2008: What a Crappy Year(mostly)

Well, it has come to this. The last day of 2008. All I can say is -- good riddance.

This has been such a terrible year for television. I've had good friends lose their jobs due to layoffs. I've seen dozens of people shown the door. Luckily, a few were able to find new jobs -- but others still search daily and hope for a miracle.

My luck changed this year, for the good. I was very happy to get the Creative Services Director job at KTVX in Salt Lake City. A few weeks in and I really love it. The city is great and the people couldn't be nicer.

I was one of the lucky ones.

So for 2009, lets all hope for an unexpected uptick in the economy(2009 is projected to be worse that 08) - and lets hope all of the good people who were laid off find new work, new passions and a renewed spirit.

Remember, change is good. I wish you all the very best.

Thank you all for checking out the blog in 2008. I look forward to seeing you all in the new year.

More Year Ender Spots

Here is a nice spot from KHOU in Houston:



Another from Fort Myers:

2008 Station of the Year

In the history of television, no award has been so meaningless... so "who cares" so... "so what?" than the IDOPROMOZ Station of the Year Award!!!

It's not something you'd put on a resume, heck - its not even something you can put on your shelf(the physical award itself, like so many these days, costs so much money that stations don't dare try and expense one for the front lobby)

This is the 2nd annual IDPSOTYA - so maybe, just maybe, it will one day mean something.

Anyways -- it does mean something to me. I mean this "award" with great sincerity. Last year, WCCO was the winner. This year - its a station that has seen incredible ratings growth and has inspired many of us in promoland.

That station is WBZ in Boston.

Led by the very talented Wendy McMahon, this year WBZ launched one of the best campaigns in recent memory -- the Curious campaign.

Their promotion is smart, classy and clever.

Check out their year-ender spot. Most stations would string together some footage and soundbites -- put it to some cool music and call it a day.

Oh! But not the 2nd annual winner of the IDPSOTYA(copyright 2008)!!!

http://wbztv.com/video/?id=70566@wbz.dayport.com

Once again - clever, simple and nothing like the typical promo. That's how they look at all of their advertising.

WBZ is creating a personality for their station. WBZ is funny, smart and treats the audience with respect.

If WBZ was a person - wouldn't you want to hang out with them? Apparently Boston does. Their ratings have seen some incredible growth.

Funny how that works, eh?

Year Ender Spot

A great way to really sell your brand is with a year ender spot.

This one is from WOIO in Cleveland. Its a little more broad - but sells the newsteam.

No Weather Hype

Now here is a pretty interesting take on weather promotion.

This is the 3:00 version they put on the web. The singer is the daughter of my station's new Asst. News Director... so I got the scoop!

Check it out:

Happy Holidays!

I hope you all get lots of presents and eat tons of good food(I know I will!)

To begin the celebration, I am giving you a gift.

Here is Letterman's Top 10 "Least Popular Holiday Songs"! Enjoy!

Mic Flags

Anyone have a good company for mic flags? They're so expensive and usually fall apart quickly.

Anyone have any leads?

And sorry for the blog being so bare lately. Between the new job and the fact that no one is uploading much of anything to Youtube -- I haven't had the chance to update as much. I'm keeping my eye out for things though! Don't give up on me quite yet!

WKYT Weather Promo

This one will scare you a bit off the top... then it gets to its point.

You may remember a spot from this station recently - that lifted from WCCO. This is another mesh of WCCO and another station I can't remember. Check it out:

Newspaper Spot

This is a pretty funny take on local news -- from a newspaper's perspective.

Check out this spot from Austin, TX:

Unexpected.

Here is a commercial for Comcast cable... which uses the unexpected to get your attention.

Funny stuff...



I just arrived in Salt Lake City last night and this was the first and only spot that I can remember. The "I love you" line really gets you in a wonderfully unexpected way. If you've read "Made to Stick"(which I highly recommend) -- you know just how effective this can be for promos.

KTRK Weather Talent Promo

Not sure what I think of this one. Its fun and light... yet I'm not sure.

I wish they hadn't shot the people over chroma key... but does the average viewer notice that? Probably not.

thoughts?

WKYT Welcomes Some Dude

For those of you who have seen the WCCO spots, you'll recognize this cafe style approach.

Problem is -- it seems so much more forced. He's selling us on something -- whereas the WCCO spots were telling stories.

Not a bad spot - but this just doesn't do much for me.



