have fun contacting individual sites to do $200 media buys, granted there are some high traffic sites you can buy direct on. A lot of ad networks can get the inventory you would buy from them for a much lower CPM and they're a little more experienced and flexible than the publisher is direct.
Yep, I am having fun doing that gaining more control, almost always lower price, cause sometimes this adspace simply empty and nobody buy via network here and this site maybe not even included in any network (little money better than no money, right ? and you can buy even forever, much more beneficial for both of you). Plus some networks have site directory (including even top one display networks) where you can later go direct. I have tried even direct buys via network (i.e. ROS) and have found that many owners didn't reply via interface they agreed to

It was very funny when they replied directly:xmas-smiley-016:
My advice better suits OP than yours for example, I highly doubt he is after big buys on networks anyway, I am based this on his first post in this thread.
Plus how many networks will allow you to do exact ROS ? not that many at all
I am not that experienced at all as many flaming tough guys at WF, but that was mine experience which works and don't require you to shell out mid 5 figures for testing on several networks, cause not many have them.
My last buy via networks was so much fail that I was needed to switch off 9 of 10 traffic sources cause while there were traffic exact adplaces were pure shit in CTR terms.