Well-done WTAM promo

[Johnny Morgan]

Heard it this AM.

As we all know, the WTAM imaging voice is Jim Cutler, famous voice-over guy known most for being the voice of ESPN.

Well, WTAM has a promo that Cutler voices saying that "if you want up to the minute T.O coverage, listen to ESPN" and the "Sportscenter" music plays in the background (doo-doo-do; doo-doo-do).

Then Cutler says, "But for up-to-the-minute Best Browns coverage, turn to WTAM" .

It's a well-done promo, and kind of an inside thing (for those who know Cutler as both voices), and an intro to folks showing Cutler as the ESPN voice as well as the WTAM voice.

A good promo job, and some creativity props here to whoever had the idea of that "crossover" thing.

 

[VODood]

A good cross over promo if ESPN is carried on a local CC station, which it's not. Essentially WTAM is promoting ESPN, on a non-CC station. I would have to disagree it's a good promo, as a programmer AND as a creative director.

Sorry Johnny

 

[74WIXYGrad]

I took it as a slam against ESPN myself.

BTW VODood, I shared the pressbox with one of your co-workers, Ron Finn, last night. Here's a mention of it in my blog, "WIXY's Gone Bananas"

http://wixygrad.blogspot.com/2006/09/from-pressbox-anthony-wayne-showcase.html

 

[VODood]

Ron mentioned that today. He said it was someone I "knew"...but he didn't get a name.

 

[VODood]

Ron mentioned that today. He said it was someone I "knew"...but he didn't get a name.

 

[74WIXYGrad]

I told Ron that I posted on these boards and I mentioned I knew you through the postings. The announcers weren't introduced, and I told him I posted as 74WIXYgrad. I am flattered that he remembered that though, but then how could he forget me? The public address had to be turned down while I was announcing. : He said that you guys worked together in the mornings, separated by a plate of glass.

 

[Johnny Morgan]

Essentially WTAM is promoting ESPN, on a non-CC station.

To the extent you may be referring to the other sports talk radio station in town, you may well be correct.

But at least when I heard it--and maybe this was the intended effect--the thought that immediately came to my mind was ESPN *TV*. That's where I knew Cutler's (or if I'm a listener, the mysterious WTAM voice) voice from--TV, not the ESPN radio network. And that's how I made the connection--oh, the TV voice of ESPN is hawking WTAM's sports programming. That's whay I thought it was ingenious.

Perhaps this speaks volumes for WKNR--if I think of TV before I think of the same-branded radio station in town, that says either (a) ESPN radio's programming isn't that compelling (and, sadly, but for Dan Patrick and baseball, it isn't), or (b) WKNR sucked at promoting the fact that they were an ESPN affil. Perhaps the latter figured somewhat into their loss of the brand name come October.