NATPE says Warner hit won't hurt

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On Monday, NATPE tried to downplay the significance of Warner Bros. Domestic
Television Distribution's decision not to buy floor space at next year's NATPE conference.

Bruce Johansen, NATPE's president and
CEO, said that 'it is difficult to understand the decision.with this year's
presence of virtually all the major station group buyers.'

But he insisted there
will be no economic impact to NATPE 2002, explaining that 'many other companies
have come forward to make requests for their space,' though declining to name
any.

He pointed out that Warner Bros. International and other AOL/Time Warner
subsidiaries will be on the floor and 'looks forward to the domestic division
returning in the near future.' Instead of buying massive amounts of space on the
Las Vegas Convention floor, Warner Bros. Domestic TV is planning to set up shop
at a suite at the Strip's Venetian Hotel.

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.