CORPORADOS

NEWS BROADCASTERS SHILLING FOR ADVERTISERS BIG TIME

GAIL SCHILLER, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER - "There are more local news stations
that are incorporating brands into news in innovative, cutting-edge
ways," said Aaron Gordon, president of entertainment marketing firm Set
Resources Inc. "The line, which has always been black and white in terms
of what's news and what's commercials, is now being blurred." Media
agency Initiative said it has been working on integrating advertising
content into local news on behalf of several of its clients.

A number of local stations, including Young Broadcasting's indie KRON-TV
San Francisco and Univision O&O KMEX-TV Los Angeles, confirmed that they
have integrated advertisers into their newscasts and are actively
seeking out product-integration deals. Meredith Broadcasting's Fox
affiliate KPTV-TV Portland, Ore., launched a new lifestyle show in
January called "More Good Day Oregon" as an extension of its morning
news program "Good Day Oregon" that airs weekly segments designed to
serve as vehicles for brand integration. . .

"We're all trying to find ways of integrating commercial messages into
content that satisfy the audience and advertisers without hurting our
product," KRON president and general manager Mark Antonitis said. . .

"We are already seeing an erosion of the 'editorial wall' in network
newsrooms, particularly for morning news and newsmagazines," said Jim
Johnston, partner at the law firm Davis & Gilbert, which represents both
media agencies and entertainment clients.

"I think you'll find that this type of activity will continue to take
place, and other forms of product integration will find their way into
news divisions as well," he said. "The news organizations will continue
to seek a balance between editorial independence and advertiser
interests, but you will likely see a lot more boundary-pushing in the
future.". . .

Just last month, "Good Morning America" broadcast segments of the show
live from a Norwegian Cruise Line ship as part of a weeklong series
called "Girls' Week Out." According to "GMA" spokeswoman Bridgette
Maney, Norwegian Cruise Lines did not pay integration fees for the
segments, hosted by correspondent Mike Barz and co-anchor Diane Sawyer,
but did foot the bill for airfare, room and board to send nearly 300
women -- contest winners and their girlfriends -- on a cruise to
Honduras, Jamaica and the Grand Cayman Islands. Most of the segments
broadcast from the ship focused on the women who won the cruise by
writing in to say why they deserved time away with their girlfriends,
she said. . .

According to RTNDA's ethics guidelines, "news reporting and
decision-making should be free of inappropriate commercial influences"
and "should not show favoritism to advertisers," and "news organizations
should protect the integrity of coverage against any potential conflict
of interest.". . .

[A] KRON integration that aired this month, Tourism Australia -- the
government body responsible for international and domestic tourism
marketing for Australia -- paid KRON to run a weeklong series featuring
stories about the country in its morning news program. In addition to an
integration fee, Tourism Australia bought traditional spots in the KRON
newscasts, paid all expenses for a five-member news crew to travel to
Australia and sponsored trips to Australia for two winners of an e-mail
contest promoted on-air. . .

Since premiering Jan. 9, "More Good Day Oregon" already has integrated a
major local shopping center for a segment on last-minute gifts for
Valentine's Day and a local spa for a two-part series featuring the
spa's services and a makeover giveaway won by a viewer. In both cases,
the advertisers' involvement was disclosed in the end credits.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?
vnu_content_id=1002197781


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GREAT MOMENTS IN PRODUCT PLACEMENT

KELLEY BOUCHARD, PORTLAND PRESS HERALD, ME - The Portland City Council
will have to ignore the recommendation of citizen advisers if it wants
to accept a controversial gift of bronze statues from Portland Sea Dogs
owner Daniel Burke.

The Public Art Committee, an advisory group appointed by the council,
voted 6-1 Wednesday to recommend that the council reject the statues,
which depict a traditional family of four going to a baseball game. The
vote came after Burke's attorney said no changes will be made to the
sculptures. . .

Committee members said the statues would be too large for their intended
location, on the sidewalk outside Hadlock Field, and that they would
violate the city's ban on public art that includes commercial
advertising. The boy figure wears a hat and a shirt with Sea Dogs logos.
. .

"It's an awful big assumption that you can create something and give it
to the city and expect them to accept it," said committee member Lauren
Silverson, who voted against Burke's gift . . .

Burke's attorney, William Troubh, said the Sea Dogs logo reflects what
many baseball fans wear to the stadium on Park Avenue. While committee
members said they wanted "timeless" art and questioned how long the Sea
Dogs would be in Portland, Troubh said the logo would provide historical
interest in the future. Regarding the statues' size, Troubh clarified
that the father figure is 9 feet tall, including a 1-foot pedestal, not
11 feet tall, as he previously told the committee. Still, Troubh said,
the sculptures are "97 percent done" and can't be changed without
violating the concept and integrity of the artist's work.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/060316publicart.shtml