Rohrs To Exit TVB

Chris RohrsAfter nine years on the job--and some recent hard times for television stations' advertising efforts--Chris Rohrs, president of the Television Bureau of Advertising, is leaving. 

Rohrs came to the TV stations advertising trade group in 2000, after a two-decade-long career at Post-Newsweek Stations.

"It's been a great privilege to lead TVB, and I'm grateful for the support of the board and the staff during my time here," Rohrs said in a release. "I believe in television more than I ever have. It's the only medium with the power to match up to the challenge this brutal recession poses."

TV stations have been under attack in recent years from growing local cable sellers. More recently, they have battled a tough advertising market where automotive and retailer advertisers have pulled back severely on spending.

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In particular, 2008 was a rough year, with stations down 7% in local advertising revenues versus 2007. This came even with the addition of Olympics and political advertising--a year that should have given them close to a double-digit increase in local TV advertising sales.

In recent years, Rohrs has been instrumental in pushing TV stations toward an electronic ordering marketplace under its ePort system. For years, media buyers have complained that paperwork has been a growing problem in buying TV stations. TVB says more than 700 local stations have gotten orders through ePort.

TVB Board President Frank Comerford announced the formation of a search committee to identify replacement candidates and to choose a successor.

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