The Marketing Ideanet Newsletters

Graeme Newell's Marketing Ideanet 5/27/2010

Ice Cream Van Music to Soothe the Savage Beast?
Police in Northern Ireland have said it was "inappropriate" for an officer to play "ice-cream van" music in an attempt to calm youths attacking a vehicle. Young people were throwing bottles at a Land Rover vehicle in Lisburn last Saturday when the officer used the tannoy to play the tunes. A police spokesperson said an officer had used humour to defuse the situation and the trouble had stopped. However, senior officers are believed to have spoken to the officer involved. Police were called to Glasvey Drive in Twinbrook on 22 May where they passed a group of about 15 youths who began throwing bottles at their vehicle. A spokesperson for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: "An officer used the vehicle's tannoy system to play music to the youths in an effort to use humour to defuse the situation. "The youths stopped throwing the bottles. However, police accept that this was not an appropriate action. "The officer has been spoken to by a senior officer in order to establish the circumstances of the incident." Sinn Fein councilor Angela Nelson told the Andersonstown News that the officer's actions "beggared belief". "The PSNI are put on the streets to do a serious job and that is to keep order on the streets and face down anti-social elements. This is like a sick joke. "It goes against everything we are trying to solve and eradicate in the area."
BBC

Message From Michael
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUTUBE: It’s stunning (to me at least) to think that the omnipresent, ubiquitous, part-of-life-for-millions phenomenon known as YouTube is only five years old. Only five years old! There have been some mainstream stories about this, and YouTube has created a special five year channel to mark the occasion, but there has yet to be the definitive, sociological, anthropological examination... And this message isn’t it either, but we will at least give you some facts and factoids to consider.

In its announcement about the birthday, the Google-owned site noted that it receives Two Billion views a day – “nearly double the prime time audience of all three major U.S. television networks combined.” Of the 180 Million U.S. Internet users viewing video each month, YouTube accounts for 135 Million of those views – or roughly three out of every four videos viewed, according to Internet research firm comScore. Of the 31.2 Billion videos viewed each month by U.S. Internet users, nearly half (41.8%) or 13.1 Billion videos, come from Google sites (mainly YouTube). Now, the alert among you, are trying to reconcile the 13 Billion a month, cited by comScore, versus the 2 Billion a day, cited by YouTube. The difference, of course, is that comScore is measuring only U.S. Internet users, while YouTube is citing users worldwide. The YouTube viewer watched an average of 96 videos a month. Second place video viewing site, Hulu, averaged 26.7 video views a month but they ran an average 2.6 hours. Although comScore, oddly enough, didn’t cite how long YouTube viewers watched, it did not that the average online video viewer watched 4.3 minutes of video at a time.

Viewing the YouTube five year channel is something between a walk down memory lane, and a sociological study, starting with the very first video of YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim’s visit to the San Diego Zoo and co-founder Steve Chen’s cat Slinky II. Online marketing website BrandRepublic cites five examples of YouTube videos that have impacted the media world, starting with one of my favorites – the Cadbury Gorilla which was the harbinger of thousands of ad spoofs to come. Add to that the ability of YouTube to make stars out of ordinary people… a/k/a Susan Boyle’s appearance on ITV’s hit TV show Britain’s Got Talent, which became the most watched video of 2009. Or YouTube bringing mainstream politics to young people – For example, President Barack Obama’s use of YouTube in his run for the Presidency, or British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s failure to steam the crisis surround MP’s expense accounts using YouTube. And, of course, the introduction of Flash Mob’s – highlighted by T-Mobile’s flash mob ad showing people dancing in a London mall.

One year after YouTube started came the next great evolution in media – Message from Michael. Okay, maybe not. But a review of messages and the YouTube timeline show some interesting coincidences. One of the first video break-outs cited in the Message, was the amazing rendition of Johann Pachelbel’s baroque classic, Canon, rendered by South Korean guitar player, FunTwo. After that it was Judson Lapply’s video, Evolution of Dance, which compressed 50 years of dance music into a six-minute video. Talking about ad spoofs that take on a life of their own, think of the Diet Coke – Mentos video. Then there’s Lonelygirl15 which may have been the first to capitalize on YouTube’s viral virulence to create a buzz for the launch of a show. The amazing Battle at Kruger video was one of the first to show the power of amateur videos going viral.

It probably says something that three of the last nine videos on the timeline are political – an interview with Barack Obama, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouriki Al-Maliki’s introduction of the Iraqi channel, and an interview with the Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes. But it also says something that two of the others include Ryan Higa, a young Japanese-American comedian in Hawaii who was the first YouTube user to hit an amazing two million subscribers; and, of course, Lady Gaga whose Bad Romance video is YouTube’s most viewed video of all time with an incredible 211 Million views. And in keeping with my never-ending quest to keep you on the cutting edge of what is a dull edge, the latest sensation is the Annoying Orange which, after seven months, has racked up more than 18 Million views. Two Million. 18 Million. 211 Million.

Just to put those numbers in perspective, Televisions’ version of a hit sensation was election night Tuesday. On that night, Fox won the cable channel viewing contest with 2.11 Million viewers from 7 p.m. to Midnight – which was more than all the other cable channels combined. MSNBC was second with 879,000 viewers; CNN had 556,000 viewers; and Headline News had 392,000 viewers. The network evening news numbers for the latest week show that NBC is averaging 7.4 Million viewers, while ABC is right at 7 Million and CBS is just under 5 Million, according to Nielsen and website TVbythenumbers.com. For a little more perspective still, according to the U.S. Census ‘population clock,’ there are more than 309 Million people in the United States. Of that number, nearly 200 Million are 25 years old or older.

Finally, for even more perspective still, YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley told the BBC in an interview that while 2 Billion is an amazing number, he reminded the interviewer that people spend 15 minutes a day on the YouTube site compared to five hours a day watching television. And analysts quoted in the article also noted that despite its popularity, YouTube has yet to reach profitability, although they say 2010 may be the year it happens.

FACING OFF WITH FACEBOOK: As a follow-up to my previous message, the Facebook furor continues to be furious. According to a survey by IT security firm, Sophos, nearly two thirds (60%) of Facebook users are considering leaving the social network. Its survey of 1,588 users found that one in six (16%) say they have already stopped using the network because of “inadequate control over their data.” Thirty percent told the survey authors it is highly likely they will stop while another thirty percent said it was a possibility. However, two movements to either quit Facebook for a day or forever have gained little momentum. Website facebookprotest.com which urges people to stop using Facebook for one day (June 6th) has only gathered 3,203 fans and 1,695 Twitter followers. And another site, quitfacebookday.com, has only gathered 13,925 ‘quitters.’ Again, as a matter of numbers perspective, there are more than 400 Million Facebook subscribers.

Another social network, launched in part as a counter to Facebook’s privacy policy, Diaspora, which is part of kickstarter.com, is a ‘personal web server’ that has gathered only 5,737 ‘backers’ but they have pledged more than $184,000 in support. Website reclaimprivacy.org provides an even more pragmatic approach, with an open source method of scanning your Facebook privacy settings to see what is being made public. More than 58,000 people say they “like” the Facebook version website. Meanwhile, if you are interested in privacy issues, you can visit the American Librarians’ Association website, privacyrevolution.org, which carries the motto, “I am not an open book.” Others include the Open Net Initiative (opennet.net) which focuses on Internet filtering and censorship; while chillingeffects.org is a joint project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and seven universities and colleges, “monitoring the legal climate for Internet activity.”

COCKTAIL CHATTER: If you’re looking to get away from it all, an advertisement on TVNewsCheck may be just the thing. It’s offering a full service FCC licensed television station for sale in…. drum roll, please… the U.S. Virgin Islands. No price is mentioned, although it says it serves 110,000 people. And, yes, I did write; and, no, I haven’t heard back. And if you need some inspiration for such a venture, Forbes magazine provided a profile of the ten most “inspirational Billionaires.” Topping the list, Guy Laliberte, who started out as an according-playing stilt-walking, harmonica-playing performer on the streets of Europe and went on to found Cirque de Soleil. Five of the Billionaires dropped out of college; three never attended college’ and six were either orphaned or given up and raised by foster homes, adoptive parents or relatives. Include in that list Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Apple’s Steve Jobs and Oprah Winfrey – all born to teenage mothers. And after having drunk my sixth cup of coffee after starting writing this newsletter at 4 a.m., I am happy to pass on a study from the magazine New Scientist which shows that caffeine improves short-term memory, reaction items and slows down the decline of glucose in the blood. But it does also make you ‘more open to persuasion.”

Michael Castengera is an instructor at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia AND President of Media Strategies and Tactics Inc., a consulting firm that works with all media but primarily broadcasting. You can visit his website at MediaConsultant.tv.

Top Ten Signs You Won't Be Graduating College

10. You once tried to eat a book

9. "F" wasn't bad enough -- school added a "G" grade just for you

8. Camps suggested you get a 30-year mortgage on your dorm room

7. You're the only sophomore with tenure

6. Professors all agree -- you're dumb

5. When you ask what time graduation is, people just kinda laugh

4. Most of your freshman class passed away

3. You form a study group to figure out how to get to the library

2. Only periodic elements you can name: "Sodium" and "Low Sodium"

1. Just woke up from a party you went to in October 2008

The Late Show with David Letterman

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The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. We are a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and marketing skills. Check out thousands of cutting edge examples at our web site. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Sent via TVSpy's email servers. Visit TV Spy's Marketing Matters.

