In Oprah's Own Words: Why I'm Stopping my Daily Syndicated Show

Oprah Winfrey put out a press release as to why she is leaving her syndicated show in September, 2011. It's pretty much the same words she delivered at the end of her show on Friday, Nov. 20, 2009:

After much prayer and months of careful thought, I have decided that next season, Season 25, will be the last season of The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Over the next couple of days, you may hear a lot of speculation in the press about why I am making this decision now...and that will mostly be conjecture.

So I wanted you to hear this directly from me.
Twenty-four years ago, on September 8, 1986, I went live from Chicago to launch the first national Oprah Winfrey Show. I was beyond excited...and as you all might expect, a little nervous. I knew then what a miraculous opportunity I had been given, but I certainly never could have imagined the "yellow brick road" of blessings that have led me to this moment with you.

These years with you, our viewers, have enriched my life beyond all measure. And you all have graciously invited me into your living rooms, into your kitchens and into your lives. And for some of you longtime Oprah viewers, you have literally "grown up" with me—we've grown together. You had your families, and you raised your children and you left a spot for me in your morning or your afternoon, depending on when The Oprah Show airs in your town.

So I just wanted to say that whether you've been here with me from the beginning or you came on board last week, I want you all to know that my relationship with you is one that I hold very dear. And your trust in me, the sharing of your precious time every day with me has brought me the greatest joy I have ever known.

So here we are, halfway through the season, 24, and it still means as much to me to spend an hour every day with you as it did back in 1986. So why walk away and make next season the last?

Here is the real reason: I love this show. This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it's time to say good-bye.

Twenty-five years feels right in my bones and it feels right in my spirit. It's the perfect number—the exact right time. So I hope that you will take this 18-month ride with me right through to the final show.

Over this holiday break, my team and I will be brainstorming new ways that we can entertain you and inform you and uplift you when we return here in January. And then Season 25—we are going to knock your socks off.

So, the countdown to the end of The Oprah Winfrey Show starts now and until that day in 2011 when it ends, I intend to soak up every meaningful, joy-filled moment with you.#

Tivo Teams With Miller Beer to Messages While Fast Forwarding Through Content

By Jeremy Mullman
Advertising Age

In watching the chaos that time-shifted, ad-skipping viewing has rained down on primetime TV advertisers in recent years, many beer-marketing executives have expressed relief, roughly paraphrased, in something like these terms: "Thank goodness most of our budgets are tied up in sports, where we don't have to worry about all that."

But a first-of-its-kind deal between MillerCoors and TiVo suggests those concerns are finally reaching sports marketers' radar. The deal calls for Coors Light's branding and messaging to appear on TiVo viewers' screens whenever they are deleting, pausing, fast-forwarding or rewinding NFL content.

 MillerCoors describes the deal as a complement to its long-running status as the official beer of the NFL, a platform from which it bombards football fans with those fake press-conference ads starring former NFL coaches, rather than as insurance in case those ads get skipped.

"We don't look at it as an either-or question, because the consumer is in the middle," said Jackie Woodward, VP-marketing services. "We're looking at it as another way to engage consumers with Coors Light's official sponsorship [as the NFL's official beer]."

Pro sports are far less prone to time-shifting than other types of programming. Only 20% of first-run football viewing is done on a time-shifted basis, according to TiVo StopWatch data. That's half of the 40% rate for all viewing, and only a third of the 61% afflicting primetime.

"It's true that sports are much less time-shifted than anything other than news," said Todd Juenger, TiVo's VP-general manager for audience, research and measurement. "But it's 20%, and that's not zero."

Mr. Juenger also noted that there are key differences between the ways viewers use time-shifting with sports. While primetime programming might sit in a DVR for days before being watched, 91% of sports time-shifting occurred during a single day, and 77% occurred with an hour.

And the average time-shifter hits the pause button 5.5 times per broadcast, which suggests they're hitting pause while they get up for a beer, a bathroom run or some housework, and likely skipping ads as they try to catch up to the action in real time.

Under this deal, TiVo users will be prompted with an opportunity to visit a Coors Light NFL Showcase, which will feature behind-the-scenes footage from the press-conference ads, consumer-generated versions of those ads and information on promotions, such as the brewer's long-running Super Bowl ticket giveaway.