And for those of you who have not seen the WCCO spots, this is how they should be done:

24-Hour News Spot

Here's what they say about this spot:

December 8th we here at INC launch an all new 24 hour news network on digital 33-3. This launch promo is all about breaking through the clutter and trying to stand out.

While I applaud trying to break through the clutter -- this spot makes no sense to me. Its odd to be odd, in my humble opinion.

While nicely shot - it screams "What the hell?" -- which takes my focus off the point of the spot.

Thoughts?

Thanks. Giving.

Yesterday we had a laugh with the WKRP turkey drop... today, we remember a little boy.

This isn't a promo... this is a news story about a young soul who truly knew the meaning of giving.

On this Thanksgiving day - remember, you can make a difference. Never give up.

Happy Thanksgiving!

And now... the best station giveaway gone wrong ever:

WKRP in Cincinnati: Thanksgiving Turkey Bomb! @ Yahoo! Video

"As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."
Arthur Carleson
GM, WKRP radio

Wednesday Sweeps Strategy

Nielsen allows you to throw out newscasts on Wednesday -- will your station?

With so many people beginning their Thanksgiving holidays -- it may be wise to have it not included in your averages - but its still a gamble. The station has to make the decision before the numbers come out, which means if your ratings could have helped you -- you're screwed.

For ABC stations -- they will have a Barbara Walters special featuring her brand new interview with the Obamas. That could draw a huge number and lead nicely into the late news.

What's everyone doing?

Holiday Idea

I posted this last year - but think its a good idea to look at for this holiday season!


Holiday Idea
I ran across this idea at WFAA.COM... a great way to make more money for whatever charity your station is working with this holiday.

They are auctioning off Christmas trees decorated with all kinds of gifts(gift cards, tickets to shows, sports team tickets, autographed items, etc)

A really cool idea. A way to get people who may not donate otherwise but would bid on something cool.

http://www.wfaa.com/santashelpers/trees/

KENS 5 Spurs Promo

This is from my former station, KENS 5 in San Antonio.

WBZ Cell Phone Spot

Ok, now this is pretty funny. Again, not sure I'd make appointment television for this -- but a pretty memorable promo... better than the typical crap.

WSB Weather Promo

This seems like a spot from another time. If it weren't for the flatscreens -- what year would you think this spot was from?

Ah, sweeps.

What war? Wall Street? Barack who?

Its sweeps time - and that means stories that have no great value, but still somehow bring viewers to the TV.

Here are 2 promos for the same story out of Chicago, "Date My Ex":

Hothaus Creative Latest

It has been a tough couple of weeks finding spots to share from youtube. With sweeps - I guess everyone has better things to do than post spots.

So I'll direct your attention to Hothaus Creative out of Dallas. Their website has a bunch of great spots featured in their "lastest work" section. Many you may have seen here before -- many that you have not.

http://hothauscreative.com/pages/latest.html

Old People Need Toys Too?

Here are a couple of spots from South Florida -- WBBH, Fort Myers.

Borrowing visually from the WCCO and WBZ's of the world - these spots confused me at first. They are basically the same spot but with different tags. I only get that its for seniors in the second spot.

Bond. James Bond.

Check out this spot from KMAX in Sacramento. They do wildly creative work here!



Here's what the producer says about the promo:

News promo for Good Day Sacramento's Mark S. Allen. Shot this in about 3 hours... and edited it the following day. Decided to go a little bigger on this one and have some fun with it!

You can also see a higher quality version here:

www.candiedfilms.com/gds-bond.mov

and do yourself a favor and check out his other work:

www.candiedfilms.com

Why I love this job...

Since there haven't been many promos uploaded to youtube worth sharing lately -- I decided to make the blog all about me yet again(2 days in a row!!!... sorry!)

In the past, I've been to a few shuttle launches at NASA - which was very cool. But the closest you can get, even at the press site, is about 3 miles from the actual shuttle.

So a few weeks ago - I suggested to our space reporter that we needed to do another image shoot with him, as he is nearing his 100th launch. I wondered how close we could get to the shuttle. "Not very close at all" was the answer... and even then, we could only get on the side of the shuttle with the rocket boosters, which isn't a very compelling shot.

But wait! Our space reporter suggested that we may be able to shoot inside the VAB - the vehicle assembly building. That's the building only NASA workers and VIPs get to go into -- no public tours here!

