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sales@spotsndots.com Copyright 2018.The Daily News of TV Sales Thursday, August 2, 2018

AUTO MAKERS HIT BY SLUMPING SEDAN SALESADVERTISER NEWS Kroger is launching a grocery delivery service, its fourth e-commerce try in less than three months, taking on Amazon and Walmart in delivering goods directly to customers’ homes and businesses in boxes through third-party carriers, a service it hasn’t competed in to date. The grocer said it is developing the service in-house by tapping Vitacost.com, a health-products and natural-foods e-commerce site it acquired in 2014. The service, Kroger Ship, is expected to begin today with 50,000 shelf-stable products. It includes a discounted subscription function aimed at retaining

customers who have turned to Amazon for repeat purchases of consumer goods....You’ll soon be able to use your iPhone or Apple Watch to pay for prescriptions at CVS or a Slurpee at 7-Eleven. The two previous retail holdouts will start rolling out support nationwide for the the Apple Pay mobile payments system in the fall....According to Dine Brands Global’s second-quarter earnings and sales at IHOP’s domestic locations open at least a year increased 0.7 percent. The famous transformation, switching from IHOP to IHOB, happened with just three weeks left in the quarter...A new Gallup poll shows more than

four out of 10 Americans who drink alcohol said they prefer beer, while 34 percent choose wine and 19 percent go for liquor. Beer has almost always been Americans’ favorite alcoholic beverage across the last 26 years in which Gallup has tracked preferences....Tommy Hilfiger has developed a new line of clothing embedded with smart Bluetooth chips that link to a new mobile app and game from the brand, and allow wearers to earn rewards points as they move among different locations, according to Adweek. According to many of the reports about the XPLORE line and its companion app, Hilfiger sees these developments as an opportunity to turn its own customers into brand ambassadors and increase the brand’s marketing power, reports Retaildive.com...Publix Super Markets second quarter sales totaled $8.8 billion, marking a 4% gain from $8.4 billion a year earlier. Comparable-store sales rose 1.7% and reflect a negative impact of 1.2% from the Easter holiday being in the first quarter in 2018 versus in the second quarter last year. Net earnings got a boost from a decrease in the federal statutory income tax rate, from 35% to 21%, Publix operates 1,190 stores... Chinese phone maker Huawei passed Apple in smartphones sales in the second quarter. Huawei sold 54.2 million units, moving ahead of the 41.2 million iPhones. Samsung remains in first place with 71.5 million units sold... T-Mobile and Sprint both added a ton of new customers as they await regulators’ approval for a merger that would put their combined subscriber base on par with their wireless rivals. T-Mobile and Sprint gained 686,000 (regular) customers and 87,000 prepaid phone subscribers during the quarter that ended in June.

FCA AND VW BUCK JULY DOWN TREND The second half of 2018 kicked off with a July decline in vehicle sales. Double-digit percentage declines were seen for many brands featuring primarily passenger cars, as consumers continued to prefer SUVs, pickups and crossovers. Even with total sales of trucks and SUVs up 4.8%, the Ford brand overall saw sales drop 2.9%. Luxury sister Lincoln plunged 11% as the total for Ford Motor Company dropped 3.3% from a year ago to 192,743 cars and light trucks. FCA US was the only major manufacturer to record a sales gain in July, with unit sales up 6% to 170,970. That was driven primarily by the Jeep and Ram brands. Jeep had its best July ever, with sales up 15%. Ram was up 2% overall, with sales of light-duty pickups surging 13%. Meanwhile, Dodge sales were flat, Chrysler dropped 13% and Fiat plunged 45%. But Alfa Romeo sales were up 65% to over 2,000 vehicles—actually topping Fiat sales. Volkswagen Group also bucked the industry downtrend, with July sales up 7.9% to 53,926. Every brand for the German maker was up, led by VW itself gaining 12.7%. Bentley was up 6.5%, Porsche 3.1% and Audi 2.1%. Fellow German maker Daimler AG sales plunged 20%, and BMW Group was down 0.3%. While industry giant General Motors no longer reports monthly sales figures and issues only quarterly numbers, July was clearly a down month for the industry. Automotive News calculated that sales were down 3.7% for those makers reporting July sales figures. The decline in unit sales was cushioned somewhat by another rise in average transaction prices due to the focus on higher-priced trucks and SUVs. Kelley Blue Book estimated that the average transaction price in July was $35,359—a gain of 2.9% from July of 2017. The big Japanese makers had a tough month. Toyota Motor Sales dropped 6% to 208,770, with Toyota down 5.1% and Lexus off 12.1%. Nissan North America sales plunged 15.2% to 108,792, with Nissan down 15.7% and Infiniti down 10.1%. American Honda was down 8.2% to 138,602, with Honda down 8.4% and Acura 6.6%. South Korea’s Hyundai-Kia saw sales drop 5.1%. Despite recent accolades, the Genesis luxury brand was down 62.6%, while Kia dropped 5.8% and Hyundai 2.4%. Who else managed to post gains in a down month for the industry? Rebounding Mitsubishi posted a 24% sales gain, Volvo was up 23.8% and Subaru gained 6.7%. Despite the tough July, the Detroit Free Press reports that IHS Market is still projecting that U.S. sales of cars and light trucks will total 17 million units this year. Average transaction prices – what buyers actually paid for new vehicles in dealer showrooms – rose 3 percent to $35,359 in July, according to Cox Automotive.

