Upfront

And so a grand experiment this truly was. My thanks again to Chuck Ross for being the blogmaster.

This indeed is the final entry in what was designed to be a “limited run series.” Figured I should end it before it gets canceled. Besides, the timing is perfect. … Next week cable heats up big time.

I hope my comments were taken with the good humor and collegial ribbing that was intended … some yucks and some thought starters.

So why has the pace of this UF threatened to turn my blog into a World Wide Web version of “War and Peace”?

Sure, ya can point to the “live” debate, digi ops, pricing tug ‘o war, uf/scatter hedging, etc. But I really think it’s about two fundamentals:

* The buying community was determined to take as much control of the UF process as possible — and much like the team with the BBall, they are playing a slow-down offense … and why not?
*
* This pace gives advertisers more time to analyze their business realities and make adjustments accordingly.

So, those of us on the sell side simply need to be patient (we really don’t do that too well) and run a strong marathon.

To my colleagues, friends and worthy competitors, have a fruitful upfront and a safe, enjoyable summer.

BLOG ON (CLAP, CLAP) BLOG OFF (CLAP, CLAP) THE BLOGGER.