So after a few weeks -- we had permission! But like any good shuttle mission - we had a few aborted missions, even to the point of the entire shoot being cancelled.

But last week... our senior producer(and amazing shooter) Kip and I made the trip to NASA and got within 30 feet of Shuttle Atlantis! After a few jokes of sticking gum on the orbiter or asking if we "can drive it?" -- we shot for about 2 hours.

These are the kinds of shoots I love to do. Taking on a seemingly impossible task("can we use the space shuttle as a prop in a promo?") and making it reality.

Another favorite "You'll never get it to happen" shoot was in Houston. Former President Bush lives there and when the Superbowl came to town and to our station - I wanted him to cut promos for us. HE DID! All I had to do was ask.

What's your favorite "I can't believe I made that happen?" moment in your career?

My Big News!

After three and a half years at WESH-TV in Orlando -- I'm packing up and taking a new job in Salt Lake City.

I'll be Creative Services Director at KTVX and KUCW, the ABC and CW affiliates. I'll be working with a great group of people and can't wait to get started.

I'll see WESH in my rearview mirror come Thanksgiving and will begin my new job in early December. Its going to be one loooooonnnnnngggg drive... but I've got my Sirius radio, plenty of bad road food plus I'll get the chance to stop off and see family and friends along the way.

Speaking of friends - I'll certainly miss many of the great people I've met in Orlando. They are some of the nicest people I've ever worked with and I consider many lifelong friends. You're all welcome to come snow ski and stay at my place!

I look forward to posting Utah promos in the near future!!

What's Important To You? POPS

WBZ Jaywalking Spot

This must be a sweeps topical - under the "Declare Your Curiosity" brand.

Not so sure about the topic -- interesting but not sure I'd watch for this... but nice, simple spot none the less.

Going HD Last in the Market

Here's an interesting set of promos from WCAU in Philly.

Last to go HD in the market -- they tackled the problem head on. Clean, simple, to the point.

Also note the "We Saved the Best for Last" line.

Real Election Promos

Check out the cool visuals in this ABC News promo:



Here's a spot from KMBC:



From FOX News:

Best Political Ad Ever

Hope you all get out and vote today!!!

KNBC Spot

This must be a bad week for promos.

Awww... Just Sad

This falls into the "...then don't say anything at all" category.

We believe in this valley! Best. Tagline. Ever.

SEX!

Here's a spot from WCCO. The producer says it was shot at 10:30 am and on the air by 1pm! Another example of adding a human touch to a news promo(no pun intended)

KOB "Important to You" Campaign

We saw KOB's election campaign earlier this week -- now comes a news image campaign.

I like these alot better -- note the excellent use of nat sound in these. Nice, simple, beautifully shot.

KOB loves the B&W and lack of music... lol. I think it works here.

More WFAA Morning Promos

WABC Mornings

Sorry folks, this spot has been removed at the request of WABC.

KOB Election Spots

Here are 2 election spots from KOB in Albuquerque.

Here's what the producer said when sending the spots along:

I interviewed the anchors about what it's like to work election night and why it's so important to vote in this election. I think they turned out really well but I'd love to get feedback on them from the talented people who visit your site.

WEWS Weather Spot

From Cleveland, some interesting visuals from a WEWS weather promo:

KCNC Election Spots

These are election themed spots from KCNC in Denver:

Sonic Branding

Music can be critical to your brand. A familiar theme can stick with people unlike anything else.

Think Intel.

Think James Bond theme.

Here is a cool video from the folks at Stephen Arnold Music that explains it well:



Here are the new opens for WBBM in Chicago, which have a very distinct signature:




And for those with absolutely nothing else to do - here is a video on those famous 4 notes from Intel.

Sweeps are Moving

Well, for May that is. To avoid Memorial Day, Nielsen has announced that May 2009 sweeps will move up a week.

Now, for those of you keeping score - it was previously announced that February sweeps are moving BACK - to avoid the digital transition time.

So there will be just three short weeks between March and May sweeps.

Here is a complete list of revised dates:

MARCH 2009--- March 5 - April 1
MAY 2009--- April 23 - May 20
JULY 2009--- July 2 - July 29
NOVEMBER 2009--- Oct. 29 - Nov. 25

Great Sweeps Ideas

Got any?

As November approaches... we're all trying to figure out great stories for the book.

A good one we do every year at this time is the Black Friday ads... thanksgiving sales papers, found online a week ahead. Helps people find the best deals - before they head out shopping.