PAGE 2 The Daily News of TV Sales @ www.spotsndots.com

NETWORK NEWS Bachelor in Paradise—featuring favorite members of Bachelor Nation, all of them seeking another chance at love—returns next week, this time at a luxurious Mexican resort. It will air Tuesday at 8 PM (ET) on ABC. Hosted by Chris Harrison, it’s a production of Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Unscripted & Alternative Television… ABC’s Shark Tank returns for its 10th season on Sunday, October 7th at 10 PM (ET) before moving to its regular timeslot the following Sunday, October 14th. This year will feature a new slate of guest sharks, including NBA basketball legend Charles Barkley, Miami Dolphins vice chairman Matt Higgins and former Shark Tank entrepreneur-turned-Shark Jamie Siminoff, founder and chief inventor of global home security company Ring—which Siminoff sold to Amazon for more than $1 billion. Fan favorites Sarah Blakely, Bethenny Frankel, Rohan Oza and Alex Rodriguez are also slated to return. They’ll all appear alongside regulars Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin O’Leary. Shark Tank is produced by MGM Television and Sony Pictures Television… Raycom Media’s InvestigateTV has released a one-hour documentary focused on victims of the U.S. opioid crisis and the doctors who abuse the system for their own gain. Licensed to Pill will air in every Raycom Media market. It follows up on extensive investigations that have aired over the past year, during which time a federal raid, charges against doctors and action by Congress were all realized. The documentary will air in more than 50 markets in August… Chris Carmack of Nashville fame is returning to ABC. In his first acting gig since his six-season run on the country music drama series, Carmack has been tapped for a recurring role on the upcoming 15th season of ABC’s venerable medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. Carmack portrayed country crooner Will Lexington on Nashville, breaking ground with the depiction of a gay country artist overcoming stigma and coming out… Chris Hardwick, fresh off a hiatus from his Talking Dead hosting duties in the wake of sexual assault allegations, is stepping back into the spotlight. NBC ran a promo earlier this week confirming he’ll sit on the judges’ panel on Tuesday’s episode of America’s Got Talent, as previously scheduled. NBC has also confirmed that The Wall is set for a fall return with Hardwick returning as host for Season 3… The Verizon WNBA All-Star Game, which aired Saturday on ABC, averaged 709,000 viewers, up 17 percent year over year. The 2018 All-Star Game peaked at 849,000 viewers and is the most-viewed all-star game since 2015, which aired on ABC and ESPN… Deadline reports that ALF may return to TV. A reboot of the popular ’80s alien sitcom is being explored by Warner Bros TV. The original series, written by Murray Chapman, ran for four seasons on NBC, from 1986-90… Star Trek veteran Brent Spiner has been tapped for a recurring role on the upcoming fourth season of The CW’s Supergirl. Spiner is best known for his portrayal of the android DATA on the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation.

AVAILS Cunningham Broadcasting Corporation is seeking a driven General Manager for their Johnstown, PA location. The GM will lead a team to develop customized solutions for new and existing customers. This position requires an innovative leader with a demonstrated ability to find creative solutions that meet the demands of advertisers. Send your resume and cover letter including desired compensation to annette@ievolveconsulting.com. EOE. Radio Account Executive needed for sales of Sunrise Broadcasting cluster of stations in the Wilmington,

NC area. The ideal candidate is an experienced sales professional (3+ years outside sales experience preferred) with incredible drive, and a thirst to learn. You must possess a high degree of self-motivation, the ability to work well on your own and within a team environment, and the ability to communicate clearly with and direct fulfillment team members. Candidates must APPLY ONLINE. EOE M/F. Sunrise Broadcasting Company

participates in E-Verify. All our properties are tobacco free. Cox Media Group, Charlotte NC seeks a Digital Sales Manager. The DSMs responsibility is to identify and drive digital strategies to attain revenue goals through the devel-opment of overall direction, product and service launches and training. The ideal candi-date will have proven and suc-cessful sales management ex-perience in multimedia sales and digital advertising. Exten-sive knowledge of digital sales processes, digital platforms, technical markets, pricing models, channels of distribution, technology trends, customer buying patterns and budget-ing required. CLICK HERE for more information or to apply now. EOE.

DONE DEALS Graham Media Group has formally announced that Kim Parker is the company’s Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, as of July 1st. Parker started her Graham Media Group career in 2007 at WJXT (Independent) and WCWJ, (CW affiliate) in Jacksonville, FL as business manager.....Meredith Roberts has been named to the newly created role of senior vice president, Animation Strategy, Disney Channels.

