IRS has questions about buying ad time (and they're asking us)

Who does the Internal Revenue Service call when it wants to know how the television business works?

Apparently journalists.

Several Los Angeles Times staffers got an e-mail from the IRS asking questions about how commercial time is sold. Maybe they're poking around the upfronts to see what's taking so long.

Among the things the IRS wants to know: Do advertisers choose what time their ads air? (Sometimes, but not usually, as most ads are sold across a network's schedule.) And, once a buyer purchases a commercial, how certain is it that the ad will air? (Reasonably certain, although there can be preemptions for news, and an ad might be pulled if it would appear to be insensitive in light of a current event).

We don't know who or what the IRS is probing. A spokesman wasn't particularly interested in telling us. But the e-mail, from the Los Angeles office of the chief counsel, says the agency is working on a case that involves how commercial time is sold. I hope they don't audit me now for revealing this.

-- Joe Flint

If Don Draper were Matt Weiner's boss, he'd can him on the spot.

"It's about selling, kid," we can hear the cool creative director lecturing the self-important, idealistic writer, grinding his cigarette in the ashtray, exasperated at the obviousness of the wisdom he was trying to impart. "And selling puts the vegetables on the table. You don't like to eat?"

That's how we imagine it.

In fact, Weiner, the creative force behind AMC's "Mad Men," which follows the lives of ad man Don Draper and his cronies at Sterling Cooper in the Swinging Sixties, won a battle this week with the cable network over the amount of commercials in the program. AMC wanted to shoehorn two more minutes of commercial time to the show, which would have meant cutting some of the dramatic narrative from each episode.

Although that sounds bad (who wants more commercials?), keep in mind that "Mad Men" has fewer commercials than just about any other hour-long show on TV. The show usually runs 12 minutes of commercials and promos, compared with the 14 to 16 minutes on other cable shows and 18 minutes on broadcast shows. In other words, Weiner has it pretty good at AMC.

Weiner didn't see it that way. A very hands-on creator, he fought back and got AMC to instead let the show run longer than an hour with the additional commercials so that he wouldn't have to trim dialogue and scenes from the show. Of course, AMC and cable operators will have to find a way to insure that the show's post-11 p.m. end time doesn't screw with our TiVos and DVRs. Often when a show runs over, the very end is cut off by the recording devices (at least this is our experience).

Fans of the show are no doubt cheering Weiner on and we get that. But AMC wasn't being greedy when it wanted to insert a few more commercials spots to the show. Critical raves and awards do not automatically translate into viewers and dollars. In its second season, "Mad Men" averaged 1.5 million viewers, a great number for AMC, but paltry compared with other dramas on cable such as TNT's "The Closer," which drew more than 7 million viewers in its premiere last week.

In terms of ad revenue, our Madison Avenue source tells us a 30-second spot on "Mad Men" can go as low as $10,000, while a show like USA's "Burn Notice" gets $21,000. In other words, "Mad Men," a show about advertising, doesn't generate a lot of ad dollars for AMC. In fact, it's a loss leader (we can almost see on Roger Sterling's face a look of disgust bordering on revulsion upon hearing the words "loss leader").

And the show has become even more costly since it premiered a few years ago. Lions Gate, which makes "Mad Men" for AMC, signed a two-year deal with Weiner (after an ugly negotiation that had the studio thinking it might have to find a new show runner) worth $9 million, according to Variety's Cynthia Littleton. Some of those costs were passed on to AMC in the form of a higher license fee.

It's real easy to beat up on the network anytime there's an issue with a creator, but in our humble opinion Weiner should stick to creating and let the Don Drapers of the world do their part to make sure the show does indeed go on. Got it, kid?

-- Joe Flint

Top photo: Jon Hamm as "Mad Men's" Donald Draper. Credit: Associated Press 

Bottom photo: "Mad Men" creator Matt Weiner. Credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

A scathing and hilarious take on what's going on in the ad world set to Don McLean's classic "American Pie." Enjoy! Unless, of course, you are a network executive, in which case it's never too early to hit the martini bar. The author prefers to remain anonymous but goes by the pen name by "L McDuff" on his YouTube bio.

-- Joe Flint

It’s a tough time to be a TV advertiser. Young people are watching shows online, and people of all ages are fast-forwarding through commercials with digital video recorders. Very important messages aren't being seen and heard. What's an advertiser to do?

