NETWORK AFFILIATES PUTTING OWN COMMERCIALS IN BREAKS

[McCorryKL]

CBC affiliate CHSJ-TV used to do this here in New Brunswick, and I'm wondering how common it is/was.

On CHSJ, a CBC network commercial (for, say, Dristan) would start. And 10 seconds in, CHSJ started its own commercial for Renaud's Furniture. Naturally the following CBC commercial or the show itself would be missing their first 10 seconds.

During certain telecasts back in 1977 and 1978, CHSJ would even insert more commercials than the CBC's break was allotted for. 30 or more seconds of show was missed.

Of course, CHSJ's favorite practice was to tape-delay CBC programs. Then, CHSJ could just insert its own commercials at its leisure without any worry of being late at the switch. Not that I think CHSJ was ever very worried in any case. It had a captive audience in most of New Brunswick with regard to CBC programming.

 

[firepoint525]

If they were going to "cover" a network commercial with one of their own, why not start it on time? Was someone asleep at the switch at that station? Usually, commercial breaks are so obvious that they should not be missed like that.

I have usually seen it done the other way, when a commercial, usually a PSA, is covered by a local spot. It is only because at the end of the local spot, I see/hear that last second or so of the PSA that was covered. This mistake could be easily corrected by not rejoining the network too soon.

 

[McCorryKL]

If they were going to "cover" a network commercial with one of their own, why not start it on time? Was someone asleep at the switch at that station? Usually, commercial breaks are so obvious that they should not be missed like that.

I have usually seen it done the other way, when a commercial, usually a PSA, is covered by a local spot. It is only because at the end of the local spot, I see/hear that last second or so of the PSA that was covered. This mistake could be easily corrected by not rejoining the network too soon.

Especially as CBC would often put up a show ID slide for a few seconds before going to break. CHSJ's people had lots of time to press play on the VTR and make the switch. As you say, they were probably asleep at the switch.

Just one of the many classic CHSJ goofs we used to see.

 

[FredLeonard]

Network ad sales deals vary but it is not unheard of for advertisers to buy less than the entire network line-up, so covering a network commercial might sometimes be entirely legal. Stations have to submit affidavits stating network spots were run, so they can get in real legal trouble in their sworn statements are false.

Covering network spots is often imprecise. Internet radio spots covering OTA spots often start (and end) late. Cable system spots inserted into breaks on cable channels: Same thing. Mostly switching is done by computer so no real person is "at the switch."

 

[Davros2006]

This actually happened on CKVR Barrie a nice bit, I would think. Here is one such example from a February 22, 1987 recording: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz7_u44uDYU

 

[newsmark]

Network ad sales deals vary but it is not unheard of for advertisers to buy less than the entire network line-up, so covering a network commercial might sometimes be entirely legal. Stations have to submit affidavits stating network spots were run, so they can get in real legal trouble in their sworn statements are false.

Covering network spots is often imprecise. Internet radio spots covering OTA spots often start (and end) late. Cable system spots inserted into breaks on cable channels: Same thing. Mostly switching is done by computer so no real person is "at the switch."

All true. In Oklahoma, state law used to ban wine commercials. (Some beer commercials were also banned. I forget the precise details.) The local stations had to "cover" those spots. Sometimes you had accurate information on when that spot would hit. Sometimes it was a guesstimate--especially in live programming, but even in regular shows, the network might change the spot list at the last minute. Since old school VTRs had anywhere from a 2 to 5 second preroll, it was tricky.

I also worked a stations that carried programs from more than 1 network. We would always try to cover network promos for shows that didn't air on our station. Also tricky.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Covering network spots is often imprecise. Internet radio spots covering OTA spots often start (and end) late. Cable system spots inserted into breaks on cable channels: Same thing. Mostly switching is done by computer so no real person is "at the switch."

This is a regular thing on Charter Cable in Jackson, TN, and I'd assume in a big part of West TN as well. It's almost like there are more local ads on Charter than national ads from the cable networks.

