TVDATA'S PROGRAMS PONDERED

By: Joe Strupp Will TMS Pull the Pay-Per-Plug?


The TV book has always been a mainstay of the Sunday newspaper.
More than 75% of readers hold on to it for the entire week, with
86% of them referring to it daily, according to Chicago-based
Tribune Media Services (TMS), which on Friday announced its
purchase of a majority stake in its main competitor in the
newspaper TV listings game, TVData Technologies L.P. of Glens
Falls, N.Y.

The deal comes with TVData's editorial content on something of a
slippery slope, as the company accepts payment from some
programmers to write stories about specific shows. Although
TVData contends that editorial content is not compromised by the
practice, it has drawn criticism from its erstwhile competitor
and some newspapers.

"It's terrible -- it's not the way to go," said Penny Soldan, TV
editor for The Daily Oklahoman in Oklahoma City, a TVData
client. "It's ethically incorrect."

TVData executives, who since 1998 have launched two services that
accept payment from the subjects of stories, say the approach
provides additional free editorial content to newspapers and
gives programmers a way to promote less-successful shows.

TVData President and CEO Art Bassin said the services are part of
an overall change in newspaper TV coverage that eventually will
make the TV book more of a promotional tool and less of an
editorial product. "The TV book has gotten more expensive with
the growing number of channels, and the newspaper has to look for
ways to pay for it," Bassin said.

TVData's bread-and-butter has long been its Feature Syndicate
Service, which provides newspapers with weekly listings,
crossword puzzles, a set number of articles, and three TV book
covers at a sliding-scale fee. No money is accepted from
programmers or networks for articles.

But, in 1998, TVData launched its Feature Distribution Service,
which allows programmers and networks to pay a fee of $3,000 or
more for a staff-written article on a topic of their choice. The
article is provided at no charge to newspaper clients, who decide
whether to run it. Robyn McCormick, TVData vice president of
program promotion, said that about 12 to 15 such articles are
written each year.

A similar program, Guaranteed Cover Service, began in 1999. That
option allows programmers to pay a fee for a cover story on a
topic of their choice that will be sent to TVData customers.

Those stories and covers also are provided to newspapers at no
charge. "They are under no obligation to run it," McCormick said.
"We retain 100% editorial control, and we stress this to the
client. It can't be slanted."

TVData executives said each newspaper decides how to label the
stories, with some choosing to call them advertising or paid
promotions and others letting them run as regular stories.

Some industry observers, however, said the practice crosses an
ethical line that they believe should not be stepped over.

"We believe strongly in the editorial integrity of our products,"
said Kristy Bremer, director of media relations for TMS. "Our
editorial staff accepts no favors or consideration from ... any
members of the industries that we cover," added Bremer.

"We are advertiser-driven, but I don't like the idea," said
Carmen Hall, assistant features editor for The Commercial
Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., which uses TVData. "People just
want to know what is on TV."

At The Record, a TVData customer, in Stockton, Calif., TV
Editor Shari Spence said she had received several free articles
through the Features Distribution Service, but did not know they
were written for a fee. "There had been nothing that indicated
they were paying for it."

Responding to the criticism, TVData's Bassin said: "Nobody is
forcing the newspaper to do anything. It is up to them."



Joe Strupp (jstrupp@editorandpublisher.com) is an associate editor for E&P.



Copyright 2001, Editor & Publisher.