Corpus Christi Caller-Times from Corpus Christi, Texas • 10

CorpitfClitiaiCalltNEimtS lOAMonday August 8 1988 Writers FROM PAGE 1A rent payment Television producers usually take a loss when they make first-run prime-time shows but make up production costs with their share of payments for reruns Rising production costs and reduced demand for expensive hour-long shows prompted the producers to propose revisions for domestic reruns Under the new formula payments for domestic one-hour reruns would be tied to sales of the show as opposed to a set dollar amount Writers have been earning about $16000 for one-hour programs but under the new system the figure In arguing for acceptance of the proposal guild negotiators said it would provide writers more creative control over scripts and over the re-acquisition of original screenplays But the union acknowledged it was not very successful in winning larger payments for reruns of television programs sold to foreign markets Writers would have the option of the existing formula which pays a maximum of about $4400 for a one-hour show rerun in a foreign country or a new plan that would pay 12 percent of the producer's foreign sales within a range of 85 percent to 130 percent of the cur- But there were detractors in the union ranks think if we had stayed out a little longer we could have got a better said union board member Allan Manings who voted against the pact Nevertheless the mood at the Hollywood Paladium membership meeting site was almost festive The impact of the strike which began March 7 reached beyond writers producers and behind-the-scenes personnel affecting businesses ranging from equipment rental to caterers and has cost the television networks tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue could range from $8000 to $24000 depending on the syndication sales In exchange if the syndication market improves during the life of the four-year contract writers could submit to binding arbitration a request to return to the existing fixed-payment formula The contract also calls for salary increases of 5 percent in the first 18 months another 5 percent in the next 18 months and 43 percent the fourth year for all compensation under the agreement Further it includes the first industry contract for programs produced for basic cable television sponsible for 83 percent of network prime-time television ind 90 percent of feature film production and distribution members are anxious to return quickly to what they do best -creating the stories and writing the words for the television shows and motion pictures enjoyed by millions of said Mona Mangan executive director of the guild's East Coast contingent Guild negotiators said earlier they expected little dissent from strike-weary writers despite a lukewarm response to the proposal There is great relief Kirgo said before he voted Television FROM PAGE 1A Murdoch to buy TV Guidd Tho AMOCMted PfOM NEW YORK Media magnate Rupert Murdoch plans to buy- Triangle Publications Inc for $3 billion adding TV Guide the Qaily Racing Form and Seventeen magazine to his communications empire a spokesman announced Sunday The deal with former US -Ambassador Walter Anncnberg gives Murdoch the nation's largest-selling weekly magazine in the country TV Guide with an audited circulation of more than 17 million cqpics Anncnberg was the chairman of Radnor Pa-based Triangle which Wall Street analysts valued at tfoout $1 billion last year The sale was one of the most expensive media deals ever in 1986 Capital Cities Inc paid $35 billion for the ABC television network "These publications are the most valuable and prized publishing properties in the Murdoch said in a statement announcing the purchase They have been developed brilliantly by Ambassador Anneribctg and we plan to make them the' cornerstone of a great American publishing company" said Murdoch who began negotiating with Anncn-berg for the three publications one month ago TV Guide will be operated independently from his other holdings Murdoch said But Andrew Schwartzman executive director of the Media Access Project a Washington DC-based public interest telecommunications law firm said Murdoch's planned purchase raises anti-trust questions because of his ownership of the Fox network "Any media conglomeration of this scope ought to set off warning signals at the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department" Schwartzman said Murdoch 58 is well known in the United States for his work at the New York Post which he purchased in 1976 and converted from one of the country's most liberal dailies to a conservative paper with screaming headlines in red ink reliance on the telephone to contact respondents The respondents are asked to keep a diary of their television viewing habits Strategy Research claims an estimated 31 percent of Hispanics in the United States do not have telephones in their homes while another 38 percent have unlisted telephone numbers Caballero agrees with the assertions of Strategy Research "How then can you properly measure what the Hispanics are viewing? You really Caballero said But said Caballero advertisers are familiar with Arbitron "and that is really the only reason we have them include us in their survey" The station management however feels the advertising is strong enough to plan for the addition of three new locally produced programs One of the programs he said will be a weekly interview show of local political leaders The program will be ready for broadcast in four to six months he said Another is geared toward the Sunday viewer and the third will attempt to capture the attention of children The only local programming now is a 30-minutc newscast