Weekly Spots

POSTED: May 21, 2012

(White Plains, NY) May 21, 2012 – San Jose, CA is the 36th largest radio market in America with a population of 1,501,600. San Jose may be close to San Francisco, but it is also its own unique market of innovation and wealth.

• Originally known as El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe, San Jose was founded on November 29, 1777 as the first town in the Spanish colony of Nueva California, which later became Alta California.

• As World War II started, the city's economy shifted from agriculture (the Del Monte cannery was the largest employer) to industrial manufacturing with the contracting of the Food Machinery Corporation (FMC) by the United States War Department to build 1000 landing vehicles for the war effort. This shift brought technology oriented companies to the area.

• After the war, another shift occurred, this time to high-technologies, thanks to the many universities in the area, including San José State University, Santa Clara University, and Stanford University. The schools pump thousands of engineering and computer science graduates into the local economy every year.

• The large concentration of high-technology engineering, computer, and microprocessor companies around San Jose has led the area to be known as Silicon Valley.

• San Jose serves as headquarters for Adobe Systems, BEA Systems, Cisco, eBay, Flextronics, IBM, Hitachi, Lockheed Martin and of course, Hewlett-Packard - the symbolic founder of Silicon Valley - where Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founders of Apple Computers first became friends. Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, ten miles west of San Jose.

• Some of the famous people from San Jose: Cesar Chavez who started the National Farm Workers Union; Peggy Fleming, skater; Kate Walsh, actress; Nikki Sixx, rock star; Apple’s Steve Wozniak; football player Jim Plunkett; and actor Josh Holloway.

SAN JOSE SPOT TEN

In San Jose last week the #1 radio advertiser was EXTENDED STAY HOTELS with 280 spots. GILROY GARDENS was #2 with 236 ads, while SAFEWAY STORES hit #3 running 208 commercials. CALIFORNIA’S GREAT AMERICA soared from #23 up to #4 airing 191 announcements and THE HOME DEPOT was stable at #5 with 189 ads. SLEEP TRAIN was #6 with 173 spots, while MATTRESS DISCOUNTERS WEST was #7 running 167 spots. MANCINI’S SLEEPWORLD bedded down at #8 with 142 spots, while LEXUS DEALER ASSOCIATION parked at #9 with 138 spots. The HYUNDAI DEALER ASSOCIATION was #10 with 126 spots.

CARBONATED BEVERAGE SPOT TEN

NATIONAL STATISTICS -

In this category, most the ads are generated by a few parents with many brands. #1 last week nationwide was PEPSI with 10,761 spots. COCA-COLA ran in 2nd place with 3,257 ads, while COCA-COLA ZERO was #3 airing 2,945 spots. MOUNTAIN DEW was #4 with 1,971 commercials and 7UP was up from #12 to #5 with 1,088 spots. MELLO YELLO was #6 with 768 spots, while DIET MOUNTAIN DEW came in #7 with 521 spots. DR. PEPPER was #8 running 445 spots and PEPSI NEXT stayed at #9 running 426 commercials. And coming in #10 was SEAGRAM’S GINGER ALE with 321 ads. If you take the parent companies of the top ten, they would cumulatively add up this way: Coca-Cola products 7,291; then Pepsi products 2,397; then Dr. Pepper-7UP-Snapple products 1,533 ads.

NATIONAL SPOT TEN

NATIONAL STATISTICS -

Once again THE HOME DEPOT dominates national radio with 43,326 spots. GEICO maintains its hold on #2 airing 37,199 ads, while AUTOZONE zooms up from #20 up to #3 with 30,623 spots. The US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORATION traveled from #72 to #4 with 25,256 announcements (CLICK IT OR TICKET). And coming in #5 was MCDONALD’S with 24,850 spots.

The Auto Car Dealer Associations looked like this: TOYOTA 15,150 spots; NISSAN 12,439 spots; CHEVROLET 11,017 spots; LEXUS 9,960 spots; FORD 7,486 spots; HYYNDAI ran 6,067 spots; DODGE 4,735; JEEP 4,643 ads and RAM Dealers ran 4,305 spots. That brings the total number of Auto Dealer Association spots to 75,802 – as a block, they were the #1 national advertiser on radio last week.

Posted: May 21, 2012

Wendy's based their position and slogan on “Old Fashioned hamburgers” and became an international chain of fast food restaurants building from one location in Columbus, Ohio.

Founded by Dave Thomas & John T. Schuessler on November 15, 1969, Wendy’s was named after one of Dave Thomas’ daughters. The story really focuses on the achievements of Dave Thomas. Dave was born in Atlantic City in 1932 and was an orphan. This shaped the way he viewed family, business and life.

In the mid-1950s, Thomas met Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Col. Harland Sanders and worked with him on many projects to make KFC more profitable and better known. Some of the things Thomas suggested to Sanders that were implemented were; KFC's signature chicken bucket (to keep the chicken crisp), reduce the number of items on the menu, focus on a signature dish, and introduce the trademark sign featuring a revolving red-striped bucket of chicken.

In the early 1960s, Thomas was sent to Columbus to help turn around four ailing KFC stores. By 1968 he had increased sales in the four fried chicken restaurants so much that he sold his share back to Sanders for more than $1.5 million. This was his seed money to open the first Wendy's about a year later.

