Global rings up new promo and fall lineup

Global's announced its new fall programming yesterday at an event at the Carlu, attended by Mr. Apprentice himself, Donald Trump. The standing-room only event was punctuated by the ringing of cell phones as part of Global's new promotion entitled 'Global's Calling - If you're in, you win.' With phones hidden under select chairs, CanWest's top brass gave away prizes of $1000 each throughout the event to a handful of lucky attendees.

This was a taste of a wider consumer promo engineered to net and keep eyeballs. The contest works like this: Viewers are invited to register their info online and to watch Global nightly for a code word. Prizes range from $500 up to $10,000 for viewers who know that word when called. Global's Calling starts July 11 and runs for eight weeks. The network will also utilize trucks in the Vancouver and Toronto markets wrapped with contest details. The trucks will be visiting neighbourhoods to catch viewers at home who may be in the know.
By Pia Musngi
June 9, 2005

Global’s announced its new fall programming yesterday at an event at the Carlu, attended by Mr. Apprentice himself, Donald Trump. The standing-room only event was punctuated by the ringing of cell phones as part of Global’s new promotion entitled ‘Global’s Calling – If you’re in, you win.’ With phones hidden under select chairs, CanWest’s top brass gave away prizes of $1000 each throughout the event to a handful of lucky attendees.

This was a taste of a wider consumer promo engineered to net and keep eyeballs. The contest works like this: Viewers are invited to register their info online and to watch Global nightly for a code word. Prizes range from $500 up to $10,000 for viewers who know that word when called. Global’s Calling starts July 11 and runs for eight weeks. The network will also utilize trucks in the Vancouver and Toronto markets wrapped with contest details. The trucks will be visiting neighbourhoods to catch viewers at home who may be in the know.

The promotion is a small part of what Kathleen Dore, president, radio & TV calls Global’s ‘new attitude.’ She goes on to note the network’s dramatic increase in U.S. buys while continually investing in Canadian programming. However, she did admit: ‘We’re still number two. And we’re not satisfied. And we’re not going to be complacent.’

On Global’s prime time Mondays, old standby Arrested Development kicks off a night of all-new shows including half-hour sitcom Kitchen Confidential, Prison Break, followed by the Canadian drama Regenesis. On CH, Fathom provides the lead-in for Las Vegas and NCIS.

Tuesday nights brings Bones at 8 p.m., followed by the return of House and Gilmore Girls. On CH, new sitcom My Name is Earl is sits snugly at the 9 p.m. slot, after the Biggest Loser and the Office.

Wednesday nights on Global is filled with new shows. The Apprentice: Martha Stewart leads E-Ring and Threshold. CH has Chris O’Donnell’s Head Cases up after Pamela Anderson’s Stacked. The Closer with Kyra Sedgwick runs at 10 p.m.

Global didn’t touch its stellar Thursday night lineup of Survivor: Guatemala, the Apprentice and Without a Trace. On CH, hour-long drama Reunion follows Will & Grace, providing the lead-in for Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

There were no additions to both Global and CH’s Friday and Saturday schedules.

CanWest’s final buy, How I Met Your Mother lands in the Sunday night at 9:30 spot, with King of Queens and Two and a Half Men as its bookends.

Judging from its shopping list, the network is aggressively going after the male 18 to 34 market. So much so that Barbara Williams, SVP, programming and production dubbed CH ‘the cougar network’ in reference to its male-skewed lineup that includes new comedy My Name is Earl and aliens of the deep drama, Fathom among many others.

‘I think Fathom is one of the better supernatural offerings out there,’ comments Helena Shelton, VP, broadcast operations at the Media Company. ‘Some of (the programs) are very good. I think Global’s well-positioned to take over CTV (on certain nights). Or at least to start that.’

According to Kathy Gardner, SVP of research and promotions at CanWest, the big promo push is for Prison Break, a drama about a wrongly accused convict and his brother’s attempt to get him out. Out of home ads, online promos and events are on tap for this.

Also launching this fall for CanWest is an online panel for an ongoing communication with consumers. ‘This is for our advertisers and also for us to investigate asset development,’ says Gardner. The panel will consist of 15,000 Canadians across the country and is in development now.