Graeme Newell
602 Communications
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Graeme Newell's Marketing Ideanet 5/23/2010

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The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. We are a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and marketing skills. Check out thousands of cutting edge examples at our web site. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Sent via TVSpy's email servers. Visit TV Spy's Marketing Matters.

Graeme Newell
602 Communications
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(919) 217-4438
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Graeme Newell's Marketing Ideanet 5/20/2010

The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. We are a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and marketing skills. Check out thousands of cutting edge examples at our web site. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Sent via TVSpy's email servers. Visit TV Spy's Marketing Matters.

Graeme Newell
602 Communications
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In This Issue
Promo of the Day
Grant Lets ‘Frontline’ Expand PBS Programming
Cable Bombast, Ratings Cause CNN Anchor to Quit
Network News Anchors Join for Cancer Cause
Highly Graphic Texting-While-Driving Ad Comes to US
CBS Shakes Things Up With Fall Schedule Changes
CBS Cans 7 Shows
'Bleep My Dad Says' to Include Tweets
ABC Focuses on 2 New Shows
Fox Unfolds Fall, Midseason Schedule
NBC Bars THR from Upfronts
ESPN Adds Ad Creation Unit
Looney Toons to get Rejoovenated
Pakistan Bans Facebook for "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!"
Message From Michael
Top 10 Weirdest Groups On Facebook

Quotes

"Set exorbitant standards, and give your people hell when they don't live up to them. There is nothing so demoralizing as a boss who tolerates second rate work."
- David Ogilvy, Scottish born British military intelligence officer and later top advertising executive

"By the worldly standards of public life, all scholars in their work are of course oddly virtuous. They do not make wild claims, they do not cheat, they do not try to persuade at any cost, they appeal neither to prejudice nor to authority, they are often frank about their ignorance, their disputes are fairly decorous, they do not confuse what is being argued with race, politics, sex or age, they listen patiently to the young and to the old who both know everything. These are the general virtues of scholarship, and they are peculiarly the virtues of science."
- Jacob Bronowski

"I would rather be the man who bought the Brooklyn Bridge than the man who sold it."
- Will Rogers

Promo of the Day
Investigative and morning image spots from Arkansas's KARK: Count on KARK and Wake Up with KARK 4 Today.

602communications.com/VideoExamples

Share your creative work with your promo peers on the 602communications.com site. Just email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Flash (.flv) or QuickTime (.mov) files, size 320 x 240, are preferred, but WindowsMedia (.wmv) files will also be accepted. Large files may be sent via http://www.yousendit.com. You can also mail your clip a DVD to Graeme Newell at 1011 Lyndhurst Falls Lane, Knightdale, NC 27545.

Grant Lets ‘Frontline’ Expand PBS Programming
At a time when many news organizations are cutting back, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is continuing its efforts to bolster in-depth journalism in public media. The corporation said on Tuesday that it was giving “Frontline” a $6 million, two-year grant that would allow it to expand its investigative programming to a year-round schedule on PBS stations. The money, plus an additional $1.6 million that is still being raised, will pay for seven to eight new programs each year, so the 28-year-old show will no longer have to take a summer hiatus. The corporation’s investment was “brought on by the recognition that there’s a crisis in journalism and there’s a real call for public media to step up,” David Fanning, the executive producer of “Frontline,” said in a telephone interview before the announcement. “The summer hiatus did stop us from doing certain stories,” he added. As part of the expansion, “Frontline” is stepping up its collaborative efforts with journalism schools and nonprofit news organizations, including the Center for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica, Mr. Fanning said. “Frontline” will also put more reporting on the Web and share more content with other public television shows, local public stations and public radio. A companion series called “Frontline/World” that had relied heavily on young journalists armed with small digital cameras will now move completely onto the Web. “There’s an opportunity here to do some innovation, to get a younger generation involved, and to get some more diversity into the reporting ranks, and those meet CPB’s goals,” Mr. Fanning said. He emphasized that the show was not abandoning its long-form documentaries, however, adding, ‘That’s the standard we’ve set ourselves.”
NY Times

Cable Bombast, Ratings Cause CNN Anchor to Quit
Once again, a star anchor is leaving CNN. This time it is Campbell Brown, and she is leaving with an extraordinary amount of candor. In a heartfelt statement on Tuesday afternoon, Ms. Brown said she was leaving on her own accord, having concluded that she was unable to compete with the opinion-mongers that dominate cable news in prime time. “The simple fact is that not enough people want to watch my program, and I owe it to myself and to CNN to get out of the way so that CNN can try something else,” she wrote. “CNN will have to figure out what that is.” CNN, a unit of Time Warner, announced no immediate plan to replace Ms. Brown, who said she would remain during a transition period. In a little more than six months, the channel has also lost the controversial anchor Lou Dobbs and the foreign correspondent and anchor Christiane Amanpour. For the last two years, Ms. Brown has tried to hold down the toughest time slot in cable news, 8 p.m. Eastern, the same time that Bill O’Reilly of the Fox News Channel and Keith Olbermann of MSNBC go head-to-head. Compared with those bombastic opinion shows, her weeknight news program, titled “Campbell Brown,” has struggled to gain an audience. It has attracted an average of 591,000 viewers so far this year, while “Countdown” on MSNBC has averaged one million, and “The O’Reilly Factor” from Fox, 3.34 million. Nancy Grace, who hosts a tabloid-style crime and justice talk show on CNN’s sister channel HLN, has averaged 724,000 viewers at that hour. In the statement, Ms. Brown acknowledged her three cable competitors, and said: “Shedding my own journalistic skin to try to inhabit the kind of persona that might coexist in that line up is simply impossible for me. It is not who I am or who I want to be; nor is it who CNN asked me to be at any point.” It is debatable whether Ms. Brown is a cause of CNN’s low ratings or merely a casualty. The ratings history would suggest the second case. Ms. Brown is not expected to jump to another network, at least not immediately; she said in the statement that she planned to “enjoy, for the very first time, the nightly ritual of ‘Goodnight Moon’ and goodnight kisses with my two little boys.”
NY Times

Network News Anchors Join for Cancer Cause
It is a disease that kills 1,500 Americans every day and more than half a million every year – cancer. But there is something we can do about it. In a combined effort, ABC, CBS and NBC will air "Stand Up To Cancer," a star-studded fundraising event on September 10. "World News" anchor Diane Sawyer will host with fellow evening news anchors Katie Couric and Brian Williams. The hour-long telecast will feature celebrities, athletes, musical performances and inspirational stories from survivors. The goal of "Stand Up To Cancer," also known as "SU2C," is to fund groundbreaking research in order to get new therapies and new hope to patients as quickly as possible. There are more than 11.4 million cancer survivors in the Unites States today and since its launch in May 2008 "SU2C" has raised more than $100 million to find cures. Nearly $90 million of those funds have been channeled into research. The organization funds "dream teams" of clinicians pushing the envelope of cancer research. "We've delivered on the promise of a new blood test for cancer. In a way that is going to actually be informative not only for pancreatic cancer but other cancers like leukemia and brain cancer. And that is exciting," "SU2C" Pancreatic Dream Team Leader Dr. Craig Thompson, from the University of Pennsylvania, said. On a "SU2C" video. "By working together new positive things happen that are really exciting and driving us forward as a team." One way to support "SU2C" is to launch a star on the organization's "Constellation," a place to honor those whose lives have been touched by cancer – for someone lost to the disease, who is fighting it or is now cancer-free.
ABC News

Highly Graphic Texting-While-Driving Ad Comes to US
A highly graphic UK texting-while-driving ad has come to the United States. The original four-minute ad shows three teenage girls getting into a violent traffic accident. The ad caused quite a stir in Britain when it was released last year. Now the American Automobile Association has brought the commercial stateside where it has started airing last week after 9 p.m. on 13 stations in South Carolina. "It's graphic, but we know that using such images can make a difference," said Tom Crosby, president of the AAA Carolina's Foundation for Traffic Safety, to the AP. Crosby spent nearly a year trying to get permission to air the ad, which was produced by a police department in Wales. The ad came to their attention after it went viral on YouTube last year. The original ad is below (the U.S. version will be cut to 30 seconds) and, warning, it's not for the faint of heart...
Hollywood Reporter Live Feed

CBS Shakes Things Up With Fall Schedule Changes
In addition to confirming the addition of four new dramas and two new sitcoms, CBS announced today that the schedule for fall 2010 will include some major shows shifting days and times. The biggest shift is "The Big Bang Theory" from Monday to Thursday nights, where it will kick off the line-up at 8 p.m. ET. The new William Shatner sitcom, "Bleep My Dad Says," will follow at 8:30 p.m. The new Monday for CBS will include Chuck Lorre's latest, "Mike and Molly" at 9:30 p.m., with the reboot of "Hawaii Five-O" taking over the spot at 10 p.m. that has been "CSI: Miami's" home. "CSI: MIami" will be airing on Sundays at 10 p.m. Friday night for CBS will commence with the returning "Medium" at a new time, 8 p.m. "CSI: New York" is moving from Wednesday at 10 p.m. to Fridays at 9 p.m., and the new Tom Selleck cop drama, "Blue Bloods," will be broadcast at 10 p.m. Fridays. "CSI: New York's" former spot on Wednesday at 10 p.m., will house Jim Belushi's new legal show, "The Defenders." Also at 8 pm. Wednesdays, the reality show "Survivor" will switch over from Thursdays. Tuesday remains unchanged.
TV Week

