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Fox Affi liate Drops Fuels Call for Retrans Reform

LOS ANGELES — After the News Corp.-owned Fox network said it would sever
ties with affiliate stations in Evansville, Ind., and Boise, Idaho, replacing
them with other local stations, a coalition of pay TV providers and others interested
in retransmission-consent reform said the network’s move was further
evidence that action is needed.

“First, the broadcast networks black out viewers on their owned stations as
a negotiating ploy in retransmission-consent negotiations with pay TV providers,”
the American Television Alliance said last Friday (May 13). “Now, they
are bullying their affiliates by withholding programming if the affiliate doesn’t
pay up more of their retrans revenue, as Fox recently did in Evansville, Ind.
Dumping affiliates is the latest example of why the retransmission-consent
system must be reformed.”

Fox said that Communications Corp. of America’s WEVV Evansville, a CBS
affiliate, would replace Nexstar’s WTVW as the local Fox affiliate there. And
Fox signed a deal with Journal Broadcast Group to launch Fox on Journal’s
KNIN Boise, currently an affiliate of The CW, to replace Block Communications-
owned KTRV, Broadcasting & Cable reported on May 11.

WEVV, which had been a Fox affiliate years ago, begins its Fox partnership
July 1, while KNIN kicks off Fox programming Sept. 1.

Fox has been particularly aggressive in pushing affiliates to come up with
substantial retransmission earnings as part of affiliation agreements, sparking
ire among some stations, B&C reported.

— John Eggerton

Upfronts: WE TV Renews ‘Braxton Family Values’

NEW YORK — WE TV’s
2011-12 upfront
slate includes a second-
season renewal
of popular original
series Braxton Family
Values.

The show, about
singer/songwriter
Toni Braxton and
her four sisters, is
produced by Magical
Elves and will return
with 13 all-new, onehour
episodes in
2012.

The Rainbow Media-
owned network
also greenlit three
new original series.
Amsale Girls profiles
the personalities of
the consultants and
brides at the popular
NYC bridal salon,
Amsale; Texas Multi
Mamas looks at the
inner workings of
modern families with
multiple children;
and The Willis Clan
follows a family grooming their 12 children into extraordinary savants.

WE TV also will offer the U.S. premieres of Family Restaurant, about a
family-run Chinese restaurant, and the second season of The Cupcake Girls,
about a cupcake business. Earlier, the network endorsed shows including
Staten Island Cakes, Downsized, Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? and
Fix My Family.

 Time Warner Inc. Invests More in Simulmedia

NEW YORK — Ad-research startup Simulmedia has completed a $9.25 million
round of new financing from existing investors Time Warner Inc.,
Avalon Ventures, Union Square Ventures and founder and CEO Dave
Morgan.

Simulmedia uses anonymous viewing data from more than 16 million settop
boxes in the U.S., representing 80 million hours of viewing per day, to
provide analysis of the effectiveness of ad campaigns. TiVo is among the
sources for the company’s set-top data set.

Simulmedia raised $8 million in April 2010, following a $4 million seed
round the previous year. “The business has been growing very well, and we
raised the money to continue to build out our TV ad data platform and our ad
sales team,” Morgan said in a statement.

In the past year, Simulmedia has worked on more than 45 national ad campaigns
to help marketers improve their ability to target demographic profi les.
The company claimed it has delivered results 25% to 300% better than traditional
TV ad scheduling and targeting methods.

Morgan founded New York-based Simulmedia in 2008. Earlier this year the
company hired Brian Wieser, head of global forecasting for MagnaGlobal, as
chief marketing offi cer, responsible for marketing and strategy.

Other companies that provide set-top data-based research services include
Google, Nielsen, Rentrak, Kantar Media, TiVo and TRA.


— Todd Spangler

Miron’s First Bresnan Ethics Award Recipient

DENVER — Retired Bright
House Networks chairman
Robert Miron was
named the first recipient
of the Bresnan Ethics
in Business Award,
The Cable Center said.

Miron will receive the
honor, named after the
late cable pioneer and
former Bresnan Communications
founder
and chairman William
Bresnan, at the Cable
Hall of Fame Celebration
on June 14, at the
Sheraton Chicago Hotel
and Towers, in conjunction
with the National
Cable & Telecommunications
Association’s
Cable Show.

“Bob mirrors the
qualities that Bill demonstrated,
both personally
and professionally,”
Nick Davatzes, retired
CEO of A&E Networks
and chairman of the
Bresnan Award selection committee, said in a statement. “His ethics and
leadership have helped to make the cable industry what it is today, and he is
a perfect selection for the first Bresnan Ethics in Business Award.”

The Bresnan Ethics in Business award was created to honor outstanding
men and women in the cable industry who best exemplify Bill Bresnan’s longstanding
commitment to ethics in business.

— Mike Farrell

Cox Expands Rollout of BigBand’s SDV System

ATLANTA — Cox Communications said it has expanded its switched digital
video architecture to new markets with BigBand Networks’ SDV system.

Cox began deploying the BigBand SDV solution in 2007 in its Northern Virginia;
Phoenix, Ariz.; and Orange County, Calif., systems. The MSO didn’t announce
where else it has launched the BigBand solution.

The cable operator is running the switched digital video platform in both
Motorola and Cisco Systems environments to deliver more HDTV programming
and other services by increasing the bandwidth efficiency of its network.

“SDV is one of our key tools to address the bandwidth demands critical to
delivering a wide variety of quality programming and services to our customers,”
Cox VP of video engineering James Kelso said in a statement. “BigBand
continues to demonstrate that they have the processes and support mechanisms
that make it easy to deploy SDV with minimum impact to our operations
and resources.”

BigBand’s sales have slumped, with total net revenue plunging 43% to
$18.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2011. The Redwood City,
Calif.-based company posted a net loss of $12.8 million in the first quarter of
2011, compared with a net loss of $8.8 million in the year-ago period.

— Todd Spangler