Is this an oldie that EVERYONE knows and does?

Any other great ideas to share?

Great Site for Inspiration

This was mentioned in the comments for the KTRK spot. There is a great site from the Creative Director at Hothaus Creative that you should check out:

http://www.forbiddensky.com/motion/motion.html

Filled with great visual examples, this site fetures the work of Nel Santiago. Nel has worked at KTVT and KXAS in Dallas, KSAT in San Antonio, WFOR in Miami, among others.

He does outstanding work. His site features great spots, some how-to articles and a few goodies. Check it out.

New KTRK Promo

This isn't a great copy - but here is a new spot for KTRK in Houston.

This was done by the folks at Hothaus Creative.

KGW Spots

Here is a spot from KGW in Portland. It's a spot aimed at generating buzz over a brand new studio opening early next year in downtown Portland's "Pioneer Courthouse Square". Portland's "living room"... as residents like to call it.

This spot originally aired during the Olympic games. This has a very nice feel to it:



Several more spots were also rolled out at the same time... similar to this one. Some cool visuals:



I'm assuming their art director, Jeff Patterson, has something to do with these spots. He's fantastic and KGW has a great look. Check out his website(which, unfortunately hasn't been updated for awhile):

www.jeffpatterson.tv

MORE WFAA Promos!

I love WFAA. Always have. Their promos are usually some of the best in the biz. I'm especially fond of the late 90s/early 2000s...

Someone has been uploading new, current WFAA spots faster than I can post them! So here you go:

This is a beautifully shot promo for morning anchor Cynthia Izaguirre:



Here is another in the Dale/Pete series:



And one for Gloria Campos:



And my favs, two for their morning show. Nice, simple concepts:





And last but not least, one for WFAA's Green initiative:

Even More WFAA Promos

Here is the Pete and Dale show, spot #2.

And you'll never guess how they end it.



And here is a new one, promoting anchorman John McCaa:

Thank You!

It has been a year since I started IDOPROMOZ and as I celebrate the site's first birthday(sadly, EXACTLY like the picture shows) - I'd like to thank everyone for coming to the site and contributing.

It is great fun sharing ideas and spots with everyone and hearing what everyone thinks.

Thank you all - I couldn't and wouldn't do it without you.

Here's to another great year!

don

New WFAA Campaign

Here are 2 new spots from WFAA in Dallas.

New WFAA Spot

There's a lot you need to know before watching this next promo. This is from WFAA in Dallas - one of the best in the country.

It features weatherman Pete Delkis and sportscaster Dale Hansen. Each night during the news - these two like to give each other grief. They're known for it. And Hansen is WELL known for his larger than life personality. People in Dallas seem to eat it up. So that's setup #1.

Setup #2: This is based on(apparently because I've never seen the show) the closing of Boston Legal.

Now... watch and we can discuss:



First off, cigars and booze in a news promo? Its Dallas - so maybe we can let that slide.

Second, basing a promo off a show thats been on the air for years? Odd.

Third - talk of sleepovers and madcow disease? Hmmm.

Different - that's for sure. It does play off their personalities... which is interesting. But I'm not sure. What do you all think?

Subtracting the Plus

It was doomed from the beginning... a weather channel that wasn't...well, "The Weather Channel."

My station, like dozens of others out there - ran the service and completely rebranded their weather product as Weather Plus.

So... now what? Should local stations abandon the branding on their main station? Will they be forced to?

My thinking is dump it -- but in favor of what? WESH 2 Weather?

At least the Weather Plus brand stood out from all the other stations just calling themselves WXXX Weather.

Sure, there's Stormteam. First Alert Weather. Etc...

Anyone have any good ones to share? Will some stations just keep the Weather Plus brand?

New WCCO Special Report Promo

Here's a quick spot from WCCO. The producer says:

a quick "turn n burn" special report promo...super fast turn, but it turned out alright.
i'm a big fan of organic style :-)

New WKMG Campaign

This is from WKMG in Orlando. Its their new "Never Miss a Moment" campaign.

Some spots are ok. Some make me throw up in my mouth a little bit.

They are definately going for the emotional sell with several - ala Publix Grocery Stores, which I've blogged about here before. (use the nifty search option to the right to search Publix)

The others take a stab at humor, which is always tricky.

All in all - I give them props for trying something new in this market.