CBS Cans 7 Shows
CBS is going to have some open slots for next season after all. In a year where CBS was expected to only lose a few shows, the network has canceled four dramas and three comedies. Crime procedurals "Cold Case," "Ghost Whisperer" and "Numbers" will not be renewed for next season. Jerry Bruckheimer's drama "Miami Medical" is likewise canceled, as is fellow freshman "Accidentally on Purpose," which mainly aired in the network's Monday night comedy block. Veteran Wednesday night comedies "New Adventures of Old Christine" and "Gary Unmarried" are also canceled. The network picked up "Medium" and "Rules of Engagement" for next season, as expected. At least two of the canceled titles could have easily returned and, indeed, were expected to return. Opening up nearly six hours on the CBS schedule will signal to ad buyers that TV's most-watched network is not being complacent and that executives have faith in the network's new shows.
Hollywood Reporter Live Feed

'Bleep My Dad Says' to Include Tweets
Several of the tweets from Twitter stream "Bleep My Dad Says" are included in the pilot of the CBS show based on the sayings of a profane 74-year old father -- albeit rewritten to be family friendly, reports the New York Times. Twenty-nine year old Justin Halpern created a Twitter page in August to report the often profane sayings of his dad, a 74-year old retired doctor. After breaking up with his girlfriend a year ago, he moved back in with his parents to save money. But he wasn't on skid row, because he had a job as a senior writer for the web site of Maxim magazine. After starting the Twitter feed, it caught on when actor Rob Corddry tweeted about it. While most of the 119 tweets aren't repeatable on broadcast television, the pilot episode includes about four or five of them, although slightly edited. The younger Halpern has since moved back in with his girlfriend, although returns home a couple times a week because he said he likes hearing what his dad says.
TV Week

ABC Focuses on 2 New Shows
On ABC next season, there’s “No Ordinary Family” and “My Generation,” and then there’s everything else. That was the impression left by ABC and its entertainment group president, Stephen McPherson, at an upfront presentation to advertisers Tuesday afternoon. On stage at Lincoln Center, Mr. McPherson identified “No Ordinary Family,” about a family that finds it has superhero powers, as the network’s most ambitious new series for the fall. And ABC singled out both “No Ordinary Family” and “My Generation” by saving their clip reels for last, after every other new drama and sitcom had been previewed. The actor Matthew Fox appeared on stage to remind advertisers of the impact that his time-bending drama, “Lost,” has had on television, and to describe “No Ordinary Family” and “My Generation” as a pair of shows that “promise to take television to a new level once again.” Aside from the two dramas previewed by Mr. Fox, ABC also previewed four others: “The Whole Truth,” “Detroit 1-8-7,” “Body of Proof,” and “Off The Map.” The network also talked about its attempt to buttress its Wednesday night line-up of comedies by adding one, “Better Together,” in the fall, and having two others, “Mr. Sunshine” and “Perfect Endings,” on the bench. Although the graphics during Mr. McPherson’s presentation said the latter two shows would come on at midseason, he emphasized that they could debut as early as the fall. “We have an abundance of riches,” he said, referring to the three sitcoms.
Media Decoder

Fox Unfolds Fall, Midseason Schedule
Fox will add four sitcoms and three dramas to its schedule come fall, and it will move “Glee” to 8 p.m. to buttress a new Tuesday night of comedy. The network will also schedule “Glee” immediately after the Super Bowl next winter, a giant vote of confidence for the soon-to-be-sophomore series about a high school glee club. In a news release Monday morning, Fox indicated that “American Idol” would return on its normal nights, Tuesday and Wednesday, next January. That season will be the first one without Simon Cowell, who is exiting “Idol” at the end of this month. Fox said that it would shrink the Wednesday results shows to 30 minutes, down from 60 minutes. Some TV writers were skeptical of the plan to shorten “Idol.” “Believe it when I see it. They promise that nearly every year,” Alan Sepinwall of HitFix.com wrote on Twitter. “Somehow they always end up being an hour,” Michael Schneider of Variety wrote. “Depends on how well new sitcoms do.” Adding sitcoms is Fox’s No. 1 priority for the new season. After “Glee” on Tuesdays will be “Raising Hope” (formerly “Keep Hope Alive”), about a single dad who lives with his parents; and “Running Wilde,” which stars Will Arnett and Keri Russell. At midseason, Fox will also introduce “Mixed Signals,” formerly named “Traffic Light,” a romantic comedy revolving around three young men.
Media Decoder

NBC Bars THR from Upfronts
NBC barred the Hollywood trade paper The Hollywood Reporter from its official upfront presentation in New York Monday after THR's James Hibberd sat in--uninvited--at a Sunday rehearsal and reported details, including scheduling information, according to The Wrap. Clearly NBC wanted its upfront presentation to be fresh when it occurred, without having details made public beforehand. NBC would not comment, said the Wrap, which cited "people close to the situation" as saying the network also canceled one-on-one interviews it had previously set up between James Hibberd and its executives. Hibberd, who started The Live Blog at THR, began his reporting--and blogging--about the TV industry here at TVWeek before going to THR. Hibberd also took a jab at the network's choice of venue in his scoop, writing, "Having an upfront at the [New York] Hilton, as opposed to a fancy theater ... makes it easier for a reporter to crash your upfront's tech rehearsal."
TV Week

ESPN Adds Ad Creation Unit
In Tuesday’s New York Times, Stuart Elliott and Brian Stelter report that ESPN, a unit of The Walt Disney Company, has something new to share with media buyers at its upfront presentation Tuesday morning: Among the announcements expected from ESPN executives is the formation of a unit, named CreativeWorks, that will produce for marketers campaigns with sports themes. “Over the years, we’ve done this de facto, when people asked,” said Ed Erhardt, president for ESPN customer marketing and sales, for brands like Axe, Hewlett-Packard, Nissan, Toshiba and Vaseline. CreativeWorks will provide marketers with television and radio commercials, print advertisements, digitals ads and mobile ads. Among the initial clients is T-Mobile, which will introduce TV commercials to appear during the ESPN coverage of the finals of the National Basketball Association playoffs.
Media Decoder

Looney Toons to get Rejoovenated
Ask a first grader to identify Bugs Bunny and the response more likely than not will be a blank stare. Dora, sure. Mickey, alive and kicking. But Porky who? Worried that the low profile of the Looney Tunes cast of characters among children is the start of th-th-th-that’s all folks for the historic cartoon franchise, Warner Brothers is embarking on a five-alarm rescue effort. A new 26-episode half-hour series, “The Looney Tunes Show,” is headed toward Cartoon Network in the fall and will star Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck as odd-couple roommates in a contemporary cul-de-sac. Yosemite Sam, Tweety Bird, Sylvester, Marvin the Martian and Porky Pig are their neighbors. Meanwhile, Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote are going back to work in movie theaters in a series of 3-D shorts. The first of these shorts — Warner has approved three, and three more are in development — will play ahead of the movie “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,” which arrives in theaters July 30. The studio’s consumer products and home entertainment divisions are trying to do their share, releasing a new Nintendo game featuring the Tasmanian Devil in September and several new DVD compilations. An expansion is also under way at LooneyTunes.com. Improving the quality will not be difficult. “The bar had gone so low that we could only go up,” said Sam Register, who took over as executive vice president of creative affairs at Warner Brothers Animation two years ago, referring to previous efforts to reimagine Looney Tunes for a new generation. This revival, Mr. Register promises, will be different. One major shift involves the DNA of the wisecracking characters — it’s the same as what first made them stars in the 1940s. Bugs, Daffy, Porky and crew for the first time in years will look and behave in a manner that is familiar to adults who grew up on the cartoons. No babies. No punked-out space adventurers. Jerry Beck, an animation historian and the author of the coming “100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons,” said that fans would welcome another attempt to bring back the brand and that Warner, having hired top animation talent to work on the project, seems to be on the right track this time. “Bugs is down but not out,” Mr. Beck said. “It’s very, very difficult to reweave older characters back into the culture, but I’m glad that Warner is at least not giving up on these guys.”
NY Times

Pakistan Bans Facebook for "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!"
Pakistan's government ordered Internet service providers to block Facebook on Wednesday amid anger over a page that encourages users to post images of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The page on the social networking site has generated criticism in Pakistan and elsewhere because Islam prohibits any images of the prophet. The government took action after a group of Islamic lawyers won a court order Wednesday requiring officials to block Facebook until May 31. By Wednesday evening, access to the site was sporadic, apparently because Internet providers were implementing the order. The Facebook page at the center of the dispute — "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!" — encourages users to post images of the prophet on May 20 to protest threats made by a radical Muslim group against the creators of "South Park" for depicting Muhammad in a bear suit during an episode earlier this year. In the southern city of Karachi, about 2,000 female students rallied demanding that Facebook be banned for tolerating the page. Several dozen male students held a rally nearby, with some holding signs urging Islamic holy war against those who blaspheme the prophet. "We are not trying to slander the average Muslim," said the information section of the Facebook page, which was still accessible Wednesday morning. "We simply want to show the extremists that threaten to harm people because of their Mohammad depictions that we're not afraid of them. That they can't take away our right to freedom of speech by trying to scare us into silence." Facebook said Wednesday it is investigating. "While the content does not violate our terms, we do understand it may not be legal in some countries," the company said in a statement. "In cases like this, the approach is sometimes to restrict certain content from being shown in specific countries." It remains to be seen how successful the move will be at keeping people in Pakistan from accessing the site. Some countries, such as China, permanently ban Facebook. But citizens often have little trouble working their way around the ban using proxy servers and other means.
Yahoo News

Message From Michael
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET. Apparently lots of people do. But the question is will they promise not to tell. Many people are concerned they will. No surprise, it all revolves around the growth of social networking which many consider a ‘game changer’ in the Internet world, but which privacy advocates say are becoming a dangerous game when it comes to privacy rights. The latest controversy centers on Facebook and one, little word – “like.” As in, I ‘like’ the Beatles. Facebook has introduced ‘like’ buttons to other sites ranging from CNN to Pandora to Yelp but which also link back to your Facebook site where status updates tell your friends and followers what videos, music or news articles you like. It’s called “instant personalization.” The problem comes when what you ‘like’ becomes part of a behavioral targeting mechanism for advertisers, and you start getting specific advertising messages. Or is it? According to an online interview by The New York Times with Facebook’s vice president for public policy, Elliot Schrage, they are “anonymized geographically targeted ads.” But privacy advocates worry that much of your personal information, along with your friends’ personal information and their friends’ personal information, is now being made available to advertisers or third parties. Along with the introduction of ‘like,’ Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg introduced the companion part of the deal – an expanded Open Graph which then links all that information into one big social network in which all the likes and recommendations along with who likes what and who recommends what across multiple websites are brought together instantaneously in one location.

