New York -- The Cabletelevision Advertising Bureausaid last week that network cable, which increased its ad revenues by more than 22 percentin 1997, by just over $1 billion to nearly $5.8 billion, should enjoy another $1 billionuptick in 1998.
Joseph Ostrow, the CAB's president and CEO, added,"Cable is well on-track toward surpassing $10 billion in total ad income -- whichincludes national, regional and local/spot -- by the year 2000." In fact, Ostrow lastmonth forecast that total cable-ad volume should top $15 billion in 2000.
Tampa, Fla. -- Dick Olmsted, who joined the GreaterWashington Interconnect as general sales manager in August, joined Time WarnerCable's system here as sales manager last Monday.
Olmsted, who earlier was ad-sales director for the TimeWarner Cable-run Milwaukee Cable Advertising interconnect, said he relocated to Tampa forpersonal reasons, adding that he enjoyed his stint at the D.C. interconnect. He said hewill not be involved with the Tampa Bay Interconnect.
New York -- The growing importance of the Internet as an advehicle could be seen in the results of a new American Association of AdvertisingAgencies survey of 700 media executives at ad agencies: One-half of those executivesplanned "substantial" online/Internet ad-budget increases in the next two tofive years.
New York -- CBS Eye on People has launched its firstlocal promotion, based on its series, The Best of Us, which spotlights ordinarypeople who have achieved extraordinary accomplishments.
Local affiliates will nominate local heroes from theircommunities, who will be featured on the series, as well as in on-air spots. The networkwill also make donations to the local heroes' favorite charities on behalf of thecable systems. Affiliates will receive turnkey promotional kits including TV and radiospots featuring CBS News correspondent Charles Osgood, as well as posters, ad slicks andcandidate-nomination forms.
Philadelphia -- Glenn Wasser has been named vice presidentof sales and marketing for Comcast Corp.'s Comcast Cable Communications.Wasser had previously been vice president of satellite operations for Comcast -- aposition that he held since October 1996.
New York -- A&E Television Networks and GreyAdvertising are currently involved in an electronic-data-interchange test that is"80 percent done," said Ron Schneier, A&E's senior vice president ofsales. The idea is to have network and client "in synch" from the time of theinitial transaction through the invoice, he explained.
Tulsa, Okla. -- Vyvx Inc. has been renamed Williams VyvxServices. The company is a major international provider of integrated fiber optic andsatellite video-distribution services for broadcast and cable programming, as well as forcommercials. It entered advertising distribution with its 1996 acquisition of CycleSat,and it added MGS Services in 1997.
New York -- The Cabletelevision Advertising Bureauhonored McCann-Erickson with the Robert H. Alter Award at the CAB advertisingconference here earlier this month. The ad agency has been "a catalyst incable's growing sophistication and acceptance as an advertising medium," the CABsaid.
Grand Rapids, Mich. -- CCMS Inc. is providingthetraffic-and-billing software systems for the electronic-data-interchange test involvingNational Cable Communications and the Chicago and Detroit interconnects; that EDI testalso involves Video Networks Inc., as previously announced. After a six-month trial, NCCexpects to fully roll out EDI in 1999.
