Media planning without good research is like throwing darts in the dark. Sure you might get lucky and hit a bull’s-eye, but you’re more likely to miss the board altogether and put a hole in the wall. That’s right, bad planning is more than not choosing the perfect sites, it can actually hurt your plan. Just choosing a group of websites in a category that might fit your client’s product and then heading straight to final negotiation may really miss the mark. There is so much more insightful data that can be gleaned from syndicated audience measurement to better …

For a dose of the traditional enhanced by the cutting edge, buyers can search radio and television buying opportunities on the Internet and even make transactions via the web. Some of the broadcast websites offer endless statistics and links, and others act as forums for business transactions. Here are a few of the best, most inclusive sites for traditional broadcast that we found. National Cable Communications (www.spotcable.com) offers a straightforward website with everything from a company history to an NCC Business Process Chart downloadable in PDF. This site has a glossary of terms and a list of 1Q 2001 …

A few weeks ago, I received an email from a recently laid-off ad agency employee, who rather heartily blamed all of his recent misfortunes and those of his peers on, and I quote, “those *&^%$#@ dot-coms.” Although I sincerely sympathize with anyone who’s ever been hit with a pink slip, it’s time for a reality check. Dot-com job cuts are indeed making the headlines, and hundreds of layoffs have hit media departments at ad agencies over the past few months, but is the disappearing dot-com ad revenue entirely the root of all evil? And who’s to blame if it is? …

Launched January 1999, The Premium Network (www.premiumnetwork.com) grew out of Ken Margolis Associates, which began as a publishers’ rep firm concentrating on advertising sales, public relations, and marketing consulting. In 1995, Margolis produced the first major fundraising auction online and, in the wake of that success, stopped representing print publications and focused on online representation. The Premium Network currently represents 75 websites and serves 5 billion impressions monthly. It consists of 11 network categories and due to their steady success, has launched a new promotional portal, Premium Kids (www.premiumkids.net), with plans for Premium Music in the near future. Some …