- National/Local TV Ad Silos Will Collapse Before Linear/Streaming Silos Do in
Media Insider on
02/12/2026
As national TV takes on more of an audience-based approach, it's only natural we will see local impressions optimized into national programs.
- Is It Smart To Turn All Sports Fans Into Sports Bettors? in
Media Insider on
02/05/2026
Is growing gambling's share of after-tax dollars of Americans a good thing for them, their families or our society?
- TV Company Owners: R.I.P., Easy Money in
Media Insider on
01/29/2026
To drive predictable growing profits, TV companies will need to embrace shifts in their advertising business. For one: Kill old-school packaging.
- Celebrating Heroes In Media And Advertising in
Media Insider on
01/22/2026
I like that the media and advertising industry is good about supporting so many great causes, and finding ways to benefit those in need.
- My Take On Advertising, From Crackling Cold Ukraine in
Media Insider on
01/15/2026
Ukraine is the most digital country in the world. Its "Diia" app has everything people need on theirs phones, from ID to health records.
- What's On My Mind Entering 2026 in
Media Insider on
01/08/2026
So much is changing, particularly for those of us working in highly technology-driven industries. I can't wait to see what happens with AI.
- The U.S. Is Inviting A Broader European War in
Media Insider on
12/18/2025
Current events are not unlike those that triggered the Korean War in 1950.
- How Will 'Your' AI Agents Make Money? in
Media Insider on
12/11/2025
Just like web and app services have been making their money over the past decade or two: Selling you, the user, as the product.
- Appeasement For Profit Is No Way To Drive Foreign Policy in
Media Insider on
12/04/2025
In 1938, Chamberlain "appeased to avoid"; today, the U.S administration wants to "appease to profit."
- An Unjust Peace In Ukraine Will Not Be A True Peace in
Media Insider on
11/20/2025
History is full of "transactional" peace deals that didn't fare well. Look at the Munich Agreement of 1938 that appeased Hitler.
- National/Local TV Ad Silos Will Collapse Before Linear/Streaming Silos Do
by
Dave Morgan
(Media Insider on
02/12/2026)
Jack, I agree that allocating budgets across 209 DMAs and then negotiating, trafficking, posting and measuring it as a national campaign was virtually impossible even a few years ago, as much because of social engineering issues, not just mismatched systems, lack of automation, lack of standards, etc. However, today, the corporate and organizational resistance is melting and systems built in the data-driven linear world for national can be adapted to incorporate local broadcast pretty efficiently. Many of us have been doing it in some ways for some time, particularly relative to the diginets, which have been pretty agressive about being included in national programs. Finally, pricing flexibility and better management of preemption issues at local stations is also opening up.Thus, I agree with Ed that integrating the local broadcast spots into national programs is not only essential for competition with the digital players, but is essential for upping TVs game in maximizing value for advertisers. Not only can hybridizing the campaigns now be done, it must be done.
- National/Local TV Ad Silos Will Collapse Before Linear/Streaming Silos Do
by
Dave Morgan
(Media Insider on
02/12/2026)
Jack, yep. Digital streamers sell geo ads all of the time. Plus, national programmers are pushing hard thise days on national linear addressable, so there is some movement. Just hopoding that the big M&A deals will, literally, force the linear TV silos to break down much faster.
- National/Local TV Ad Silos Will Collapse Before Linear/Streaming Silos Do
by
Dave Morgan
(Media Insider on
02/12/2026)
Ed, excellent point about the challenge at the client side and the turnover at brand management as a key issue that has slowed down more progressive media strategies like integratinig national and local TV media guys. However, the other cross-current that is happening at the client (and agency) is the ascension of digital buyers and marketers who view media first through an audience and impression lense and don't spend much time feeling constrained by the disparate distrubtoin paths that get the ad to that person.
- National/Local TV Ad Silos Will Collapse Before Linear/Streaming Silos Do
by
Dave Morgan
(Media Insider on
02/12/2026)
Great points Ed, Spot on. I think that two major factors drove the three poins you mentioned. One, the major holdcos were consolidating their positions and pushed hard to make national a simple of a wholesale buy as they could, and adding in local spots added way to much compliexity and friction and so they pushed back. Two, the national sellers didn't want the local station owners to get into their swim lane, to they pushed hard and, among other things, worked hard to keep the national and local measurements very separate.On both of the above counts, we now see less capacity to resist and, relative to the second, some real incentives to embrace rather than resist. It will be interesting to watch.
- Is It Smart To Turn All Sports Fans Into Sports Bettors?
by
Dave Morgan
(Media Insider on
02/05/2026)
I'm with George. The last thing we need is more perverse and corrupting incentives on athletes, particularly those in what were otherwise "amateur" sports.
- TV Company Owners: R.I.P., Easy Money
by
Dave Morgan
(Media Insider on
01/29/2026)
Ed, CTV and streaming may only be a modest extension today for TV companies, but indepdent streamers and CTV platforms are becoming massive ad businesses. The TV ad business is no longer about the TV companies. Amazon, Google YouTube, Netflix, LG Ads, Roku etc are not directly accessing "TV budgets," not just winning from strategic reallocations of linear spend to permium digital video and streaming platforms. Linear TV has plenty of audience and there are plenty of tools, platforms and data that can "re-aggregate" their audienes in more efficient, more targetable packages that would dramatically improve thier ad revenue yield. But, time is running short. Not fully embracing this future will only accelerate falling profits and inability to meet debt service.
- TV Company Owners: R.I.P., Easy Money
by
Dave Morgan
(Media Insider on
01/29/2026)
Ed, I do believe that the TV companies can change how they sell, and I do think that packaging is easy to do (and will be hard to break) but dramatically undervalues the "low value" spots. Digital companies can sell audience segments at much higher CPM's than content alone commands. TV companies could too.
- My Take On Advertising, From Crackling Cold Ukraine
by
Dave Morgan
(Media Insider on
01/15/2026)
Dan, no question that my statement relative to media was a broad, over generalization and extreme. That was i's point. I personally work around linear TV advertising, and used to work in newspapers before entering the digital world, so I know well the power and resilience of older forms of media distribution. However, I don't think that anyone a few decades ago would have anticipated the develop;ment of trillion dollar value digital utility companies with profits fueled significantly or entirely by "commercial communication" (advertising) and every other media company in the world added up still pale in comparison to them. Thus, I call them obsolete because I don't know that they are survivable. I don't know how they will acquire customers, advertisers and the capital needed to serve them in this new media environment.
- The U.S. Is Inviting A Broader European War
by
Dave Morgan
(Media Insider on
12/18/2025)
Lou, thanks also for calling out Joe Mandese giving voice to opinion pieces like this in MediaPost. It is the only publication in our industry that supports opinion like this, which try to get folks outside of their day job thinking a bit to broader issues that shape our business and society significantly. I am so fortunate to have been able to write for MediaPost for almost 25 years. Also, I am very thankful for the amazing editing of Phyllis Fine, who brings her magic to my all-to-frequently jumbled writings.
- The U.S. Is Inviting A Broader European War
by
Dave Morgan
(Media Insider on
12/18/2025)
Thanks Lou. It means a lot coming from such a student of history as yourself.