Memphis, Tenn.

LIKE THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI RIVER, THE HISTORY OF ROCK 'N' ROLL AND THE BLUES runs through Memphis, Tenn. Elvis Presley's Graceland, which draws millions of fans annually, is here. Blues icon B.B. King started his career in Memphis, and Sam and Dave recorded at the legendary Memphis-based R&B/Soul label Stax. Even reigning prince of pop Justin Timberlake is a native of the city. To honor and celebrate that rich and varied history of musical innovation, the city has embarked on a year-long celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of rock 'n' roll (pegged to the day Elvis Presley recorded his version of That's All Right at Sun Studios in Memphis on July 5, 1954).

Beyond its musical heritage, Memphis has seen its status elevated on the national level in the professional sports arena with the National Basketball Association's Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies began as an expansion team in Vancouver, Canada, during the 1995-'96 season, before moving to Memphis in 2001. The team this year is enjoying its first winning season and is headed to the NBA playoffs for the first time.

To accommodate the Grizzlies, the Memphis City Council and the Shelby County Commission approved construction of an 18,500-seat, multipurpose arena to be built in downtown Memphis, which will be ready for the 2004-'05 season. Memphis-based FedEx has purchased naming rights for the new $250 million arena, which will be located near the historic Beale Street Entertainment District. The added national exposure that will come with the team could help local media outlets lure more national ad dollars.

The Memphis television market ranks No.43 in the nation, with 662,280 TV households. The market, located in a region of the U.S. known as the Mid South, spans three states: Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi.

The market's longtime news leader is Raycom Media's NBC affiliate WMC-TV. The station has expanded its news footprint in the market to capitalize on the growing demand for morning news. To that end, the station in early January pushed up its weekday morning newscast by a half hour to a 4:30 start. It also launched a weekend newscast on Jan. 3, with a two-hour block on Saturdays from 8-10 a.m. and an hour on Sundays from 8-9 a.m.

In terms of programming, Howard...