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Cbs Calls For End To Sweeps Month

Brian Lowry Los Angeles Times

CBS celebrated a second-place finish during the November ratings sweeps by calling for an end to the quarterly ritual, which TV stations use to determine local advertising rates.

The network joined a chorus that includes the other networks and some advertisers, who have questioned basing ad rates on months skewed by major programming events.

In addition, sweeps represent a financial drain on the networks, which feel compelled to load up their biggest programming events in November, February and May (a fourth, lesser period occurs in July), instead of spreading major miniseries and specials throughout the season, when they could promote them better and maximize ratings.

“Instead of putting two miniseries back to back, we would love to be able to program them farther apart,” said CBS Entertainment President Leslie Moonves.

Moonves seized upon the sweeps theme to reiterate that the networks are “shortsighted” in focusing solely on competing with each other while losing audience as a group to cable and other alternatives. He also chided first-place NBC for sniping at rivals in what seemingly has become an increasingly acrimonious competition between programmers.

Despite benefits for the networks, eliminating sweeps any time soon appears unlikely. There are more than 200 TV markets in the United States, and only 35 major cities are currently individually metered by Nielsen Media Research.

“I don’t think you’ll ever get rid of the sweeps,” said Nielsen spokesman Jack Loftus, adding that the ratings service has been “talking to agencies and advertisers about expanding the sweeps as a first step,” hoping to diminish the jamming of programs into a four-week period.

Moonves defended the performance of CBS’ most expensive new programs, “Cosby” and “Ink,” starring Bill Cosby and Ted Danson, respectively. Although the shows have fallen well short of network projections last spring that they would improve performance in their time periods by 20 percent, Moonves maintained they have room to grow in January once the “Monday Night Football” season ends.