Buzek forms team with council to grapple with media issues
Despite Emil Wasacz's ban on TVP joining the Cyfra+ digital television platform, which is backed by Canal+ Polska, the board of the national broadcaster opted to go ahead and form an alliance anyway.
The TVP-Treasury dispute was one of several issues, including harmonization with European Union (EU) laws, regulatory issues and how to manage new media, that prompted the prime minister to suggest that a KRRiTV-PM's Office team should be established to work on media policies. The team's first meeting could even take place this month.
But the formation of a working group to deal with this and other issues doesn't mean there will be a quick resolution to the TVP-Wasacz stand-off. The KRRiTV endorsed the TVP Cyfra+ deal and the matter could now wind up in court. Some on the council thought that the meeting with Buzek was designed to keep the KRRiTV from getting further dragged into the battle.
"It was because of clashes between TVP's management and the Treasury that the prime minister came up with such an idea," said Jaroslaw Sellin, a KRRiTV member who like Buzek is affiliated with Solidarity Election Action (AWS). "The meeting only proved how controversial the KRRiTV's decision to endorse the deal was."
Sellin together with council member Marek Jurek voted against endorsing the deal to be made by TVP and Cyfra+. Two other members of the nine-member council abstained from voting.
"I don't think the Treasury Minister could change his mind in this respect," Sellin said. "So, the issue should be settled in court. And that will take quite a while, so I think that in the meantime TVP's management will finalize the deal."
More media splits
Once a trend grabs hold of an industry, it seems there's really no way to beat it. That's what ad agency Leo Burnett seemed to prove when it recently separated its media planning operations from the rest of the agency.
The spin off, called Starcom, began operations last week. Malgorzata Grzyb, its media director, said that Starcom would focus more on strategy and investment than simply media planning and buying.
Although both Grzyb and Jaroslaw Ziebinski, managing director of Leo Burnett, were reluctant to give any figures for projected media billings for the year, Ziebinski said total media billings in 1998 came to approximately zl. 294 million ($84 million).
The new media company will employ three tactics in its work: systems, use of the company's own proprietary software and other software systems that will help aid in their research. One other focus will be on the people working on accounts; Starcom will continue working with staffers in brand teams from Leo Burnett when working on full service accounts, Grzyb said.
"It is going to be difficult to manage," Ziebinski acknowledged.
The concept of separating the media planning business from the rest of the agency comes in line with Leo Burnett's plans to create Starcom around the world, an idea which started approximately 18 months ago.
"The big move to start rolling this out across the globe started in March," Grzyb said. It's also in line with what's going on throughout the industry here. Other ad agencies that have moved in this direction with independent media houses include Young & Rubicam, DMB&B and McCann Erickson.
While Ziebinski acknowledged that there has been resistance in the past at other agencies to the media section striking out on its own, he was optimistic about the future for both Leo Burnett and Starcom.
"There will not be this brutal cut," he said, also noting that creative people are becoming more interested in the media side of advertising because it has gone beyond conventional forms. "Media is everything that brings the brand in touch with the consumer," he added.
For now, the agency will remain a division of Leo Burnett, but will eventually be broken off as a separate entity. However, a date for this has yet to be set.
One media department that is making a total break from its agency is that of McCann Erickson. Starting Sept. 1, Universal McCann will begin operating with Gregory Payne at the helm.
The concept of separate media entities for accounts is not new to McCann, which opened up its first media house in Belgium in 1975, Payne said.
"It's been mainly Eastern Europe," where media has been a department within an agency, Payne said. This has partly been due to the fact that the ad industry in Poland has still been in its development stages, but has gained confidence in recent years. Although Payne was also reluctant to mention any billing projections, he noted that future total billings were projected to show "significant growth."
TVP on-line
After three months in existence, TVP's interactive, internet service said it is now receiving about 2,000 visitors daily.
The web service (www.wiadomosci. tvp.com.pl) was launched in May and so far has been run with no promotion.
However, its creators are hoping to model the service after CNN Interactive with the aim of creating "the best Internet news service in Poland," said Aleksander Wierzejski, a TVP journalist and the site's main designer.
"And I believe we can be self-sufficient, just like CNN Interactive," he added.
Wierzejski would not say, however, what the budget for his internet service is. But he argued that it's modest because the site is home grown. "We didn't hire any company to design our page because it would be a waste of money," he said. "Our 10-person team does the entire job, including writing programs and designing graphics."
So far, the page features news stories, photos, maps and links that supplement TVP's broadcast reports. Wierzejski said that he plans to create separates pages for local and business news. In addition, he ultimately plans to place entire broadcast interviews on the page. Often these interviews are trimmed to 20-second spots when broadcast on the air.
Unlike other sites, such as the Polish News Agency's (PAP) official web page, TVP's page is updated throughout the day.
Wierzejski believes that although TVP's internet debut has been low key, it will prove to be an important outlet for the broadcaster.
