In one big change, it is adopting performance-based compensation: payments that are based on marketplace results.

Last year, 82 percent of advertisers using performance-based compensation indicated that it improved the quality of the advertising they obtained.

Falling in similar fashion was the percentage of advertisers using performance-based compensation who said it improved motivation among agency management.

Among clients that have established performance-based compensation, the survey showed, sales remained the most popular method by which to judge performance.

In its survey, to be released next week, the Salz firm uncovered evidence that the opposition to performance-based compensation was ending.

In fact, the whole system of performance-based compensation for senior management is a mockery and ought to be abandoned.

In addition, the exchange failed to supervise profit-sharing plans and other performance-based compensation for independent floor brokers, the commission said.

Murphy calls on companies to cut their executives' base salaries and substitute more stock options and other performance-based compensation.

Shifting to performance-based compensation would remove the incentive to recommend only media that would produce commissions.

Some analysts give a high grade to the company's financial management, citing performance-based compensation for station managers and a conservative policy of pricing acquisitions.