Reviews have ranged from hyperbolic effusiveness (it’s going to change the Internet forever) to hyperbolic horror stories (nobody will have any privacy any more) – all dependent, it seems, on whether you are a fan of Facebook or not. But with more than 400 Million members worldwide, there is no doubt that the changes made by Facebook will have an enormous impact. There is also little doubt that we have entered what writer Natasha Singer, in an article in the New York Times, calls the “post-privacy society” where “we have lost track of how many entities are tracking us” and where “advances in data collection are far outpacing personal data protection.” By the way, if you want to opt out of “instant personalization,” you can go to the Accounts section of your Facebook page and go into the privacy settings. Actually, even if you don’t want to opt out, it is interesting to go through the various options you have. Despite the critics, Facebook does provide numerous, if somewhat complicated, choices.

500 FRIENDS AND NO ONE TO CALL. That’s the headline on a study about Facebook that raises questions about how friendly you and your Facebook friends are. The survey by Danish research firm Red Associates found that 90% of the people on Facebook expected it to “deepen or strengthen” their friendships, but in reality only a little more than a third (39.9%) say people they’ve met online have become friends they can count on offline. More to the point, people see Facebook as a “relationship management tool.” Most of those surveyed (58.3%) saw Facebook that way while less than half (40%) saw it as deepening relationships. Interestingly (at least to me), even fewer (25%) of the young people surveyed (18 to 30) see Facebook as deepening relationships. The people surveyed said they befriended 40% of their friends simply because it was easy to do, not because they were actually close friends. Now, I should add a caveat here. The survey was of people who are fans of the Facebook page of Fast Company, not exactly a mainstream, general audience. In keeping with that audience, not surprisingly, four out of five (82%) says Facebook did increase their social and business networks faster and easier. (Makes you wonder whether they should do a survey of Fast Company’s LinkedIn audience.)

LET ME WHISPER IN YOUR AREA. According to a report by Google, governments around the world want Google to say the words they want to hear. The mega-search engine site says one country in particular has made more requests for data and more requests for removal of data than any other country. Want to guess which one? No, not China. Google didn’t even include China in its listing. Apparently it’s too bad to even consider. No, the ‘worst offender’ is Brazil which had 3,663 data requests and 291 removal requests last year. That’s more than the U.S. (3,580 and 123). The number is even more dramatic when you consider that Brazil has a population of 199 Million (compared to the U.S.’s 307) Million, but with an Internet penetration (according to Internet World Stats) of a third (36.3%), it has an Internet population of only 72 Million compared to the U.S.’s 76.3% penetration and 234 Million Netizens. The Google website (google.com/countryrequests) does not provide an explanation of the numbers, although it does note that the requests do not include child pornography (because Google works on its own to remove them) or removal for copyright information. The U.K. is the next highest in terms of data requests, but it is significantly lower (1,166), followed by India (1,061) and France (846). India also had the third highest requests for removals (142) which, even though it has 1.1 Billion people, it has an Internet penetration of only seven percent but that does translate into 81 Million Netizens. Despite France’s high data request, it had one of the lowest removal requests – less than ten. Lastly, I should note that after crunching all these numbers and looking them up on different sites, I found out that the Tech Editor for The Guardian newspaper, Charles Arthur, has done the same thing. That tells me that I have to add him to my must-read list. And you can read more about this in his article at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2010/apr/23/google-censorship-country-uk .

MEDIA METHADONE NEEDED. Just as some drug addicts need methadone to wean them off their habits, it appears that some young people would need something similar if they were to be weaned off their media habits. In a test by the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda and the Phillip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, many students literally described their need for media as an addiction. The study authors asked 200 students to go ‘unplugged’ for 24 hours – no cell phone, iPod, television, radio, or computers, and that means no IM-texting or Facebook. The study website (http:withoutmedia.wordpress.com) poses the question – could you do it; and then answers – if you are an American college student today… not really. Going without media translated to going without friends or family for the students. The 18-21 year olds are constantly texting and on Facebook, according to the study, with calling and emailing a distant second in terms of staying in touch. The study called the cell phone this generation’s Swiss Army Knife, with students using it for calling, texting, emailing and playing games. The study confirms an earlier one by the Pew Research Center which found that American teens between 12 and 17 are more likely to text friends via cell phone rather than actually calling them. The Maryland study found that while students could possibly live without television and newspapers, they could not live without their iPod and the constant music in their ears. The report noted an upside to the experiment. Students who gave up their iPods for a day reported having actual conversations with people they did not know… which brings me to the other study. This one by two psychologists at California State University, Los Angeles and U.C.L.A., raise questions about how online communication affects ‘offline’ communication in teenagers. Writing in the Journal, The Future of Children, the authors say “society’s traditional adolescent issues – intimacy, sexuality, and identity – have all been transferred to and transformed by the electronic stage.

A Footnote to the Maryland study. The students can though live without news in its traditional form. The study says students have only “a casual relationship to the originators of news and in fact don’t make distinctions between news and more personal information.” They get their news in what the study called “a disaggregated way” often via friends. That’s the bad news. The ‘good news’ is that they still value news and information.

FROM CUTTING EDGE TO MAINSTREAM. The annual Webby Awards always represents some of the best examples of Web design and Internet culture. And this year is no exception; But (personal opinion here) this year, the majority of award winners appear to be mainstream, or traditional, or established, or whatever word you want to use, businesses, with very few new, innovative upstarts. There are 70 categories with a Webby Award winner and a People’s Choice winner in each category. This year, a third (21) of the categories were dual winners. For example, in the Broadband category, Hulu won both; In the community category, Flickr won both; In Education, We Choose the Moon by AOL; In Events, it was Ted.com; In Health, Webmd.com; In Humor, TheOnion.com; In Music, Pandora; In Social Networking, Twitter; and in Television, ColbertNation.com. Again, that’s not to say there weren’t some cool sites. For example, the Japan Science and Technology site, MindLab. But, for example, the weird category was not that weird – Failblog.com and CuteOverload – although I still don’t quite get Selleck Waterfall Sandwich. Anyway, still worth a couple hours of your time. And, in any case, maybe it just means the mainstream operations just ‘get it’ now. Who knows.

Michael Castengera is an instructor at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia AND President of Media Strategies and Tactics Inc., a consulting firm that works with all media but primarily broadcasting. You can visit his website at MediaConsultant.tv.

Top 10 Weirdest Groups On Facebook

If you ever been on Facebook you definitely received invites to weird cult like groups that have no rhyme or reason. Here are 10 of the strangest ones you’ll encounter….

Name: Physics doesn't exist, it's all gnomes
We believe that all the main physics principles can be explained away by the existence of tiny gnomes.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2217915679

Name: I Yell At Inanimate Objects
Many times, inanimate objects fail to provide us with the services we expect from them. and that sucks. so what can we do about it? well, for starters we could always try and repair the object, or we could just scream at it instead. if you would do the latter, then this group is for you.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2223114754

Name: I FLIP MY PILLOW OVER TO GET TO THE COLD SIDE
Do u have trouble sleeping? Do u find urself waking up in the middle of the night, and the only remedy to a good night's rest is turning that pillow over so u can feel the cold side on ur face and head. Thought u were the only one who did this?.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2241554598

Name: Honestly, I write "L.O.L" and I'm not Even Laughing
Awww shut up we all do it. you know what i mean! you write "lol"and you're not even laughing. for some people, it's an addiction *wtf* for others, a disease :0 but mostly... we just write it because we have nothing better to say!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/333/Honestly-I-write-LOL-and-Im-not-Even-Laughing/342808510111

Name: Yeah I tore my ACL, but I have a new one!!
For all of us out there that have been through the pain that is ACL reconstruction, once, twice, however many times it takes!! Not really fun but we all got some good scars out of it, right?!?!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=9e7b0620dd9f79dde95837ee457a9e82&gid=2211708575

Name: I think patterns on scantrons are suspicious
It's always strange when I find a pattern happening on a scantron, like if i get 3 B's in a row or I get like a staircase of letters or if I'm not using a letter as much as some.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2230181363

Name: We look so sexy in our labcoats, we need safety goggles...
Be proud of who you are! Our common ground unites us against a world whose lack of lab coats hinders it's sexy potential and lack of goggles continues to contribute to over population! So don't forget to invite all your friends who you know have taken chemistry (and biology for all the none chemically inclined biologists), or just love lab coats.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=2230541251