The deal covers every NFL game through the Super Bowl, which means consumers could theoretically find themselves looking at Coors Light branding while rewinding for another look at an Anheuser-Busch spot. (A-B is the only brewer with commercial time during the Super Bowl broadcast, although Coors Light is the big game's official beer.) #

It's Official: Oprah to End Syndie Run in 2011

Oprah Winfrey will end her syndicated talk show in September 2011, concluding a 25-year run, according to ABC News.

Winfrey is scheduled to make the announcement tomorrow on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which is produced by her Harpo Productions and distributed by CBS Television Distribution.

It is anticipated that Winfrey will announce her future plans on that show as well.

In a statement, CBS Television Distribution said, "We have the greatest respect for Oprah and wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors. We know that anything she turns her hand to will be a great success. We look forward to working with her for the next several years, and hopefully afterwards as well."

The ABC News site carries the full text of a statement Harpo President Tim Bennett sent to TV stations that carry the program. It follows below.

-- Tom Gilbert

TIM BENNETT STATEMENT:

Dear Friends:

Over the past several weeks, my team and I have had conversations with many of you to help address your questions about the future of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Of course, the one question we couldn't answer was the one that only Oprah could. And tomorrow, she will do just that.

But before she speaks to her loyal viewers, we wanted to share her decision first with you - our valued partners for more than two decades.

Tomorrow, Oprah will announce live on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that she has decided to end what is arguably one of the most popular, influential and enduring programs in television history. The sun will set on the "Oprah" show as its 25th season draws to a close on September 9, 2011.

We welcome you to share this news this evening with your colleagues and viewers. As we all know, Oprah's personal comments about this on tomorrow's live show will mark an historic television moment that we will all be talking about for years to come.

We want to thank you for the partnership and friendship we have shared over the years. Your invaluable support has helped us to create the phenomenon of the "Oprah Show" that we've all been so proud to be a part of for the last 24 years. My staff and I will be calling all of you directly tonight and tomorrow. We look forward to speaking with you.

And, if you think the last quarter century has been something, then "don't touch that dial" as together we plan to make history in the next 20 months ... and beyond.

Yours sincerely,

Tim Bennett

President, Harpo, Inc.

Press Release: Spot Runner Launches Malibu Media Platform

NOTE: THIS IS A COPY OF A PRESS RELEASE PUT OUT BY SPOT RUNNER

Web-Based Platform Streamlines and Enhances Process of Selling and Buying TV Advertising
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Spot Runner today announced the launch of the Malibu Media Platform, a web-based technology platform that improves the process of buying and selling television advertising to benefit media sellers, ad agencies and their clients. Malibu offers media sellers an effective way to reach, sell and service media buyers while offering media buyers a more efficient way to find, buy and measure television advertising.

"We are very proud to launch the Malibu Media Platform. Over the last two years, through hundreds of meetings, media owners and ad agencies have provided detailed input on the development of the product, critical insight about the intricacies of the advertising ecosystem and feedback about how technology can improve their businesses," said Gus Warren, general manager of Media Platforms at Spot Runner. "With their guidance, we have created a platform that incorporates how the marketplace works today as well as where it is headed in the future."

The process of media buying and selling has become much more complex, which has created the need for new technology solutions. This is primarily due to:

An increased number of television networks and amount of ad inventory. In 1980, there were 11 national networks and 18 million national and local TV spots. Today there are over 125 national networks and over 12 billion TV spots.
An exponential rise in measurement data -- from thousands of homes in 1980 to millions of homes with household level set-top box data today.
A significantly larger base of national television advertisers. In 1980, there were approximately 600 national advertisers but today, there are more than 3,000.

Malibu enables media sellers and buyers to better manage increasing market complexities and scale their businesses. It provides end-to-end support for all aspects of the buying and selling process, including:

Controlling inventory and pricing
Creating campaigns and orders
Submitting and clearing creative
Generating and confirming trafficking instructions
Delivering on-demand campaign reports
Managing credit and invoicing

The platform is based on the core tenet that media sellers preserve control over inventory, pricing and buyer relationships and buyers preserve their buying power on behalf of clients.

