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What's New at Counterpoint
Greetings!
What's New at Counterpoint this issue? Summer! Summer is upon us and we at Counterpoint hope that you are enjoying your summer vacations, getting excited about the summer Olympics, and maybe finding time to squeeze in a little work here and there. And although it is tough to put down that poolside tropical drink, it is time to start thinking about Fall: Upfront, Political Ads, Sports Preemptions... As always, we are here to make your work day as efficient and automated as possible, so you might actually have time to enjoy a little of what this wonderful season has to offer!
As summer heats up and the world turns its attention to London in preparation for the symbol of international friendly competition, here at home it is time to prepare for the (not always so friendly) 2012 Political season! In this issue, we will give you the tools to price, categorize, and track your political revenue, so that you can go out and bring in those ad dollars. Ask not what you can do to track your political revenue in Counterpoint, but what Counterpoint can do for your political revenue!
Finally, we would like to welcome our newest clients:
ESPN Radio
Jelli Radio
Sun Broadcasting
Let the games begin,
Counterpoint Software
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New Features
This political season, the only side Counterpoint is on is yours! Here are some of the features currently in your system to help you this political season.
Classifying Political Revenue
Now that you have political dollars rolling in, what do you do with them? How do you identify them? How do you track them? We can help you do so by tagging an advertiser as being Political. Once an advertiser is defined as Political, all revenue associated with that advertiser will be classified as such. Setting it up is easy, click here to learn more, or contact support@counterpoint.net for assistance.
Reporting Political Revenue
So you can classify your revenue as being political, now what? A classification does little good if you can not sort and report by the classification. Don't worry, we have taken care of that too! Several of our revenue reports, the Billed ad Booked, Billed and Booked Comparison, Sales Comparison, and Invoice Register, have built in political selectivity. If there is a report that you need that does not have the built in selectivity, you can always select only those advertisers that are classified as political by clicking on each while holding down the CTRL (Control) Key. For a description of how each report works, and its selectivity options, click here.
Determining the Lowest Unit Rate
We all know that political ads are sold at your lowest unit rate, but what exactly does that mean? How is that rate determined? Lowest rate for what time period? For which dayparts? Calm down, here is the answer. Political Advertisers are entitled to the lowest unit rate charged within the past 45 days prior to a primary election, and 60 days prior to a general or special election. The rate must be equal to the lowest rate charged during that time period for the same spot length sold during the same daypart, regardless of the number of spots purchased. So, if you gave a client a deep discount for buying 200 spots a month for the year, that is the rate that you have to charge Political Advertisers for one spot.
Phew- now how do you determine this? There's a report for that! The Hi-Lo Spot Rate Report will show you the lowest unit rate for a given date range by vehicle and daypart.
For more information on setting up and tracking Political Revenue, click here. Be sure to keep reading What's New at Counterpoint, for more features version 5.8 has to offer!
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Housekeeping
Programming Changes
Fall is right around the corner, and with the change in season comes many changes in programming. Whether long term changes, or a one-time preemption, we can accommodate your programming needs.
You are not limited to the number of libraries you create in the programming screen, so if you have a long term, seasonal programming change, a temporary library is a great way to handle your change.
Do you need to shuffle programming around to accommodate a sports schedule this fall? Our Sports Preemption feature can handle your program changes for the entire season with a mouse click.
Do you have a lot of debates and election reports to squeeze into your normal clock? Check out the Action Button to both Preempt programming when you know times and dates of the event, and/or Frontload your inventory to make room for what is coming down the pike.
For help with all of your programming needs, contact support@counterpoint.net.
Pervasive 11 Upgrade
If you have not done so already, it is time to upgrade to Pervasive version 11. Pervasive has stopped any development on version 10, and no longer supports any version prior. Pervasive version 11 is required to upgrade to Counterpoint version 5.8, which offers many new features, like the Proposal XML Export, the ability to control what is exported through new Affiliate Avail controls, and the Affiliate Management System, as well as enhancements in speed and performance, for all of your Traffic and Affiliate Departments. For information and quotes on upgrading your network to version 11, please email mikerooney@counterpoint.net.
Not on version 5.8?
Contact support@counterpoint.net about getting you upgraded today.
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Who's Who at Counterpoint
Martina Patterson, Eastern Region Support Manager, martinapatterson@counterpoint.net
Martina began her broadcasting career at ABC Radio Network in 2005, as an Advertiser Accountability Rep. Her skills and conscientiousness led to her promotion to Manager of Regional Sales Planning, where she managed and maintained national inventory and researched market rates.
In 2008, Martina brought her skills and experience to Counterpoint, as a System Consultant. In this role, she provided support and training to our East Coast clients during and after installations, and helped to strengthen our relationships in the region.
We are happy to announce that Martina was promoted to Eastern Region Support Manager, overseeing the two additional New York support staff who joined us in 2011.
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Behind the Screens
Hi Lo Report
We all know Political Ads are sold at the lowest Unit Rate, but how do you determine the lowest unit rate? Instead of getting out spreadsheets and calculators, let the Hi Lo Spot Rate Report analyze your data and make that determination, allowing you to focus on sales and delivering for your clients.
Need to front load your spots to free up inventory? Need to preempt a vehicle for a debate? Need to cancel spots en masse when sponsors don't agree with a talk show host's message? Or delete all Fill spots at once? There's a button for that! Learn how all the functions of the Action Button can help save you time!
Visit www.counterpoint.net for additional manuals and procedures. |
Meet Up
Please ema il mikerooney@counterpoint.net, to set up a webinar or in person meeting to discuss where the industry is heading, and how Counterpoint can help you get there. |
Need Training?
Whether you have a new hire, a new backup, are using new features, or just need a refresher course, Counterpoint is here to help! With new training options, getting the training your network needs is easier than ever.
Schedule an on-site visit to train, or review current procedures, or an on-line session tailored to your needs today, by emailing saraschones@counterpoint.net. |
Have a Question?
To get answers to your questions fast, email our System Consultants, at support@counterpoint.net.
Support Hours:
8a Eastern - 7p Pacific
Monday through Friday
Holiday Schedule:
Counterpoint will be closed
Monday, September 3rd, in observance of Labor Day
Click here for the current Support Contact List.
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Archived Newsletters
We hope you enjoy reading What's New at Counterpoint. If you missed an issue, you can find back issues below, or archived at www.counterpoint.net.
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