www.spotsndots.comSubscriptions: $350 per year.

This publication cannot bedistributed beyond the office

of the actual subscriber. Need us? 888-884-2630 or

sales@spotsndots.com Copyright 2020.The Daily News of TV Sales Wednesday, April 15, 2020

PANDEMIC NOT DETERRING GROCERY SHOPPERS A majority of consumers are still visiting physical stores when buying groceries — even in the wake of a pandemic, Chain Store Age reports. This was according to a new survey from shopping rewards app Shopkick, which revealed that 72% of consumers are visiting supermarkets and 69% are making big-box stores their top shopping destinations. (Shopkick surveyed more than 26,000 consumers across the U.S. between March 31 and April 6.) When searching for essentials, consumers are equal-opportunity shoppers. They’re also visiting drug stores (42%), dollar stores (32%), club stores (27%) and convenience stores (20%). While a clear majority of these customers (72%) are making fewer shopping trips than they did pre-pandemic, nearly 80% said this isn’t due to an increase in their online shopping habits. (In fact, only one in four consumers is making more online purchases, according to an earlier Shopkick survey). Rather, it could be attributed to adhering to social distancing directives, the study reported. Regardless of where they’re shopping, 39% of consumers said they’re spending more money per shopping trip than before the COVID-19 outbreak, while 36% reported they’re spending about the same. A majority of shoppers (36%) said they spend between $51-$100 (36%), while 30% are spending between $26-$50. Only 18% spend an average of $100-$200, 13% spend $0-$25, and a mere 3% spend more than $200 per trip. Shoppers are also staying mindful to stretch their shopping dollars during the pandemic. With 86% of people spending most of their budget on food and beverages, consumers hope to save money at the cash register by using shopping rewards apps (42%), couponing apps (42%), and buying in bulk (32%), the study revealed. “Beyond the health and safety of our community, we’ve also got to think about costs as millions of Americans face layoffs,” said David Fisch, Shopkick’s GM. “Retailers who can offer additional deals and coupons or tips on budget-friendly meals will be the ones shoppers want to visit.” Consumers are also doing their best to complete their shopping despite out-of-stock inventory. While 10% of shoppers will travel to another store to try to find their favorite brand of merchandise, a majority of consumers (69%) are purchasing different brands if their preferred one is not available. A mere 14% of shoppers will forgo making a purchase if their desired merchandise is unavailable. Walmart, meanwhile, is reserving an early morning pickup hour for online orders for the groups most at risk to COVID-19. The retail giant will reserve the hour from 7 AM to 8 AM for order pickup at select locations for customers over the age of 60, first responders, customers with disabilities and anyone designated high-risk by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

STUDY: CONSUMERS STILL VISITING CERTAIN STORESADVERTISER NEWS “Earnings season” starts this week as publicly-traded companies release quarterly results, many of which will be distorted by the pandemic impacting the last few weeks of the quarter. Major banks and financial institutions are usually the first to report numbers. Both JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo posted profits well below last year’s first quarter and both have set aside huge caches of

money anticipating that a flood of credit card writeoffs will become necessary. JPMorgan’s profit fell 69% to $2.87 billion as it set aside a $6.8 billion reserve for future losses. It’s also raising standards for mortgages to a 700 credit score. Wells Fargo is setting aside $3.1 billion as a reserve for future losses as its net income fell 89% to $653 million… Johnson &

Johnson reported a great first quarter, earning a $5.8 billion profit compared with $3.75 billion a year ago. Total U.S. sales rose 5.6%, with consumer products, led by brands like Tylenol and Zyrtec, up 9.2%. The pharmaceutical division was up 8.7% to $11.1 billion… A study done by rewards app Shopkick found that despite perceived danger, 72% of respondents still physically go to supermarkets and 69% still go to big-box stores. Seventy-two percent said they’re going to stores less frequently, but only about 25% reported that they’re making more online purchases than before the pandemic crisis hit… A study from TrendSource found 64% of consumers said they’re spending less at convenience stores. Part of that comes from customers’ desire to shop less frequently, but another major factor is from people out of work who need gas less often.

