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during third quarter Other shorts: WSJ yanks Yankee edition from London Oct 28, 2009 Ad prices slump during third quarter There were no new hits on broadcast over the summer, and it showed. The average cost for a primetime broadcast ad during third quarter slipped 16 percent compared to last year, to $83,916, according to a new report from TargetCast tcm, a New York agency. Fox, which finished first in adults 18-49 this summer, led the networks with an average cost of $121,000. ABC, CBS and NBC were well behind, all at $80,000 or below. The report blamed lower ratings and a tough economy for the declines, noting that even excluding last summer's Olympics, ratings slipped 10 percent compared to last year among 25-54s. Dollars were down in the scatter market, notes TargetCast senior vice president and executive director of national television Gary Carr, though the market "firmed a bit after six months of recession-driven problems." Cable ratings held up much better. The top 15 basic cable networks rose 5 percent in 25-54s, thanks mostly to Fox News' Michael Jackson coverage, TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus 8," USA's "Royal Pains" and TNT's "The Closer," the report notes. That led to a 5 percent boost in ad unit prices, to just over $10,000, led by ESPN's average $27,000 and TNT's average $17,000. WSJ yanks Yankee edition from London If you live in London, News Corp. no longer wants you buying the U.S. edition of the Wall Street Journal. In fact, it's making it damn near impossible. Dow Jones will no longer print and sell the U.S. edition in the city, in an effort to push its European edition, which is based in London. The European edition will be revamped editorially on Nov. 17, according to London's Guardian, and its web counterpart will begin offering more online-only news, blogs and news alerts, coinciding with the recent expansion of the Journal's European staff. The revamped Journal will include some different stories than the U.S. edition, as well as new columnists and more color, with Dow Jones clearly hoping to drive new subscriptions to both the print and online editions by shifting its focus regionally. The Journal had been offering U.S. and European editions of the Journal in London since 2008. In France, giving papers away to remain relevant Here’s one way to make sure newspapers are making it into the hands of young readers: give them the papers for free. The French government is launching a program called My Free Newspaper, in which readers 18-24 will get a free one-year subscription to the paper of their choice. The aim, obviously, is to jumpstart circulation; only about half as many newspapers are sold in France as in nearby countries Germany and Britain, according to The New York Times. Meanwhile, that readership is dwindling swiftly among the young. Just 10 percent of people 15-24 in France reported reading a paid-for newspaper in 2007, down from 20 percent in 1997. The program will cost the French government $22.5 million over the next three years, although newspapers will share other costs. So far 30,000 people have already signed up for the service. France will push the initiative through an ad campaign that targets young readers and their parents. More layoffs at Conde Nast and Time Inc. So much of the focus on media job cuts has been on newspapers, and more can be expected with the most recent report of steep circulation declines, nearly 11 percent for the most recent six-month period. Just the other day, The New York Times said it was eliminating 100 newsroom jobs. But magazines have been cutting right along as well, and more can also be expected as print titles continue to hemorrhage ad pages. Indeed, more cuts are expected at Time Inc. and Conde Nast, reports the New York Post's Keith Kelly. Time Inc. trimmed 600 jobs last year, but this next round is not expected to be as severe. At Conde Nast, the coming round follows massive cuts at the beginning of the month that put pink slips in the hands of 180 and saw the closing of four titles. How many are set to go is not known, but presumably it will be a smaller number as well. Kelly reports that the publishing company has axed 450 people so far in 2009. Writer details Letterman's 'hostile work environment' Nell Scovell didn't dally with David Letterman while working for the funnyman, but she had her suspicions that other female staffers were doing so. In a savvily timed piece for the Vanity Fair web site, Scovell details her short stint as a writer for Letterman while he was still on NBC, calling it a "hostile work environment." The story comes weeks after Letterman admitted to carrying on affairs with multiple staffers on his NBC and CBS shows, after allegedly becoming the target of an extortion plot. Scovell wasn't surprised by the revelations. "Did I believe these female staffers were benefiting professionally from their personal relationships? Yes. Did that make me feel demeaned? Completely. Did I say anything at the time? Sadly, no," she writes. While much will be made of the piece in the media, it makes a greater point about the dearth of female writers in late night. Unfortunately, that's sure to be overlooked in favor of more salacious details like this one: "On my last day at 'Late Night,' Dave summoned me to his office and pressed me on why I was quitting the show. I considered telling him the truth, but with Dave’s rumored mistress within earshot, I balked."
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