• May 7, 2003

Combined advertising revenues for the ABC, CBS and NBC fell 11 percent for the first quarter of 2003, according to the Broadcast Cable Financial Management Association's report on figures compiled by Ernst & Young. Total net revenues for Q1 2003 were down by $339 million from the prior year's total of approximately $3 billion and by $234 million when compared to results for the first quarter of 2001. Day-parts showing an increase from last year's results include prime time, which was up by nearly 19 percent, and late night, which increased by 24.3 percent. Advertising revenues also increased in the AM and news day-parts, by 9.7 percent and 5.3 percent respectively. Total sports advertising was down by more than 48 percent compared to 2002 but by only 15 percent when compared to 2001, reflecting the favorable impact of the Olympics on 2002 results. Children's advertising on the top broadcasting networks continued to decline, coming in 28 percent lower than the first quarter of 2002.