An increasing number are creating their own TV shows, hiring agencies to write scripts and hire talent, turning the traditional way that content is produced on its head. The new model actually hearkens back to the early days of TV when advertisers sponsored whole shows on their own, and vetted content.

One such show, "In the Motherhood," was recently picked up by ABC for prime-time episodes this spring, making the jump from online to TV. "In the Motherhood," created by Santa Monica agency Science + Fiction for clients Suave beauty products and phone company Sprint, starred some medium size talent, including Leah Remini, Chelsea Handler and Jenny McCarthy. Suave and Sprint were allowed to read over scripts and “make sure it didn’t conflict with the brand,” said Anita Newton, vice president of consumer marketing at Sprint.

Science + Fiction also produced the Web series “The Rookie,” a spinoff of Fox's “24,” for Degree deodorant. The goal for that show: take all the "brand attributes" of Degree and infuse them into the show's main character, says Kevin Townsend, founder of Science + Fiction. That doesn't mean that viewers will see Degree get a plug in the webisodes. Rather, the show's main character -- an intelligence operative -- embodies the brand's image of a guy who is "young, ambitious and always looking for action," explains Townsend (the only clue an advertiser is involved comes from a "Degree.com/Absolute Protection" icon in the upper right corner of the screen, which clicks to an ad for the deodorant). Fox linked to "The Rookie" on "24's" website. 

This Friday, the agency premieres a new Web series, “Fearless,” on MSN, sponsored by Hummer. The show is about five strangers navigating their way through remote locations around the world. A Hummer certainly would be handy for that. 

Branded entertainment –- the process of creating and producing shows for advertisers –- is becoming a more viable place for networks to look for content, Townsend said. Branded entertainment shows can turn into “backdoor pilots,” he said, just as “In the Motherhood” did.

“If you’re a network, would you rather take a shot at something new or develop an idea that already has talent with a built-in audience?” Townsend says. ABC was interested in “In the Motherhood” in part because the show had attracted 20 million viewers online, he adds.

Which begs the question – are writers going to see some tough competition from branded entertainment agencies trying to get their shows on the air? Townsend says the difference between traditional TV shows and the ones his company produces isn’t as large as you’d think. 

“We create entertainment for advertisers, not advertising that’s entertainment,” he says. “We just think up good ideas that could be entertaining to any audience segment.”

In other words, yes.

-- Alana Semuels

Photo: Jenny McCarthy in a scene from "In the Motherhood." Credit: Science + Fiction

Here’s more fallout from the credit crisis: There might soon come a time when you miss those incessant Capital One TV ads that showed Visigoths storming quiet suburban neighborhoods. Nielsen Monitor-Plus released numbers today showing that credit card companies such as Capital One, Discover and Visa drastically reduced the number of TV ads they’re buying these days. And when TV advertising spending goes down, networks have less to spend on quality TV shows.

This summer, TV advertising by credit card companies was up significantly from the same period last year. But in the first three weeks of September, credit card companies bought 24% fewer ad units than they had during the same time last year. Mutual funds bought 29% fewer TV ad units than they had during the same period last year. And loan companies bought 7% fewer ad units than they had in the first three weeks of September 2007.

The cutbacks aren't just affecting the big networks.

“The big impact is really on the local TV stations,” says Mike Vorhaus, president of research firm Magid Advisors. “That’s where they run a lot of these ads.”

TV advertising already took a beating this summer when the housing market collapsed: then, mortgage services companies bought 54% fewer TV ad units than they had during the same time the previous year, and loan companies bought 37% fewer, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. It’s probably not going to get any better: Retailers aren’t expected to spend as much this year on advertising during the busy holiday season, and next year, stations won’t have ads for the Olympics or the presidential race to boost revenues. Which means, for now, any credit card ads starring Visigoths should probably be considered a good thing. 

-- Alana Semuels

Photo: Visa is one of the companies that cut back on TV advertising in September. Credit: Paul Sakuma / Associated Press

Matt Weiner is no Don Draper

If Don Draper were Matt Weiner's boss, he'd can him on the spot.

"It's about selling, kid," we can hear the cool creative director lecturing the self-important, idealistic writer, grinding his cigarette in the ashtray, exasperated at the obviousness of the wisdom he was trying to impart. "And selling puts the vegetables on the table. You don't like to eat?"

