentary streaming service, has added Rob McEvily as director of marketing. A 20-year veteran, McEvily was most recently director of brand content at Media­ ocean, an omnichannel advertising platform.

Alison Levin has joined NBCUniversal as president, advertising and partnerships, overseeing initiatives across national, local, smalland midsized businesses, Peacock, sports, Olympics and Paralympics. She was Roku’s VP, global ad revenue and marketing solutions.

Karen Kovacs was promoted to president, client partnerships in NBCUniversal’s advertising and partnerships unit, leading all new and emerging client relationships. She was executive VP, client partnerships for the advertising and partnerships unit.

32 Broadcastingcable.com

Multichannel.com

FATES & FORTUNES

BRIEFLY NOTED Other industry execs making moves

POCKET.WATCH

SES

SINCLAIR

SINCLAIR

Kids and family content company Pocket.Watch has added Jeff Siegel as global head of content distribution. He comes from Group Nine Studios, where he was senior VP of program sales and strategy and secured its first Netflix original series, Izzy’s Koala World.

SES has appointed Adel Al-Saleh as CEO of the Luxembourgbased content connectivity solutions provider.

Al-Saleh comes from T-Systems International GmbH, the information technology services subsidiary of telco Deutsche Telecom AG.

Sinclair named Jason Wildenstein as senior VP and general manager of WHP Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a CBS affiliate carrying The CW and MyNetworkTV over digital subchannels. He most recently was VP and GM of WJAC JohnstownAltoona-State College.

Sinclair has also tapped Jason Chavis to succeed Jason Wildenstein as VP and general manager of WJAC JohnstownAltoona-State College, Pennsylvania. He had been general sales manager of the NBC and The CW affiliate.

TENNIS CHANNEL

VIDEOVERSE

WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY

WLS

Neil Roberts was promoted to VP, marketing and brand partnerships, at Los Angeles-based Tennis Channel. One of the Sinclair-owned network’s longest-tenured employees, he signed on with Tennis in 2005 as director of marketing.

Video creation and distribution platform VideoVerse has named Sabya Das president and chief operating officer, tasked with spearheading U.S. growth. He was a partner and founding member at venture-capital firm Moenta Ventures.

Multichannel.com

Robert Oberschelp was named as head of global consumer products at Warner Bros. Discovery.

Formerly head of North America consumer products, he has worked at NBCUniversal and The Walt Disney Co.

ABC-owned WLS Chicago has promoted Ryan Chiaverini to lead sports anchor, succeeding the retiring Jim Rose in that role. He had been weekend sports anchor and had hosted the talk and entertainment show Windy City Live from 2011 to 2021.

Jennifer Garrett was named to the new post of chief marketing officer, Optimum brand, at Altice USA. She was head of marketing for Charter’s Spectrum Business division. … Charter Communications promoted Michelle Powell to senior VP of customer operations and business integration, from VP. … E.W. Scripps named Laurie Asin station manager at ABC affiliate KIVI Boise. She had been general sales manager at Marquee Broadcasting-owned KNIN Boise. … Fox Corp. named Adam Ciongoli chief legal and policy offer. He was general counsel and chief environmental, social and governance officer at Campbell Soup. … Magnite has named Erik Brydges as head of political demand, a new position at the company. Brydges was previously head of political at Micro­ soft Advertising’s Xandr unit.

For more personnel news from the TV, video and connectivity business, visit nexttv.com/fatesand-fortunes.

Broadcastingcable.com

33

FREEZE FRAME

John Landgraf (l.), chairman, FX Networks, and Emma Corrin at the premiere event for FX’s A Murder at the End of the World at New York’s Whitney Museum.

Celebrating the launch of cable network TVMONACO during the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s 16th Planetary Health & Awards Gala at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (l. to r.): Patrice Courtaban, EVP, global growth & business development, TV5MONDE; Elena Serdyuk, CEO, TV5 USA; Prince Albert II of Monaco; and Maguy Maccario Doyle, Monaco’s ambassador to the U.S. and Canada.

At the Strong Women Alliance of LA’s screening of the feature film Tripped Up, sponsored by Spectrum Reach (l. to r.): Ed Watson, former owner, Service Electric N.J.; California Assembly Member Laura Friedman; Ellen Schned, CEO, Strong Women Alliance; and producers Linda Evans and Nina Warren.

At the Hollywood screening for ID’s Lost Women of Highway 20 (l. to r.): Paula Zahn, Octavia Spencer and Jason Sarlanis, president, crime & investigative content, linear and streaming, Warner Bros. Discovery.

