The initials C and W stand for two related entities–one of which has creative implications for the advertising community; the other is a new TV network slated to make its debut in September.
The latter–which takes its C from CBS Corp., the W from Warner Bros. Entertainment–will be a combination of the best programs from the soon-to-be-shuttered WB and CBS-owned UPN networks. The plan calls for two fledgling networks to become a strong single network.
This CW network in turn has devised another c.w., this one in lower case–“content wraps”–which combine advertising and entertainment. Content wraps deploy serialized stories told in three two-minute segments that run during an evening of programming. CW is hoping that its c.w. will lead to meaningful advertiser experimentation.
The new hybrid ad form is designed as a means to hold viewer attention, counteracting the TiVo effect in which commercials get bypassed. There’s also the fear that another countermeasure to TiVO, product integration in TV series, could eventually reach a saturation point, meaning that advertisers still will need other forms and genres–such as content wraps–to effectively get their messages and branding across to prospective consumers.
Though a first sponsor had not yet been lined up for the content wrap concept at press time, the CW network has a sample of how the three-part format would play. In the prototype, a geeky young man gets a makeover, then goes out on a date, and then conjectures about whether he will get a second date–all the while talking about certain products.
While the CW network will still primarily rely on traditional advertising support, the diversification into content wraps and other forms is deemed necessary due to the changing media landscape in which viewers can more easily circumvent spots.
Alec Baldwin Urges Judge To Stand By Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Case In “Rust” Shooting
Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Friday to stand by her decision to skuttle his trial and dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin halfway through a trial in July based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be revived once any appeals of the decision are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently asked the judge to reconsider, arguing that there were insufficient facts and that Baldwin's due process rights had not been violated.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer โ but not the trigger โ and the revolver fired.
The case-ending evidence was ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers alleged that they "buried" it and filed a successful motion to dismiss the case.
In her decision to dismiss the Baldwin case, Marlowe Sommer described "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct" by law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as false testimony about physical evidence by a witness during the trial.
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link... Read More