New
York, NY & Omaha, NE – Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Ad
Sales and Rural Media Group, Inc., (RMG) have signed a national representation
agreement for commercial advertising sales for the company’s rural and western
lifestyle themed satellite/cable delivered networks, RFD-TV, RURAL TV, and
RURAL RADIO on SiriusXM Channel 80.
SPT Ad Sales, with headquarters in New York and teams in
Chicago and Los Angeles, will greatly expand the exposure of RMG’s 200+ hours
of popular, original programming to major national advertising agencies and
their clients. RMG’s programming is currently distributed to over 63-million
television homes and 25-million satellite radio subscribers.
“This is a real game-changer for us,” stated Patrick
Gottsch, who first launched RFD-TV in December of 2000. “I am so impressed with
the team in place at Sony Pictures Television and their enthusiasm for this
project. SPT’s experience and organization will add tremendous value to RMG’s
advertising sales efforts, and build on the success of the large and growing
audience, for both our television and radio properties.”
“RMG’s audience is tremendously valuable for advertisers,”
added Amy Carney, president of advertiser sales for SPT. “Through tent-pole
events, such as ‘THE AMERICAN,’ and daily targeted programming, our goal is to
help national advertisers reach their marketing goals by providing a brand
loyal audience, as well as increase the momentum for RMG’s advertising sales.”
The transition between the SPT and RMG team is now underway.
In addition to RMG’s primetime lineup, there will be a special emphasis on
exclusive event broadcasts, which includes 50 hours of “live” broadcasting
around the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in December, RFD-TV’s annual Rose
Bowl Parade telecast, and RFD-TV’s THE AMERICAN, the largest one-day $2-million
dollar rodeo taking place March 2nd at AT&T Stadium in
Arlington, Texas.
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
About Rural Media Group,
Inc. (RMG): Rural
Media Group, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of multimedia content
dedicated to the rural and western lifestyle.
RMG is the parent company of RFD-TV, FamilyNet, RURAL TV, RURAL RADIO on
SiriusXM channel 80, RFD-TV the Magazine and RFD-TV the Theatre. RFD-TV, the
flagship network for RMG, launched in December 2000. RFD-TV is the nation’s first 24-hour
television network dedicated to serving the needs and interests of rural
America with programming focused on agriculture, equine and the rural
lifestyle, along with traditional country music and entertainment. RMG acquired
FamilyNet, America’s trusted entertainment network dedicated to providing
wholesome and responsible viewing choices for today’s diverse family.
RURAL TV produces rural business news covering commodity markets for both cash
and futures. Daily productions include Market Day Report and the Rural Evening
News. RMG networks are distributed into more than 63-million homes worldwide by
DBS, telco and cable systems including DISH Network, DIRECTV®,
Comcast, Verizon FiOS TV, AT&T U-Verse, Mediacom, Charter, Optimum,
Brighthouse, Suddenlink, Time Warner, Cox, and more than 600 independent rural
cable systems. RFD-TV The Magazine is the print programming guide for the networks, which has attracted
over 180,000 paid subscribers. RFD-TV The Theatre is a 2000 capacity
soft seat venue in Branson, MO where entertainment programming is produced. Corporate headquarters are in Omaha, NE, and
production operations are in Nashville, TN. For more information, visit www.rfdtv.com, www.myruraltv.com, and www.familynet.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook:
@OfficialRFDTV @RURALTV @FamilyNet @RURALRADIO80
CONTACT: Raquel Gottsch, EVP PR and Marketing, Rural Media Group: Raquel@rfdtv.com
Paula Askanas, EVP
Communications, Sony Pictures Television: paula_askanas@spe.sony.com