36 Broadcastingcable.com

Tara Duncan (l.), president of Onyx Collective, receives The WICT Network Southern California’s LEA Award from Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television, during the 28th Annual LEA Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Multichannel.com

FREEZE FRAME

At the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation’s “Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts” event in New York (back row, l. to r.): Joyce Tudryn, IRTS president and CEO; Heidi Raphael, LABF co-chair; honorees Eric Shanks, Wolf Blitzer, Tony Danza and David Kennedy; emcee Bill Whitaker; and Jack Goodman, LABF co-chair. Front (l. to r.): honorees Valari Dobson Staab, JuJu Chang, Caroline Beasley and Nina Totenberg.

At a New York screening and reception for the Hulu docuseries Drive With Swizz Beatz (l. to r.): Nasir Dean, Angie Martinez, Swizz Beatz and A$AP Ferg.

(From l.): Co-hosts Mara S. Campo, Nancy Grace and Derrick Levasseur celebrate Grace’s birthday on the set of their ID series Crimefeed.

Multichannel.com

At the Los Angeles premiere screening for Netflix’s The Crown (l. to .r): Jonny Lee Miller, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Elizabeth Debicki, Jonathan Pryce and Leslie Manville.

Broadcastingcable.com

Kathy Leister for Philly Chit Chat ; Anthony Behar/PictureGroup for FX; Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for ID; Wendy Moger Bross; Stephanie Diani; Disney/Soul Brother; Netflix

Honoree Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures, on stage at The WICT Network Southern California’s 28th Annual LEA Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

37

DATA MINE

Cable News Insights, Fall 2023 In total, cable news networks* comprised 9.81% of all linear TV network watch-time from Sept. 1 - Nov. 14, a decrease from the combined 10.12% share they had during the same time period in fall 2022.

Comparing fall viewership over the last three years, MSNBC is the only one of the big three that's seen an increase each year.

Rank

Network

1

Fox News

4.54%

from 5.23%

2

MSNBC

1.99%

from 1.73%

3

CNN

1.72%

from 1.76%

4

Newsmax TV

0.57%

from 0.36%

5

CNBC

0.38%

from 0.43%

6

Fox Business

0.33%

from 0.30%

7

NewsNation

0.22%

from 0.28%

8

CSPAN

Fall 2023 share**

0.06%

5%

YoY

4% 3% 2% 1% 0 Fox News Fall 2021

MSNBC Fall 2022

CNN Fall 2023

NewsNation 2.24% CSPAN 0.61% Fox Business 3.36% CNBC 3.87% Newsmax TV 5%

Fox News accounted for nearly half of cable news network watch-time for the fall.

CNN 17.53%

from 0.03%

*Includes Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, Fox Business, Newsmax TV, NewsNation and CSPAN **Share is defined as "of all the live, linear minutes watched Sept. 1-Nov. 14, X% of the time was spent on network/program Y"

Fox News 46.28% MSNBC 20.29%

United States Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (Requester Publications Only) 1. Publication Title

B&C Broadcasting & Cable

13. Publication Title

B&C Broadcasting & Cable

2. Publication Number

66000

14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below

September 23

3. Filing Date

28/09/2023

15.Extent and Nature of Circulation

4. Issue Frequency

Feb, March, April, June, Sept, Dec

5. Number of Issues Published Annually

6

Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months

No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date

6. Annual Subscription Price

US$199.00

a.Total Number of Copies (Net press run)

9235

9275

7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication (Not printer) (Street, city, county, state, and ZIP+4)

Future US Inc. 130 West 42nd Street, 7th Floor New York, NY 10036 Contact Person Cindy Cardinal Telephone 847-438-4577

1

Outside-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541. Include direct written recipient, telemarketing,and Internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer requests, advertiser’s proof copies and exchange copies.)

6203

5586

2

8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher (Not printer)

Future US Inc. 130 West 42nd Street, 7th Floor New York, NY 10036

In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541. Include direct written recipient, telemarketing, and Internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer requests, advertiser’s proof copies and exchange copies.)

3

9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor (Do not leave blank)

Publisher Carmel King 130 West 42nd Street, 7th Floor New York, NY 10036

Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS.