That's how we imagine it.

In fact, Weiner, the creative force behind AMC's "Mad Men," which follows the lives of ad man Don Draper and his cronies at Sterling Cooper in the Swinging Sixties, won a battle this week with the cable network over the amount of commercials in the program. AMC wanted to shoehorn two more minutes of commercial time to the show, which would have meant cutting some of the dramatic narrative from each episode.

Although that sounds bad (who wants more commercials?), keep in mind that "Mad Men" has fewer commercials than just about any other hour-long show on TV. The show usually runs 12 minutes of commercials and promos, compared with the 14 to 16 minutes on other cable shows and 18 minutes on broadcast shows. In other words, Weiner has it pretty good at AMC.

Weiner didn't see it that way. A very hands-on creator, he fought back and got AMC to instead let the show run longer than an hour with the additional commercials so that he wouldn't have to trim dialogue and scenes from the show. Of course, AMC and cable operators will have to find a way to insure that the show's post-11 p.m. end time doesn't screw with our TiVos and DVRs. Often when a show runs over, the very end is cut off by the recording devices (at least this is our experience).

Fans of the show are no doubt cheering Weiner on and we get that. But AMC wasn't being greedy when it wanted to insert a few more commercials spots to the show. Critical raves and awards do not automatically translate into viewers and dollars. In its second season, "Mad Men" averaged 1.5 million viewers, a great number for AMC, but paltry compared with other dramas on cable such as TNT's "The Closer," which drew more than 7 million viewers in its premiere last week.

In terms of ad revenue, our Madison Avenue source tells us a 30-second spot on "Mad Men" can go as low as $10,000, while a show like USA's "Burn Notice" gets $21,000. In other words, "Mad Men," a show about advertising, doesn't generate a lot of ad dollars for AMC. In fact, it's a loss leader (we can almost see on Roger Sterling's face a look of disgust bordering on revulsion upon hearing the words "loss leader").

And the show has become even more costly since it premiered a few years ago. Lions Gate, which makes "Mad Men" for AMC, signed a two-year deal with Weiner (after an ugly negotiation that had the studio thinking it might have to find a new show runner) worth $9 million, according to Variety's Cynthia Littleton. Some of those costs were passed on to AMC in the form of a higher license fee.

It's real easy to beat up on the network anytime there's an issue with a creator, but in our humble opinion Weiner should stick to creating and let the Don Drapers of the world do their part to make sure the show does indeed go on. Got it, kid?

-- Joe Flint

Top photo: Jon Hamm as "Mad Men's" Donald Draper. Credit: Associated Press 

Bottom photo: "Mad Men" creator Matt Weiner. Credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

A scathing and hilarious take on what's going on in the ad world set to Don McLean's classic "American Pie." Enjoy! Unless, of course, you are a network executive, in which case it's never too early to hit the martini bar. The author prefers to remain anonymous but goes by the pen name by "L McDuff" on his YouTube bio.

-- Joe Flint

It’s a tough time to be a TV advertiser. Young people are watching shows online, and people of all ages are fast-forwarding through commercials with digital video recorders. Very important messages aren't being seen and heard. What's an advertiser to do?

An increasing number are creating their own TV shows, hiring agencies to write scripts and hire talent, turning the traditional way that content is produced on its head. The new model actually hearkens back to the early days of TV when advertisers sponsored whole shows on their own, and vetted content.

One such show, "In the Motherhood," was recently picked up by ABC for prime-time episodes this spring, making the jump from online to TV. "In the Motherhood," created by Santa Monica agency Science + Fiction for clients Suave beauty products and phone company Sprint, starred some medium size talent, including Leah Remini, Chelsea Handler and Jenny McCarthy. Suave and Sprint were allowed to read over scripts and “make sure it didn’t conflict with the brand,” said Anita Newton, vice president of consumer marketing at Sprint.

Science + Fiction also produced the Web series “The Rookie,” a spinoff of Fox's “24,” for Degree deodorant. The goal for that show: take all the "brand attributes" of Degree and infuse them into the show's main character, says Kevin Townsend, founder of Science + Fiction. That doesn't mean that viewers will see Degree get a plug in the webisodes. Rather, the show's main character -- an intelligence operative -- embodies the brand's image of a guy who is "young, ambitious and always looking for action," explains Townsend (the only clue an advertiser is involved comes from a "Degree.com/Absolute Protection" icon in the upper right corner of the screen, which clicks to an ad for the deodorant). Fox linked to "The Rookie" on "24's" website. 