The first Wendy’s franchise was sold in 1972. Wendy’s went public in 1976 and that same year they opened their 500th store. Two years later in 1978 the 1,000th Wendy’s opened. In 1979, Wendy’s celebrated its 10th year in business and also opened its 1,500th restaurant.

The new salad bar was introduced in 1981 and that same year Wendy’s joined the NYSE.

In 1985 they passed the 3,000th mark and moved into the global phase. In 1992, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption started and became the main philanthropic cause at Wendy’s.

In 1993, Dave Thomas earned his GED and in 1994 Wendy’s turned 25. In 1997, the 5,000th Wendy’s opened. Dave became the face and the spokesperson for Wendy’s featured in many humorous TV and Radio commercials.

In 2002, Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s, passed away, presenting not only an emotional loss for the chain, but also a marketing dilemma.

Wendy’s marched on. In 2003, Wendy’s started to accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express to add convenience for more customers. In 2004 Wendy’s celebrated their 35th anniversary.

In July 2005, new healthier yogurt and granola mixes were added to the menu as a part of their healthier image. In 2008, the company announced a merger with Triarc, the parent company of Arby's. As of 2010, they had 6,650 stores.

According to public records, in 2010 Wendy’s produced revenues of $2.43 billion with a net income of $17.91 million. They have 42,800 employees. This success is all pretty amazing for a small hamburger shop created by a hard-working high school drop-out.

In Cable advertising Wendy’s ran 370,926 spots in the last 12 months. They ran the most in August at 51,171 ads.

On the Radio, Wendy’s ran slightly more spots than they did on Cable. In the last 12 months they ran 375,599 ads with September having 49,507 spots and May clearing 48,913.

On Broadcast TV, Wendy’s ran 230,543 spots in the last 12 months with the most being run in March 2012 at 33,604 ads.

POSTED: May 21, 2012

Universal Studios Theme Parks and Resorts is part of the theme park division of NBCUniversal, which is now part of Comcast. The division has its headquarters in Orlando, Florida.

The first Universal theme park opened in Hollywood and was attached to the soundstages at the heart of Universal’s movie empire. What once began as a simple backstage tour through the Universal lot in 1962 grew into a full-fledged theme park. It was the success of that venture that inspired Universal to eventually invest $250 million in 1990 to launch an east coast version of its theme park in Orlando.

By 1996, Universal saw a need for expansion to challenge the growth of its rival theme park, Walt Disney World. This expansion included the opening of the Islands of Adventure theme park, the hotel resort Portofino Bay, and an entertainment district called CityWalk. By 2000, The Hard Rock Hotel was added and two years later The Royal Pacific Hotel opened to the public.

The latest and greatest development for the Universal Studios Theme Park family was the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on June 18, 2010. With the help of Harry Potter, Universal Orlando had a 20% increase in attendance that year.

It's Universal's 100th anniversary this year and they have added such attractions as the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem 3-D ride, the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man® in HIGH-DEF 3-D plus a special Universal's Cinematic Spectacular–100 Years of Movie Memories.

The parent company Comcast produced revenues of $55.84 billion with a net income of $4.16 billion in 2011, which represented 47.2% in growth. They have 126,000 employees.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company that conceives, builds, and manages the company’s theme parks and resorts as well as other family-oriented leisure enterprises.

The Walt Disney Company got its start in 1923 in Kansas City, Missouri after Walt Disney created the short film, Alice’s Wonderland. On October 16 of that year, Walt and brother Roy Disney, moved to Los Angeles and set up the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. In 1928, Disney introduced the world to its icon, Mickey Mouse.

The Parks and Resorts division of the company traces back to 1952, when Walt Disney created and built Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Later in 1971, Walt Disney Attractions was founded in conjunction with the opening of the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

The first of the Disney theme parks, Disneyland, grew to include Disney California Adventure Park, Downtown Disney, Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. This is one of the major attractions in Southern California.

The Walt Disney World Resort located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida is the largest, most visited vacation resort in the world. It is the home of the famed Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Disney World also features Disney’s Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon water parks. There are more than 20 hotels featured including Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

Other locations include Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Resort Paris and the Hong Kong Disneyland. Parks and Resorts also include Disney Cruise Line, eight Disney Vacation Club Resorts, and Adventures by Disney.

Disney Theme Parks host more than 100 million guests every year. The parent company reported $40.89 billion in revenues in 2011 with a net income of $4.81 billion, which presented a 7.4% growth in sales. They have 156,000 employees.

On Local Cable, Universal Studios Theme Parks ran 56,325 spots in the last 12 months, while Disney Parks & Resorts ran 131,965 ads. The biggest month for Disney was January with 27,478 spots and Universal’s biggest month for their theme park ads was February with 12,351 spots.

On the Radio, Universal ran 71,298 spots in the last 12 months, while Disney Resorts cleared 80,228 spots. Universal ran hottest in March 2012 with 12,968 ads and Disney ran the most spots in January with 12,812 spots.

On Broadcast TV, they were neck and neck. Universal ran 75,361spots in the last 12 months against Disney’s 74,857 ads. Universal ran the most ads in last month April 2012 with 11,894 spots, while Disney ran the most spots in January of this year at 15,328 spots.

Posted: May 21, 2012

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