• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, July 9, 2009

It's almost mid-July, and still no broadcast upfront -- a rarity in recent upfront marketplace memory. Hello, August!

Behind-the-scenes stuff aside, one media executive jokes that we might as well just move into doing just fourth quarter scatter deals -- and worry later about first quarter and beyond.

With a late-moving market, one senior media buying executive says that now things might be squeezed for many TV marketers/TV sellers. Media executives still need to put together plans for their clients, as well as travel to those clients to explain their media plans.

Not only that, but even after the broadcast networks are finished, there will still be some 60 ad-supported cable networks upfront deals to get done -- as well as a handful of big TV syndication companies.

One saving grace is that the broadcast part of the upfront -- even with its expected softness -- could be done in a couple of days.

Then media agencies can make the slow march in dealing with cable networks, which typically takes the better part of the summer to complete.

"It's weird," says one TV cable ad sales chief. "Nothing is going on. There are no conversations. It's not even about any disagreement of price."  

If the marketplace yields 15% to 20% less money, as expected for TV broadcast and cable networks and syndication programming, in theory that means a stronger scatter market. That, in turn, means, media agencies working even harder throughout the year.

"What? Like I don't do that now?" asks one veteran media executive.

Latest estimates are that the advertising market might stay in some severe doldrums until perhaps the end of 2011.  All of which will make for an interesting year -- surely an interesting summer. Make that August.