 

[Jazz_Kat]

We (my family) can tell you that sometimes the local stations here replay the same exercise, disability, and others, too much on the local side of the channels. More from WBBJ than WJKT. My family has "rabbit ears" currently.

 

[mjlarochelle]

CKWS in Kingston, Ontario sometimes covers CBC network spots with local ones, though it is not uncommon to see ads for CBC News Toronto.

 

[joeybabe25]

Off topic a bit, but as a youngster in the 60's I can remember watching CBS and once and a while seeing the "Channel 2, New York" ID break. I guess the network just fed WCBS down the line and stations had to cover, but that sounds weird. Why not just send the network down the chain itself? Anybody remember this?

I don't remember seeing it on ABC or NBC.

Joe

 

[PirateJohnny]

Off topic a bit, but as a youngster in the 60's I can remember watching CBS and once and a while seeing the "Channel 2, New York" ID break. I guess the network just fed WCBS down the line and stations had to cover, but that sounds weird. Why not just send the network down the chain itself? Anybody remember this?

I don't remember seeing it on ABC or NBC.

Joe

This might have been a case where your station actually took the off air feed from WCBS instead of a direct network feed.

 

[KML0224]

True. Once while watching WGME-TV channel 13 of Portland, ME in 1989, I saw a flicker of a slide on the station, soon after a network promo ended. I checked the VHS tape and, sure enough, I saw "WCBS" mentioned.

 

[azumanga]

I believe up until CBS started a general satellite feed for its affiliates, the affiliates along the telco lines used the WCBS feed provided to them, then inserted their own material outside network time.

 

[joeybabe25]

Off topic a bit, but as a youngster in the 60's I can remember watching CBS and once and a while seeing the "Channel 2, New York" ID break. I guess the network just fed WCBS down the line and stations had to cover, but that sounds weird. Why not just send the network down the chain itself? Anybody remember this?

I don't remember seeing it on ABC or NBC.

Joe

This might have been a case where your station actually took the off air feed from WCBS instead of a direct network feed.

I wouldn't think so. I lived down in Norfolk, Virginia at the time, and they couldn't have taken a signal from NYC off the air.

Joe

 

[michael hagerty]

Some stations did that, others actually covered network commercials with local ones.

KORK-TV in Las Vegas did that, which was monumentally dumb because Johnny Carson would play Las Vegas (not unlike Jay Leno does today), and he noticed. He mentioned it when he got back to Burbank, a team of NBC attorneys flew out with video recording gear and caught them red-handed.

It was a factor in the FCC not renewing their license.

 

[azumanga]

Off topic a bit, but as a youngster in the 60's I can remember watching CBS and once and a while seeing the "Channel 2, New York" ID break. I guess the network just fed WCBS down the line and stations had to cover, but that sounds weird. Why not just send the network down the chain itself? Anybody remember this?

I don't remember seeing it on ABC or NBC.

Joe

This might have been a case where your station actually took the off air feed from WCBS instead of a direct network feed.

I wouldn't think so. I lived down in Norfolk, Virginia at the time, and they couldn't have taken a signal from NYC off the air.

Though the station could have picked it up off the network line. At the time, the O&Os in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles also doubled as the network feed, until they switched to satellite in the late-1980s,when they started carrying dedicated network feeds.

 

[Joe_Capitano]

I wouldn't think so. I lived down in Norfolk, Virginia at the time, and they couldn't have taken a signal from NYC off the air.

Network programming was relayed via a national coaxial cable or by microwave, depending upon the location, so the Norfolk station could have received a relay of WCBS.

 

[newsmark]

By the time I worked at a CBS station, in late 1980, the network feed was "clean." That is, there would be pad after the CBS Eyeball, then a few seconds of black before anything else happened.

At most, that "anything else" would be the words "MONITOR NY AUDIO" for a message about upcoming station breaks, or the network feeding a package for the affiliates' late local news (usually on Sunday nights). Except for the occasional routing fluke on the network's part. But those flukes were pretty rare.