4

Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail)

Editor Kent Gibbons 130 West 42nd Street, 7th Floor New York, NY 10036 Managing Editor Michael Demenchuk 130 West 42nd Street, 7th Floor New York, NY 10036 10. (Do not leave blank If the publication is owned by a corporation, give the name and address of the corporation immediately followed by the names and addresses of all stockholders owning or holding 1 percent or more of the total amount of stock. If not owned by a corporation, give the names and addresses of the individual owners. If owned by a partnership or other unincorporated firm, give its name and address as well as those of each individual owner. If the publication is published by a nonprofit organization, give its name and address.)

Future US Inc. (Future PLC) 130 West 42nd Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10036-7804

11 Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities. If none, check box

None

12. Tax Status (For completion by nonprofit organiza- Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months tions authorized to maiI at nonprofit rates) (Check one). The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes: PS Form 3526-R, July 2014

38 Broadcastingcable.com

b. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail)

c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Sum of 15b. (1), (2),(3),and (4))

6203

5586

2447

2914

e. Total Nonrequested Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3) and (4))

2447

2914

f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c. and 15e.)

8650

8500

g. Copies not Distributed

585

775

h. Total (Sum of 15f and g)

9235

9275

i. P ercent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c divided by 15f x 100) * If you are claiming electronic opies, go to line 16. If you are not claiming electronic copies, skip to line 17.

71.7%

65.7%

16a. Requested and Paid Electronic Copies

865

850

b. Total Requested and Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a)

7068

6436

c. Total Requested Copy Distribution (Line 15f) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a)

9515

9350

d. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print & Electronic Copies) (16b divided by 16c x 100)

74.30%

68.80%

d. NonRequested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail)

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Outside County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (include Sample copies, Requests Over 3 years old, Requests induced by a Premium, Bulk Sales and Requests including Association Requests, Names obtained from Business Directories, Lists, and other sources).

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In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541(include Sample copies, Requests Over 3 years old, Requests induced by a Premium, Bulk Sales and Requests including Association Requests, Names obtained from Business Directories, Lists, and other sources).

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Nonrequested copies Distributed Outside the Mail (Include Pickup Stands, Trade show, Showrooms and Other Sources).

I certify that 50% of all my distributed copies (electronic and print) are legitimate requests or paid copies.

17 Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requester Publication is required and will be printed in the December 2023 issue of this publication.

18. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner Carmel King

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I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

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Multichannel.com

VIEWPOINT

other CTV platforms want to build this sort of ease into their platforms for marketers, they might already be a decade behind.

By Robert Gibbs, Nomology @Robert_Gibbs

It’s Still Early Days

Bite-sized clips, granular targeting and simple buying afford advantages to Alphabet-owned platform

A

curious thing has evolved in the world of digital consumption.

On one side, there’s the rapidly growing world of YouTube, a platform that has carved its niche with consumers globally. On the other side, connected TV (CTV) — anticipated to be the better successor to linear TV — is chugging along slowly.

What gives?

A report by WARC Media a couple of months back shined a light on this slower-than-expected growth. While Generation Z fully embraces streaming, spending almost the same amount of time as on linear TV, the CTV market overall is fragmented. The potential of connected TV is vast, and the projections are certainly bullish.

However, when stacked against YouTube, which is predicted to have 17.4% more ad revenue year-over-year in 2023, the comparison is a stark reminder of the different trajectories of these platforms.

YouTube has become a behemoth not just for the sheer volume of content it hosts, but also for the granularity with which advertisers can target audiences.

YouTube has had years to understand, Multichannel.com

refine and perfect its advertising algorithms, and it shows.

YouTube Shorts, and the bite-sized video content it provides for younger, shorter attention spans, is another advantage that CTV providers haven’t been able to match. If marketers have learned anything from the past 25 years of advertising on interactive platforms, it’s that the attention marketplace rewards shorter bites.

The younger audiences and premium demographics so many marketers want to reach spend more time on TikTok than on Netflix, Prime Video and all other CTV platforms combined. As most parents of teens can attest, it’s rare for a teenager to sit through a 90-minute movie without simultaneously scrolling through social channels.

At any given time, roughly 50,000 campaign flights are active on YouTube.

Most of them are paid for by credit card. YouTube simplifies the ad-buying process more effectively than any other platform. It aggregates a nearly infinite amount of video content while enabling marketers, even those as small as local supermarkets, to target messaging as narrowly as they’d like. If

Robert Gibbs is CEO of advertising technology firm Nomology.

the other side of that screen?

The evolution from linear to CTV might not be the revolution many expected. But in advertising, where content appears matters most. While CTV promises mass reach, YouTube actually provides it while also offering context. For brands to navigate this landscape, they need to recognize the inherent strengths and limitations of the platforms. It’s not enough to know where the audience is. Advertisers need to know exactly who they are.

