Commercial production at network affiliates : a survey

The expanded television universe of the 1990's continues to create increased competition for advertising dollars, forcing sales departments at stations nationwide to step up local sales efforts. As a result, creative services and production departments must shoulder a greater responsibility for a variety of commercial production. A telephone survey was conducted to examine the impact of a stronger local sales push on production. Fifty-four respondents representing creative services/production from affiliates of the Big Three networks were surveyed. Market rankings ranged from #1 (New York) to #212 (Alpena, MI) to allow for competitive factors related to market size. Commercial production was on the increase at the majority of stations surveyed. This production included traditional thirty-second commercials, numerous "value-added" sales vehicles designed specifically for sponsorship, and a variety of sales presentations. This increase in commercial production often created a sort of internal competition--a heavier workload on existing personnel, equipment and production time. At several stations, external competition from other production sources in the market created another problem--undervalued production. This information provides a basis from which to compare a station's commercial production capabilities. Station management must re-assess these capabilities to meet the challenges of increased competition.