Seven Fox TV stations are preparing to launch an eight-week trial of Warner Bros.'
Beyond Twisted starting July 6. It is the latest brainchild from Harvey Levin, TMZ's
hyperkinetic executive producer who is coming off one of TMZ's biggest scoops yet,
the death of pop star Michael Jackson.
As part of the launch, the stations came up with their own promotions that tell viewers
simply but humorously exactly what they can expect.
A promotional spot for new syndicated series 'Beyond Twisted'Frank Cicha, Fox
Television Stations' senior VP of programming, has embraced the notion of testing
new first-run shows on his stations before making a commitment to them. “If this
works, Warner Bros. will have eight weeks of ratings, 40 episodes and a deal with
us to help them sell the show,” he says.
In today's tough syndication market, having those two things in place takes a
distributor a long way toward completing a show's sale. When Fox runs this type of
test, Cicha calls upon Leslie Lyndon, VP of promotion for FTS, to put together launch
spots as part of the partnership—a task usually handled by the syndicator.
“That's become typical,” Cicha says. “We save distributors a lot of money by doing
the promos in-house. We're more vested in our own stations than anyone else, so
Leslie and her team deliver great material, the spots air frequently and both sides
are happy.”
In the case of Beyond Twisted, creative-services directors from each station gathered
on a conference call and pitched ideas to the show's production staff, including Levin.
“Levin has so much enthusiasm for his project, you can't help but get caught up in it,”
Lyndon says. Read More!
(Source: BroadcastingCable.com)
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