NBC’S DATELINE USES ITS FACEBOOK FANS AS FOCUS GROUP

In a move that will no doubt rile many traditional journalists who often see their job as providing information that their readers or viewers need to know about, producers of NBC’s news magazine Dateline are seeking to determine what they want to know about. As reported by Advertising Age, Dateline personnel have been studying the […]

DID TWITTER REALLY MAKE SUPER 8 A HIT?

In an Advertising Age headline on Tuesday, media columnist Simon Dumenco asks, “Was J.J. Abrams & Steven Spielberg’s Box-Office Champ ‘Super 8’ Really Saved by Twitter?” Well, maybe, Dumenco observes, although, he adds, “I’ve got my own theory: It’s a really good movie! Seriously, I give it two thumbs up (fully 100% of my thumbs).” […]

ADVERTISERS PROTEST RULES FOR FOOD ADS AIMED AT KIDS

Proposed government guidelines that would allow food marketers to advertise only foods that provide children with a “meaningful contribution to a healthful diet” were challenged Thursday by the advertising industry. “If companies were to comply with these proposals, the restrictions are sufficiently onerous that they would basically block a substantial amount of advertising,” Dan Jaffe, […]

NEARLY ONE THIRD OF SUPER BOWL TELECAST IS ADVERTISING

The average NFL game telecast lasts about three hours, but during last year’s Super Bowl, 47 minutes and 50 seconds was devoted to commercials and network promotions, according to a study by Kantar Media cited today (Wednesday) by Advertising Age. That compares with 40 minutes and 15 seconds of ad/promo time during the 2001 Super […]

BET DRAWS BEST RATINGS IN ITS HISTORY

In three seasons on the low-rated CW broadcast network, the sitcom The Game never averaged more than 2.3 million viewers, and in its final season, it averaged a measly 1.68 million, but in its debut on the BET cable network on Tuesday, the show attracted 7.7 million, putting it ahead of much of its broadcast […]

AD BUYERS UPBEAT OVER CONAN’S FIRST WEEK

After his first week on basic cable, Conan O’Brien’s TBS show is being assessed as a huge success by several advertising executives, Advertising Age reported today (Monday). “He’s bringing in really young viewers. The median age is over 20 years younger” than his rivals’, Amy Sotiridy of Interpublic Group’s Initiative told the trade publication. While […]

REPORT: SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITES DON’T AFFECT TV RATINGS

Social media websites like Twitter and Facebook don’t have a significant impact on TV ratings, according to a panel of television marketing executives who participated in the Digital Hollywood conference in New York last week. As reported by PC World magazine, the participants agreed that a lot of buzz on the social media sites don’t […]

IDOL ADS COSTING MORE THAN FOOTBALL

It would appear that advertisers are not expecting ratings for American Idol to fall significantly following the departure of Simon Cowell this season. Advertising Age observed that Fox is selling 30-second spots on the show for $467,617 — making it the most expensive ad buy on television. It tops NBC’s Sunday Night Football, whose spots […]

ABRAMS “SUSPENDED” AT TRIBUNE FOR LATEST MEMO

Lee Abrams, the chief innovative officer for the Tribune Co., has been suspended without pay two days after he sent out one of his notorious memos to Tribune employees, this one including a link to a raunchy video clip from TheOnion.com that several Tribune executives and staffers found offensive. Abrams’s memo clearly disregarded a recent […]

ADAGE COLUMNIST PREDICTS HACKERGATE WILL DO IN MURDOCH

Advertising Age media columnist Simon Dumenco is predicting that the current flap in the U.K. over alleged widespread hacking of the voicemails of celebrities and politicians by Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid News of the World will serve as an “epic legal distraction” for Murdoch just as he attempts to erect paywalls at two of his London […]

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