NBC is now telling you to “chime in”
The concept of network slogans are coming back. NBC has started a new campaign with little advance fanfare asking viewers to “Chime In” to the network. This follows a similar recent strategic move by ABC when they asked viewers to “Start Here”.
In the age of viral marketing, there has been little evidence of this move by NBC. It is not on NBC website nor are there any major campaigns promoting it.
The entire “network slogan” concept was abandoned by the networks in the 1990s. The last notable slogan used was ABC’s laughable “TV Is Good” which was abandoned in 1997. Other historical slogans include Fox’s “Just One Fox” and CBS’ “The Address Is CBS” and “It’s All Here”.
This is a case of networks trying anything to get back sagging ratings (particularly NBC, which is number four right now). What exactly does “chime in” mean anyway? Is it an attempt by NBC to make the network programming more user-interactive? Will there be telephone hotlines and Internet polls?
Here’s the five-day forecast: Weather Channel about to be bought by NBC
Richard told you earlier this year that The Weather Channel was for sale. Now it looks like recent rumors that NBC was going to be the one to buy the TV network are true. Reuters says that the deal should be closed in the next few days, and the reported price is between $3 billion and $4 billion.
If you haven’t noticed, weather is the most important part of a newscast now. I was just talking to my roommate about this yesterday. Every single local newscast opens with news about the weather. Not just tornadoes and hurricanes, but bad rain storms that might pop up later in the day (wow, rainstorms in the summer - shocking!). Weather is the lead story (death, war, and the election can wait), the follow-up story, and the actual weather segment halfway through the show is given another good 7 or 8 minutes.
This could be good for NBC though. Since they love crossovers and filling the screen with ads for other shows and stunt casting, maybe Howie Mandel can do the weather once in a while. Or maybe Donald Trump can do commentary on California wildfires (”You’re fired!”). Or how about Masi Oka in front of a green screen giving the weather? Better yet, create a new Heroes hero that controls the weather and promote it on the network.
Ex-Friend Taking Matt LeBlanc to Trial
How you doin’? If you ask Matt LeBlanc, not so good.
A Los Angeles judge has ruled that a breach-of-contract lawsuit brought against the erstwhile Friends star by his ex-business manager can proceed to trial.
Superior Court Judge Harold I. Cherness shot down a motion by LeBlanc’s legal team seeking to dismiss the complaint filed last August by Camille Cerio, who claims she’s owed over $1 million in commissions.
Although Team LeBlanc insists Cerio received more than $200,000 in payments, her attorney, Alan Harris, said that amount was a pittance, since the actor’s royalties on Friends and Joey alone generate royalties over $100 million.
“This was something unheard of in the history of television,” Harris told the judge of LeBlanc’s windfall.
Cerio managed LeBlanc’s career beginning in 1994, when he first hit big on the now classic NBC sitcom. She alleges in her suit that LeBlanc agreed to pay her 15 percent of his earnings from all pilots and series spinoffs “derived” from Friends. But the checks stopped coming in 2000, four years before Friends ended its run.
No immediate comment from either side. A trial date has been set for Sept. 22.
Hellboy meets Chuck - VIDEO
In an effort to promote Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Universal Pictures is releasing a series of strange and humorous commercials. The first involved James Lipton interviewing Hellboy. Not Ron Perlman, but the character of Hellboy himself. The second has Hellboy meeting the title character from NBC’s Chuck (and I love how Ron Perlman’s character refers to Zachary Levi’s character as “Chucky”).
Hellboy is being distributed by Universal and since Universal and NBC are the same entity, I can understand how a crossover between the two is possible. I do wonder if there will be any promotion for the movie when the new season of Chuck begins. Probably not, since the film will have already left the theaters. Still, a Ron Perlman appearance as any character on the show would be kind of cool.
The patter between the two is great as they play video games. The question of “why doesn’t the government let us out more often” is hilarious.