But in the end - they just don't hit the mark in my mind. This is all so contrived - I don't think viewers can take it seriously. And the beauty of the Publix/"tug at the heartstrings" spots is somehow completely lost here.

STOP THE POLITICAL ADS!

If you're like most people - you're about up to here with constant political ads on TV.

From Obama to McCain to your local elections - the airwaves are full of :30s, :60s and even a few :120s - and some of those ads are just darn mean.

Enter WCCO.

Always known for their different approach - check out these "political ad breaks":






UPDATE: The latest spot:



Cute... funny... they convey personality and make a connection with all the people out there that are sick and tired of all the ads and just need a breather.

Smart. I like 'em.

Oh, and I'm Don Smith - and I approved this message.

WKMG Promo

UPDATE: The user has mysteriously removed this spot from Youtube. Sorry folks, nothing to see here.

I have to admit - this is from my competitors here in Orlando - so I'm supposed to dislike their stuff -- but this spot is so melodramatic.

They tend to go for the "emotional" soft sell approach in their work - and I think fail more times than not.

Their anchor is good and a very nice person - but her promo reads tend to be more "acted" for my taste.

Also - the video technique in this spot is just awful. I can't concentrate on anything and the shot selection is average and pretty generic.

On the plus side, I like the location(its different) and the anchor is shot nicely.

Thoughts?

New WABC Weather Promo

A few weeks ago on the blog - I wondered if you could take a spot where Michael Phelps' mom talks about how he was as a child -- and apply the idea to your talent, specifically weather talent.

Well the folks at WABC have done just that. Check it out.

New Weather Guy Promo

At first frame - I was sure I was going to hate this. But as the spot continues - it grew on me.

An interesting, clever way to introduce a new weatherman to the market.

The market in this promo? South Freakin' Africa.

Enjoy!

KTVT Dallas Cowboys Coverage

This one leaves me a little underwhelmed.

Behind the Scenes Secrets

What do you guys think of this? This is pure talent promotion - that has nothing to do with newscast content.

Is that a bad thing? A good thing?

I think TV people tend to dislike these kinds of spots - but do viewers eat them up?

I wasn't a huge fan watching these - but can this type of spot work to make anchors more memorable? more accessable?

Do they work better in smaller markets?

Share your thoughts below. These are something I probably wouldn't do necessarily -- would you?

CBS Election Spot

Your typical debate promo with some nice, crisp, clean visuals.

DC Station Cuts Promotion Department

What do you guys think of this? My friend and former boss Stan Melton lost his job in this mess. Sad. The even scarier part comes in the second paragraph.

DC station swings the Budget axe

Sources say that WJLA in DC has swung the budget axe. Word is that the station eliminated 5 positions from their promo/graphics department on Thursday, two from promotions (Larry Lane and Dominique Verdieu), two from graphics (Mike Batista and Isam Daho) and the Director of Creative Services (Stan Melton).

News Director Bill Lord will now run the much smaller department, with the promo manager and art director reporting to him. They also do promos and graphics for Newschannel 8, and some stuff for Politico, so what was already a very busy department is gonna be even more overburdened.

WBNS Buckeye Football

You may remember WBNS's musical look back at their history. Well here is a new spot, featuring their sports team and a familiar band. Focusing on their experience - they really hit on the right emotional drivers.

Get in on the Action!!!

Dear lord.

Street Crew

There seems to be a new push in television today to get viewers to share their pictures, video, etc with local tv stations. I know CNN uses this but I'm curious how it works on the local level. Will people really take the time?? or are some so geeked up about it - they send stuff all this time?

Here is a nice promo from WBIR about their "street crew"...

Salary Survey

In an effort to help the fine readers of IDOPROMOZ... I'd like to start a dialog on salaries in television promotion.

It all depends on market, station owners, etc... but lets use the anonymous response option - and give out some details on what people make in this business.

Creative Service Directors
Promotion Managers
Writer/Producers
Art Directors

Any info would be great. Be general if you feel you need to. I think it would be very helpful to all of us... the more of us who participate - the better!

Give details such as:

POSITION:
MARKET SIZE:
SALARY:

KHOU Texans Spot

Another great promo from KHOU producer Bobby Rigg. Last year's was great - this one is great as well. Check it out:

Microsoft: I'm a PC

Microsoft's answer to the "I'm a Mac" spots... pretty cool. Great take on the competition's ads.



