More and more companies are focusing on strategic sourcing, having discovered that small decreases in supplier costs can equate to big increases in profit margins.

To benefit advertisers and the bottom line, many media companies are conducting special promotions and events that generate so-called non-traditional revenue--NTR. Knowing the proper way to account for it will keep you on the right side of the SEC.

Campaign strategist Jeff Eller advises TV broadcasters to be smarter about selling to candidates, while lawyers Erwin Krasnow and John King offer guidance on how to avoid trouble with the FCC and FEC.

We're changing our name to the Media Financial Management Association to embrace the new media that are reshaping our businesses. And here's some advice from Scripps' Ken Lowe on how you can embrace change too and create the next "black swan."

It's good that broadcasters are working hard to inform the public about the coming analog cut-off, but they should also take care to secure vulnerable digital systems within their facilities.

Our annual conference--set for the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas in just three weeks (May 13-15)--will pick up with the NAB left off: exploring options for the Web and how to make money from them. It will also show how you may be able to use your real estate to retire burdensome debt.

Making it on the Web or in mobile requires investment, patience and business plans without precedents. Reflecting on CATV, dental floss and the Swiss Army Knife may help.

In Part 2 of our primer on credit and collections problems at TV stations, the focus is on the importance of dealing with liability problems, especially important in light of the country's growing credit crisis.

Most overdue accounts are collectible, and it's a lot easier and less expensive to collect on old debts than it is to find and sell new customers--if you know how.

The business case for hyper-localism and personalization in the new media services offered by stations is just as important as it is to their traditional services, perhaps even more so.

It's in BCFM's long-awaited second edition of Understanding Broadcast & Cable Finance: A Primer for the Nonfinancial Manager. The "Handbook," as we like to call it, works for industry insiders and outsiders, veterans and neophytes.

And BCFM is here with seminars, conferences, articles, columns and camaraderie to help you meet each and every one.

TV broadcasters want that political advertising, but in accepting it they must be careful to follow federal regulations that involve stations' credit and collections policies.

The young people now entering the work force are different from the Boomers and Generation X, but they can--and will--do the job if you understand what makes them tick.

The political organizations known by the section of the tax code under which they operate will be spending heavily next year as they try to influence the outcome of the presidential election. This is just one of several points political ad guru Evan Tracey made to the BCFM board.

Others are developing Web and mobile services and they are willing to share what they know about what works and what doesn't.

Ad spending on Web sites will continue growing rapidly until topping out at $40 billion in 2012, says the keynoter at BCFM's New York seminar on personal media. But after that, the total will begin decreasing as marketers begin shifting money out of media and into their own sites and other efforts over which they have more direct control.

To improve efficiencies and open new revenue streams, media companies are investing heavily in high-risk IT-based technologies. Here are some ideas for making sure those investments pay off.

Wall Street closed out another erratic week with a big gain Friday after investors took comments from President Bush and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as reassuring signs Wall Street won't be left to deal with problems in the mortgage and credit markets on its own.

With media usage continuing to change, it's getting harder and harder for TV companies to predict revenue and cash flow. But BCFM is helping with a New York seminar and a new data-laden Web site.

Sound credit and collections policies and practices are a sure way to improve your bottom line. The results of a recent BCCA survey point the way toward achieving them.

The number of cell phones and PDAs that can receive and display video is growing as is the number of consumers using them. How great is that for broadcasters who produce video.

Daily papers are becoming increasingly agressive in offering video advertising and news coverage on their Web sites. TV stations still have the video advantage, but it's not insurmountable.

According to one political strategist, up to 10% of political spending is now going to the Internet. Broadcasters can stem that erosion by understanding the data campaigns use in their buying decisions.

Our annual conference yielded insight into political advertising in 2008, retransmission consent negotiations, the NAB strategy, improving and monetizing TV station Web sites and more.

Our conference this week is delivering on its promise of a little fun and a lot of professional education. Where else can you meet Frank Sinatra one day and learn about new media sales the next?

The singer-songwriters who perform at the BCFM conference each year have a purpose beyond entertaining. They remind the CFOs that behind the BMI, SESAC and other music copyright license fees are talented artists who are trying to make a living.

Often rivals, broadcasting and cable will work together at the BCFM conference in Las Vegas next month to address the challenges and opportunities that they both face.

Do you know what to do to if someone in your company is helping themselves to your resources or assets?

Reducing your bad debt by half is equal to increasing gross sales 20 times; the best way to do it is to know exactly who you're dealing with.

Paying close attention to deadlines, changing regulations and routine matters like public files is the best way to avoid hefty FCC fines.

The TVB platform represents a quantum leap toward improving the quality and efficiency of station ordering and invoicing, making it easier to do business, reduce errors and lower costs.

Right now, consumers are confused about HDTV and DTV and pretty much unaware of TV stations' 2009 conversion to digital. Making it all clear to them will take cooperation among broadcasting, cable and consumer electronics--and a whole bunch of PSAs.

And here's some help on the Sprint/Nextel equipment exchange with broadcasters, unclaimed property, charitable contributions, compensation and benefits, changes in accounting methods, e-filing and your own individual returns.

With broadcasters expanding their businesses into new-media opportunities, finance officers must be careful to avoid using financial analysis of the past to predict the future.

This year's annual conference in Las Vegas will tackle the DTV transition, the ENG microwave upgrade, changes in audience measurement, new media opportunities, the trend toward privatization of publicy owned companies and, of course, the usual front-office issues.

TV stations that are expanding their revenue generation via Web sites and multicasting need to be sure they're up to date on how to report revenue and expenses for such projects.

Repurposing content on Web sites or hosting sites for user-generated content creates new music licensing responsiblities and liabilities. Here's some advice on how to stay out of trouble.

Corporate credit managers should take the initiative to head off conflicts between the sales and credit departments before they happen.

In this first in a series of every-other-Friday columns on front-office issues, the president of the Broadcast Cable Financial Management Association warns that broadcasters could be liable for outside contractors who violate immigration laws.