The Ebola scare in the U.S. is teaching us that the world can indeed be a small place. It’s clear that illnesses around the globe can infect people anywhere in the world within days. And that we here in the United State are not immune to any medical crisis, no matter how far away it […]
Dayton’s WBDT Teen Reality Show Boosts Ratings
Last month, WBDT, the LIN-owned CW affiliate in Dayton, Ohio, debuted, The Valley, on Sunday nights at 8, a half-hour teen reality show ambitiously produced by the station’s creative services department. The Valley replaced the syndicated sitcom, First Family. Prior to its premiere, LIN Media CEO Vincent Sadusky, made a prediction: “This will absolutely do […]
WDRB Louisville Adds Music To Its TV Brand
WDRB, the Block Communications-owned Fox affiliate in Louisville, Ky., says radio is music to its ears. Last week the station launched two free music apps: WDRB Classic Hits and WDRB Hot Country. Classic Hits features the top songs of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, while Hot Country focuses on contemporary country music hits. “We wanted […]
WNCN Raleigh Giving Local TV News A Good Name
Talk about owning a story and making a difference. If WNCN keeps this up, people will start accusing them of giving local TV news a good name. The Media General-owned NBC affiliate in Raleigh, N.C., takes its #Brake4Buses message nationwide by creating a PSA that is being shown on TV stations within the Media General family […]
WNCT Greenville Scores Big With Anti-Bullying Campaign
WNCT, Media General’s CBS affiliate in Greenville, N.C., has a history of being proactive in creating awareness about the problem of bullying. So it made sense to initiate a sales campaign that would take a stand against bullying, says Amy McClary, WNCT’s local sales manager. The Anti-Bullying PSA Contest encourages local school students to create […]
WISE Ft. Wayne Turns Good Cause Into Revenue
Ft. Wayne, Ind., has the dubious distinction of having the highest kill rate of pets in the state. But that may soon change, thanks to a new revenue-generating idea from WISE, the Granite-owned NBC affiliate there. The station launched the Every Pet Deserves a Home campaign to increase pet adoption. “I’m a dog lover,” says […]
KOLO Reno Turns Small Businesses Into Big Businesses
Reno, Nevada, was hit hard by the recession, according to Laura Newman, general sales manager of KOLO, the Gray-owned ABC affiliate there. So her sales staff came up with a campaign to entice small businesses to advertise on television. “Proud to be Local is an entry-level plan for small businesses so they can afford to […]
KWES Midland Finds Money In City’s Trash
Midland, Texas, is experiencing a growth spurt, according to Cristine Couldridge, general sales manager of KWES, the NBC affiliate there owned by the Drewry Communications Group. “We jumped from market 150 to market 146 in a year,” says Couldridge. But the growth in population also brought a growth in litter. “The new residents just haven’t […]
Big Money Ideas From Small Market TV Stations
The National Association of Broadcasters held its annual meeting of the Small Market Television Exchange (SMTE) last month in San Antonio, Texas. TV stations from 23 markets made campaign presentations and four ideas were selected as finalists. Of those, one idea was named Best of the Best. All this week, I’ll be profiling each of […]
New WPVI Philadelphia Weather Promo Does It All
Your general manager and news director call you into the office and tell you they want a new weather spot. The spot must position your weathercaster as an expert. And it would be nice if you could mention her name a lot. And by the way, can you introduce a new catch phrase that viewers […]