This Friday, the agency premieres a new Web series, “Fearless,” on MSN, sponsored by Hummer. The show is about five strangers navigating their way through remote locations around the world. A Hummer certainly would be handy for that. 

Branded entertainment –- the process of creating and producing shows for advertisers –- is becoming a more viable place for networks to look for content, Townsend said. Branded entertainment shows can turn into “backdoor pilots,” he said, just as “In the Motherhood” did.

“If you’re a network, would you rather take a shot at something new or develop an idea that already has talent with a built-in audience?” Townsend says. ABC was interested in “In the Motherhood” in part because the show had attracted 20 million viewers online, he adds.

Which begs the question – are writers going to see some tough competition from branded entertainment agencies trying to get their shows on the air? Townsend says the difference between traditional TV shows and the ones his company produces isn’t as large as you’d think. 

“We create entertainment for advertisers, not advertising that’s entertainment,” he says. “We just think up good ideas that could be entertaining to any audience segment.”

In other words, yes.

-- Alana Semuels

Photo: Jenny McCarthy in a scene from "In the Motherhood." Credit: Science + Fiction

Here’s more fallout from the credit crisis: There might soon come a time when you miss those incessant Capital One TV ads that showed Visigoths storming quiet suburban neighborhoods. Nielsen Monitor-Plus released numbers today showing that credit card companies such as Capital One, Discover and Visa drastically reduced the number of TV ads they’re buying these days. And when TV advertising spending goes down, networks have less to spend on quality TV shows.

This summer, TV advertising by credit card companies was up significantly from the same period last year. But in the first three weeks of September, credit card companies bought 24% fewer ad units than they had during the same time last year. Mutual funds bought 29% fewer TV ad units than they had during the same period last year. And loan companies bought 7% fewer ad units than they had in the first three weeks of September 2007.

The cutbacks aren't just affecting the big networks.

“The big impact is really on the local TV stations,” says Mike Vorhaus, president of research firm Magid Advisors. “That’s where they run a lot of these ads.”

TV advertising already took a beating this summer when the housing market collapsed: then, mortgage services companies bought 54% fewer TV ad units than they had during the same time the previous year, and loan companies bought 37% fewer, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. It’s probably not going to get any better: Retailers aren’t expected to spend as much this year on advertising during the busy holiday season, and next year, stations won’t have ads for the Olympics or the presidential race to boost revenues. Which means, for now, any credit card ads starring Visigoths should probably be considered a good thing. 

-- Alana Semuels

Photo: Visa is one of the companies that cut back on TV advertising in September. Credit: Paul Sakuma / Associated Press

I got those upfront blues

A scathing and hilarious take on what's going on in the ad world set to Don McLean's classic "American Pie." Enjoy! Unless, of course, you are a network executive, in which case it's never too early to hit the martini bar. The author prefers to remain anonymous but goes by the pen name by "L McDuff" on his YouTube bio.

-- Joe Flint

It’s a tough time to be a TV advertiser. Young people are watching shows online, and people of all ages are fast-forwarding through commercials with digital video recorders. Very important messages aren't being seen and heard. What's an advertiser to do?

An increasing number are creating their own TV shows, hiring agencies to write scripts and hire talent, turning the traditional way that content is produced on its head. The new model actually hearkens back to the early days of TV when advertisers sponsored whole shows on their own, and vetted content.

One such show, "In the Motherhood," was recently picked up by ABC for prime-time episodes this spring, making the jump from online to TV. "In the Motherhood," created by Santa Monica agency Science + Fiction for clients Suave beauty products and phone company Sprint, starred some medium size talent, including Leah Remini, Chelsea Handler and Jenny McCarthy. Suave and Sprint were allowed to read over scripts and “make sure it didn’t conflict with the brand,” said Anita Newton, vice president of consumer marketing at Sprint.

