End of Year Plans

OneDomain's Birmingham HQ will be closed early Friday afternoon and will re-open on Tuesday, January 3rd.

I'll be offline for a good portion of this weekend, as I'll be changing the cooling fluid in the RDRx Supercomputer. (Really!)

The photo to the left is 2 years old.. see the bright green color of the tubes?
You know it's time to change the coolant in your supercomputer when your cat begins to sit on top of it instead of the heated catbed next to it.

Notice the brackish color of the cooling fluid in the computer below Cobi?

Hartford & Springfield Get November Data

The following 2 NSI markets will be released in Local Monthlies today (Tuesday, December 27, 2011) between 9:00pm - 11:00pm ETZ.

133 Hartford & New Haven
143 Springfield-Holyoke

They are the 209th and 210th market to get November Sweeps.

New Year's NFL Teams: Dallas Cowboys @ NY Giants

Air Date: 01/01/2012 Sunday
Start Time: 08:15:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Duration: 03:15:00
Type: Announcements
Message: Teams announced for this night: Dallas Cowboys @ NY Giants. Please see updated contingencies.

KPNX+: First Draft of 1Q2012 Estimates Completed

When my new clients at KPNX+ come into work on Tuesday morning, senior sales management will find a 22 page PDF of the newly revised audience estimates awaiting their approval. Once given, I'll publish the new selling book for sales use.

While I have a moment, here's something to give new clients a head start.

RDRx client stations are best served when ODI Research has access to the following station information:

* A copy of the Media Kit sent out to all agencies and rep firms. Oh, and I wear XL t-shirts with logos of my clients proudly.

* A copy of your current rate card, with the actual rates removed. We only handle currencies from Nielsen and Rentrak, not the US Treasury.

* A listing of all regional and local specials, such as pageants, parades, telethons, etc. I probably don't know about the Pet Parade or Miss Mudd City.

* If your RDRx service includes sports, a listing of all your local/regional/syndicated sports events, specials or programs, as well as sources for updates of teams/times/dates.

* Please add us to traffic email lists that include urgent alerts about changing programming, but if you copy us with everything, it's possible we might miss something you know is important, but we don't.

* Give Maria a call in New York City and ask her to add your station to OneDomain Research's encrypted APT account. This is essential if you are not in Eastern Time Zones in a state that uses Daylight Savings Time.

* Ask your station IT department to share a document folder on the MediaOffice server with the desktop computers of senior sales management, so they can access all reports and planners created for their station by RDRx with ease.

* Remind your sales staff that RSS alerts are available from NothingButChange.com, notifying them via PC, iPhone and Android smartphones each time this website is updated.

Santa Delivers Nice Ratings for Christmas Night NFL

NBC says:

NEW YORK – December 26, 2011 – The Packers secured home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with their dominating 35-21 victory over the Bears at historic Lambeau Field on Christmas night on Sunday Night Football. Last night’s game earned a 12.6 overnight rating and a 25 share, according to overnight data released today by The Nielsen Company.

Bears-Packers produced the highest overnight rating for a game played on Christmas night since 1995 (Cowboys-Cardinals, 14.0/28 on ABC). The 12.6 for last night’s game is one percent higher than the last game played on Christmas night (Eagles-Cowboys, 12.5/29 on Christmas 2006 on NBC), and 19 percent higher than the Christmas night game in 2000 (Cowboys-Titans, 10.6/21 on ABC). Last year’s Week 16 game (Vikings-Eagles, 15.2/24) was an anomaly, played on a Tuesday night due to a snow postponement.

TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR BEARS-PACKERS:

1. Milwaukee, 45.8/73
2. Chicago, 29.2/55
3. New Orleans, 20.7/32
4. Las Vegas, 18.5/33
5. Minneapolis, 17.9/37
6. Nashville, 17.3/28
7. Albuquerque, 16.6/29
8. Greenville/Spartanburg, 15.5/25
9. Norfolk, 14.8/26
10. Richmond, 14.7/25

Holiday Hours for RDRx

OneDomain's HQ in Birmingham will be closed at Noon today, and will re-open on Tuesday, December 27th.

