Fine Living flies the skies with Air Canada this fall
Air Canada has picked up four of specialty net Fine Living’s most-popular half-hour programs. Fantasy Camp, Simply Wine, Radical Sabbatical and The Great Adventure are on tap for the airline’s in-flight entertainment this fall. Domestic and U.S. flights will run the shows in September, while international flights will air these in October of this year. The deal was done direct.
ComBase Market Focus: Estevan, SK
The 8,700 adults in the census area (CA) of Estevan, Sask. are heavy community newspaper readers:
* Almost half Estevan’s adult population (48%) are light radio listeners, reporting that they listen to less than 3.5 hours per week.
* Over a third (35%) are light TV viewers and watch less than 9.5 hours per week.
* Only 23% report reading their weekday daily newspaper.
Nine out of 10 Estevan adults report reading any weekday community newspaper:
* 92% of light radio listeners read community newspapers.
* 90% of light TV viewers read community newspapers.
* 94% of daily newspaper readers are also reading community newspapers.
Source: ComBase 2003-2004 Study
ComBase, the Community Newspaper Database, is a syndicated consumer-media survey of more than 400 Canadian markets that provides market-by-market information. It is an initiative of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and its nearly 700 members across the country. For more information, contact Kelly Levson, senior project manager, kellylevson@combase.ca.
New comedy series to air on Comedy
Cameras have started rolling on a new 13-episode, half-hour comedy series called Jeff Ltd. The show, billed as a mix of Curb your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld and The Office follows Jeff, a partner in a nickel-and-dime ad and promo agency, who can’t help but jump at any get-rich-quick scheme. The show stars Gemini-award winning actor Jeff Seymour. It’s slated to air on the Comedy Network later this year. Product placement opps exist here as the producers have approached Brunico Communications, the parent company of Media in Canada, for issues of sister publication Strategy in one episode.
CTV preems new comedy/variety/game show
Small-town America goes to the Big Apple in My Kind of Town, a one-hour show that combines comedy, variety and game show. Every week, 200 people from a small town head to New York to participate in games and gags. CTV will air five episodes beginning Sunday, Aug. 14 at 9 p.m. The series will be hosted by Brit personality Johnny Vaughan.
CHUM’s music nets release fall program line-up
MuchMusic and sister net MuchMoreMusic have confirmed timeslots for their new fall series.
On Much, Much 911 airs beginning Monday, Aug. 15 at 7:30. This is a half-hour show on wish fulfillment – Much style.
The half-hour weekly The It List hits TV screens beginning Sunday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. The program runs through all things cool in pop culture.
Video on Trial is a half-hour deconstruction of today’s hottest music videos. It airs weekly beginning Monday, Aug. 15.
Born to Be is Much’s answer to VH-1’s Driven, charting the path to rock star greatness. Born to Be airs Mondays at 8:30, beginning Aug. 15.
Tues. Aug. 16 sees the premiere of No.1s — an hour-long show that has Much VJs looking at the buzz around the chart toppers.
Ride with Funkmaster Flex airs for 30 minutes beginning on Sunday, Aug. 15 at 5 p.m. This is a weekly look into celebrity car culture.
The net has also picked up Rock School to air in September. The half-hour show follows Kiss bassist Gene Simmons as he descends upon an English boarding school. His mission? To transform classically trained 13-year-olds into rock gods. Then, R U The Girl with T-Boz and Chilli is an hour-long show that follows the girls of R ‘n’ B group TLC as they search for a third member. This show is slated for a September air date.
Over at MuchMoreMusic, The ABCs of Rock premieres on Monday, Aug. 15 at 6 p.m. The half-hour chronicles a weekly by-the-letter crash course in rock and pop culture.
HeatMeter takes a half-hour to ask ‘who’s hotter?’ pitting two stars against each other on the hotness scale. It airs weekly beginning Tuesday, Aug. 16 at 8 p.m.
Evolution airs Mondays, beginning Aug. 15 at 8 p.m. This half-hour series charts the development of pop music styles in the ’80s and ’90s.
Finally, Motormouth airs on Sundays, beginning Aug. 14 at 8 p.m. This exclusive half-hour series puts hidden cameras in cars to capture unsuspecting car singers in mid-wail. The famously awful William Hung ain’t got nothin’ on these guys.
Event
September 20
Media in Canada Forum: What’s the Plan
York Event Theatre, Toronto
416.408.2300 x313
www.mediaincanada.com/forum/2005/
Presented by strategy and Media in Canada, the forum will assemble a group of leading media and marketing representatives to offer their insights and share tangible solutions for the challenges media agencies and marketers are facing. Keynote is David Verklin, CEO, CARAT Americas, speaking on ‘The Crackle of Change.’
