Belo Laments Absence of Network Comp

UPDATED:

I’m not surprised to see that Belo Corp. is not receiving network compensation this year.

I’m more surprised that Belo was getting paid by a network, or networks, as recently as last year.

From today’s Belo earnings report:

Other revenue, which includes barter and trade advertising, network compensation, Internet advertising and retransmission revenue, was up 7 percent in the first quarter of 2012 due primarily to double-digit increases in both Internet and retransmission revenue, partially offset by a $1.7 million decrease in network compensation, which the Company is no longer receiving beginning in 2012. 

Dunia Shive, president and CEO, said Belo will be up against comparisons bolstered by network compensation in last year’s second quarter. She said:

The second quarter of 2011 also included $1.3 million in network compensation, which the Company is no longer receiving.  

Shive and her exec team presented the Belo earnings at 11 a.m. CT today, and the matter of network comp was not brought up by investors (no big surprise, I guess, seeing as it’s in the past and all).

Belo’s 20 stations reflect the whole network gamut: ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW and MyNetworkTV.

A Belo spokesperson would not say which network(s) the compensation came from, but did say it involved long-term contracts that finally concluded at the end of 2011.