Name: Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
"Behold the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM), today's fastest growing carbohydrate-based religion. According to church founder Bobby Henderson, the universe and all life within it were created by a mystical and divine being: the Flying Spaghetti Monster. What drives the FSM's devout followers, aka Pastafarians? Some say it's the assuring touch from the FSM's Noodly Appendage. Then there are those who love the worship service, which is conducted in Pirate-Speak and attended by congregants in dashing buccaneer garb. Still others are drawn to the Church's flimsy moral standards, religious holidays EVERY Friday, and the fact that Pastafarian Heaven is way cooler: Does your heaven have a Stripper Factory and a Beer Volcano?"- The Gospel
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2204717621

Name: Students Against Odd-Numbered Staircases
I know that there are a lot of groups out in the world for major causes, but here is one for my personal crusade. Have you ever been walking up, or down, a staircase taking two steps at a time and discovered that there are an odd number of stairs. This leads to awkwardness and possibly could lead to a dangerous situation.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&ref=search&gid=2209106357

Name: I Secretly Want to Punch Slow-Walking People in the Back of the Head
If you and your friends decide to have a conversation in the middle of the side walk, you my friend, you are retarded. There is grass on the side. Go to it. I am a power walker...I will walk over you if I have to...Move bitch, get out the way.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2501990453

Ned Hardy

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Graeme Newell's Marketing Ideanet 5/17/2010

NBC Unveils Fall Schedule
This fall, NBC will have an action-adventure Monday night, a crime drama Wednesday and an all-comedy Thursday. Despite expectations, NBC will not launch a new comedy block. The network's Monday upfront presentation will begin with a taped message from Alec Baldwin as his "30 Rock" character Jack Donaghy praising advertisers as "the bright shining sun in our money universe." Baldwin throws to NBC's entertainment chairman Jeff Gaspin, who acknowledges that the network has made some mistakes this season, but is moving on with a strong new slate. Entertainment president Angela Bromstad will walk media buyers through the schedule. Bromstad will acknowledge that having several new and returning comedies tempted the network to expand beyond Thursdays, "but ultimately we decided that's where our audience expects them." With the addition of hourlong comedy "Love Bites" to Thursdays at 10 p.m., NBC will be able to tout a pure comedy lineup on the evening. The move shifts "Parks & Recreation" to midseason, however, along with the rest of the network's new comedy pickups. Tina Fey will also appear at the presentation to give NBC executives some scripted grief about moving "30 Rock" to an earlier time period. The network will show a full 15-minute segment from "Bites," along with trailers for "The Event," "Chase," "Undercovers," "Outsourced," "Outlaw" and "Law & Order: Los Angeles" ("LOLA" doesn't have any footage, just iconic Los Angeles imagery and substituting "Law & Order" for the Hollywood sign). New midseason shows will include “The Cape,” “Friends With Benefits,” “Perfect Couples,” “Harry’s Law" and “Next" (now called "The Paul Reiser Show"). “This new schedule brings NBC back to basics with its commitment to quality scripted programming,” said NBC Universal TV Entertainment chairman Jeff Gaspin. “Our new shows are distinctive and feature a combination of the biggest talent, the brightest new stars and the strongest auspices in television. With this new schedule, we're poised to take the next step toward our long-term goals with a lineup that has stabilized and has been building solid momentum through the second half of the season.”
Hollywood Reporter

'Law & Order' Canceled After 20 Seasons
The verdict on NBC's "Law & Order" has reportedly been rendered, and it's not favorable. A flurry of reports yesterday afternoon said the venerable drama has been canceled after 20 seasons, though word as of last night was that NBC was still in discussions with producer Dick Wolf to bring the show back in some form, perhaps for a truncated 13-episode season with a much-reduced budget. "L&O" was expected to return next fall despite low ratings as it is just one season shy of becoming the longest-running drama in history, currently tied with "Gunsmoke" at 20 seasons. It's unclear exactly how the show went from nearly a lock for a renewal—NBC Entertainment president Angela Bromstad is a fan who said she wanted to see the show break the record—to cancellation. But NBC and producer Dick Wolf are apparently at odds over how the show should be financed. Deadline.com reports that Wolf's people say he had an understanding with NBC that the network would approach TNT, which runs "L&O" reruns, about funding some of this season's originals. Wolf's camp claims NBC reneged on the arrangement and demanded that Wolf himself help finance the show, which he refused. But NBC has not commented on the situation, and it seemed as of last night that there had been no final decision, though the axe loomed much closer than anyone would have expected two weeks ago. "L&O's" ratings have plummeted this season after it began the year on little-watched Friday night. It moved to Mondays at midseason and has averaged a mere 1.6 adults 18-49 rating (live-plus-same-day-DVR-playback data) season to date, according to Nielsen.
MediaLife Magazine

'Law & Order' & Ad Dollars
The idea of canceling "Law & Order" on NBC after 20 seasons -- and hundreds of reruns in syndication and on cable -- sounds like anathema. Why would NBC, trying to right itself after several seasons of relatively lackluster programming, kill the show that has helped carry it through good times and bad? The answer? Despite the program's near-ubiquity across the set-top box, its original episodes no longer commanded great respect from advertisers. Marketers agreed to pay a relatively paltry $59,973 for a 30-second ad in "Law & Order" this season, according to Advertising Age's annual survey of prime-time ad prices, compared with an average of $135,474 for a 30-second ad in the same show on Wednesday nights in the 2008-2009 TV season. Sibling drama "Law & Order: SVU" has seen its pricing drop less significantly. For this season, advertisers were forking over an average of $101,632 for a 30-second ad, compared with an average of $146,679 in the 2008-2009 season. At those rates, the original "Law & Order" takes in fewer ad dollars per 30-second ad than even "Trauma," NBC's failed freshman medical drama. That program, which couldn't muster even one-twentieth of "L&O's" staying power, this season commanded an average of $75,928 for a 30-second spot, according to the Ad Age survey. In 2006, Mr. Wolf told The Wall Street Journal that the "Law & Order" dramas "should last as long as the ratings stay at the level they have been." He added: "At a certain point, the numbers will not support the expense of making the shows, and at that point, they will be canceled."
TV Week

NBC Cancels 'Heroes'
The network seriously mulled bringing back "Heroes" for a shortened final season to wrap up the serialized show. In the end, given the fairly high cost of the drama, the show's consistently declining ratings and the number of new hour-longs coming to NBC next season, the network decided the UMS-produced series wasn't worth an additional season. Sources say the network is still leaving the door open to conclude the show with a special or movie. The show has long had a rocky relationship with its fans. Out of the gate, "Heroes" was a big hit for the network -- an ethnically diverse big-concept ensemble that performed well overseas. It was NBC's "Lost." But the show's writers struggled to keep the show's twisting narrative on track. Characters were killed off and resurrected with regularity. Narrative threads were started, then abandoned. Unlike "Lost," there didn't seem to be series-long central questions driving the show that needed to be resolved with a final season. Among NBC's new shows, there's several entries aimed at genre fans that the network hopes will rekindle its audience -- superhero drama "The Cape," "24"-style conspiracy thriller "The Event" and J.J. Abrams' light-hearted spy drama "Undercovers." Also, of course, "Chuck" is coming back.
Hollywood Reporter

'Chuck', 'V' Spared Chopping Block
If you thought you heard a giant sigh emitted by the internet last night, you weren't imagining things. That was the collective outpouring of breath of rabid "Chuck" fans (seriously, go to any TV web site and you'll be deluged by them) upon hearing that their show has been renewed for a fourth, and possibly final, season. The show has averaged just a 2.3 rating this season, including back-to-back series-low 1.9s for its two most recent episodes, yet it was NBC's highest-rated program on Monday nights. The network has given the show a 13-episode order. "Heroes" probably won't be as lucky; the latest rumor has NBC finishing off the series with a two-hour movie or four-hour miniseries. Meanwhile, ABC also renewed a bubble show, "V," whose ratings shot up earlier this week. The first-year show launched big last fall but has lost more than half its audience since. The network has canceled comedies "Scrubs," "Better Off Ted" and "Romantically Challenged," according to various reports, and it's also axed "FlashForward," the sci fi show that, like "V," opened well last fall and saw its audience flee. And Fox reportedly will cancel "The Wanda Sykes Show," its low-rated Saturday night talk show.
MediaLife Magazine

NBC Execs Explain Programming Moves
NBC's upfront conference call with reporters spent plenty of time on shows that won't be on the network's schedule next fall -- "Law & Order," "Heroes" and "Parks & Recreation" -- while touting a fall slate that's heavy on original new shows.

-- As previously reported, NBC will try to find a way to wrap up "L&O" with a movie or special event. NBC entertainment president Angela Bromstad: "We all knew the mothership was coming to an end ... it was time to move forward ... it's about the overall health of the 'Law & Order' franchise."

-- Pushing "Parks & Recreation" to one midseason was, Bromstad said, was "one of the toughest decisions we had to make. Ultimately we wanted to get a new comedy on our schedule ... it's not in any way any indication that we don't think it's good. It seems on cable you can wait a year and actually create more anticipation for a series so we're not losing momentum." The executives added that the network may give "Parks" a run at 9:30 p.m. when it returns.

-- On why the network brought back modestly performing "Chuck," the executives noted the show performs well on Mondays, and Bromstad noted, "we can't change every hour of the schedule at once" NBC's entertainment chairman Jeff Gaspin added, "It becomes our job to get [the show] a broader audience."

