As people across the country commute to work earlier and earlier in an effort to beat rush-hour traffic, HUT levels (Households Using Television) during the early morning are increasing dramatically. Evidence has shown that television viewers during this time period are a prime target for advertisers and have proven difficult to reach. Broadcasts running at 5 AM open a new communications and advertising channel.

"We have seen an increase in television usage during the early morning hours over the last few years - from 9.2% of Households Using Television in 1997 to 9.4% in 1998 to 10.4% in 1999," said Ric Spicer, Senior Vice President, Agency Sales of CMR. "As advertisers develop their media plans to reach the segment of people tuning in at 5 AM, CMR's expanding the broadcast day to include the additional hour will prove to be of great value to our clients."

In addition to the advantages advertisers will gain by having this new information at their disposal, broadcasters too will see benefits in their sales efforts. "This will enable local stations to have a more accurate picture of their competitive environment," said Jane Smerglia, Senior Vice President of CMR.

Competitive Media Reporting is the leading provider of strategic advertising intelligence, serving advertising agencies, advertisers, broadcasters and publishers. The company's tracking technologies collect occurrence and expenditure data, as well as the creative executions of over 900,000 brands across 15 media. CMR is headquartered in New York City and maintains sales locations in major markets throughout the United States. For further information, visit http://www.cmr.com.