Broadcast TV still Go-to Community Medium

A Q&A with Maria Luisa Francoli, CEO of Havas Media North America and its MPG Global subsidiary.

She says media that cater to communities - be they based on geography or personal interest - will get an increasing share of ad dollars. And TV stations are all part and parcel of that. Francoli is a key driver in multiplatform media planning at the agency, which had $2.7 billion in U.S. billings in 2009, and she'd like to see more effective offerings by stations across the various platforms. And while she has a big-picture mandate, she expresses a keen appreciation for what smaller market TV stations offer clients. She also would like see improvements in how station audiences are measured. One answer may be the viewing data for set-top boxes, but that, she says, is still far from perfect. And like other media buyers, she is eager to take some of the cost out of buying all media.