-- As previously reported, NBC's "Heroes" is canceled, but NBC will talk with creator Tim Kring after the upfronts about the possibility of a "Heroes" movie.

-- NBC decided to give "Undercovers" an 8 p.m. Wednesday slot due to no strong competitor incumbents in the time period.

-- On not moving forward with its "Rockford Files" remake, Bromstad said, "it would have A++ and I think we had an A-, B+ pilot and wanted to get it right."

-- On putting Jimmy Smits' new series "Outlaw" in an extremely difficult Fridays at 10 p.m. time slot: "We are certainly counting on Jimmy to bring people there."

-- And finally, on programming 10 p.m. in general, Gaspin said: "The one thing we learned this year is if you're going to compete at 10 p.m. you're going to have to put the very best content on because you have to compete with cable and DVR."

Hollywood Reporter

CBS, ABC Order New Pilots
In addition to all the returning series pickups and cancellations yesterday, the networks continued their frenzied pilot ordering. CBS placed its first series order, which wasn't much of a surprise, coming from a man the network is already in business with. CBS picked up "Mike & Molly," a comedy about a couple who meet at an overeating support group, from Chuck Lorre, who also produces "Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory." ABC handed out a flurry of orders yesterday, bringing its total to seven new shows, including "No Ordinary Family," the Michael Chiklis drama that was ordered on Wednesday. Shows greenlighted by ABC yesterday include "My Generation" (formerly "Generation Y"), a documentary-style drama that follows high school friends over a 10-year period; "Detroit 187," the Michael Imperioli cop dramedy; Jerry Bruckheimer's "The Whole Truth," a legal drama; "Better Together," a comedy about two different couples; and ""Happy Endings," about a group of friends and their various romances. The network also ordered the comedy "Mr. Sunshine," starring Matthew Perry as a guy having a midlife crisis. Meanwhile, NBC has reportedly nixed a "Rockford Files" reboot but did pick up two more dramas, Jimmy Smits' "Garza" and David E. Kelley's "Kindreds," both legal dramas. The network on Wednesday ordered the comedy "Perfect Couples," not to be confused with either of ABC's pretty people in relationships comedies. "Couples" is distinctive because there are three couples.
MediaLife Magazine

'Cougar Town' May Get Name Change
This doesn't happen everyday, even in Hollywood: The co-creator and showrunner of a current sitcom--on ABC--wants to change the title of the show for next season, partly to draw more viewers to the show. In an interview with Alan Sepinwall on HitFix.com, Bill Lawrence (who was also the creative force behind "Scrubs") says he's been considering changing the name of "Cougar Town." "I'd like to (change it), and the studio has been talking about it for three reasons: One, partly as a result of common sense and partly from their research, they find too many instances of testing of people saying they would never watch a show called 'Cougar Town' - 'I don't want to see some show about a 40-year-old woman nailing younger guys" - and then they screen an episode, and people go, 'Oh, I would watch this show.' Second point is simply what you already said, which is you would be hard-pressed to watch the last three episodes of the show and asked anyone for titles - I doubt anyone would say 'Cougar Town.' Third, in a world where ABC and Steve [Mcpherson, ABC's entertainment chief] are looking to promote "Modern Family" and capitalize on it to promote all their new shows next fall, anything you can do to create some kind of dialogue about your existing show is smart and savvy. The reasons not to do it I think solely come down to business reasons." When asked what he'd change the name of the show to, Lawrence told HitFix: "I always joke that the show should be called 'Friends and Neighbors,' but the 'Friends' part should be written in the same font as [star Courteney Cox's] old show. But I don't want to put 'em out there yet. It's tough, man. I always own up to mistakes. It's a great hindsight mistake. If you had showed me an episode of the show back when I wrote the pilot, I would say, 'There's no way that's the same TV show [as we have on-air now].' I have never been on a show that changed so much creatively so quickly."
TV Week

George Lucas Sends Letter to 'Lost'
George Lucas sent a letter to the producers of "Lost" where he finally admits he didn't plan "Star Wars" in advance. The letter was read aloud at a series finale-related party Thursday night. Here's the text: "Congratulations on pulling off an amazing show. Don't tell anyone ... but when 'Star Wars' first came out, I didn't know where it was going either. The trick is to pretend you've planned the whole thing out in advance. Throw in some father issues and references to other stories -- let's call them homages -- and you've got a series. In six seasons, you've managed to span both time and space, and I don't think I'm alone in saying that I never saw what was around the corner. Now that it's all coming to an end, it's impressive to see how much was planned out in advance and how neatly you've wrapped up everything. You've created something really special. I'm sad that the series is ending, but I look forward to seeing what you two are going to do next." After which, "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof reportedly said: "I just want to apologize to Mr. George Lucas for everything I said about the prequels."
Hollywood Reporter

Canceled Shows Go Out with Style at Daytime Emmys
They're going out, but at least they have a shot at going out with some dignity. The canceled shows "As the World Turns" and "The Bonnie Hunt Show" both nabbed multiple nods when the 2010 Daytime Emmy Awards nominations were announced. "World," which will go off the air in September after 54 years, received 13 nominations, fourth-best overall, including nods for Jon Lindstrom and Michael Park for best actor in a daytime series. Castmate Maura West was nominated for best actress. "World" was canceled late last year as its ratings continued a slow decline that began years ago, becoming the second such CBS soap to be canceled over the past 18 months. "Guiding Light" went off the air in September after 72 years. Another axed show, "The Tyra Show," also earned multiple nominations (two). That show will cease production despite year-to-year increases in female viewership after moving from syndication to the CW last fall. Host Tyra Banks wanted to move on to other pursuits. ABC's "General Hospital" led all daytime shows with 18 nominations. CBS's "The Young and the Restless" was second at 16, followed by PBS's "Sesame Street" at 14. PBS led all networks with 53 nods, followed by ABC with 51 and CBS at 45. Syndicated shows racked up 40. The Daytime Emmy Awards will be presented on June 27 on CBS.
MediaLife Magazine

Most Powerful Shows on TV
A cable show has finally cracked the top 25 most powerful shows on TV. According to the third annual Content Power Ratings from Optimedia U.S., which measures shows’ total cross-platform audience size, advocacy and involvement, HBO’s “True Blood” came in at No. 18, the first time a cable show has made the top 25. Not surprisingly, ratings powerhouse “American Idol” topped the list, which this year factored in Facebook fan count and Nielsen BuzzMetrics data to account for digital buzz. Fox’s “Idol” was followed by three ABC shows at the top of the list: “Lost,” “Dancing with the Stars” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” with Fox’s “House” rounding out the top five. Fox’s “Glee” came in at No. 9, the highest-rated new show on the list. NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” was the top-ranked late-night show, followed by “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”
MediaLife Magazine

At Discovery en Espanol, Mas Original Shows
Much of Discovery en Español’s programming consists of Spanish-language versions of Discovery Channel shows, but this season the network also has three original productions in the pipe, the network said at its upfront presentation yesterday. The shows are “Narcosubmarinos,” a one-hour documentary about a 30-foot submarine that was caught carrying a drug shipment off the Mexican coast; “11 de Septiembre,” a 9/11-themed documentary filmed through the eyes of Hispanics; and “Maras the Series,” a spinoff of a special that looked at Latin America-bred gangs. Discovery en Español claims it’s grown four straight years among households, total viewers and viewers 18-49, with primetime 18-49 viewership up by 34 percent during that period. Meanwhile, family-focused Discovery Familia also has three originals in the hopper: “Dulces Sueños,” about helping kids ages 6 months to 2 years old get a good night’s sleep; “Chef a Domicilio,” about a chef who helps regular folks make dinner; and “Espacio Vital,” which focuses on beauty tips for women. The network’s primetime programming will also include ad-supported segments with three themes: kids, home and women’s service.
MediaLife Magazine

'Annie' Out
Come this summer there will be no more tomorrows for "Annie." After 85 years, Tribune Media Services announced Thursday that it will cease syndication of the comic strip featuring the iconic redheaded orphan on Sunday, June 13. Instead, the company will bring Annie into the Internet age by pursuing new audiences for her in digital media and entertainment, like mobile readers and graphic novels. "Little Orphan Annie" made its newspaper debut on August 5, 1924, first written and illustrated by creator Harold Gray. The strip later was renamed simply "Annie," telling tales of the spunky orphan adopted by Daddy Warbucks and joined by her lovable dog, Sandy. Annie was famous for wearing a red dress with white collar and cuffs. Over the decades she became the center of the 1930s radio program "Adventure Time with Orphan Annie," a 1977 Broadway musical and several movies. Less than 20 newspapers in the United States currently take the comic strip, and Tribune Media Services vice president of licensing Steve Tippie said the cost of creating the strip started to outweigh its revenue. Tippie said the company is considering future live-action and animated television and film projects for the character. "Our emphasis going forward will be on bringing her more in line with current pop culture and shaping her development as a property that appeals to children and adults on a whole new level," Tippie said.
Huffington Post

