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sales@spotsndots.com Copyright 2020.The Daily News of TV Sales Tuesday, August 4, 2020

DWINDLING INVENTORIES DRIVE PRICES HIGHER The availability of used vehicles has grown scarce in recent months as fewer people traded in vehicles or returned leases this spring due to virus-related restrictions. Now used-car dealers might be eager to purchase your ride. That’s according to The Wall Street Journal, which notes that many dealerships were closed or did limited business in early lockdowns, and lease extensions were a common form of COVID-19 relief from lenders. Meanwhile, economic worries as well as a shortage of new cars due to factory closings have sent more buyers to the pre-owned car lot. After a drop in April, auto retailers sold a total of 2.1 million pre-owned vehicles in May and June, a nearly 9% increase over the same two-month period in 2019, according to research firm J.D. Power. Used-car stockpiles at dealerships dwindled to just under 2.2 million vehicles by late July, a roughly 22% drop from a year earlier, according to research firm Cox Automotive. More dealers are now monitoring used-car auctions — a dealership’s main source for replenishing supplies — but others are paying “astronomical” prices in frenzied bidding. The average price paid at auction for a used vehicle rebounded from $12,548 in April — its lowest point in three years — to an all time-high of $14,895 in June, according to vehicle auction operator Manheim. George Chamoun, chief executive of ACV Auctions, a virtual used-car auction, said he has seen more than 100 dealers fighting over one vehicle. “We’re seeing the same competition over $5,000 cars as we see over $50,000 cars,” he said. “It’s really an unprecedented time.” The most-purchased cars in the used market from June 20 to July 20 were two SUVS, the 2019 Toyota RAV4 and the 2017 Ford Escape, according to Cox Automotive. The most popular pre-owned models tend to be driven more by supply — especially models coming out of leases — than demand.

KBB: AVERAGE NEW-VEHICLE PRICES UP 2% YOY The valuation analysts at Kelley Blue Book report the estimated average transaction price for a light vehicle in the U.S. was $38,378 in July. New-vehicle prices increased $749 (up 2%) from July 2019, while decreasing $473 (down 1.2%) from last month. Non-luxury transaction prices are up nearly 4% year-over-year, likely the result of high SUV and truck sales. While many automakers have benefitted, momentum is slowing for several key manufacturers. Nissan North America and Hyundai Kia, which have been particularly strong in recent months and were up 8.9% and 7.6% year-over-year respectively, have dropped 1.5% from last month. Ford Motor Company also is down 1.3% from June 2020.

WSJ: USED-CAR DEALERS EAGER TO BUY YOUR VEHICLEADVERTISER NEWS J.C. Penney needs to reach a deal with a buyer or buyers within days to file court papers and comply with a directive from U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones to speed up its re-structuring plan, Reuters reports. The department store re-tailer, which had been losing money for years as it struggled to keep up with a crushing debt load, was forced to file for Chapter 11 protection when it temporarily closes all 846 of its stores due to the COVID-19 outbreak... Tailored Brands, the parent company of Jos. A. Bank and Men’s Wearhouse, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as demand for

men’s dress clothes has plummeted with the pandemic. The menswear retail chain operator said it has reached restructuring and lending agreements with more than 75% of its senior lenders… Speaking of bankruptcy: Lord & Taylor, America’s old-

est department store tracing its beginning back to 1826, has filed for Chapter 11 protection along with its parent company, Le Tote. Lord & Taylor, which was struggling long before it was acquired last year by Le Tote from Hudson’s Bay, blamed the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on its filing… Lowe’s is offering small business emergency relief grants, ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, through a non-profit as part of a $55 million corporate commitment. The grants, which are being distributed through the nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), will “provide immediate relief for critical needs such as rent, payroll and operational ex-penses to keep businesses running,” the company says... Shoppers are well aware that retailers often make product suggestions online based on their browsing history. As it turns out, it disturbs them to the point of not making a pur-chase at all, according to a recent research paper published in the Journal of Consumer Research. The study found that 41% of those whose browsing history was tracked chose to walk away before making a purchase versus only 20% of those who were not observed at all... Women’s apparel retailer Coldwater Creek has shut down. The retailer is not taking new orders and in the meantime is managing through recent purchases, according to its website. A spokesperson for the retailer’s private equity owner, Sycamore Partners, declined to comment or say whether the shutdown is perma-nent, or what, if any, plans Sycamore has for the Coldwa-ter Creek brand… In a notice filed with the state of Oregon last week, Nike said it would be cutting the workforce at its headquarters by “at least” 500 employees. Those layoffs will begin Oct. 1, with “additional job separations anticipated thereafter.” The layoffs include members of Nike’s corporate leadership team, as well as their executive assistants, and 192 employees that work at Nike childcare centers, which are closing… Publix Super Markets saw net and compa-rable sales surge about 20% in the fiscal 2020 second quar-ter, fueled by coronavirus-triggered demand. For the quarter ended June 27, sales climbed 21.8% to $11.4 billion from $9.3 billion a year earlier, Publix said yesterday.