(Continued on Page 3)

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

AVAILS WFFT-TV FOX 55, Fort Wayne, Ind., is looking for a dynamic Creative Services Director who likes to tell a story and create market memorable promotions. If you are an experienced Marketing/Creative Services Director who can generate and execute powerful, memorable marketing, messaging and branding, we would like to talk to you. If you are an aggressive, strategic leader with a “we should try that” attitude, then we are definitely looking for you to join our team. Send resume and examples of your recent

work to: generalmanager@wfft.com. EOE. Fox 26 KRIV-TV, the Fox O&O in Houston, seeks an Associate Producer. Responsibilities include writing stories and teases, editing video, and creating graphics and supers for newscasts and digital platforms. Must be willing to assist on the assignment desk, if necessary. Must be reachable 24 hours a day in breaking news situations. One to two years’ experience as a TV

Newscast Associate Producer or Producer in a small to medium to major television market or equivalent preferred. CLICK HERE for more info or to apply now. EOE. WXLV/WMYV, Winston-Salem, N.C., is seeking a Digital Sales Manager who will ensure all digital objectives, including internet and mobile, exceed or meet company revenue growth goals. This person will become an expert in Sinclair’s digital capabilities and be able to deliver unique and valuable digital solutions to new and existing clients. Applicants must have the ability to lead, train and inspire, with knowledge of new media, digital interactive initiatives, social media and content. CLICK HERE to apply. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is an EOE/Drug Free Workplace. KMVU-TV FOX26 Medford, Ore., is looking for a Digital Media and New Business AE to join our fantastic team of professionals. The Account Executive is responsible for selling television, digital and OTT advertising solutions to local businesses. The ideal candidate enjoys being part of a small community, thrives in a goal-oriented team environment and has strong interpersonal skills. If you have a positive attitude, client focus and desire to WIN — we want to hear from you! Email resume and cover letter to tlund@kmvu-tv.com. No calls. EOE.

See your ad here tomorrow! CLICK HERE for details.

THIS AND THAT The Los Angeles Times says it will furlough some business-side employees and that senior managers will take pay cuts, as advertising revenue has been “nearly eliminated” due to the coronavirus pandemic... YouTube has seen a 75% jump in viewership of videos the company classifies as “news” compared to the same time last year, according to its chief product officer as audiences seek to learn more about the coronavirus... U.S. movie theater operators are aiming to reopen in late July to hit the late-summer blockbuster season, with some recovered areas opening as early as mid-June, according to a National Association of Theatre Owners spokesman, though he noted the timeline is tentative.

COMSCORE UNVEILS NEW REPORTING OPTIONS Comscore is launching a new series of weekly custom reporting options that aims to better understand rapidly-changing consumer behaviors in the era of COVID-19 and social distancing. According to a news release, the new reports are built on the granular audience insights derived from Comscore’s syndicated products and are tailored to highlight consumption trends in TV, digital, OTT and gaming on a more frequent and granular basis. New services available include: Digital Report: Weekly or daily U.S. or international consumer behaviors across mobile, desktop or both, including a variety of media options such as category-level data (e.g. travel, retail, news), top properties/apps, video streaming and social media. OTT Streaming Report: All reportable streaming services and device types in the U.S., including demographics, on a daily or weekly view. Gaming Report: Top games in the U.S. on a daily or weekly basis for desktop, mobile and gaming console consumption. TV Reports: Live viewing across dayparts (e.g. Primetime) at the national or local level (top 100 markets) comparing broadcast week viewing year-over-year, month-over-month and week-over-week. Comscore says it’s also now offering two new advanced audience segments in TV Essentials and StationView Essentials: news viewers by consumption level (heavy/medium/light), and heavy viewers of key sports based on the previous regular schedule.

AIRLINES, U.S. REACH DEAL ON FEDERAL AIDThe biggest U.S. airlines have reached an agreement in principle with the federal government on financial assistance aimed at preventing layoffs in an industry hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, The Wall Street Journal reports. The Treasury Department said yesterday that 10 of the 12 largest airlines have told the government they intend to accept assistance from the $2.2 trillion economic relief package passed last month. The biggest domestic airlines — United, Delta, American and Southwest — all agreed to receive aid. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that conversations continue with some other airlines and that officials were also working on guidance for aid to cargo carriers and contractors. Demand for air travel has all but evaporated over the past few months, as countries around the world imposed restrictions to try to slow the virus’s spread. Airlines have slashed flying by upward of 70% and say many flights are still nearly empty. The Treasury’s assistance includes $25 billion in direct aid to allow passenger airlines to continue paying salaries and benefits to employees in the coming months. The payroll assistance “will support American workers and help preserve the strategic importance of the airline industry while allowing for appropriate compensation to the taxpayers,” Mnuchin said in a statement.

4/15/2020

Trevor Noah

Bernie Sanders made the endorsement of Joe Biden

over a livestream chat around 3 in the afternoon, which was nice because they could do

the endorsement over dinner.

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

ADVERTISER NEWS(Continued from Page 1)After trying an off-premise model for several weeks, the breakfast/lunch concept First Watch is closing all of its 309 company-owned restaurants, with sales at the units having dropped by 95%. Thirty-nine of the chain’s 73 franchised units are staying open… Black Box Intelligence reports that while all regions were down badly in March restaurant sales, the Southeast was least affected (down “just” 23.45%), while the New England region was hurt the worst. Not surprisingly, the pizza format was the least impacted, but still fell by 15%...

Burlington Stores is the latest to furlough its employees and announce 50% pay cuts for its executives. The chain says it’s in talks with landlords about timing of rent payments and is “aggressively” reducing expenses. Online operations had been terminated even before the COVID-19 problem emerged — it had amounted to just 0.5% of sales in last year’s fourth quarter, and the company had said it preferred to focus on its roster of 720 brick-and-mortar stores… True Religion

Apparel has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than three years. E-commerce is still operating, and the company expects to reorganize while under bankruptcy protection and continue in business… A federal lawsuit has been filed in New York by a lawyer who alleges fees charged by Grubhub, UberEats, Postmates and DoorDash have made restaurants charge “supra-competitive” prices for all its offerings, not just food that’s delivered through the delivery service... Amazon is ramping up hiring — for the second time in less than a month. The online giant says it will hire an additional 75,000 workers to help serve customers “during this unprecedented time.” The new workers will be in addition to the 100,000 new employees Amazon has hired since mid-March in full- and part-time jobs across its fulfillment centers and delivery network... Airbnb is raising another $1 billion in debt as it pads its balance sheet to get through the COVID-19 crisis, according to sources with knowledge of the deal. Fidelity, T Rowe Price and Blackrock are participating along with Apollo and Oaktree. Airbnb is paying about 9% interest on the debt.

4/15/2020

FunnyTweeter.com

Homeschooling, Day whatever: This school really

needs a new janitor.

MONDAY NIELSEN RATINGS - LIVE + SAME DAY

AD SENTIMENT DETERIORATES FOR NEAR TERM The sentiment for second- and third-quarter ad spending has deteriorated significantly over the past couple of weeks as the longer-term reality of the pandemic has set in among major marketers and agency media buyers. That’s the finding of two surveys of top ad executives conducted by Advertiser Perceptions, MediaPost reports. During the most recent wave conducted from April 1-4, 86% of ad executives said the second quarter and 43% said the third quarter would experience “major” impacts from the effects of COVID-19. That’s up 69% and 28%, respectively, from a survey conducted March 17-20. The outlooks for Q4 remain relatively constant, while executives responding to the second wave see relatively moderate, minor or no impact on their ad-spending plans for the first quarter of 2021. (The first wave did not ask about the impact on the first quarter of 2021.) Asked specifically whether they were holding back and/or cancelling planned ad campaigns, respondents showed a marked deterioration in their plans between the two waves, including a 15-percentage-point rise in the percentage holding back campaign launches, and a 10-percentage-point rise in the percentage canceling campaigns completely.

LITHIA EXPECTING DROP IN Q1 NET INCOME Lithia Motors says it expects first-quarter net income to slip as much as 19% from showroom closures during the coronavirus pandemic, Automotive News reports. The third-largest new-vehicle retailer in the U.S. said it cut staffing by 37%, mainly with furloughs. Lithia employs about 14,000 people, so the cut has impacted roughly 5,100 positions. Previously, Lithia said it had begun cutting staff but did not disclose the figure. “We expect to be able to have team members return to work as future volume levels recover,” the company said in a government filing. The Medford, Ore., retailer anticipates net income to decline to a range of $45.5 million to $47 million, compared with $56.4 million posted during the first quarter of 2019, according to the filing. The company expects to report a 10% decline in new-vehicle sales when it releases earnings, slated for April 22. Lithia is No. 3 on Automotive News’ list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., with new-vehicle retail sales of 180,532 in 2019.

IS AI MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN TELEVISION? Veritone is hosting a series of webinars starting next week from April 20-23 called “Proven AI for M&E.” Veritone will highlight five separate webinars ranging from content and ad intelligence to ad attribution to intelligent media management to monetization. Learn how Veritone AI-driven solutions help Radio, TV, Sports, and Podcasting save time, reduce costs, improve workflow productivity and efficiencies while generating revenue. See what AI can do for you. Learn More.