CBS is launching an unprecedented campaign to publicize its prime-time successes weeks in advance of the year’s most important ad sales season, trying not to be dragged down by the economy and struggling rivals.
It includes a front-page ad Monday in The New York Times, a USA Today section front ad and commercials throughout CBS television, radio and the Internet.
The network is two weeks away from unveiling its fall schedule; NBC does so on Monday. Release of the broadcast schedules usually prompts a multi-billion dollar frenzy to lock up commercial space for next season, called the upfront.
All of the broadcasters are worried that the economy will continue to hurt ad sales, and that advertisers will migrate to the Internet or niche cable networks.
CBS has quietly had a strong season in prime-time, seeing its viewership jump 12 percent from the last, writers-strike affected season. CBS introduced the season’s only real new hit, “The Mentalist,” and has won more time slots than ABC, NBC and Fox combined.
“We had a good year and we’re well positioned for next year,” said George Schweitzer, president of CBS Marketing. “We don’t want that message to get lost.”
CBS hopes to reach beyond Madison Avenue to heads of companies that may advertise. It seems like a sound strategy, said Marc Berman, a TV analyst for Media Week Online.
“If they were struggling, I would say it’s very desperate,” Berman said. “They’re the No. 1 network. Why not be aggressive?”
Schweitzer said CBS isn’t worried that the network will be hurt by the struggles of other broadcasters.
“This is not a defensive position,” he said. “This is an offensive position.”
Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey Launch Production House 34North
Executive producers Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey have teamed to launch 34North. The shop opens with a roster which includes accomplished directors Jan Wentz, Ben Nakamura Whitehouse, David Edwards and Mario Feil, as well as such up-and-coming filmmakers as Glenn Stewart and Chris Fowles. Nakamura Whitehouse, Edwards, Feil and Fowles come over from CoMPANY Films, the production company for which Cicero served as an EP for the past nearly five years. Director Wentz had most recently been with production house Skunk while Stewart now gains his first U.S. representation. EP Clancey was freelance producing prior to the formation of 34North. He and Cicero have known each other for some 25 years, recently reconnecting on a job directed by Fowles. Cicero said that he and Clancey “want to keep a highly focused roster where talent management can be one on one--where we all share in the directors’ success together.” Clancey also brings an agency pedigree to the new venture. “I started at Campbell Ewald in accounts, no less,” said Clancey. “I saw firsthand how much work agencies put in before we even see a script. You have to respect that investment. These agency experiences really shaped my approach to production--it’s about empathy, listening between the lines, and ultimately making the process seamless.” 34North represents a meeting point--both literally and creatively. Named after the latitude of Malibu, Calif., where the idea for the company was born, it also embraces the power of storytelling. “34North118West was the first GPS-enabled narrative,” Cicero explained. “That blend of art and technology, to captivate an audience, mirrors what we do here--create compelling work, with talented people, harnessing state-of-the-art... Read More