Ad Agencies See a Window to Alter the Business of Television

AGENCIES SEE A WINDOW TO ALTER THE BUSINESS OF TELEVISION
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stuart Elliott]
Madison Avenue, assessing the aftermath of the writers’ strike, is optimistic that there can be long-term benefits from the disruptions suffered during the 2007-8 broadcast TV season. For one, they would welcome the adoption of a year-round television season rather than the September-to-May schedule now followed by the broadcasters (ABC, CBS, CW, Fox and NBC). Also high on the agencies’ priority list is persuading the broadcast networks to change their venerable policy of selling commercial time ahead of the fall season, in what is called the upfront market, only in the spring. The executives hope that if year-round programming is possible, so, too, is a more flexible upfront.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/business/media/12adco.html?ref=todayspaper
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