WCSH's "207" goes "pay for play"

[newsbot]

The "207 Kitchen" segment is now bought and paid for by Hannaford Supermarkets and hosted by a Hannaford employee. Hilariously, tonight's paid segment was followed by a Shaw's commercial. Are other segments for sale to the highest bidder, too?

http://www.wcsh6.com/life/programming/local/207/article/205389/50/Sister-Salsa-Recipes

 

[Maine-i-ac]

Thanks for the link. Hannaford and 6 have done this before. I've seen them sponsor segments during the noon news before. On a totally different note...Sisters Salsa is in my backyard. I've known Jim for 20 years. He used to do a radio show at WERU. Gives me a great deal on the salsa. I get to buy a gallon for $20. It's helped me in my weight loss journey.

 

[KML0224]

And here it's mostly Stop & Shop, Price Chopper and Big Y. Shaws pulled out of Connecticut a few years ago.

At least the sponsorship is directly dealing with food, so how big a problem could it be? Is the Hannaford logo appearing on the screen during the whole segment?

 

[newsbot]

Here's the thing: Hannaford gets to use the "207" name for its segment, but Gannett cedes content control to the advertiser. The segment aired as the last segment of the "207" program, after a commercial break, not as a mini-infomercial immediately following the end of a truncated newscast with the usual infomercial disclaimer that airs on WCSH/WLBZ. The "207" segment that aired previous to the "207 Kitchen" segment did not conclude with a copyright snipe; indeed, this episode had no copyright snipe at all. Rob Caldwell teased the segment as the "207 Kitchen." The billboarding at the beginning and end of the segment may cover it with the FCC, but viewers might still be confused as to the finer points of this arrangement.

Gannett's recently-installed GM at WCSH/WLBZ came from their sister station in Denver, which airs a pay-for-play magazine show called "Colorado and Company" (emphasis on "Company")

http://www.coloradoandco.com/