What happened to those Seinfeld ads? Word is - they've been pulled. Microsoft claims they planned that all along.

Right.

I do think this is much better than Jerry's spots.

WBBM Very Cool Spot

Ok - now this looks cool!

Promo Guy Promoted to News Director

This doesn't happen very often - but the Marketing Director has been named News Director at Raycom Media's WTVR in Richmond.

Bill Anderson will take the reins and the news department is getting a great guy. I worked with Bill as a promo producer at KHOU in Houston several years ago.

Bill has a background in news and is a terrific marketing guy. A great producer when I knew him - I'm glad to see he's returning to his news roots. He served as interim ND a couple of years ago and this time - he got the main gig.

Just imagine having a news director who understands marketing inside and out! Any television station should be so lucky.

Congrats Bill!!!

WBBM BIG Spot

Here is another spot from WBBM. On September 22, they go HD from their new broadcast facility -- a streetside studio.

I like the first copy point that comes in "BIG" -- it lands in the middle of the street.

But the other two... hmmm... seem just tacked on. And "BIG SURPRISES"??? That makes me roll my eyes. I'm sure this spot is part of a larger campaign - so this may make sense with other spots that explain things better.

Check it out:

Hurricane Ike POP from KHOU

Here is a great POP from my friends at KHOU in Houston. Ike has caused all kinds of trouble down there - I feel for all my family and friends there.

Friday Night Lights Promo

Lots of money was sunk into this. Talent spent their time on a special set shooting their parts. But the people who made the spot forgot to ask what the show was about.

Oops!




You could argue that the song and setting show off the small town aspect of the show... but the promo makes it seem like some sort of magical/mysterious/spooky kind of show.

Off the mark... plain and simple.

IT'S THE NEWS!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!

I don't know if I should ruin it for you... but I don't think this spot is a joke. They are dead serious.

CBS Hits the Roof

Well here's something none of us will ever have the budget to do. CBS has painted an ad for "The Amazing Race" on three buildings near LAX in Los Angeles. Hoping to stand out from the crowd - these rooftop billboards are pretty eyecatching for those just finishing up their free peanuts.

From Variety:

"We're right on an active approach path," said CBS marketing topper George Schweitzer. "So we've gotten plenty of reports from people who have seen it. It organically fit 'The Amazing Race,' and we thought it would be a fun thing to do."

My New Favorite Spot

From TXA in Dallas - here is a great promo for their afternoon block of comedies.

If you've seen Jibjab - you'll recognize the effect. I think I like this so much because I wanted to do a spot like this back a few years ago. Never got around to it - so I guess this will have to do.

I love it.

Check out this promo - which basically borrows from the WCCO spots and countless others. But its not from a television station - its from a local Orlando high school!

And its better than most promos out there these days! Great job to the kids at Colonial High.

KTVT's New Music Promo

This is from KTVT in Dallas... who always do good work. Still not sold on jingles(ironic since I have 2 on my freakin' resume reel!) and wonder if this works to help connect viewers to your people. Not a "watch for this reason or that reason" kinda spot. Thoughts?

Newsblues for FREE!!!

Right now, Newsblues - a popular website for tv news gossip and fact - is on vacation until September 28.

So they've opened up the archives until then for FREE. Check it out. They have a terrific search tool and you can check out their extensive archives. Filled with insider info on stations and commentary by the site's author(sometimes on target, sometimes unfair)... its well worth a read.

And the price is right. FREE until September 28.

newsblues.com

KMAX Sacramento

The consultants are back!! Check it out:

WKYC: Welcome to Gold

Love the shooting style. Love the graphics. The message... hmmm... leaves me a little confused I guess. I "get" at the end that they've won Emmys -- but it still doesn't quite work for me. Maybe its just been a long week. I always like their work. Thoughts everyone?

WTHR Image Spot

Here is a spot from WTHR in Indianapolis. It reminds me alot of WBZ and WCCO(and even a campaign I've been doing here in Orlando)... yet its different enough to not be a blatant ripoff. Not sure I care for the music though.

Thoughts?

Weather Spot featuring Don Lafontaine

From the folks at WKYC - here is a promo flashback from 2002 featuring the late, great Don Lafontaine.

WBZ Mornings

I'm a big fan of WBZ's promotional efforts... yet this new one leaves me a bit lukewarm.

