ABC Cuts Oscar Ad Rates

1. ABC Cuts Oscar Ad Rates http://www.latimes.com/ February 20, 2009 06英A 19号 王琼玉

2. The ABC network, in a move that reverses years of escalating（逐步上升的）prices and underscores the worsening economy, has shaved（削减） the cost of a commercial for Sunday's annual Academy Awards show, one of TV's most-watched programs. •  Once consideredinvincible（无敌的）to downturns, big events such as the Academy Awards and the Super Bowl, which attract tens of millions of viewers, can no longer command automatic rate hikes. NBC in January found itself peddling（叫卖，行商） unsold commercial inventory in the Super Bowl just days before the big game. It even had to slash rates to attract last-minute sponsors.

3. Last year ABC sold commercial time in the Academy Awards show for as much as $1.8 million for a 30-second ad. Now, with the recession in full swing (活跃，全面展开） on top of five consecutive years of declining Oscar ratings（收视率）, ABC has had to lower its rates. Individual spots have been selling for $1.4 million to $1.7 million.The telecast should generate（产生）about $68 million in revenue for ABC, according to TNS Media Intelligence, which tracks ad spending. But that would be a 16% decline from last year, when the showyielded$81 million in revenue.

4. “It‘s more than just the economy,” said Peter Sealey, a marketing professor at the Peter Drucker Graduate School of Management and a former movie industry executive.“The academy has a problem here. The show is way too long, and the films this year are not spectacular,” he said. “If this year’sratings are down, it could be the tipping（倾翻）point and they will have to make changes.”In recent years, the Walt Disney Co.-owned television network could bank on（指望，信赖）about $15 million in profit from the one-night extravaganza. The show‘s producer, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, benefits too.

5. Several longtime Academy Award sponsors, including troubled General Motors Corp. and L‘Oreal Paris, bowed out (退出，从容隐退）of this year’s telecast. So did Dove soap. American Express Co., traditionally one of the biggest advertisers in the Oscars, purchased only one spot. American Express, like other large financial firms, has been pulling back（撤退，反悔，紧缩开支） on promotional spending. However, a plan by the academy last fall to fill the anticipated revenue（预计收入）gap by the loss of sponsors failed to produce the desired result. In October, the academy relaxed its 50-year ban on movie studios' advertising their films during the show.

6. Escalate 逐步升高，逐步增强 • Underscore 划线于…下，强调 • Invincible 不能征服的，无敌的 • Peddling 叫卖，行商，忙于琐事的 • in full swing 活跃，全面展开 • Generate 产生，发生 • Bank on 指望，依赖 • Extravaganza 异乎寻常的事物 狂妄的行为 • Bow out 由…推出，从容隐退 • Pull back 反悔，使撤退，紧缩开支 • anticipated revenue（预计收入）

7. Background • The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is one of the most prominent film award ceremonies in the world. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences itself was conceived by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio boss Louis B. Mayer.

8. Translation • ABC Cuts Oscar Ad Rates 美国广播公司下调奥斯卡广告费用 • Several longtime Academy Award sponsors, including troubled General Motors Corp. and L‘Oreal Paris, bowed outof this year’s telecast. 几个奥斯卡长期的广告赞助商，包括陷入困境的通用汽车和欧莱雅公司，都退出了今年的广告竞标。

9. The ABC network, in a move that reverses years of escalating（逐步上升的）prices and underscores the worsening economy, has shaved（削减） the cost of a commercial for Sunday‘s annual Academy Awards show. • 美国广播电视公司已经下调了星期天将举行的年度奥斯卡颁奖仪式的广告费用。在经济不断恶化的背景下，这一措施一反常年不断上涨的广告费用

10. Thank you ！