Baltimore: Tight now but not for long

TV and radio in Baltimore are tight from increased advertising by holiday retailers and others who stayed off the air leading up to the Nov. 6 election.

But as in many markets, conditions are expected to loosen up considerably at the start of 2013.

There is plenty of TV inventory available and deals to be found for first quarter in Baltimore, with many stations packaging spots with ads on their digital platforms, both online and mobile.

“I think it will be healthy, but from what I hear advertisers and buyers are slow to place first-quarter business,” says Julie Block Padden, a buyer and planner at the agency Media Works in Baltimore.

“So possibly first quarter will start off slow.”

Unit rates are flat compared to first quarter 2012, although they may be higher in tighter dayparts such as early morning news.

That said, a healthy fourth quarter means advertisers looking to get on the air before the end of the year can expect to pay a premium.

“If buyers placed early enough, rates weren’t really increased. However, because the quarter is healthy, coming in late most likely resulted in [rate] increases,” Padden says.

Auto and retail are categories driving the market, as is insurance. Geico is a heavy spender in Baltimore, and other insurance providers are advertising as well in an attempt to compete.

The outlook for radio is much the same as TV. Media people characterize the market as healthy, but right now first quarter is relatively open.

“We feel like there is inventory available, and rates are not going up,” says Padden.

There’s a big change coming to the Baltimore radio market.

On Jan. 2 CBS-owned WJZ-AM will begin carrying the new CBS Sports Radio network, dropping ESPN Radio. CBS Sports Radio recently signed Dana Jacobson, Tiki Barber and Brandon Tierney as hosts of its morning show.

WJZ-AM is the lower rated of CBS’s two sports stations in the market. In November it was tied for No. 22 in Baltimore with a 0.4 portable people meter rating, according to Arbitron.

Its counterpart, WJZ-FM, does much better, finishing No. 9 in November with a 4.0 PPM rating.

The radio market is led by a trio of strong stations: Radio One urban and urban adult contemporary stations WERQ-FM and WWIN-FM, and Clear Channel country station WPOC-FM.

Those were the only Baltimore stations to average at least a 7.0 PPM rating in November. By contrast, the No. 4 station in the market averaged a 5.0.

Tags: ad spending, advertisers, advertising, baltimore, baltimore advertising, cbs, holiday, local ad spending, local advertising, market profile, people, radio, tv, WBAL, WJZ