Here is the spot:



Check out their web section as well:

http://wbztv.com/mornings

I do think its an interesting idea to create pages for your key franchises. WBZ has also done this with declareyourcuriosity.com

Playing the promo, showing behind the scenes footage or pics and inviting viewers to interact with the brand is a great idea.

The WBZ Icon hunt seems a little odd to me - what does it have to do with mornings? Very cool interactive element, however.

Please Watch Something Else

A peculiar stunt took place during MTV's Video Music Awards.

During the show, VH1 aired a looping graphic that urged viewers to switch the channel and watch MTV instead. Sponsored by Taco Bell!

Now, I get that VH1 and MTV are owned by the same people - but why would VH1 just go "dark"?? And why would Taco Bell sponsor this?

And better yet - as MTV took commercials - VH1 took comemrcials of their own. Now, if you were an advertiser and your spot had been put into one of these breaks - wouldn't you feel cheated?

New Seinfeld/Microsoft Ad is BAD

Jerry Seinfeld was paid $10 million for this.



What is it promoting? Was it supposed to be unfunny? How is it we all make slightly less than $10 million per spot - and still do better work?

Thoughts?

KHOU's Temporary Set

Most temporary sets are done on the cheap - something maybe in the newsroom or in a tiny, secondary studio - that looks, well temporary.

OH! But not KHOU in Houston! They build a pretty nice set in their newsroom... complete with moving plasma monitors(check out about 1:23 into the clip)



Pretty cool for a "temporary" set, eh? They have since moved into their new set - which looks a lot like the temporary one.

And the best part? From what I hear - it was all done in house.

Just Silly

Watch this promo and wonder "Is this really what viewers want?"



Now, watch the spot again adding the word "idiot" before they say "only ONE was out in the storm."

I'm all for field anchoring and sending your people into the action - but this looks like a lone loon standing in the middle of a freakin' hurricane.

Again I ask - is this really what viewers want?

Great ABC Spot: Life on Mars

This show looks cool (maybe I'm crazy) -- and I love the way ABC went back to the 70s for this.

KOCO Web Spots

This is all the rage these days. Kind of a neat effect - especially since it was done in house.

RIP Don LaFontaine

One of the giants of voiceovers has died at the age of 68.

http://cbs2.com/local/LaFontaine.voiceover.died.2.808104.html

Check out this Geico ad, featuring Mr. LaFontaine:



I always wanted to write an "In a world..." promo and work with him. I'm sorry I'll never get the chance. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Nice WBBM Promo

Check out the CBS O&O in Chicago. This is a slick new promo to introduce HD and their new downtown location.

ABC Campaign: Behind the Scenes

UPDATE: I've had to replace the link twice now -- not sure why it keeps getting removed. Check it out while you can!

Here is an interesting behind the scenes look at the new ABC Fall Season Premiere promos...




This is basically a promo piece for the promo piece... nice. If they did a promo piece on this promo piece - ABC might go back in time.

Stand up to Cancer

Here's a nice, powerful spot featuring celebrities such as Tobey MaGuire, Christina Ricci, Susan Sarandon, Morgan Freeman, Mayor Bloomberg, Keanu Reeves, Lance Armstrong, Jodi Foster, John Williams and Sidney Poitier.

Debbie Phelps Spot

Here is an interesting, simple commercial featuring Michael Phelps' mom.



Makes me wonder - could you do something like this with one of your talent? Obviously it would be different - but the basics could still be there. Maybe its mom talking about how your chief meteorologist always loved weather as a kid. Maybe its a parent talking about how news was always in your main anchor's blood.

Depending on your brand - a simple message like this could really work to soften your talent and connect them to viewers in a way few spots could.

Thoughts? Anyone ever tried anything like this? Is this idea more naturally built to run near mother's day?

2008 ABC Image Campaign

ABC has a nice, creative promo for the new fall season. Fantastic visuals... check it out!

I can't get my anchors to show up for daily topicals - how the heck does ABC coordinate THIS???

:)

Mystery Solved!

There has been some question as to how WHO ended up doing a spot that was exactly like WBNS. Well, my sources at WBNS tell me its all legit. For lack of a better term - the spot has been syndicated.

As I've said before - I have no problems with this. Coming up with great spots can be difficult and if you can find a proven concept, why not negotiate the rights to use it?

WNBS, not surprisingly, is willing to syndicate it to others as well. As mentioned before - the "Hello" campaign from Gari Communications has been syndicated for years.