"If it's true that there are 2 million internet users in Poland, you can't just ignore it," he said.
- Chris Rivituso contributed to this article.
The TVP-Treasury dispute was one of several issues, including harmonization with European Union (EU) laws, regulatory issues and how to manage new media, that prompted the prime minister to suggest that a KRRiTV-PM's Office team should be established to work on media policies. The team's first meeting could even take place this month.
But the formation of a working group to deal with this and other issues doesn't mean there will be a quick resolution to the TVP-Wasacz stand-off. The KRRiTV endorsed the TVP Cyfra+ deal and the matter could now wind up in court. Some on the council thought that the meeting with Buzek was designed to keep the KRRiTV from getting further dragged into the battle.
"It was because of clashes between TVP's management and the Treasury that the prime minister came up with such an idea," said Jaroslaw Sellin, a KRRiTV member who like Buzek is affiliated with Solidarity Election Action (AWS). "The meeting only proved how controversial the KRRiTV's decision to endorse the deal was."
Sellin together with council member Marek Jurek voted against endorsing the deal to be made by TVP and Cyfra+. Two other members of the nine-member council abstained from voting.
"I don't think the Treasury Minister could change his mind in this respect," Sellin said. "So, the issue should be settled in court. And that will take quite a while, so I think that in the meantime TVP's management will finalize the deal."
More media splits
Once a trend grabs hold of an industry, it seems there's really no way to beat it. That's what ad agency Leo Burnett seemed to prove when it recently separated its media planning operations from the rest of the agency.
The spin off, called Starcom, began operations last week. Malgorzata Grzyb, its media director, said that Starcom would focus more on strategy and investment than simply media planning and buying.
Although both Grzyb and Jaroslaw Ziebinski, managing director of Leo Burnett, were reluctant to give any figures for projected media billings for the year, Ziebinski said total media billings in 1998 came to approximately zl. 294 million ($84 million).
The new media company will employ three tactics in its work: systems, use of the company's own proprietary software and other software systems that will help aid in their research. One other focus will be on the people working on accounts; Starcom will continue working with staffers in brand teams from Leo Burnett when working on full service accounts, Grzyb said.
"It is going to be difficult to manage," Ziebinski acknowledged.
The concept of separating the media planning business from the rest of the agency comes in line with Leo Burnett's plans to create Starcom around the world, an idea which started approximately 18 months ago.
"The big move to start rolling this out across the globe started in March," Grzyb said. It's also in line with what's going on throughout the industry here. Other ad agencies that have moved in this direction with independent media houses include Young & Rubicam, DMB&B and McCann Erickson.
While Ziebinski acknowledged that there has been resistance in the past at other agencies to the media section striking out on its own, he was optimistic about the future for both Leo Burnett and Starcom.
"There will not be this brutal cut," he said, also noting that creative people are becoming more interested in the media side of advertising because it has gone beyond conventional forms. "Media is everything that brings the brand in touch with the consumer," he added.
For now, the agency will remain a division of Leo Burnett, but will eventually be broken off as a separate entity. However, a date for this has yet to be set.
One media department that is making a total break from its agency is that of McCann Erickson. Starting Sept. 1, Universal McCann will begin operating with Gregory Payne at the helm.
The concept of separate media entities for accounts is not new to McCann, which opened up its first media house in Belgium in 1975, Payne said.
"It's been mainly Eastern Europe," where media has been a department within an agency, Payne said. This has partly been due to the fact that the ad industry in Poland has still been in its development stages, but has gained confidence in recent years. Although Payne was also reluctant to mention any billing projections, he noted that future total billings were projected to show "significant growth."
TVP on-line
After three months in existence, TVP's interactive, internet service said it is now receiving about 2,000 visitors daily.
The web service (www.wiadomosci. tvp.com.pl) was launched in May and so far has been run with no promotion.
However, its creators are hoping to model the service after CNN Interactive with the aim of creating "the best Internet news service in Poland," said Aleksander Wierzejski, a TVP journalist and the site's main designer.
"And I believe we can be self-sufficient, just like CNN Interactive," he added.
Wierzejski would not say, however, what the budget for his internet service is. But he argued that it's modest because the site is home grown. "We didn't hire any company to design our page because it would be a waste of money," he said. "Our 10-person team does the entire job, including writing programs and designing graphics."
So far, the page features news stories, photos, maps and links that supplement TVP's broadcast reports. Wierzejski said that he plans to create separates pages for local and business news. In addition, he ultimately plans to place entire broadcast interviews on the page. Often these interviews are trimmed to 20-second spots when broadcast on the air.
Unlike other sites, such as the Polish News Agency's (PAP) official web page, TVP's page is updated throughout the day.
Wierzejski believes that although TVP's internet debut has been low key, it will prove to be an important outlet for the broadcaster.
"If it's true that there are 2 million internet users in Poland, you can't just ignore it," he said.
- Chris Rivituso contributed to this article.