This is only the second year since 1998 that I've not had clients still waiting for November sweep results on Christmas Eve, and the first time ever it's been completed days before.

However on December 26th, RDRx will begin work on KPNX inventory and estimates, so when their sales team returns to work on Tuesday, we'll have a head start on Fiscal Year 2012.

May the spirit of Peace and Kindness be with you. I'm going to spend part of Christmas listening to Amahl and The Night Visitors for the last time.

GOP Primary Debate on Meet The Press on January 8th

Air Date: 01/08/2012 Sunday
Start Time: 10:00:00 AM [ET]
Show Name: OPTIONAL NETWORK OFFERING
Duration: 00:30:00
Type: New Booking
Message: MEET THE PRESS will host a Republican primary debate from Concord, New Hampshire on 1/8/12. The debate will be 90 minutes in duration with the first hour airing nationally on Meet The Press. The final half-hour will be available to NBC stations on an optional basis. All inventory in this optional half-hour has been reserved for your local inventory. Please review the format for this optional half-hour. Please advise clearance.

Based on the ratings I've seen for GOP debates thus far in December 2011, the local spots in the optional half hour should be valuable.

RDRx clients will get this updated on Thursday morning.

State of The Union Address Takes Tues 1/24 Prime

Posted: 12/19/2011 03:38:59 PM
Type: Announcements
Message: NBC News will provide live coverage of the STATE OF THE UNION address on Tuesday 1/24/12. Scheduling details to be announced by approximately 12/22/11.

Chattanooga, Here It Comes!

In about 8 hours, ODI computers in Birmingham will complete the transformation of Chattanooga DMA November 2011 data provided to third-party vendors by Nielsen into encrypted MediaOffice data files, then transferred overnight to my client.

By tomorrow evening, WRCB will have a draft copy of a Master Planner with November 11 based shares for review and approval. Once sales management approves my estimates, the results will be published for use by sales.

Later this week, WRCB sales will have not only WRCB's thousands of estimates updated, but will find the ABC, CBS and Fox station competitive updated and a master planner created for each.

It's an honor to work with gentlemen like Ralph Flynn.

NBC's After 5pm Christmas Bonus To Stations

Posted: 12/16/2011 05:00:09 PM
Air Date: 12/21/2011 Wednesday
Start Time: 09:00:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: NBC SPECIALS
Duration: 01:00:00
Type: New Booking
Message: A MICHAEL BUBLE CHRISTMAS is booked.

(and a lot more)
By the way, take a close look at the Press Release copy regarding this announcement. Look carefully at the date and time listed in the copy:

UPDATES-NBC PRIMETIME SCHEDULE - Wednesday December 21, 2011 - Friday January 6, 2012

"NBC SPECIALS"

(X) "A MICHAEL BUBLE CHRISTMAS"

12/21/2011 (09:00PM - 10:00PM) (Wednesday) : A MICHAEL BUBLÉ CHRISTMAS - Michael Bublé will host his first holiday variety show in a star studded special airing on Tuesday, December 6th from 8-9 pm ET. The multi-Grammy Award winning Canadian will sing songs from his new Christmas album including such classics as "White Christmas, "Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Feliz Navidad," and "Jingle Bells," and will be joined by guest stars Justin Bieber, Kellie Pickler, Thalia, Oscar the Grouch, The Puppini Sisters and Naturally 7. The special will also include comedy shorts featuring Bublé and NBC stars Tracy Morgan and Ed Helms. "A Michael Bublé Christmas" is produced by Brad Lachman Productions and Electus.

Pre-Show Scheduling Spreads

Posted: 12/14/2011 01:19:31 PM
Air Date: 01/22/2012 Sunday
Start Time: 03:00:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: NBC SPORTS SPECIALS
Duration: 00:30:00
Type: New Booking
Message: DEW TOUR COUNTDOWN is booked. Please see format tab for further details. Clearances assumed based on previously advised clearances for this time period, unless otherwise notified.

