Stations Adopt Pay-Per-Run Policy For New Shows

Television stations are increasingly demanding that they be compensated for carrying untried syndicated television programs, the Los Angeles Times reported today (Tuesday). Instead of the traditional arrangement in which stations determine whether the programs will attract an audience and then receive revenue by selling time within the shows to local advertisers, many stations are now making their determinations based on how much the syndicators will pay them, the newspaper said. The Times also noted that the judgment about what programs to air now often is made by executives at large station groups, rather than by local managers. It particularly cited Sinclair Broadcasting, which owns stations in 40 U.S. markets, giving it clout to demand fat compensation fees from syndicators.