Springboard launches digital grocery shopper
Your typical shopping cart is about to get a lot more high tech, allowing marketers, as well as participating retailers to advertise while the consumer shops. King City, Ont.’s Springboard Retail Networks (springboardnetworks.com) is launching the Concierge Electronic Shopping System in the fall.
The device, to be put on shopping cart handles in grocery stores cross-country (so far the company has signed one major chain), will provide ultra-targeted dynamic ad opps and allow retailers to display in-store specials through its wireless web portal.
The Hockey Source seeks sponsors
The NHL network is soon to air the first season of The Hockey Source, a half-hour magazine show that will cover the world of minor hockey. The themed program includes interviews, topic discussions as well as tips and facts. And, according to creator, host and executive producer Kevin Huhn, sponsorship opportunities abound. Already signed are brands Nike, Bauer, Sherwood and CCM.
‘We’re filming shows six and seven this week and the program goes to 13 shows so opportunities for sponsorship and product placement are definitely there,’ says Huhn. He also says there are plans to take the show to Europe and Australia. The Hockey Source will air weekly beginning Tuesday, August 16 at 6:30 p.m. on the NHL network. The show’s target aud is 5 to 17-year olds or ‘anyone in minor hockey,’ says Huhn.
Research watch: ComScore releases study on daytime online behaviour
In an effort to prove that daytime is prime time – at least for online – Toronto-based audience measurement firm ComScore Media Metrix has announced the creation of a new Work Only database that measures Canadians’ online behaviour during the day while at work. The database was a cooperative effort between ComScore Canada and five founding organizations including: CanWest MediaWorks, CBC/Radio Canada, MSN Canada, Bell Canada and the Yellow Pages Group. According to a spokesperson, data highlights will be released next month. Media Metrix is an operating unit of ComScore Canada.
http://www.comscore.com
BBM media snapshot: Canadians and camping
* 3.8 million Canadians (14%) frequently use camping as accommodation when on vacation.
* The majority of these campers are under 44 years old.
* The Prairies and B.C. stand out as the regions with the highest incidence of frequent campers at almost 1.4 times the national average.
* Their interest for outdoor activities compared to the Canadian average:
* When in season, their top activities are hiking (86%, 1.8 times more than national average), swimming (68%), cycling (59%) and fishing (54%, 1.5 times more than the national average).
* They canoe 1.9 times more and participate 1.8 times more in adventure sports (scuba diving, water rafting, etc.) than the national average.
* During the past two years, camping accommodation users bought 2.4 times more camping equipment, 1.7 times more hunting/fishing equipment, 3.2 times more camping trailers, and 1.6 times more ATVs (all terrain vehicle) compared to the national averages
* TV (86%), radio (86%) and Internet (59%) are the top media vehicles to communicate with them (as of yesterday’s exposure).
* Their preferred radio formats are adult contemporary, news talk, classic/mainstream rock and mainstream top 40.
Source: BBM RTS Canada Fall ’04 / Spring ’04, individuals 12+
The preceding information is from BBM RTS, a syndicated consumer-media survey of over 60,000 Canadians, conducted twice a year by BBM Canada. For more information contact Craig Dorning of BBM Canada: cdorning@bbm.ca.
Yahoo! develops proprietary ad measurement platform
On the pulse of measurement and accountability in advertising, Yahoo! has announced a new measurement and reporting platform that measures online advertising. The platform, now available in the U.S. with a global roll-out slated for early 2006, counts and reports ad impressions after the ad has been displayed on the page. Yahoo!’s measurement platform was certified by media ratings auditor Media Ratings Council (MRC). Earlier this year, the Internet services company acted as chair of the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) Global Internet Ad Impression Measurement task force. The IAB is the first organization to create a global measurement standard accepted by online ad industry stakeholders in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America. The standard measures the ad itself as delivered to a user whereas other media measures the content where the ad is placed.
War drama to air on History
Over There, the first scripted hour-long TV drama set in the current war with Iraq, is set to hit screens beginning September 6 at 9 p.m. on History Television. The show is comprised of 13 episodes and is produced by Steven Bochco (NYPD Blue) and Chris Gerolomo (Citizen X). Over There targets adults 25-54 with a male skew.
Event
October 5
We Media: Behold the Power of Us
Associated Press World Headquarters, New York City
703.715.3301
http://www.mediacenter.org/wemedia05/
Non-profit media technology society think tank The Media Centre will host ‘We Media: Behold the Power of Us,’ a conference that will cover topics such as media gawking, activism and democracy; and culture, politics and buzz. Speakers include: Craig Forman, VP and GM of Yahoo! and Andrew Heyward, president of CBS News.
PMB Factoid
Chewing gum; by age
