NBC
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jerry Seinfeld are joined by
Michael Richards, left, and Jason Alexander, right.
The show's last episode is commanding
record rates for advertising.

---

KHNL's ad rates for the
last 'Seinfeld' are really
quite something

By Peter Wagner
Star-Bulletin

Many will mourn the passing of "Seinfeld" after its last episode airs May 14 on NBC.

But the television network and its Hawaii affiliate -- KHNL Channel 8/13 -- can console themselves with the highest advertising rates on TV.

"It ranks up there with the Superbowl," said John Fink, president and general manager at KHNL.

Fink said a 30-second spot during Seinfeld will go from $1,800 this week to $6,000 on Thursday May 14.

"Any time you can get an event like this with a program like Seinfeld, you try to capitalize on it," he said. "You get more bang for the buck."

Most of the pricey air time is already claimed by long-term advertisers, Fink said. But some space is available in the two-hour special.

NBC is making a similar quantum leap, from standard rates of about $575,000 to $1.5 million for a 30-second spot in the Seinfeld finale.

Rates could climb to $2 million before the bidding ends, Fink said, eclipsing the $1.3 million record set by Superbowl XXXII in January.

NBC
Above, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jerry Seinfeld film the
last episode of 'Seinfeld,' the comedy series about nothing.

---

Some advertisers may end up paying more than expected. The lower-priced retrospective that will air in the first half of the special is being cut to accommodate runover from the final episode, network sources told the Associated Press. That means some advertisers who had bought the less-expensive time will have to pay more, the sources said.

NBC expects the show's normal audience of about 29 million to grow to 133 million for the last program. It's a major TV event, like the final episodes of the long-running hits "MASH" and "Cheers."

While he's sorry to see the immensely popular Seinfeld end its nine-year spree, Fink said he's sure NBC will come up with another winner.

"NBC has lost 'Cosby' and 'Cheers,' but every time programs like that are lost they come back with something even stronger," he said.

Seinfeld re-runs will fill the prime Thursday spot until a replacement is made next Fall, Fink said. NBC is to announce its Fall lineup next month.

Meanwhile, KHNL will pocket a tidy windfall.

"It's a boost," Fink said. "But it's two hours on one night out of 365 nights a year."