Q1 broadcast results: E.W. Scripps TV station ad sales gained 3.2...

Q1 broadcast results: E.W. Scripps TV station ad sales gained 3.2 percent from a year earlier to $69 million. Local ad sales gained 3.5 percent to $41.1 million, political ad sales fell 50 percent to $444,000 and national ad sales fell 1 percent to $20.0 million, it said. Compensation from the broadcast networks is a thing of the past for its ABC and NBC affiliates, Scripps said. It took in nearly $800,000 in network compensation in Q1 2010 but none in Q1 2011, it said. Retransmission consent fees gained 47 percent from a year earlier to $4 million, and digital sales gained 29 percent to $2.1 million. Profit at the TV division fell 4.3 percent to $6.3 million. … Entercom ad sales gained 2 percent from a year earlier to $82.5 million while expenses grew 4 percent to $61.8 million. Results were largely in line with analyst expectations, Noble Financial’s Michael Kupinksi wrote investors on Tuesday. “The acceleration in revenue that was anticipated seems to be pushed out a quarter or two.” Shares of Entercom fell 10 percent on Tuesday. … Fisher Communications TV ad sales gained 9 percent from a year earlier to $29.1 million. Local and national ad sales, excluding political spots, gained 9 percent to $22.8 million and TV cash flow gained 47 percent to $4.7 million. Online ad sales gained 89 percent to $1.2 million, about 5.5 percent of all TV sales. Sales at Fisher’s radio stations fell 1 percent from a year earlier to $5.2 million and cash flow at the stations fell 14 percent to $304,000.