Science + Fiction also produced the Web series “The Rookie,” a spinoff of Fox's “24,” for Degree deodorant. The goal for that show: take all the "brand attributes" of Degree and infuse them into the show's main character, says Kevin Townsend, founder of Science + Fiction. That doesn't mean that viewers will see Degree get a plug in the webisodes. Rather, the show's main character -- an intelligence operative -- embodies the brand's image of a guy who is "young, ambitious and always looking for action," explains Townsend (the only clue an advertiser is involved comes from a "Degree.com/Absolute Protection" icon in the upper right corner of the screen, which clicks to an ad for the deodorant). Fox linked to "The Rookie" on "24's" website. 

This Friday, the agency premieres a new Web series, “Fearless,” on MSN, sponsored by Hummer. The show is about five strangers navigating their way through remote locations around the world. A Hummer certainly would be handy for that. 

Branded entertainment –- the process of creating and producing shows for advertisers –- is becoming a more viable place for networks to look for content, Townsend said. Branded entertainment shows can turn into “backdoor pilots,” he said, just as “In the Motherhood” did.

“If you’re a network, would you rather take a shot at something new or develop an idea that already has talent with a built-in audience?” Townsend says. ABC was interested in “In the Motherhood” in part because the show had attracted 20 million viewers online, he adds.

Which begs the question – are writers going to see some tough competition from branded entertainment agencies trying to get their shows on the air? Townsend says the difference between traditional TV shows and the ones his company produces isn’t as large as you’d think. 

“We create entertainment for advertisers, not advertising that’s entertainment,” he says. “We just think up good ideas that could be entertaining to any audience segment.”

In other words, yes.

-- Alana Semuels

Photo: Jenny McCarthy in a scene from "In the Motherhood." Credit: Science + Fiction

Here’s more fallout from the credit crisis: There might soon come a time when you miss those incessant Capital One TV ads that showed Visigoths storming quiet suburban neighborhoods. Nielsen Monitor-Plus released numbers today showing that credit card companies such as Capital One, Discover and Visa drastically reduced the number of TV ads they’re buying these days. And when TV advertising spending goes down, networks have less to spend on quality TV shows.

This summer, TV advertising by credit card companies was up significantly from the same period last year. But in the first three weeks of September, credit card companies bought 24% fewer ad units than they had during the same time last year. Mutual funds bought 29% fewer TV ad units than they had during the same period last year. And loan companies bought 7% fewer ad units than they had in the first three weeks of September 2007.

The cutbacks aren't just affecting the big networks.

“The big impact is really on the local TV stations,” says Mike Vorhaus, president of research firm Magid Advisors. “That’s where they run a lot of these ads.”

TV advertising already took a beating this summer when the housing market collapsed: then, mortgage services companies bought 54% fewer TV ad units than they had during the same time the previous year, and loan companies bought 37% fewer, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. It’s probably not going to get any better: Retailers aren’t expected to spend as much this year on advertising during the busy holiday season, and next year, stations won’t have ads for the Olympics or the presidential race to boost revenues. Which means, for now, any credit card ads starring Visigoths should probably be considered a good thing. 

-- Alana Semuels

Photo: Visa is one of the companies that cut back on TV advertising in September. Credit: Paul Sakuma / Associated Press

Ad agency turns plugs into programs

It’s a tough time to be a TV advertiser. Young people are watching shows online, and people of all ages are fast-forwarding through commercials with digital video recorders. Very important messages aren't being seen and heard. What's an advertiser to do?

An increasing number are creating their own TV shows, hiring agencies to write scripts and hire talent, turning the traditional way that content is produced on its head. The new model actually hearkens back to the early days of TV when advertisers sponsored whole shows on their own, and vetted content.

One such show, "In the Motherhood," was recently picked up by ABC for prime-time episodes this spring, making the jump from online to TV. "In the Motherhood," created by Santa Monica agency Science + Fiction for clients Suave beauty products and phone company Sprint, starred some medium size talent, including Leah Remini, Chelsea Handler and Jenny McCarthy. Suave and Sprint were allowed to read over scripts and “make sure it didn’t conflict with the brand,” said Anita Newton, vice president of consumer marketing at Sprint.

Science + Fiction also produced the Web series “The Rookie,” a spinoff of Fox's “24,” for Degree deodorant. The goal for that show: take all the "brand attributes" of Degree and infuse them into the show's main character, says Kevin Townsend, founder of Science + Fiction. That doesn't mean that viewers will see Degree get a plug in the webisodes. Rather, the show's main character -- an intelligence operative -- embodies the brand's image of a guy who is "young, ambitious and always looking for action," explains Townsend (the only clue an advertiser is involved comes from a "Degree.com/Absolute Protection" icon in the upper right corner of the screen, which clicks to an ad for the deodorant). Fox linked to "The Rookie" on "24's" website. 

