• by Paul Gough , May 4, 2004

The ad industry's first public gathering after last week's Network Upfront Discussion Group showed that the tension surrounding the upfront hasn't dissipated.

Although the big headline surrounding NUDG was the fact that many big advertisers aren't as upset about the upfront process as surveys and press reports have suggested, there was the typical parrying between buyer and seller as the clock ticked toward the upfront beginning in about two weeks.

Jon Nesvig, president of ad sales at Fox Broadcasting Co., said that a recent survey pointing to dissatisfaction with the upfront hasn't been borne out--and that a survey points to a number of advertisers who are planning to increase their spend on network television in the coming upfront.

"Usually, if we were in a less tense atmosphere, sales guys would be dancing about that," Nesvig said.

Most buyers and sellers agreed with the NUDG conclusion that the upfront was ruled by supply and demand, and it's up to the individual advertiser to decide whether to participate. Tim Spengler, executive vice president/director of national broadcast at Initiative Media, said that there are other options, but he thinks that television is the first stop for clients and agencies this year. He believes that this may not be the case five or 10 years down the road.

Bob Brennan, a consultant and former chief operating officer of Starcom MediaVest Group in Chicago, said if clients want to change the market they must be willing to walk away.

"If you don't want it, don't buy it," Brennan said. "The market drives the pricing."

At the same time, Brennan believes that the string is being played out on television in a world where consumers are starting to resent intrusion media and want to make their own choices on content.

"Network television is in a death spiral," he said. "It's on a path to increasing irrelevance."

The event was sponsored by Television Week and Advertising Age, and was held Tuesday morning at a midtown Manhattan hotel that has hosted many an industry event, including most recently the Lifetime upfront presentation and the SNTA's big East Coast bash.

A call for predictions about the upfront didn't bring many takers.

"If I knew, I'd be sure to tell it right now in this group," quipped Nesvig.