aired from 5 to 5:30 pm Monday through Friday DeLeon said there have been concerns in the past about the stability of the station "but I think going nowhere but up now" Tlw Naw York Thm contributed to thte articte the Hispanic market York said John Nugent president of Creative Communications which handles advertising for Maverick Markets said "My belief is that Hispanics respond to the same advertising that everyone responds to and they watch the same TV programs that Anglos and blacks watch" In an effort to boost advertising sales KORO has hired Sabatino Advertising Inc The marketing program has a slogan: "Are you cutting out 54 percent of your market?" The slogan refers to the station's contention that Hispanics constitute 34 percent of the city's population It is the discrepancy between a heavy Hispanic population and the low viewership ratings that is center of a discussion on exactly the size audience reached by KORO and other Spanish-language stations Arbitron one of the two recognized television ratings services in the nation measured KORO's audience at an average of 4 percent during two 30-minute time slots for a recent monthlong period That measurement climbed above Channel audience in several instances but never climbed as high as channels 3 or 6 which ran as high as 14 percent of the viewing audience Strategy Research Corp a Miami-based corporation that measures Hispanic television viewers claims Arbitron docs not properly measure Hispanics because of its Other stockholders are Olivero Everett a pharmacist and chairman of the board of the Nueces National Bank CG Oliveira a dentist Dr Roberto Bosquez a surgeon former city councilman and former member of the Del Mar College Board of Regents Dr Humberto Garcia an internist and Oscar Garcia's brother and Elva Sierra a homemaker Nationwide Spanish-language TV is now dominated by Hallmark Cards Inc the greeting card com-pany and the Reliance Capital Corp the investment concern controlled by Saul Steinberg a New York financier Hallmark has acquired a group of the industry's 10 strongest stations including WXTV in New York KMEX-TV in Los Angeles and WLTV in Miami and Univision which has more than 430 affiliates Reliance has acquired or started five stations including WNJU-TV in the New York City area KVEA-TV in Los Angeles and WSCV-TV in Miami and has started a rival network called the Telemundo Group At the strongest stations Spanish-language television has become a force to be reckoned with KMEX-TV in Los Angeles for example despite broadcasting on UHF Channel 31 regularly beats out some English-language VHF stations in attracting viewers But despite the rapid growth executives of Hallmark and Reliance pointed out that total Spanish-language television advertising revenues last year were still less than 1 percent of the $23 billion for all television advertising were let down and disappointed that we convince them to give us the he said guess they felt at that time that Spanish television was not very stable" The group was able to persuade Citizens Bank to approve a modest $350000 loan However loans from equipment companies and assistance from the Spanish International Network which once owned Uni vision also helped the stockholders in getting the station started Garcia called the move to invest in the station a gamble but a gamble he was willing to take The station originally was located in 4000 square feet of rental space in the 600 Building There were 13 staff members Since then the staff has grown to 23 people who now work out of the Mesquite Street building Caballero who started as comptroller for KORO was promoted to general manager when his predecessor Eva Esparaza Waidlow moved from the city in 1980 Beamed on a low-power UHF channel the station provide a clear picture to viewers without the loop antennas or cable hookup we resorted to what now would be considered antiquated equipment loop said local lawyer Tony Bonilla another of the eight stockholders As a promotional gimmick KO-RO supporters distributed the loop antennas in the community Now KORO claims its viewership is spread over a 12-county area Locally the story is much the same While KORO has gained advertisers Caballero said the station must continue to sell itself and Spanish-language TV a station that broadcasts in a different language and they (advertisers) may not be aware of the importance of having an advertising Caballero said HEB grocery stores have been a major advertiser with the station since its inception They're the only Spanish-language station in that said Wanda Mann of Mann and Mann Media Services in San Antonio which advises HEB in its advertising purchases "With the Hispanic community as large as it is in Corpus Christi you can't lose by advertising with the only Spanish-language television Mann said Other mqjor media buyers in the Corpus Christi market have yet to be persuaded Paul York who owns two new car auto dealerships representing four lines of automobiles is aware of the Hispanic market and buys advertising time on the city's two Spanish-language radio stations KUNO and KCCT The viewership of KORO however is not large enough yet for him to target an audience he said York said he considers the Hispanics in the Coastal Bend a group and said that those who watch KORO also watch channels 3 6 and 10 "I only have a few dollars to spend and I think 1 already target REVEREWARET 8 PIECE COOKWARE SET 4999 durability and long lasting good looks have made it the preference of generations of cooks Featuring copper clad bottoms that insure fast even healing so cooking is easier and uses less energy Set includes 1 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