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Infomercials on WBTV

M

moedog1

Guest
This is difficult to believe. WBTV/3/CBS/Charlotte, DMA 27 and THE heritage TV in the market (since 1949) shows an hour of infomercials every week-day morning and latenight Saturdays, from 11:30 to about 1. When I think of the classic tv shows or locally produced programing (years ago, a specialty of WBTV) they could put there, it is quite disgusting. And don't even get me started on their current local news effort....
 
> This is difficult to believe. WBTV/3/CBS/Charlotte, DMA 27
> and THE heritage TV in the market (since 1949) shows an hour
> of infomercials every week-day morning and latenight
> Saturdays, from 11:30 to about 1. When I think of the
> classic tv shows or locally produced programing (years ago,
> a specialty of WBTV) they could put there, it is quite
> disgusting. And don't even get me started on their current
> local news effort....

I believe everything they've tried against Regis & Kelly on
WSOC/9 has gone belly-up, so they've probably given up on
syndicated shows. In fact, from what I hear, Ch. 9 practically
owns the morning: Regis & Kelly (9 AM), Dr. Phil (10 AM), and
The View (11 AM) are all first or second in their timeslots.

Hardly any stations do local programming anymore, apart from
news. One exception, which I'm surprised no station has picked
up on, is Talk Of The Town on WTVF/5 Nashville. It's a mix of
interviews, makeover tips, recipes (they have Mr. Food), and,
I believe, wins its timeslot, 12:30-1:30 (CT). (Having The
Young And The Restless for a lead-in doesn't hurt.) Come to
think of it, it's the same kind of show WBTV's Top O' The Day
was.
>
 
> I believe everything they've tried against Regis & Kelly on
> WSOC/9 has gone belly-up, so they've probably given up on
> syndicated shows. In fact, from what I hear, Ch. 9
> practically
> owns the morning: Regis & Kelly (9 AM), Dr. Phil (10 AM),
> and
> The View (11 AM) are all first or second in their timeslots.
Yeah, I know nothing is going to beat Regis&Kelly, etc. but wouldn't WBTV be better off going for some kind of audience during those times. Suppose they showed two episodes of one of Lucille Ball's shows. There would be a small audience for that, and they could sell some ads to small businesses. Would that not be better than no audience for the infos. After all, and I think this is ironic and shows how times have changed, UPN 46 and WB 55 also show infomercials during week-day mornings. But you don't see WCNC doing infomercials in the mornings. ANother alternative, accept that you are not going to win the time, but go after another audience--example--I have seen the Tyra Banks Show on Fox 18, and surprisingly it is not bad. Perhaps WBTV should have gone after that show and brought a whole new audience to their station. Or they could do an hour of local news, which would attract a small audience: They aready have the staff in the building, such as they are....
 
> > I believe everything they've tried against Regis & Kelly
> on
> > WSOC/9 has gone belly-up, so they've probably given up on
> > syndicated shows. In fact, from what I hear, Ch. 9
> > practically
> > owns the morning: Regis & Kelly (9 AM), Dr. Phil (10 AM),
> > and
> > The View (11 AM) are all first or second in their
> timeslots.
> Yeah, I know nothing is going to beat Regis&Kelly, etc. but
> wouldn't WBTV be better off going for some kind of audience
> during those times. Suppose they showed two episodes of one
> of Lucille Ball's shows. There would be a small audience
> for that, and they could sell some ads to small businesses.
> Would that not be better than no audience for the infos.
> After all, and I think this is ironic and shows how times
> have changed, UPN 46 and WB 55 also show infomercials during
> week-day mornings. But you don't see WCNC doing
> infomercials in the mornings. ANother alternative, accept
> that you are not going to win the time, but go after another
> audience--example--I have seen the Tyra Banks Show on Fox
> 18, and surprisingly it is not bad. Perhaps WBTV should
> have gone after that show and brought a whole new audience
> to their station. Or they could do an hour of local news,
> which would attract a small audience: They aready have the
> staff in the building, such as they are....
>
I like the idea of local news; WFAA/8, ABC in Dallas, has been
doing a 9 AM newscast for some time now, and the market's CBS
o&o, KTVT/11, just started doing one; I think there's one in
DC (WUSA/9) as well.

Or why don't they do what WFMY does, add an hour to their
early-morning newscast and run The Early Show 8-10? One
potential problem is that Regis & Kelly don't come on in
the Triad until 10 (WXII has the Today show 7-10); in
Charlotte they're on at 9. But hey, even with the low
ratings for The Early Show, they're bound to be better than
WBTV is getting now.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by bpatrick on 10/06/05 12:19 AM.</FONT></P>
 
Perhaps an additional hour of local news from 9 to 10 A.M. would work for Charlotte's WBTV-3. For little additional news deparetment overhead, such a newscast should make quite a bit of profit for WBTV, even if it's a distant third in it's timeslot.

On the other hand, infomercials on weekdays during daytime hours may become more prevelant on "big-three" afiliates in the next few years. The time spent broadcasting them is pure profit.
 
> On the other hand, infomercials on weekdays during daytime
> hours may become more prevelant on "big-three" afiliates in
> the next few years. The time spent broadcasting them is pure
> profit.
>
Infomercials are cash cows. They require virtually NO effort from the sales team of the station, and the informercial producers keeps such good marketing they will only run the infomercials that make money.

I guess it's the HSN/QVC phenomenon.

I thank GOD for WWME-CA Channel 23 Chicago. This low power station ROCKS. It allowed me to ditch cable.


<P ID="signature">______________
Once I figured out the meaning of life....Then I forgot to write it down.</P>
 
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