Moonves: "Mutual Respect" Between Tech, Content
TV moguls once looked askance at new media, warily eyeballing digital like an unwanted vampire that snuck into the party with the catering. As much as the networks still aren’t sold on the core business proposition of anytime/anywhere distribution, there are signs they’re becoming more tolerant of third-party players. Speaking on Wednesday morning’s opening session at The Cable Show in Los Angeles, CBS Corp president and CEO Les Moonves said there is “a mutual respect” between tech and content, adding that the broadcaster is willing to experiment with non-traditional distribution platforms “if the economic model fits what we do.” That said, as long as CBS merely scrapes up a few online coins versus the big bucks of its linear CPMs, digital won’t supplant the television model any time soon. “The problem is, I’m only getting pennies online,” Moonves said. “If too many people shift to online, I’m not going to be able to produce CSI.” The CBS chief noted that each episode of the procedural costs $3 million to produce. “That’s why we’re not on Hulu. And until the model works, we won’t be.” Tom Rothman, chairman and co-CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment, said content must be made available anywhere consumers want to see it, although he added that some platforms are more appropriate than others. While Avatar wasn’t designed to be viewed on a smart phone, content like Fox’ animated series Family Guy is “hilarious” on a handheld device, Rothman said. “Making stories hasn’t changed fundamentally,” Rothman said. “Content creators need to get paid and properly windowed. But experience has changed. We still believe in experience.”
MediaWeek

CBS Buys EcoMedia
CBS has revealed the eye color of its inconic logo: Green. The company has set its sights on boosting its environmental profile, and attracting some more of those green ad dollars, with the purchase of EcoMedia. The company helps put together public/private partnerships for environmental projects, including for CBS stations, since 2008. CBS will now be incorporating those efforts into all its units, including outdoor and publishing. CBS and EcoMedia teamed up on the CBS-EcoZone Green Schools Initiative in San Francisco, Miami and Chicago. CBS made the announcement Thursday (May 13), but the Web site url had already been changed to http://www.ecomediacbs.com/ and branded "a CBS company." EcoMedia founder Paul Polizzotto will remain atop the company as president. “EcoMedia’s groundbreaking program will add a unique and desirable element to the sales packages we can bring to our CBS Television Stations Group clients," said Station Group President Peter Dunn. "By including a green offering as part of the overall ad buy, advertisers will be able to address their sustainability objectives and green initiatives, and ultimately engage on a more meaningful level with their consumers."
Broadcasting & Cable

Global TV Advertising Expected to Grow
Global TV advertising is expected to be up 3.7% to $116 billion this year. That's the good news, according to a forecast from global market research firm Informa Telecoms & Media. The bad news is that the market is not expected to return to its 2008 peak performance levels until at least 2012 (a predicted $126 billion). The presidential election will help boost the U.S. total. North America remains the dominant region. But 2010 will definitely be a big improvement over 2009, when ad expenditures fell 8.1%. By 2015, the total is predicted to be $141 billion, with North America accounting for a third of that at $47 billion. The figures represent ad forecasts for 53 countries, and include only revenues to channels and networks, with agency commissions and production costs taken out and discounts accounted for rather than reported rate card prices.
Broadcasting & Cable

Average Daily Spending Up, Gallup
Consumers spent an average of $66 per day last month, according to polling released this week by Gallup. That's 10 percent higher than the figure for last April. Middle- and lower-income respondents accounted for the gain, as daily outlays by upper-income respondents were flat. The ongoing survey examines "the average dollar amount Americans report spending or charging on a daily basis, not counting the purchase of a home, motor vehicle, or normal household bills." Gallup notes in its analysis of the April spending data that higher gas prices account for some of the year-to-year increase, but suggests that "the improving jobs situation likely also contributed." This April's average daily spending was up 5 percent from the previous month, even though most of the week leading up to Easter (which, as Gallup notes, "usually brings a spike in spending") fell in March this year. There was considerable variation in daily spending from region to region. April's figure was highest in the West, at $72 per day, and lowest in the East, at $56, with the Midwest ($65) and South ($68) falling in between. The West also had the steepest year-to-year increase (18 percent), vs. gains of 14 percent in the Midwest and 10 percent in the South. Average daily spending in the East was actually down, by 2 percent, vs. last April. Looking at the absence of a daily-spending surge on the part of the polling's upper-income respondents, Gallup interprets this to mean that "the 2009 spending 'new normal' continues to dominate" in this cohort.
MediaWeek

Few Impressed by BP's Response
As oil from its busted well continues gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, BP appears to be no better at managing public opinion than it is at stopping the spill. Polling in recent days by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds fewer than one-quarter of respondents rating BP's response to the leak as "excellent" (5 percent) or "good" (19 percent), while a majority termed it "only fair" (36 percent) or "poor" (27 percent). Thirteen percent weren't sure. One small consolation for the company is that opinion isn't much better of the job the federal government is doing in response to the oil spill. Four percent of respondents rated the federal response as "excellent," 29 percent as "good," 35 percent as "only fair" and 19 percent as "poor." Fifty-five percent of those polled said they regard the oil spill as "a major environmental disaster," with another 37 percent classifying it as "a serious environmental problem, but not a disaster." But there's a surprising degree of optimism that efforts to control the spill will ultimately succeed: 51 percent said they believe "efforts to control the spill and prevent it from spreading further" will be successful, vs. 29 percent expecting they'll be unsuccessful. A majority of respondents still favor allowing more offshore drilling for oil in U.S. waters, but the 54 percent now holding that opinion is down sharply from the 68 percent voicing it last April. Then again, there has also been a significant decline in the proportion who favor more funding for alternative energy -- 82 percent then, 73 percent now. Respondents split almost evenly on the question of whether such oil spills are "unavoidable if the U.S. is going to get an adequate supply of energy." Forty-one percent think spills are unavoidable, while 45 percent think they aren't.
MediaWeek

Top Ten Ways BP Can Improve Its Image

10 .Change "BP" from "British Petroleum" to "Bunnies and Puppies"

9. Scrap the snotty British accents

8. Cry on "Oprah"

7. Take a page from AFLAC. New mascot: wise-cranking oil-soaked duck

6. Find Bin Laden

5. Start making cookies. Who doesn't love cookies?

4. What's wrong with our image?

3. Switch from "Drill Baby Drill" to "Help Daddy Help"

2. Instead of their image, maybe they can focus on fixing the damn leak!

1. For goodness sakes, get Iron Man to do something!

Graeme Newell's Marketing Ideanet 5/13/2010

Betty White for Emmys Facebook Campaign
Betty White may have poked fun at Facebook, the vehicle that landed her the gig on Saturday Night Live, in her monologue Saturday night but fans on the networking tool are at it again with a campaign for Betty to co-host the Primetime Emmy Awards with Jimmy Fallon this August. The 88-year-old 'Golden Girl's' appearance on the oft-fledgling SNL boosted ratings to the show's highest since the run-up to the 2008 Presidential election. Huffington Post contributor, Abe Gurko, suggested, based on her successful SNL appearance, NBC would be wise to add Betty to the Emmy host roster. Now, a new Facebook campaign to land Betty on the Emmy's stage is making the rounds with upward of 500 fans and exponentially growing with every passing hour. While Facebook fans are in large part responsible for helping Betty to land the SNL hosting gig, in her opening monologue she claimed to know nothing about the site prior to the campaign. "And now that I do know what it is, I have to say - it sounds like a huge waste of time," she joked.
She Wired

Betty White for Oscars Facebook Campaign
The Betty White SNL Facebook campaign was so successful, with such entertaining results, that fans have now launched a Facebook petition to have the Golden Girls star host the next Oscars. We say hell yeah! Betty White on Saturday Night Live was one of the most fabulously fun shows SNL has had in years. NBC can thank Facebookers for the enormous ratings the show garnered from having Betty White take the stage. Facebook fans launched a massive campaign to get their Golden Girl on the show and SNL finally had no choice but to give in. Now those same Facebook fanatics have launched a new campaign to land Betty White a gig hosting the Academy Awards. The Facebook page “Getting Betty White to Host the Academy Awards” has already garnered more than 6,000 fans since Sunday night. We are totally on board with this brilliant idea. Betty White was awesome on Saturday Night Live. Not only did she prove she’s still got the comic timing that made her famous, she also showed that no matter how nervous she might have been, she has no trouble handling the stress of live TV.
Snark Food

Carol Burnett for 'SNL' Host Facebook Campaign
What kind of weird world do we live in where the New York Times can call a Facebook page requesting Carol Burnett as an SNL host “inevitable”? Sure, Mama’s Family still runs in syndication on what seems like 12 channels a day, but is the youth of our country really going through a giant Burnett revival? Maybe not, but last week’s Betty White hosted episode has seemingly given gravitas to the many Facebook SNL petitions out there. Consider Saturday’s episode the comedy world equivalent of the John Edwards story giving the National Enquirer a semblance of credibility. The question is, will Lorne Michaels and company deign to listen to their online fans again? While the group for Burnett is currently the largest, there are hundreds of Facebook pages like it online and, now that the Betty White group got its way, there’s sure to be more in the pipeline. The groups are so prevalent that one is proud to proclaim itself the first Reba McEntire page. There are even parody groups (who wouldn’t want the Great Old One Cthulhu to host the show?) But, will the SNL producers listen and will there be a negative affect if they don’t? The problem with giving power to a show’s online fans is that they begin to feel a proprietary ownership once they think that they have some say in the creative decisions. For example, check out the fury of Chuck fans when, after the spy comedy’s creators credited them with saving the show, they didn’t get what they wanted regarding the main romantic storyline. We’ll have to wait till next season to see how Michaels and NBC follow up the surprising success of this week’s episode. While they may not be give us Burnett, McEntire, or Liza Minelli episodes, we can hope that, at the very least, the fan-driven success of an 88 year old host will save us future episodes starring tween icons like Taylor Lautner.
Mediaite

