Bad News For Cox Reps: Tegna Goes In-House

Tegna today confirmed that as of Sept. 9 it will be taking national sales in-house and will no longer employ Cox Reps for national sales except for the Tribune stations that it is in the process of acquiring.

“This is a strategic change in how we go to market, and is aimed at taking advantage of our scale to deepen our relationships with national clients by embracing automation, and focusing our talented marketing executives on solutions that drive client results,” the station group said in a statement.  Citing the Tribune stations, it added, “CoxReps has been, and continues to be, a tremendous and effective partner.”

Tegna announced in March a deal to buy 11 stations in eight markets being spun off from Nexstar’s pending merger with Tribune. The deal, which carries a $740 million price tag, includes eight Big Four affiliates.

Acknowledging that they were parting ways, CoxReps thanked Tegna “for a very productive and tenured partnership that has driven the national spot business forward and produced positive results for both parties, as well as for advertising agencies and clients.

“CoxReps has a decades-long reputation for delivering exemplary service and unparalleled value to our clients on a national scale. In this ever-evolving and increasingly competitive industry, our agile and experienced sales teams will always move quickly to meet the changing demands of our clients.

“We will continue to provide strong consumer insights and qualitative data, proactively selling to our advertisers and ad agencies.”

In 2016, Gray Television was the last major group to take its national sales in-house, dropping both Katz Television and Cox Reps, which shared its rep business.