This Friday, the agency premieres a new Web series, “Fearless,” on MSN, sponsored by Hummer. The show is about five strangers navigating their way through remote locations around the world. A Hummer certainly would be handy for that. 

Branded entertainment –- the process of creating and producing shows for advertisers –- is becoming a more viable place for networks to look for content, Townsend said. Branded entertainment shows can turn into “backdoor pilots,” he said, just as “In the Motherhood” did.

“If you’re a network, would you rather take a shot at something new or develop an idea that already has talent with a built-in audience?” Townsend says. ABC was interested in “In the Motherhood” in part because the show had attracted 20 million viewers online, he adds.

Which begs the question – are writers going to see some tough competition from branded entertainment agencies trying to get their shows on the air? Townsend says the difference between traditional TV shows and the ones his company produces isn’t as large as you’d think. 

“We create entertainment for advertisers, not advertising that’s entertainment,” he says. “We just think up good ideas that could be entertaining to any audience segment.”

In other words, yes.

-- Alana Semuels

Photo: Jenny McCarthy in a scene from "In the Motherhood." Credit: Science + Fiction

Here’s more fallout from the credit crisis: There might soon come a time when you miss those incessant Capital One TV ads that showed Visigoths storming quiet suburban neighborhoods. Nielsen Monitor-Plus released numbers today showing that credit card companies such as Capital One, Discover and Visa drastically reduced the number of TV ads they’re buying these days. And when TV advertising spending goes down, networks have less to spend on quality TV shows.

This summer, TV advertising by credit card companies was up significantly from the same period last year. But in the first three weeks of September, credit card companies bought 24% fewer ad units than they had during the same time last year. Mutual funds bought 29% fewer TV ad units than they had during the same period last year. And loan companies bought 7% fewer ad units than they had in the first three weeks of September 2007.

The cutbacks aren't just affecting the big networks.

“The big impact is really on the local TV stations,” says Mike Vorhaus, president of research firm Magid Advisors. “That’s where they run a lot of these ads.”

TV advertising already took a beating this summer when the housing market collapsed: then, mortgage services companies bought 54% fewer TV ad units than they had during the same time the previous year, and loan companies bought 37% fewer, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. It’s probably not going to get any better: Retailers aren’t expected to spend as much this year on advertising during the busy holiday season, and next year, stations won’t have ads for the Olympics or the presidential race to boost revenues. Which means, for now, any credit card ads starring Visigoths should probably be considered a good thing. 

-- Alana Semuels

Photo: Visa is one of the companies that cut back on TV advertising in September. Credit: Paul Sakuma / Associated Press

Financial crisis II: Credit card companies cut back on TV ads

Here’s more fallout from the credit crisis: There might soon come a time when you miss those incessant Capital One TV ads that showed Visigoths storming quiet suburban neighborhoods. Nielsen Monitor-Plus released numbers today showing that credit card companies such as Capital One, Discover and Visa drastically reduced the number of TV ads they’re buying these days. And when TV advertising spending goes down, networks have less to spend on quality TV shows.

This summer, TV advertising by credit card companies was up significantly from the same period last year. But in the first three weeks of September, credit card companies bought 24% fewer ad units than they had during the same time last year. Mutual funds bought 29% fewer TV ad units than they had during the same period last year. And loan companies bought 7% fewer ad units than they had in the first three weeks of September 2007.

The cutbacks aren't just affecting the big networks.

“The big impact is really on the local TV stations,” says Mike Vorhaus, president of research firm Magid Advisors. “That’s where they run a lot of these ads.”

TV advertising already took a beating this summer when the housing market collapsed: then, mortgage services companies bought 54% fewer TV ad units than they had during the same time the previous year, and loan companies bought 37% fewer, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. It’s probably not going to get any better: Retailers aren’t expected to spend as much this year on advertising during the busy holiday season, and next year, stations won’t have ads for the Olympics or the presidential race to boost revenues. Which means, for now, any credit card ads starring Visigoths should probably be considered a good thing. 

-- Alana Semuels

Photo: Visa is one of the companies that cut back on TV advertising in September. Credit: Paul Sakuma / Associated Press