Art & Commerce

Representative Sample Almost half of an average TV station’s revenue comes from selling advertising to sponsors that are not based in the station’s home market. When a station in St. Petersburg, Fla., for example, runs ads from a Cincinnati soap maker, it probably was not a St. Pete salesperson who did the national spot deal. Rather, the station used one of several national sales-rep companies to carry its banner to the far-away advertiser. Handling stations all over the country, rep firms are calling on advertisers and agencies across all categories-which gives the reps a bird’s-eye view of the ad market.