I had a meeting that went over my normal lunch time, so here is some delayed chum for your enjoyment:
- From the “Ron Popeil” Department: I had actually noticed this trend, but this article confirms it: There are more infomercials in prime-time these days. Evidently, as a result of advertisers pulling advertising due to financial conditions or poor show performance, there’s more space for the cheap infomercial buyers (who have no control over the time their stuff airs — meaning you can ignore the “for the next ten minutes only” pleas). I’ve noticed this treads — since when did slankets and similar goodies advertise between 8p and 10p on major networks!
- From the “The Best Night on Television” Department: “Must See TV” — one of the best advertising lines since “It’s not a repeat if you haven’t seen it before”. Well, it seems that the “Must See” night is coming in for a battle — with the departure of Billy Peterson from CSI, the soon departure of ER, the floundering over at Grey’s, and the declining Survivor franchise, competition is coming back to Thursday night. I must admit it is one of the few nights where I’m pretty much there from 8p-10p (Survivor, CSI… and earlier this season, Life on Mars). Monday is the only other of those, with Big Bang Theory and Heroes.
- From the “Same Old, Same Old” Department: So what are the networks putting on? Things that worked in the past, and nothing experimental. What does this mean. Known formulas. Known writers. Spinoffs. Yawn. Even DirecTV is resurrecting series.
- From the “Oh, The Horror” Department: Sometimes, the concept is just enough to make you go “Huh?”. Nederlander is evidently exploring a full-length musical based on Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The musical will include songs from the 1982 “Thriller” album as well as Jackson’s 1979 album “Off the Wall.”
- From the “The Ball Is In The Air” Department: Now, I’m not a sports fan. But I am into marketing. LA has been trying for a while to get an NFL team back, after being abandoned by the Rams (to St. Louis) and the Raiders (back to Oakland). Thus, I notice with interest that the San Diego Chargers will be marking to LA and OC. It seems the Chargers need to boost attendance, and there is a dearth of teams in Los Angeles (a major media market), so they put two and two together. Combine that with the fact the Chargers are looking for a better stadium deal, and their current lease agreement allows them to leave San Diego without the threat of lawsuit.
(Aren’t you glad I didn’t talk about the depressing job news today… although the Thriller Musical is depressing enough)
