The Television Bureau of Advertising, the trade group whose primary responsibility is to promote advertising on local TV stations, wants to get out of ePort, a software management system for ads it started in 2001, according to well-respected veteran TV reporter Linda Moss at TVNewsCheck.

The article notes that ePost "just passed the $1 billion mark in order volume."

However, the story also says, "But it is still far from the transactional tool originally envisioned. Software vendors have failed to complete the interfaces needed to integrate their systems with ePort as quickly as TVB had expected. And even some broadcasters, suffering from the economic downturn, have lagged in implementing the software upgrades necessary to engage fully with ePort."

Furhtermore, according to the article, "Now Steve Lanzano, an ad agency veteran who took over as TVB president Jan. 1, is asking why a trade group — whose priority is promoting spot advertising — should continue to run and market a technology company."

The piece also says that TVB has had discussions with a number of players, such as Donovan Data Systems, WideOrbit and Strata to perhaps take over ePort. Strata developed ePort with TVB and might be the most promising candidate, the article notes.