• by Paul Gough , February 2, 2003

In preparation for a two-day event on syndication later this month in New York, the Syndicated Network Television Association has begun to increase awareness of the newly revitalized organization.

SNTA President Gene DeWitt said he and other SNTA executives have been making presentations to planners and buyers at the city’s advertising agencies. The gist of the presentations: Syndication is a valuable part of media plans.

DeWitt said syndication makes sense in today’s climate with a 98% coverage rate nationally compared to what he said was a cable penetration rate of about 80%. He said the average rating is up there with network ratings.

“Syndication has good programming, a high average rating, a good CPM and national coverage,” DeWitt said.

DeWitt said the presentations and the two-day conference coincide with the revival of SNTA, which had been started several decades ago by major syndicators. It had fallen off and was basically inactive until it resumed last April in the midst of the advertising slump. Ever since, SNTA has been building awareness of syndication and the organization.

“We’ve accomplished quite a bit in nine months with seven people,” he said.

Members of SNTA include Buena Vista Television Advertising Sales, King World Media Sales, Paramount Advertiser Services, The Heritage Networks, Tribune Entertainment Co., Twentieth Television, Universal Domestic Television and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.

DeWitt said SNTA has found that among advertisers and agency people there’s a low awareness of syndication. He said that young media planners weren’t as informed as previous generations as to the benefit of syndication, primarily because consolidation has found that fewer people are doing more work at the agency level. He said training got reduced or eliminated in consolidation and tighter budgets.

“We’ve been taking this [presentation] around as a road show to primarily larger advertisers and the major media agencies … They weren’t as aware of syndication, don’t have as much time to think about it, so it’s incumbent on the seller to get to them and get their attention,” DeWitt said.

SNTA’s first big event, the National Syndication Marketplace in Manhattan, will take place Feb. 25 and 26.