Islam a Taboo Subject at Comedy Central
It isn’t worth endangering the safety of an entire staff or network by pursuing a storyline that Muslim extremists might find offensive, media executives and writers tell Fox411.com. 'Daily Show' comedian Aasif Mandvi was asked by the show not to remark further on the Muslim extremist threats after the Times Square bomb scare, his rep said. Don't mess with Allah. That's the new, unwritten code in Hollywood following the one-two punch of Islamic extremists' threats against the creators of "South Park" and the failed bombing attempt outside the cartoon’s parent company, Viacom, in New York's Times Square. In the current, supercharged climate, it just isn’t worth endangering the safety of an entire production staff or network by pursuing a storyline that Muslim extremists might find offensive, media executives and writers tell Fox411.com. Aasif Mandvi, a self-described “liberal Muslim” and the “senior Islamic correspondent” for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, said on air after the “South Park” threats that it would upset him to see the Prophet Muhammad depicted in a cartoon. But, he added: “Here’s what’s more upsetting. Someone, in the name of a faith that I believe in, threatening another person for doing it.” But after the failed Times Square terror attack, "The Daily Show" asked Mandvi not to comment further on the matter, according to his spokesman. In fact, reps for the networks and television shows reached for comment on this article, including Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, FOX, NBC, and CBS, either failed to respond or asked to speak on background for fear of retribution. The subject has gotten so sensitive, media pros are even chilling the conversation in forums where no one is watching. “The writer’s room has always been a safe place for jokes of any sort, the dirtiest jokes you can think of that you could never tell in public because your own mother would hate you,” a network comedy writer told Fox411.com. “But for the first time we feel like there is a taboo.” But religion in general hasn’t become taboo -- just Islam. The Cartoon Network squeaked under the radar in March when it showed a racy depiction of Jesus voiced by jailed rapper Lil' Wayne. And Comedy Central is developing "JC," a half-hour cartoon about Christ wanting to escape the shadow of his "powerful but apathetic father" and live a regular life in New York City. “[A] liberal democracy depends on the principle that each person is entitled to hold and express his or her own beliefs," said Svetlana Mintcheva, director of the Arts Program for the National Coalition Against Censorship. "The failure to stand up for free expression emboldens those who would attack and undermine it.”
Fox News

Comedy Central Shutters Silverman
Unlike some of her Comedy Central brethren, Sarah Silverman never made an episode of her show that elicited ominous messages from shadowy groups. Her only sin was producing a series that grew too expensive for that cable channel to produce. (O.K., and possibly showing a man deriving illicit pleasure from a toy train. And casting Ed Asner as a Nazi officer.) But those days are no more: Comedy Central said on Wednesday that it was not picking up “The Sarah Silverman Program” for a fourth season, confirming a report in The Hollywood Reporter. The series was barely renewed for its third season after Comedy Central sought to lower its budget, and Ms. Silverman, right, and her fellow producers said they would walk away from the show if they did. Ultimately a deal was struck in which Logo, the gay-theme cable channel, helped pick up some of the production costs. When many of those episodes were broadcast earlier this year they were shown by Comedy Central in a midnight time slot. Representatives for Ms. Silverman did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
NY Times

Will Ferrell to Produce Sitcom for Comedy Channel
Big Lake is the title of the new Will Ferrell-produced sitcom coming to Comedy Central in the third quarter of this year. Big Lake -- produced by Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy and their production company, Gary Sanchez' Productions - will be distributed domestically by Debmar-Mercury. The show was sold to Comedy Central based on a model established by Tyler Perry and his comedy, House of Payne. Comedy Central will give Big Lake a ten-episode test run. If it's successful and Comedy Central decides to pick up an additional 90 episodes, Debmar-Mercury will take it to broadcast TV stations as an off-net sitcom targeted to debut in fall 2012. Big Lake stars Chris Gethard -- who replaced Napoleon Dynamite's Jon Heder - and Saturday Night Live's Chris Parnell and Horatio Sanz. Gethard plays a young man who's still managing to dream big dreams while he lives at home and sleeps on his parents' couch. Parnell and Sanz are the childhood friends Gethard schemes with, and they all live in their hometown of Big Lake.
Broadcasting & Cable

Disney Movie Studios Phat, Broadcasting Flat
The Walt Disney Company’s movie studio roared back to life in the most recent quarter, with operating income increasing to $223 million from $13 million in the year-ago period. The only problem: executives who have since been fired were largely to thank. Because movie operations work so far in advance, Disney is now reaping rewards from pictures – “Alice in Wonderland” in particular – that were put into production by a management team that was jettisoned in the fall following a fallow stretch at the box office. Disney’s new movie managers deserve credit for the effective marketing and completion of these films. But it won’t be clear for at least another six months whether a true turnaround is at hand at the studio. “Alice in Wonderland,” directed by Tim Burton and released on March 5, has sold $960 million in tickets worldwide. During the quarter Disney also released “The Last Song,” a cheap Miley Cyrus vehicle that sold about $72 million worldwide. Aggressive cost cutting also buoyed results. The studio details came as part of Disney’s second-quarter report. For the three months ended April 3, Disney had net income of $953 million, or 48 cents a share, a 55 percent rise from $613 million a year earlier. Revenue rose 6 percent to $8.6 billion. Media Networks – a unit that includes ESPN, Disney Channel and ABC – saw flat income of $1.3 billion on a 6 percent increase in revenue. The company’s cable channels surged as usual. But ABC, where income decreased by 24 percent due primarily to lower prime-time ratings, weighed sharply on results. The financial health of the theme park division, an $11.5 billion annual business that is closely watched as a barometer of consumer confidence, worsened slightly. The unit reported a 12 percent decline in income to $150 million. Revenue inched up 2 percent. The drop was due to higher fuel costs and promotions at Disney Cruise Line and the Easter holiday falling in a later fiscal period this year.
Media Decoder

36-24-34-3D? Playmate Pops for June Issue
Playboy readers who can only imagine what it would look like if a centerfold jumped right off the page are getting new specs to help them see into Hef's world. The magazine's June edition hits newsstands Friday equipped with 3-D glasses. Now the toy that has kids dodging dragons, meatballs and tall blue aliens at the movies will help adults focus on what is, at first glance, a very blurry Playmate of the Year. "What would people most like to see in 3-D?" asked Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. "Probably a naked lady." Hefner makes no secret of hoping to capitalize on the popularity of 3-D movies such as "Avatar" and "How to Train Your Dragon," even as he makes no secret of not quite getting what all the fuss is about. "I'm not a huge enthusiast of 3-D," he said in a telephone interview. "I leave real life to go to the movies and 2-D is fine with me." If the thought of grown men sitting back in their recliners with a pair of 3-D glasses doesn't quite say "Playboy," it should be noted that a few months ago the magazine put Marge Simpson — yes, the blue-haired animated mother of Bart — on the cover and in a two-page centerfold. "In today's print environment you have to create newsstand events," said the editorial director of the Chicago-based magazine, Jimmy Jellinek. "Marge Simpson was one of those." Playboy certainly must do something to get more people, especially younger people, to buy a magazine that has seen circulation plummet from 3.15 million in 2006 to 1.5 million today. Jellinek said he hopes the issue featuring centerfold Hope Dworaczyk in 3-D also reminds people that for all the infatuation with the Internet, there is nothing quite like having a magazine in your hands. "People want things that last and have meaning," he said.
Yahoo News

5 Other Award Shows Betty White Should Host

Only 72 hours after Betty White whipped Saturday Night Live into the best shape of its season, the Internet is already campaigning for the Golden Girl to host another historic television institution: the Oscars. But what Betty’s Facebook foot soldiers don’t understand is that her charisma, naughty one-liners and white-hot fan appeal could better energize some of the industry’s other tired award shows. Here are Movieline’s five pitches.

AVN Awards Show (January)
Betty is know for balancing the sweetness of your favorite grandmother with the raunchy humor of your least favorite uncle, and those chops will serve her well as she delivers bon mots to a crowd of adult film stars in Las Vegas.
Sample Patter: “I feel a little uncomfortable here, but I can’t be totally modest about my history in adult film. I was still an unknown actress until Woodrow Wilson and I made that sex zoetrope.”

NAACP Image Awards (February)
It’s easy to see Betty White following in the tradition of previous hosts Chris Tucker, Cedric the Entertainer, and Hill Harper as the NAACP again honors artistic achievements by individuals of color.
Sample Patter: “Good to see many of the leaders of the black entertainment community here. I don’t want to give away my age, but I once hooked up with Frederick Douglass.”

Teen Choice Awards (August)
While Betty might not be able to hand every teen in the viewing audience an old greeting card with a personal check for the amount of their age plus one, her cross-generational, cross-millennial, cross-geologic-era street cred will have the kids tweeting and retweeting her one-liners:
Sample Patter: “Being a teenager is scary these days. You just have to worry about online privacy and what kind of apps you want for your iPhone. When I was thirteen, my only concern was avoiding Genghis Khan’s advancing hordes.”

Country Music Awards (November)
The world of country music might be undergoing a youth movement with Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum tearing up the charts, but Betty is more than a little bit country.
Sample Patter: “Someone told me that Americans who live West of the Mississippi River do not understand country music. To which I say, ‘Since when does America extend past the Mississippi?’”

Nobel Prize Award Ceremonies (December)
Everyone loves Betty White — even Nobel laureates, who would be pleased to receive a good-natured ribbing from a Golden Girl in addition to their gold medal.
Sample Patter: “I once came close to winning a Nobel prize. That’s right. It was in 1903, and then that two-bit slut Marie Curie edged me out of the race.”

MovieLine

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The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. We are a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and marketing skills. Check out thousands of cutting edge examples at our web site. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

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Graeme Newell
602 Communications
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