Whether CTV can catch up to YouTube remains to be seen. Understanding and relevance will drive the future. ● Broadcastingcable.com

Nikos Pekiaridis/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Why CTV Is Playing Catch-Up to YouTube In the Ad Game

The CTV landscape is still in its infancy. Just 20 years ago, Netflix’s primary business was sending out DVDs in red envelopes — a practice it finally shuttered in September. What may seem archaic is actually pretty recent.

Overall, the clarity with which brands can engage on platforms like YouTube is missing on CTV platforms.

It's not just about scale, though that's certainly a factor. It's also about the nuance of delivery. When advertising on CTV, brands reach households, but what about individuals? Can the advertiser be sure which viewer is on

39

THE XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX FIVE SPOT

Bill Abbott

President & CEO, Great American Media Family friendly network’s chief rides strong momentum into a busy holiday season

Show Name Italics: Company/Studio Regular; Show Name Italics: Company/Studio Regular

I

BONUS FIVE

t's the holiday season, and few cable executives are more focused on spreading holiday cheer on the small screen as Great American Media president and CEO Bill Abbott.

With Great American Media’s Great American Family network amid its third annual “Great American Christmas” slate of holiday-themed original programming, Abbott, a former CEO of Hallmark Channel, has the family-friendly programming-focused network on a roll. Great American Family says it posted a 136% increase in total viewers from the year-ago period.

Abbott recently spoke to B+C Multichannel News senior content producer, programming R. Thomas Umstead about the network’s momentum, the rationale behind its June merger with Sony Entertainment’s Pure Flix streaming service and his thoughts on the business heading into the new year.

To what do you attribute the network’s increased growth in viewership over the past year? I think consistency wins, and we’re in a lane that is certainly underserved. When you’re able to be consistent in an area that has a need, you have the ability to be very successful. I think so much of entertainment is filling voids in the market, and I think that’s been the biggest piece of our success.

Why did you pursue a deal for the Pure Flix streaming service and how does it enhance Great American Family’s brand? We’re thrilled that Sony felt

40 40 Broadcastingcable.com Broadcastingcable.com

All-time favorite show? I Love Lucy Shows on your DVR? My DVR is 99% full all of the time, but when I do get to sit down and watch it’s predominantly CNBC shows and a lot of sports.

Vacation destination? Tahiti or Bora Bora.

Books on your nightstand?

Success Is a Choice: Ten Steps to Overachieving in Business and Life

by Rick Pitino

strong enough about what we were doing and recognized that Pure Flix would be a great addition to the Great American Family. Pure Flix is a service that was started before streaming was cool, and the founders of it showed great vision in identifying this space and identifying this opportunity. Now it’s our privilege to build on that and broaden it, and make it even more of that destination for faith and family content.

Much as you did at Hallmark, why have you put a major emphasis on holiday programming at GAF?

All-time favorite Christmas movie?

A Christmas …

Present with Candace Cameron Bure.

I think holiday programming really exemplifies what is so much a part of families — celebrations, special moments and the positivity and gathering together. It’s kind of that ultimate viewing time of the year when people are celebrating together and very much thinking about family. Christmas programming is central to being the leading provider in faith-and-family content and a very important part of what we do.

GAF’s programming has been criticized for not featuring enough diverse characters and storylines. What do you say to the network’s detractors regarding diversity? I think that as our company is evolving, we are becoming much more diverse. We have some terrific projects in 2024 that we are extremely excited about that feature a pool of [diverse] talent, from Karen Abercrombie to Percy Bell and Stacey Patino, who we believe are going to be big stars. They’re in an original series called County Rescue. I believe as people learn about our programming offerings moving forward in 2024, a lot of that criticism will go away. We are very focused on it, and we’re proud of what we have coming up.

How do you see the business evolving in 2024? I think we’re going to see bundling become a big piece of how the streaming model becomes profitable, along with more consolidation. I think streaming is very challenged in terms of churn and other dynamics that exist that make it very hard to be profitable.

I also think the AVOD piece will become much bigger. What’s old is new, and the old model of the cable bundle with advertising is in all likelihood going to rule the day because that’s the most profitable model, and we have to pay for content to get produced. Quality content will always have a home, and viewers will always pay for quality content, so it’s just figuring out how to best package and position things for success. ● Multichannel.com Multichannel.com

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