Indianapolis: TV and
radio are both strong
Pricing is up and likely to climb further under pressure
By Diego Vasquez
Jan 9, 2012
Indianapolis is buzzing with excitement as it prepares to host the Super Bowl for the first time ever on Feb. 5, a high-profile event for a healthy market for both TV and radio.
TV spending in the market is expected to be up single-digit percentages in 2012, driven in part by political spending. But other categories including financial, pharmaceutical and auto are expected to see higher-than-usual spending.
"Unit pricing, particularly in news areas, is up and in high demand," says Eva Beckman, broadcast buyer at Haworth Marketing + Media. "Political will drive rates up even further."
The most popular Indy news station is the Fox affiliate, WXIN. It runs the most hours of news in the market, nine every weekday, and its newscasts consistently finish No. 1 or No. 2 in the major demos.
Buyers may soon have more news hours to choose from. Scripps recently acquired the market's ABC affiliate, WRTV, from McGraw-Hill, and the word is the company will put a heavy emphasis on news, expanding coverage with the hope of growing viewership.
TV spending was down slightly during third-quarter 2011, partly due to tough comparisons to the strong 2010 political spending, falling 3.1 percent to $51.3 million, according to Kantar Media.
Local radio spending was up 10.5 percent during those same months, to $19.7 million, according to Kantar.
And the medium's healthy conditions aren't expected to change anytime soon.
"In 2011 the market was up and they expect that to continue or grow in 2012," Beckman says. "Auto, grocery, banking, travel and tourism and retail are all expected to be active."
Radio pricing is up single digits, with the most in-demand dayparts being morning and afternoon drive and Saturday middays (10 a.m.-3 p.m.).
While there is plenty of hype surrounding next month's Super Bowl, it isn't expected to have a notable impact on local media buys. But buyers looking to enter the market should be prepared to work around another high-profile sporting event later this year, the Indianapolis 500, which runs Memorial Day weekend.
"The stations tend to offer a lot of special packaging and sponsoring opportunities to advertisers who want to somehow be involved," says Beckman. "The last two weeks in May sell quickly once April hits, and as a result of May being sold out, June is always in high demand as well."
This article is reprinted from the Media Economy Newsletter. You can subscribe by following this
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