Posted: 12/14/2011 01:18:20 PM
Air Date: 01/22/2012 Sunday
Start Time: 03:30:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: NBC SPORTS SPECIALS
Duration: 01:30:00
Type: Time Change
Message: PROGRAM TIME AND TITLE CHANGE: Winter Dew Tour (orig. sked 3:00-5:00pm ET) moves to 3:30-5:00pm ET. Also, the title changes to WINTER DEW TOUR: PANTECH INVT'L. Please see show details for duration change and format tab for revised format. Clearances assumed based on previously advised clearances for this time period, unless otherwise notified.

There are others slowly emerging from Rock Center this week. RDRx Gold clients are being changed now.

November Sweeps Data Arrives This Week

Diary markets get their first look at how they did in November Sweeps this week. While HH metered markets have a clue, and LPM markets have nearly all the data, all the time, diary measured markets must wait until the full Sweep data is released.

If you are an NBC station in a diary market, you know how important it is to turn the Sweeps data into usable, marketable estimates as soon as possible.

RDRx Gold clients get updated Master Planners based on new sweeps data the same day as data arrives. Even if your competition has a full-time RD, it's unlikely they will beat you to the streets or bragging rights.

For more information about RDRx, please visit RDRx.TV

NBC Sports "Pre-Game" Shows Expand To Winter Dew

If you've seen the ratings for the "pre-games" airing before NBC golf and Dew Sports this summer, you might let rotators fill this inventory.

Posted: 12/13/2011 04:56:42 PM
Air Date: 12/18/2011 Sunday
Start Time: 02:00:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: NBC SPORTS SPECIALS
Duration: 00:30:00
Type: New Booking
Message: WINTER DEW TOUR PREGAME is booked. Please see format tab further details. Clearances assumed based on previously advised clearances for this time period, unless otherwise notified.

Please note the amount of advance notice.

NFL Honors Booked 2/4

NBC has just replaced two hours of the night before the Superbowl with an NFL special. In addition, they've changed their plans to use the Pro Bowl the week before as a lead-in to Up All Night.. so that OTO event has been removed from client inventories as well.

From publication on APT to the inventory and estimates being updated on RDRx client servers.. less than 20 minutes.

RDRx Clients Have 2Q Golf Inventory & Estimates

Posted: 12/07/2011 04:34:12 PM
Air Date: 05/12/2012 Saturday
Start Time: 01:30:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: GOLF
Duration: 00:30:00
Type: New Booking
Message: THE 2012 SECOND QUARTER GOLF package is booked on the following dates: 5/12, 5/13, 5/26, 5/27, 6/14, 6/15, 6/16, and 6/17. In addition, Golf is possible on Monday 5/14 and Monday 6/18 if the tournaments scheduled for the Sundays preceding these dates is not completed or ends in a tie.

Second Quarter Golf Appears Slowly in APT

The printer here is getting a workout this week from all of the sports changes NBC is making to Contingencies.

I did get a chuckle out of one item listed this morning... listed "TENT".

French Open Returns.. despite no Wimbledon on NBC.

05/27/2012 Sunday 12:00:00 PM [ET] FRENCH OPEN TENNIS 03:00:00 New Booking
The 2011 French Open Tennis package is now booked on the following dates: 5/27, 6/2, 6/3, 6/8, 6/9 and 6/10. Please see contingency plans for details and impact to other dayparts. Please advise clearance.

Thursday Prime for 12/29 and 1/5 Posted

The hour vacated by Prime Suspect will be filled with Office and Up All Night encores.

RDRx clients have already been updated.

Many Changes to Winter/Spring Sports Specials

Looks like someone got a signed contract back from Red Bull..

" [ 25 New Message(s) Today ] "

The nice folks at NBC are still dribbling out these changes, so I'll wait till it stops, then catch up for my clients in two time zones.

Getting To Know A New Market By Numbers Alone

While I'm not exactly like "Tank" from "The Matrix," thirty plus years of studying broadcast ratings allows me to see things in Nielsen data that others may not.

Every market gets a "bad book" from time to time.. bad geographic distribution of diaries, etc. But if you have the ability to look back at 40 or so sweeps, it's pretty hard to come up with excuses or blame for long-standing trends.