PAGE 2 The Daily News of TV Sales @ www.spotsndots.com

AVAILS WLFI-TV 18, the CBS Network Affiliate in West Lafayette, Ind. — the home of Purdue University — has an opening for a hands-on and dynamic News Director with the talent, energy and leadership to lead our News Department. Broadcast television newsroom management experience and a proven track record of mentoring/coaching a news staff required. CLICK HERE for a full list of qualifications and requirements or to apply now. Allen Media Broadcasting is an equal opportunity employer.

News Director – ABC 6: Standard Media Group LLC, a new and growing media company, is searching for an innovative leader to run the newsroom of its ABC affiliate in Providence, R.I. (DMA #56). The News Director is responsible for developing and maintaining the news budget, hiring and managing their staff and leading the editorial process for content delivered by WLNE-TV. We are looking for a leader with a proven track record of developing and distributing

news across broadcast, digital and social platforms. 3-5 years of newsroom leadership is preferred. Please state referring source and send resume to: cantonio@abc6.com. EOE. Capitol Broadcasting Company is looking for a Key Account Manager for our WRAL and FOX50, Raleigh, N.C. sales teams. The mission of the Key Account Manager is to grow market share by developing client/agency relationships, developing local contacts with key decision makers and providing clients with unprecedented client service. Candidate should be a strong and accomplished seller, comfortable managing large scale accounts, and have a strong desire to help grow WRAL and FOX50’s market share. Broadcast media sales experience required. Please CLICK HERE to apply. EOE. CBC participates in E-Verify. Coastal Television Holdings Company LLC is looking for a Capitol Reporter to work with a developing News Bureau covering multiple State and Federal Politics. This position will be located in Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada, with travel assignments specifically within a multi-state area supporting our news network. Areas of assignment include Alaska, Georgia, Nevada, Wyoming and Washington, D.C. It’s a dream job covering Federal, State and Local Politics. Full details and how to apply HERE. Coastal Television is an equal opportunity employer.

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NETWORK NEWS Soap fans should mark Aug. 10 on their calendars. Starting that date, all four daytime dramas will be in originals. CBS’ The Young and the Restless will start rolling out new episodes Aug. 10. It joins CBS companion The Bold and the Beautiful, which has been in originals since July 20; ABC’s General Hospital, which will switch from repeats to fresh episodes on Aug. 3; and NBC’s Days Of Our Lives, which has continued airing first-run episodes throughout the pandemic.

SHOPPING MOVING ONLINE, GETS PERSONAL Retailers with a strong online presence and personalization program have reason to be happy, Chain Store Age reports. According to a new survey of more than 800 U.S. and UK consumers from personalization software provider Qubit, 44% of respondents are shopping online more now than in 2019. One in four respondents do more than 90% of their shopping online. As consumers shop more online, they also show signs of wavering brand loyalty. Close to half (46%) of respondents say they are less loyal to the brands they love, and 37% are shopping with more brands than they did in 2019. However, the survey indicates brands have an opportunity to obtain competitive advantage with personalization. For example, 52% of respondents recognize that brands are personalizing, and two in three expect personalized experiences once they have shopped with a brand. Seven in 10 respondents would share preference data with brands for a more personalized experience. In other survey findings, two in three respondents have increased online shopping during the pandemic; 35% of respondents say they will shop online more than they did before the outbreak; but only 28% of respondents feel uncomfortable about returning to stores. Retail verticals seeing the biggest boost in e-commerce spend during the pandemic have been grocery (51.5%), fashion (42%) and beauty (34%).

GROUPM: BRANDS NEED CROSS-PLATFORM Cross-platform shopping is now the hallmark of today’s consumer, according to new research from GroupM. Although most online purchasers are, not surprisingly, influenced primarily by online touchpoints, nearly one-third say that offline touchpoints helped them make their purchase decision, further highlighting the importance of omnichannel approaches. Online shoppers who ultimately purchased were also more likely to visit retailer websites/apps (37%) than any other touchpoint while shopping. Internet search ranked second, with 28% of online purchasers using it during the shopping process. Half (49%) of online purchasers scroll past page one to look for what they want. Convenience is a critical driver of online shopping and purchase decisions, per the research. Two-thirds of online purchasers (66%) choose a retailer based on convenience, while only 47% choose a retailer based on price/value. In fact, ahead of price, consumers value assortment (52%) and shoppability (57%) as important considerations. This year is projected to be the strongest year for e-commerce, with 22% growth driven by the massive shift from offline to online driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Plus, this virus has accelerated the growth of online grocery and last-mile delivery. Two in three (63%) Instacart users plan to use the service in the future. This presents a vital new opportunity for all brands and products that will likely only get better in the near term, suggest GroupM.

