Las Vegas station plugging products during newscasts

By Len Gutman on July 22nd, 2008 In Media

MickeyDI suppose it was only a matter of time before TV news crossed this bridge. The New York Times ran a story todayabout the anchors at the Fox affiliate in Las Vegas, KVVU, sitting with cups of McDonald’s iced coffee on their desks during the “news-and-lifestyle” portion of their morning show.

Product placement has long been a fixture in film and television entertainment shows, but this is pretty cutting-edge for TV news. According to the article, other Meredith owned stations are experimenting with product placement as well.

I guess ethics are now officially a thing of the past for TV journalism. I seriously can’t see a way this doesn’t jeopardize coverage. How long before the station owner calls down to the producer and kills a negative story about McDonald’s? Don’t even tell me this can’t happen — because it does and will.

This story makes me feel ashamed to have a journalism degree. And I’d say something pithy about how TV news has really always been the junior circuit compared to newspaper journalism, but newspapers are just as guilty. You know how I feel about the preponderance of advertising in newspapers and those eye assaulting stickers that now cover the news.

Really though, American news as an institution has just about fully succumbed to the all-mighty dollar. Sure, advertising has always had a place in journalism…but things have gone topsy turvy of late. And I’m sure you’re sitting there thinking PR is just as bad because it’s really advertising posing as copy. But at least the journalists can opt to not write a story when I send a news release. How’s a producer at KVVU going to put the kibosh on a softball McDonald’s story now?

I’m having a bad “career” day! Maybe I should give up and go get a job selling cars.

Las Vegas station plugging products during newscasts

Comments

Pat Elliott Says:
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:00 pm

Len – In a market where “The Place with More News” calls on-air talent “3-TV Personalities” and multiple stations run paid advertising disguised as programming, can product placement be far behind in local news?

Some local broadcast reporters may want to join you in selling those cars.

Dan Wool Says:
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:26 pm

“Cutting-edge?” Are you kidding? Stuff like this has been going on for years — it’s Publicity (and Advertising) 101: get a trusted third party to endorse your product. With the kind of light banter that goes on during AM (a/k/a -ahem- “coffee talk”) shows, it fits right in.

So when we secure something like this for publicity sake it’s okay but when McDonald’s or other consumer brands are smart enough to formalize it and help stations skirt the squirmy feelings every TV producer has about a blatant food or product plug, it’s not?

How is sending Brad Perry to get a massage on-camera at some Scottsdale day spa on “National Backrub Day” any different? Or The Knot wedding magazine doing an 10 week wedding contest on The Today Show? Or the pay-for-play that goes on with the local midday shows? Or the ghosted NBC Olympics logo on their national newscasts? Or Paul Harvey pitching Roach Prufe mid-newscast?

It’s all the same. Whether it was a timely PR pitch, a cross-promotion, a paid — or in this case, a passive — advert, it’s content generated commerce.

Yes, it is sad to see a co-mingling of news and commercialism but let’s not be naive either — ads of all kinds have paid news department bills since Grog chiseled a dinosaur steakhouse ad into the first newspaper.

So, damn. They caught us. They monetized our idea and the terrain is no longer free for PR people to secure on our own. On to bigger challenges — clearly, we can lead anchors to coffee, but now must get them to drink.

PRChick Says:
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:08 am

Channel 12 is all pay for play these days, so half the time I figure why bother? Nothing new…

Felice Says:
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:29 pm

The Holly Hunter character in “Broadcast News” would be mortified. I say, “oy vey.”

Dan Wool Says:
July 24th, 2008 at 1:39 pm

NEWS DIRECTOR: (barking) “What’s it like to always be the smartest person in the room?!”

HUNTER: “It’s TERRIBLE…!” (sob sob sob) ;-)

Pat Elliott Says:
July 24th, 2008 at 2:12 pm

Dan: Damn. They caught us.

Len: Guess we have to change the name of the blog to the “Valley Ho Blog”

You guys are…um…priceless. Keep up the good work.

Dan Wool Says:
July 24th, 2008 at 2:25 pm

hey baby hey baby hey baby ;-)

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