Gannett Tips Its Cap To NBC

Gannett, with its slew of NBC stations benefiting from Olympic ad sales, took out a full-page ad in its own USA Today newspaper Monday congratulating NBC on its strong ratings and other accolades during the London Games. “Extraordinary storytelling … Innovative viewer engagement … Record-setting broadcasts,” the ad read, saying "from your friends at Gannett."

Logos of the 11 stations, which are in markets such as Atlanta, Denver and Phoenix, were displayed on the bottom.

On Aug. 6, Gannett said its stations in Denver, Minneapolis and Atlanta were the three highest-rated NBC affiliates in the country among the top-25 markets -- citing ratings in the adult 25-to-54 demo in prime time. KUSA in Denver was the leader, Gannett said, with a 51 share average.

Stations in St. Louis, Phoenix and Cleveland were also in the top 10, Gannett said.

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In July before the Games, Dave Lougee -- who oversees the Gannett station group -- said Gannett had already booked “significantly more dollars” for London at that point than it had taken in for the entire Beijing Games in 2008, according to a SeekingAlpha.com transcript. Lougee said Gannett expected to end up with up to $12 million more in sales than it garnered for Beijing, which might be 50%-plus more.

“Over a year ago, we decided to transform our Olympic sales process, and through training and investment, we are getting -- and frankly, overachieving -- the results we had hoped for,” he said. “Specifically, we've got a significant increase in local businesses who are advertising in the Games on our stations.”

1 comment about "Gannett Tips Its Cap To NBC".
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  1. Keith Bemis from Virtual Media Development, August 15, 2012 at 6:49 p.m.


    A Small Cap To The Head Of nbc sports chairman mark lazarus

    Corporate Values we always knew there was no such thing...just another buzz word. The nbc coverage of the 2012 Olympics in London was not an "Event" events are live thats the difference between an event and a show..or program,a film or movie.The Olympics are an event not the tuning into time shifted taped programming on nbc thats just watching the telly.
    Let's remember...
    nbc thought so much of the Olympics they decided we shouldn't all share it at the same time, at the same moment as the billion others, let's cheer the fact we weren't all let in on the celebration when it happened as it was happening with collective AWE nbc went to the party and bought us back..a tape. The universal consciouness was sedated in the USA placed into a induced coma.
    The USA population dependent on others more fortunate in other country's for information. The live nbc Olympics on the net did not work and ..others from small country's some without the latest HD, some gathered around old tv's with bent attennas in far away villages, towns watching on small outdated non-digital tv's watching their global instant connection together watching as the world celebrated together in perfect.. real time.
    The IOC who banned people for not repesenting the true Olympic spirit, for their behavior, for not playing by the rules of the game and yet they sold the rights until 2020 for American broadcasting to a souless broadcasting hijacker who basked in the fact people were "driven" into time slots like sheep. The IOC should award the small golden medal of greed to nbc and then ban themselves from the Olympics. Keep in mind only two country's did not see the Olympics live,,they were the USA and North Korea..it appears we have more in common with the North Koreans then we may have thought. It's a sign of disgust for nbc but from now on they have earned from me and will be known and addressed in only small caps as it fits small people in small company's.

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