In addition, Malibu helps media sellers reach more buyers by allowing them to easily promote and sell their inventory to a broader base of clients, sell more inventory by enabling buyers to purchase a greater breadth and depth of inventory across both TV and online video and provide clients with superior service throughout the entire campaign lifecycle.

Malibu helps media buyers find inventory faster by streamlining inventory search, discovery and selection, increase efficiency by allowing them to manage all aspects of a campaign through a single, web-based platform and offer better strategic insight to clients by providing sophisticated data analysis across proprietary and third party data sets.

"Spot Runner's goal has always been to bring technology solutions to the traditional advertising market. Since our launch in 2006, we have focused on collaborating with the industry. Malibu is a great example of this approach," said John Gentry, president of Spot Runner. "We have invested a significant amount of time and resources to bring this platform to market. The launch of Malibu is a major milestone and represents a significant opportunity for the company."

VIDEO: Why We Love Jon Stewart: He's Smart AND Sassy (Seen Here Interviewing Lou Dobbs)

Media Agencies to Nielsen: Do Not Not Make Your Scheduled Change in Local TV Meseasurement

By Brian Steinberg
Advertising Age

The American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's) has written a blistering letter to Nielsen, the media measurement firm, over a decision to change the metric upon which ad deals for local TV ads are transacted.

Since late June, Nielsen has been exploring ways to improve the rating of local-TV broadcasts to take into account viewers who watch shows minutes or days later with a digital video recorder. Unlike national TV networks, which make use of commercial ratings, known as C3, that measure what portion of viewers do not skip past advertising, local TV outlets are not judged in a similar way due to several technical glitches that make doing so difficult. So local TV is still judged on program ratings, not how many people watch the advertising.

Earlier this month, Nielsen disclosed that it would soon substitute a "live-plus-same-day" measurement for local viewership, replacing the traditional "live" metric, to take into account viewers who watch specific programs either live or within 24 hours of their airing. The decision has raised vehement objections from several top media-buying executives.

"Nielsen can publish whatever new forms of data it desires. However, you must restore the 'live' stream which you have elected to eliminate as a buying option for the media community," wrote Marc Goldstein, chairman of the Media Policy Committee of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, in a letter to Nielsen Media Research Chairman Susan Whiting that was reviewed by Advertising Age. "We ask that you get out of the way of the negotiating process and let buyers and sellers operate on a free market basis."

Mr. Goldstein is also president-CEO of the North American operations of WPP's Group M.

In an interview Tuesday before the 4A's letter came to light, Sara Erichson, Nielsen's president-media client services, North America, said Nielsen took pains to hear the concerns of all sides involved, but that in the end, penetration of DVRs is quickly changing the ways in which viewers watch programs. "The contrasts are really extreme," she said. "If you show programs side-by-side, they'll look the same in terms of who they reach and how many they reach on live, but then they'll look very different by age, by income and by total number of people reached if you go by playback."

A Nielsen spokesperson declined to comment on the letter, which it received Wednesday morning.

Nielsen is slated to change over to "live-plus-same-day" measurement of local TV viewing starting in January 2010, and said it would still make live data available to those clients who want it. Buyers argue that the data would now have to be customized, which could raise the fees they pay the measurement company.

TV stations and their owners are likely to applaud the move. "DVR penetration is growing, and it's going to continue to grow, and those live ratings are going to continue to be less meaningful," said Susan Cuccinello, senior VP-research, Television Bureau of Advertising, a trade organization that represents station owners. "I believe 20% of playback is occurring in the first five minutes, 42% in the first hour. That's valuable viewership, and we feel advertisers and agencies should consider giving us credit for that."

Top ad-buying executives, however, believe the move takes away their ability to measure the best viewers possible: people watching TV shows live, who are likely not skipping past the ads.

"We have been huge advocates of live and believe it is the closest measurement that exists to commercial ratings," said John Muszynski, chief investment officer of SMGX, part of Publicis Groupe's Starcom MediaVest Group.

"I know the TV stations want [live-plus-same-day]. It gives them a bigger number, which means their prices go up. But it's not a more accurate representation of what the true audience is behind the commercials," he added. By implementing the new measurement, he said, "you're basically forcing us to look for ways to revalue the marketplace."