8/4/2020

Larry The Cable Guy

I love the farmers market. Nothing better than buying a dozen ears of sweet corn for $3.50 to remind you why planting your own garden

would be stupid.

The Daily News of TV Sales @ www.spotsndots.com PAGE 3

TRUMP CAMPAIGN RESTARTS TV ADVERTISING President Trump’s re-election campaign released two new advertisements yesterday, deploying the 30-second spots in four early voting swing states. The media offensive comes after the president’s campaign went dark on television airwaves last week amid a re-evaluation of its advertising strategy by Bill Stepien, Trump’s newly installed campaign manager. The pair of spots will run on local broadcast and cable outlets, as well as on Spanish-language channels, in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Arizona — accompanied by a

national cable buy, the campaign said in a news release. The Trump campaign acknowledged yesterday that it had “paused advertising for several days last week while undertaking a review of advertising tactics and has resumed with a smarter, more strategic approach that recognizes the staggered calendar presented in the 2020 election.” Virtually all public polling shows Trump trailing significantly behind former Vice

President Joe Biden nationally.

AIRLINES SEND 10,500 MORE FURLOUGH NOTICES Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Spirit Airlines have warned more than 10,500 staffers of possible furloughs this fall as the airline industry prepares to be significantly smaller as a result of the coronavirus pandemic for the next few years. Combined, the notices represent more than a fifth of the carriers’ workforces at the end of 2019. Frontier and Hawaiian both notified nearly 30% of their respective employees of potential furloughs come Oct. 1 after protections under the federal government’s coronavirus aid package expire. The notices are required under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

8/4/2020

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MAY FURNITURE ORDERS DOWN 8% BUT REBOUND The latest Furniture Insights survey of residential furniture manufacturers and distributors bears out what vendors have been describing as booming business relative to prior months, Furniture Today reports. After big declines of 29% and 61% in March and April, new orders for furniture in May were off just 8% from the same month last year and up a whopping 166% from April, according to vendors participating in the survey by accounting and consulting firm Smith Leonard. Still, only 19% of the survey participants reported an increase in orders over May 2019. Year-to-date new orders through May were down 18% compared with the prior year, an improvement over the 21% decrease through April. Less than 10% of surveyed vendors reported increased orders year-to-date. “Our feel is that June results will continue to show improvement,” Smith Leonard Partner Ken Smith noted in the report. May shipments fell 31% from May 2019 levels “as would be expected as orders in March and April fell off so much,” Smith said. While few participants reported increased May shipments, shipments increased 47% from April. Year-to-date shipments are off 18% through May compared 2019’s first five months.

CEO: CLOROX POSTS HISTORIC SALES GROWTH Clorox posted its strongest sales growth the company has seen “in modern history” after closing out its fiscal year in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, CEO Benno Dorer told CNBC yesterday. The company, whose brand name is virtually synonymous with bleach, saw organic sales growth of 24% in Q4 and fiscal year organic sales increase by 10%. All four of the company’s segments, which include cleaning, household, lifestyle and international, were up double digits, Dorer said. Clorox beat quarterly estimates in the April-June financial period. Net sales came in at $1.98 billion, up 22% from the year prior, and net profit came out to be $310 million, almost 29% higher year-over-year. Clorox is investing in advertising to reach more consumers, expanding building capacity to take advantage of increasing demand around the globe and enhancing the business.

U.S. RECLAIMS SVOD SUB LEAD FROM CHINA Thanks to Netflix, the number of gross SVOD subscriptions grew by 28% in 2019. The net subscriber count rose by 55 million (16%) to total 403 million, according to new data from Digital TV Research. The firm said gross subscriptions are growing faster than net subscribers, which means the average SVOD subscriber paid for 1.59 subscriptions in 2019 – up from 1.44 in 2018. The U.S. overtook China to regain its position as the gross SVOD subscription leader. With about 200 million subscribers each, China and the U.S. together accounted for 63% of the global total in 2019. The U.S. added 43 million subscriptions in 2019, with China up by 35 million. Ten countries had more than 10 million SVOD subscriptions by end-2019 – collectively accounting for 84% of the global total.