CBS LAUNCHES CBSN LOCAL CBS Television Stations and CBS Interactive have announced plans to launch CBSN Local, a portfolio of 24/7 direct-to-consumer services that will stream anchored news coverage and live breaking news events from major markets served by CBS O&O stations. CBSN Local will build on the success of CBSN, the 24/7 streaming news service that delivers live national and global news coverage and in-depth reporting from CBS News’ team. CBSN Local services will be available through CBSN on CBSNews.com and the CBS News apps for mobile and connected TV devices, and through CBS Television Stations’ websites and mobile apps.

8/2/2018

Jimmy Fallon

Facebook is working on a “talent show” that would let

users record themselves singing and then upload

their videos for comments. Facebook even has a catchy

name for it: “YouTube.”

The Daily News of TV Sales @ www.spotsndots.com PAGE 3

COMPETITIVE INFO A report by Digiday says online publishers are having success going after TV advertising budgets by subscribing to Nielsen’s Digital Content Ratings. The reason is apparently that ad buyers are familiar with Nielsen’s terminology for linear TV, so the online sites can pitch buyers in language they understand. While no single measurement company may dominate the digital world the way Nielsen does television, the Digiday story says Nielsen appears to be winning the battle.

TV SEEN AS COUNTER TO ‘FAKE NEWS’ Heading into the mid-term elections, new research by the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) finds that voters of all political persuasions are concerned about the influence that “fake news” on social media may have on the outcome. But when it comes to trusted sources of news and information, TV networks and their online properties score highest. For Adults 18+ the VAB survey found that 60% considered TV “most accurate,” followed by newspapers at 57% and TV websites 54%. Even Millennials ranked TV at 63%—tied with online newspapers and newspapers for the top ranking. TV brands dwarfed all other sources when survey respondents were asked how they form opinions about key issues. 68% of Adults 18+ said TV helped them form opinions and 42% said the same of TV websites and apps. Those numbers held up pretty well through all demographic groups. And while those 18-34 gave social media its best showing, that figure was only 35%, compared to 65% for TV and 44% for TV websites and apps. Regardless of the demographic, the research found that TV brands carry the most influence throughout the election cycle. TV is where voters are most likely to fist learn about a candidate or issue. It is what prompts them to seek more information; and is most relied on for accurate information. And then TV is the medium that most influences a person’s final vote. The research report is being posted today on the VAB’s website, www.thevab.com/.

THIS AND THAT Online retailer Wayfair is preparing to open its first brick-and-mortar store. Furniture Today reports that the City of Florence, Kentucky announced the e-tailer’s plan to open an outlet store this fall. Only 20,000 square feet of a new 260,000 square feet distribution center will be used for the retail operation……The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index increased marginally in July, following a modest decline in June. The Index now stands at 127.4 (1985=100), up from 127.1 in June……The Brewers Association, representing independent beer producers, says that as of June 30, there were 6,655 active breweries in the U.S., up from 5,562 during a comparable timeframe last year. An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 breweries are in planning, based on active Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau licenses.

CONSUMER TECH SALES STILL STRONG Artificial intelligence (AI), voice-recognition technology and fast connectivity—critical ingredients for smart speakers, smart home technologies and smartphones—will help spur overall U.S. consumer technology industry revenue to $377 billion in retail revenues in 2018, a 6% increase, according to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). The mid-year forecast update also shows whole home Wi-Fi solutions, wireless earbuds and augmented/virtual reality headsets will each cross the $1 billion wholesale revenue milestone for the first time this year.

For television tech, total digital displays demonstrated strong performance in 2017 and as a result, consumer demand in early 2018 slowed. CTA now projects total unit sales of digital displays will reach 40.4 million units (6% decrease from 2017), while higher average wholesale prices hold total revenue at $21 billion, on par with 2017. Future category growth will be driven by Next Gen screen technology, the forecast says. Showing strong growth, 4K Ultra High-

Definition (4K UHD) TVs are forecast to sell 18.6 million units (+11%) and generate $14.3 billion in revenue (+7%). OLED unit sales are expected to reach 772,000 (+45%) and earn $1.4 billion in revenue (+42%) this year—and in 2019, OLED display revenue will cross the $2 billion mark.

ACCOUNT ACTIONS Leo Burnett, Chicago, announced it has been appointed as the lead agency for Samsung’s global Visual Display business, following a competitive pitch. Starcom will provide media planning and buying expertise, given its role as Samsung’s global media agency of record. The agency’s announcement says the account award “demonstrates the capabilities of the Power of One and the value of integrated creative and media offerings across Publicis Groupe agencies”……The Qdoba Mexican restaurant chain has moved its media planning and buying account to Marc USA’s Cogniscient Media, Pittsburgh. The incumbent had been Horizon Media.

8/2/2018

FunnyTweeter.com

Shouting “shotgun” will get you the good seat but not

when you’re boarding a plane.

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