Another media buying executive spoke in even stronger terms. "If we went from live to live-plus-same-day, which is what Nielsen is proposing to replace the live stream with in prime time, [for] the first couple of weeks of the season, the ratings would go up about 13%. But we know of that 13%, 60% to 70% of it is time-skipped," said Rino Scanzoni, chief investment officer at GroupM. "Our clients would be paying for program exposures that are not generating commercial exposure."

Mr. Scanzoni suggested further action against Nielsen could be possible.

The dust-up between buyers, sellers and Nielsen is indicative of the confusion resulting in the ad industry as marketers and agencies try to get more precise detail on how consumers are interacting with media in an era of fast-developing technology. Media executives and ad buyers both suggest that current measurement techniques are not granular enough for advertisers, who have become less interested in the sprawling masses that watch entertainment and more focused on specific subsets of viewers who demonstrate more obvious interest with programs and the ads that support them -- particularly as the web makes tracking audience response easier than TV does.

This burgeoning fracas also comes as local TV stations, often heavily dependent on auto advertising, have been savaged by the recent economic malaise as well as competing digital media that woo away viewers and advertisers.

HERE IS THE FULL TEXT OF 4A's LETTER TO NIELSEN:

November 18, 2009

Ms. Susan Whiting
Chairman
Nielsen Media Research
770 Broadway
New York, New York 10003

Dear Ms. Whiting:

As the Chairman of the 4A's Media Policy Committee, and on behalf of members of the association's Local TV / Radio and Media Research Committees, I want to express my absolute displeasure and disappointment with your recent decision regarding local broadcast ratings.

Your total disregard for the expressed concerns of local broadcast media buyers, coupled with your adamant refusal to recognize our point of view is totally unacceptable. Rather than maintain Nielsen's traditional role as an "honest broker" of data and information, you have instead chosen to insert yourselves in the buy/sell process and in so doing you have sacrificed your credibility.

We do not quibble with your desire or the local stations' desire to publish "live + same day" data. This is not about the acceptance of new technologies or the inclusion of time-shifted viewing. It's about your corresponding decision to eliminate a stream of ratings desired by the buying community that places you at the center of a dialogue between those two parties. Simply put, you do not belong there. This is a debate between media buyers and sellers concerning which data stream are used in negotiations. Nielsen is supposed to be a disinterested third party who provides data to fuel the debate. But Nielsen has now taken sides and in so doing your objectivity and perception in the marketplace has been sullied.

As I said, Nielsen can publish whatever new forms of data it desires. However, you must restore the "live" stream which you have elected to eliminate as a buying option for the media community.

We ask that you get out of the way of the negotiating process and let buyers and sellers operate on a free market basis.

Sincerely,

Marc Goldstein
President and CEO, N.A., Group M and Chair, 4A's Media Policy Committee

Creative Media Partnership Between History Channel and Boxing Title Match to Promote a TV Series

By Chuck Ross

As clients put more and more pressure on their media agencies to figure out how to break through an ever increasingly crowded media environment, it becomes imcumbent on those who work on the planning side to think out-of-the-box.

That's almost a cliche these days, but it's far easier said than done.

Here's a most recent example of out-of-the-box thinking that sounds smart.

The set-up: The History Channel has this pretty cool show called "Pawn Stars." For those who haven't seen it, think "American Chopper" meets "Antiques Roadshow." It all about the goings on at the Gold and Silver pawn shop in Las Vegas.

The show features three generations of the Harrisons: Granddad Richard, who started the pawn shop, his son Rick, and Rick's son Corey.

As you may have guessed, the show skews male.

The question then becomes: What's a good way to promote this show to its target demo.

That was basically the challenge put to Horizon Media by Ann Marie Granite, History's Director of Consumer Media, and her boss, Chris Moseley, Senior Vice President of Marketing for History.

Moseley, who has won just about every marketing award out there, is a long-time veteran of some great promo campaigns she did for the Hallmark Channel, and before that at Discovery Communications.

As Granite and Moseley explained to me the other day, the idea is to present the History Channel as an entertainment brand that delivers substance and real information.