I'm just glad to find a station like WHO who(ha!) did it right. They actually had the courtesy of calling and negotiating the use. Most stations would just steal it - and I think that's just wrong. We've all stolen a turn of phrase or visual idea -- but it seems that entire concepts are being stolen all the time. Bad, very bad.

Copycat Promo?

An alert reader forwarded me this link, which shows a promo that looks a heck of alot like the WBNS history promo.

http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8848886&nav=menu100_10_1

Here is the WBNS promo for comparison:



Thoughts? Did WBNS "sell" this concept/song to WHO? Anyone know the scoop?

Great Article on News Image

Our friend Paul Greeley has written a fantastic article for TVNEWSDAY.com on news image promotion. He cites WBZ as someone who does things right(which I completely agree) and outlines why a lot of stations get it wrong.

Check it out here and be sure to click through to the Firestone ad:

http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2008/08/19/daily.3/

Paul is a promotions professional who has more than 20 years experience in television promotion.

Scary News

This is from FTVLive:

NBC looking to cut Creative Services at O&O's

If you work in the Creative Services Department at an NBC O&O, it might be a good time to update your resume.

Sources tell FTVLive that the NBC stations group is actively looking at how to centralize all creative services.

Word is that WRC (Washington) General Manager Michael Jack is leading the project. One source tells FTVLive that NBC has asked the O&O's for head count numbers from all of the stations including salaries. The plan calls for the elimination of the Creative Service Directors at the stations.

Also word is that NBC Group President John Wallace is asking stations looking how they might be able to hub weather when NBC starts running the Weather Channel.

There's a rumor that someone left the financial information on a copier at WRC and so the details of the plan are floating around.

Needless to say, it has a number of people on the edge of their seat.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

I've always wondered if this could/would happen... I hope this is not the sign of things to come across the country - but knowing TV, it is.

Weather Team Action Figures

Just when I think I've seen it all -- comes this:

WCBS Jets Football Spots

This is a cute idea, although I feel the payoff jokes at the end could have been stronger:

KPIX Spots

Here are 2 spots from KPIX in San Francisco. They're both a few years old and at least the first one was done by Hothaus out of Dallas.

Great Viral Marketing

Can a man buy an engagement ring - with just pennies?

Watch this hilarious viral video - and wait for the end for the "payoff"...



Smart marketing... very different.

KNBC "Leader"

Just days after KNBC puts out a cute, clever spot for their weatherman - they come up with this:

Very Cool Visuals

Check this out from Conan O'Brien... very creative.

KNBC Weather Spot

Here is a fun, clever spot - perfect for LA.

Snakes on an Anchor

Hilarity ensues as a snake crawls into the pants of a weatherman - on live tv at the county fair. Kinda long - but funny.

Comedy is Hard

This aired in Chicago? Wow.

Another Weather Channel Spot

Here is another spot from 2005... nice concept.

KXAS Music Video

It must be that time of year again - time for stations to do their music video spots. I'm assuming since KXAS and KPRC(in the video below)are both NBC - they have edited these together for the Olympics platform.

I don't hate this... I just don't know if I like it all that much either. The message is clear, the video is pretty - but I'm still not all that engrossed by it.

Thoughts?

New KPRC Promo

This is from KPRC in Houston. Really - I think I'm over the "lets create a music video that entertains us but does nothing for the audience" spots.

Weather Channel Spots

Here are a few "vintage" Weather Channel spots. Now that NBC has bought them, look for fine programs such as:

My Name is Jim Cantori
Hurricane or No Hurricane
The Biggest Snow Storm
30 Rock-sized pieces of ice
Most Outrageous Umbrellas

Until then... enjoy these:

KTRK 50th Anniversary Spot

This is from 2004/2005 - although I never saw it run when I was in Houston.

Check out the clever editing and use of anchor Dave Ward with images from times past.

The Daily Show's Election Team

This is hysterical...

Fox News Channel Promo

Here's something for your Monday:



I'm not a FNC viewer and this is pretty run of the mill as far as promos go - but I do like the visuals ok and the idea of having each person read a line - helps create a nice team, all on the same page kinda feel.

New Spot?

Good news! It looks like this spot from 1987 just finished rendering.

Funny Stuff

A collection of some of the best news bloopers. Enjoy!

Thanks to VicDigital for sending it along!

KXAS Spot

Here is a nice, clever spot from KXAS in Dallas.