Gray inks broad consulting deal with CBS-owned stations

Gray Television has signed a deal to provide marketing research and consulting services to all 14 CBS-owned stations.

The partnership, which is the first of its kind, began April 1, 2024.

Gray’s Strategic Insights & Activation Team, also known as the Strat Team, was launched in January 2023 to provide an in-house, customized and action-oriented news consulting team for all Gray markets.

After nearly 15 months and almost 100 research projects exclusively for Gray’s local newsrooms, the Strat Team is expanding into supporting additional stations. It had previously done consulting work for other CBS-owned stations and other clients.

“We’re thrilled to expand our relationship with CBS by providing their owned and operated stations with first-class news research and consulting,” Gray’s Chief Operating Officer Sandy Breland said in a statement. “The Strat Team has exceeded every expectation for our content and marketing teams, and their expertise will be an impactful resource for CBS.”

“Partnering with Gray’s Strategic Insights & Activation Team supports our mission further to enhance our market insights and our overall strategic planning efforts across the company,” said Adrienne Roark, president of content development and integration for CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures.

“Their expertise will undoubtedly contribute to our continued success across our 14 CBS-owned stations in delivering high-quality news and content to match our audiences’ evolving viewing needs,” added Jennifer Mitchell, president of CBS Stations.

The Strat Team is led by Chris Archer, vice president of research and consulting, and Tony Calfo, director of research at Gray.

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