So here's what Horizon came up with: "Pawn Stars," which has new episodes starting Nov. 30th, has hooked up with Top Rank to sponsor the Nov. 14th world championship welterweight boxing match, in Vegas, between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.

Horizon worked with The Leverage Agency, Top Rank's brand marketing and sales agency, to do the deal.

According to the History announcement, "Pawn Stars" will sponsor the 'Tale of the Tape,' and will be prominent in the opening, closing and pre-main event portions" of the fight, which will be televised, live, as an HBO pay-per-view event.

Furthermore, the announcement says that "the deal includes ring announcements and ringside seating" for all three of the Harrisons. The venue will be filled with signage featuring the "Pawn Stars" logo, including on the mat.

In addition, "Pawn Stars" will be integrated into the ads for the fight. You'll even get a "Pawn Stars" message if you watch the weigh in, which will be widely distributed by ESPN, DirecTV and Yahoo.com, among others.

Moseley says that it's a hallmark History Channel campaign in that it'll have an "organic" feel. "Half will be advertising, half will be the presence of the Harrisons themselves," she says. For example, plan to see the Harrisons, identified with "Pawn Stars," on-camera during the National Anthem before the fight. And they'll be at the press conference as well--I.D'd with their show, of course.

Furthermore, Moseley says this deal with Top Rank is in the tradition of History's out-of-the box promotions, which include several firsts, such as the first "wrapping" of an Acela Amtrak train and the first "wrapping" of a New York City subway car.

According to Granite and Moseley, the smart media agencies--and the smart brands--should work to break through media clutter by coming up with integrated plans that put brands in places that at first might seem unexpected, but upon reflection are perfect fits.#

Video of Lou Dobbs Resigning On-Air, Wed. 11/11/09

Lou Dobbs Announces On-Air That He's Leaving CNN After Tonight's Cablecast

Lou Dobbs announced on-air tonight that he is leaving CNN "effective immediately" after his show ended.

“Some leaders in the media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond my role here at CNN and engage in constructive problem-solving,” he said.

He said that he was still figuring out what he would do next.

He said CNN had agreed to release him early from his contract, which had another two years to go.

Most recently Dobbs was in the news when someone shot at his house. No one was hurt.

Dobbs, who has always held strong views, clashed with CNN management earlier this year when he kept insisting that President Obama wasn't a U.S. citizen.

He also has strong views on the issue of immigration, primarily expressing views that have angered many in the Hispanic community. Dobbs has consistently said that he's been misunderstood and that his views on immigration are centerist and main stream.

There has been some speculation that Dobbs might jump to Fox News, but earlier this year Fox said that wasn't happening.#

To see a video of Dobbs' live on-air resignation,click here.

UPDATE: (4:50 PM, PT) Here is the announcement CNN just released about Dobbs' surprise resignation:

Lou Dobbs Announces Departure from CNN

After nearly three decades anchoring an evening program on CNN, Lou Dobbs has decided to step away from his CNN anchor desk to focus on his role as a commentator and advocacy journalist on his daily radio talk show, as well as to pursue new avenues to contribute to the national discussion on important social, political and economic issues.

During Wednesday night’s broadcast of Lou Dobbs Tonight, Dobbs offered the following statement:

“Tonight, I want to turn to a personal note if I may and address a matter that has raised some curiosity.

This will be my last broadcast here on CNN, where I have worked for most of the past 30 years and where I have many friends and colleagues whom I admire deeply and respect greatly.

I’m the last of the original anchors here on CNN, and am proud to have had the privilege of helping to build the world’s first news network. I am grateful for the many opportunities that CNN has given me over these many years, I’ve tried to reciprocate with the full measure of my ability and my energy.

Over the past six months, it’s become increasingly clear that strong winds of change have begun buffeting this country and affecting all of us. And some leaders in media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond my role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem-solving, as well as to contribute positively to a better understanding of the great issues of our day. And to continue to do so in the most honest and direct language possible.

I’ve talked extensively with Jonathan Klein, Jon’s the president of CNN, and as a result of those talks, Jon and I have agreed to a release from my contract that will enable me to pursue new opportunities.

