A new system that streamlines the credit application process
for advertisers is now available online, the Broadcast Cable Credit Association
says.
The Electronic Media Credit Application, or EMCAPP, allows
an advertiser or agency looking to buy ads to fill out a single credit
application and agency-of-record letter that will be reviewable by multiple media
outlets.
"It actually helps everyone in the media industry," says
Mary Collins, president of BCCA and its parent, the Media Financial Management
Association.
Collins says TV stations often get requests from new
advertisers looking to buy time on the 11 p.m. news at 4 p.m., putting pressure
on the station's credit manager. "This is a way for them to get good
information quickly," she says. "It can help media providers get some new
business."
BCAA is making the EMCAPP system available for free to its
members through April 2014. After that, members will be able to purchase an
annual subscription or work on a "pay-as-you-go" basis.
Media outlets using the EMCAPP system can also access the
BCCA Credit Reporting System, which has more than 40,000 credit reports on
local and national advertisers, agencies and buying groups.
Collins credited Michael Denson of Katz Media Group for
championing the idea.
"We
also want to thank our colleagues at the 4As for their guidance and the many
other organizations, including TVB, RAB, NAB, and CAB, who have all responded
enthusiastically to EMCAPP's role as an industry-wide solution," she says.
