Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
(Operator Instructions) We will go first to Benjamin Swinburne with Morgan Stanley.
Benjamin Swinburne - Morgan Stanley
A question for Les and then one follow-up -- could you talk about how you think retransmission is going to flow through your affiliates and that relationship that you have on the affiliate side?
And one of the things we have all been focused on during the year as a lot of the station companies have had some stress on their financials is how your first run syndication business will grow over time, even though that is a pretty big customer base on the first run front. So could you talk about how retrans may benefit that business in making your sort of customers healthier?
Leslie Moonves
Well, in terms of the affiliate and retrans issue, as each new affiliation agreement comes up, there will be a sharing of the retrans fees. Once again, it’s in the very early stages of that and the realization that if [they are getting paid retrans], which they will, they are getting paid retrans because of the services that the network is providing -- you know, the NFL, CSI, David Letterman, 60 Minutes, et cetera. So we are working with our affiliates right now. Most of them understand the situation and are talking to us about how we do this in the best possible way together.
In terms of first-run, number one the idea continues to be very progress in producing more of those shows. We have a new show called The Doctors, which is now in its second year and last year was the only successful first-run show. So that clearly is growing. We are also seeing some improvement in the ratings on some of our shows like Dr. Phil and once again, the place of some of the off network stuff in the marketplace, as I referred to, is still very healthy and very strong.
Benjamin Swinburne - Morgan Stanley
And you made a comment on improvements on your local platforms heading into the fourth quarter. Specific to radio, it sounds like -- and this is for Joe -- you talked about double-digit sequential improvement and I know that there were some stations, the Portland sale in there but it looked like you are sort of implying down kind of low single digit year-on-year in the fourth quarter in radio. I just wanted to see if that was close to right on the math and certainly suggest maybe we could see some actual growth in the early part of next year.
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