At this point, I’m considering a number of options and directions and I assure you I will let you know when I set my course.

I truly believe that the major issues of our time include the growth of our middle class, the creation of more jobs, healthcare, immigration policy, the environment, climate change, and our military involvement, of course, in Afghanistan and Iraq. But each of those issues is in my opinion informed by our capacity to demonstrate strong resilience of our now weakened capitalist economy and demonstrate the political will to overcome the lack of true representation in Washington, D.C. I believe these to be profoundly critically important issues and I will continue to strive to deal honestly and straightforwardly with those issues in the future. Unfortunately, these issues are now defined in the public arena by partisanship and ideology rather than by rigorous empirical thought and forthright analysis and discussion. I will be working diligently to change that as best I can. And, as for the important work of restoring inspiration to our great free society and our market economy, I will strive as well to be a leader in that national conversation.

It has been my great honor to work with each and every person at this wonderful network. I will be eternally grateful to CNN, to Ted Turner, and to all of my colleagues and friends and, of course, to you at home. I thank you and may God bless you.

The news continues for the rest of this hour. I’ll be back right after the break.”

CNN President Jon Klein issued the following statement this evening:

“Lou Dobbs is a valued founding member of the CNN family. For decades, Lou fearlessly and tirelessly pursued some of the most important and complex stories of our time, often well ahead of the pack. All of us will miss his appetite for big ideas, the megawatt smile and larger than life presence he brought to our newsroom, and we’re grateful to have known and worked with him over the years. With characteristic forthrightness, Lou has now decided to carry the banner of advocacy journalism elsewhere. We respect his decision and wish him, Debi, and his family the very best.”

LOU DOBBS BACKGROUND:

Lou Dobbs has anchored CNN’s daily program “Lou Dobbs Tonight” since June 2003. Prior to that, he anchored “The Moneyline News Hour with Lou Dobbs,” which he rejoined in May 2001, after a two year absence.

Lou joined CNN at its inception and began anchoring for CNN in New York when the network first launched in 1980. Lou Dobbs was in charge of CNN’s business news programming from 1980-1999 and served on the network’s executive committee from 1989-1999.

Dobbs anchors a nationally syndicated financial news radio report, “The Lou Dobbs Financial Report,” and he is the host of the highly successful national radio program, “The Lou Dobbs Show,” which launched in March 2008. Dobbs’ radio shows have more than 400 affiliates and reach nearly five million people weekly.

Dobbs has won nearly every major award for his work in television news. In 2005, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded Dobbs the Emmy for Lifetime Achievement. The previous year, the National Television Academy awarded Lou Dobbs Tonight an Emmy Award for “Exporting America.” He received the George Foster Peabody Award for his coverage of the 1987 stock market crash. In 1990, he was given the Luminary Award by the Business Journalism Review for his “visionary work, which changed the landscape of business journalism in the 1980s.”

Dobbs has written three best-selling books. “Independents Day: Awakening the American Spirit” in 2007, “War on the Middle Class” in 2006, and “Exporting America” in 2004. He has also been a columnist for Money Magazine, U.S. News and World Report and the New York Daily News.
Lou Dobbs Tonight features a signature series of ongoing special reports including “Broken Borders (which focuses on border security and illegal immigration), “War on the Middle Class,” “Exporting America,” (which focuses on the outsourcing of American jobs) and “Failing Grades” (which on the crisis in public education.

Dobbs has received the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership in Media Award at the 2004 Albert Schweitzer Leadership Awards Dinner for his commitment to helping high school students seek out, recognize and develop leadership potential. In 1999, he received the Horatio Alger Association Award for Distinguished Americans and, in 2000, the National Space Club Media Award. Dobbs was named “Father of the Year” by the National Father’s Day Committee in 1993.#

--Chuck Ross

Surprise Duo Tapped to Host Oscars

After the Super Bowl, the biggest non-series show on TV is usually the annual broadcast of the Academy Awards.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that the 2010 editon of the show, which will be broadcast by ABC on Sunday, March 7th, will be  co-hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

Reportedly, hosting chores for the show had been turned down by Hugh Jackman and the duo of Robert Downey, Jr. and Ben Stiller.

Here's the announcement put out by the Academy: