NAB 2009: Complete Coverage from Broadcasting & Cable
The NBC affiliates board convened in Vegas earlier this week to plan for the bigger affiliates' pow-wow in New York next month. NBC execs John Eck and Jean Dietz stopped by to discuss network matters with the board, including, of course, Jay Leno's move to primetime in the fall. While both the network and the affiliates' board are awaiting results of a viewer study the board commissioned before they being shaping the show, board chairman Michael Fiorile says the topic of ad inventory was discussed.
"We're confident there will be some sort of inventory participation for the affiliates that's more than we've had before," he said.
The parties also spoke about how to work content from NBC's Weather Channel into the stations' mix. Unlike the former Weather Plus digital network, the NBC affiliates don't have an equity piece in Weather Channel. But Fiorile says a relationship between the stations and Weather Channel is being discussed. "We talked about proposing a partnership," he said, "some kind of content share/brand share."
The affiliates' body meets May 19.
