Cable Wins Out Over Broadcast

The broadcast networks aren’t just losing viewers to cable. They’re also losing the image race, according to a new study from Beta Research Corp. that tracks ad and marketing executives’ perception of the two TV media.

In all, 301 senior execs were asked by phone to rate the networks in various categories using a five-point scale, with five the highest score.

NBC was the only broadcast net to fare well in terms of brand image—91 percent of respondents rated it a four or five, second only to ESPN, at 93 percent—and cable’s CNN, MTV and Discovery Channel ranked above CBS, Fox and ABC.