• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, October 17, 2005

Newspapers are acting more like television networks when it comes to selling media to movie studios.

A couple of weeks ago, the Los Angeles Times did the unusual, perhaps as a sign that when in Rome, it needs to be more Roman: it gave a free full-page ad worth about $50,000 to the Weinstein Company, the new film company from Bob and Harvey Weinstein. The ad touted the company's 17 titles in production.

This was a "congratulations" entertainment ad, but with a new spin--the media where the ad was running was paying for and giving the congratulations. No doubt the Los Angeles Times hopes for much more paid print advertising to come as the Weinsteins grow their new company. For the Weinsteins, the ad means an enormous push out the door as they get ready to sell their foreign rights for movies at the American Film Market. They also get a big publicity push in seeking new investors.

Some advertisers complained that this was favoritism, that the paper was giving the Weinsteins an early free ride. But the Los Angeles Times is just doing what it has to in an age of slipping newspaper advertising revenues.

The paper is also taking a lesson from TV networks. Weinstein says that while he was running Miramax Films, his company always got bonus spots from TV networks. Why? Because the networks were helping out their highest-paying customers.

Movie studios pay the highest rate when it comes to TV because oftimes they need, and demand, to buy a specific program on a specific day, or move TV spots around -- all on a moment's notice. As opposed to other industries, movies studio literally change their media plans everyday--sometimes, every hour.

But while print is acting like TV in the case of the Weinstein ad, still, a film's print media plan doesn't have the same goals as its TV campaign. Buying big $50,000 weekend full-page print ads in the Los Angeles Times or New York Times is a vanity effort, as all media buyers for the studios know. These ads are run mainly to let the expensive acting or directing talent know the studio is supporting their movies. It doesn't do much to the bottom line of getting "butts into seats"--as they say.

No matter. Weinstein toldDaily Variety about the ad: "I'm going to remember them, and whatever the cost of that one ad is, they'll probably get it back 50 times over." Considering that TV actually works far better than print in reaching films' media goals, TV ad execs should expect that by continuing to give bonus spots to studios, they'll get the same treatment--or even a bit more.