Archive for the ‘Branding’ Category

ESPN to rebrand ESPN360.com as ESPN3.com

In an interesting move, ESPN will rename it’s broadband channel April 4.

“The name ESPN3.com more closely aligns with the existing naming convention for our networks,” said Sean Bratches, executive vice president, sales and marketing. “We have approached this as a network for years, and as users have become more accustomed to engaging with content across various screens, it made sense to make adjustments that reflect both the product’s and the industry’s evolution.”

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‘News doctor’ Frank Magid dead at 78

Frank Magid, a veteran television consultant often dubbed the “news doctor” has died at 78, reports the Washington Post.

Magid, who founded Frank Magid Associates, a top research and consulting firm for a wide variety of industries, is known for spreading the “Action News” format to counter the success of the “Eyewitness News” brand. The first station to use the “Action News” format, WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, remains a dominant station in the market today.

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L.A. ‘NewsCentral’ branding gone after less than five months

Well that didn’t take long.

CBS’s duopoly of KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV in Los Angeles has stopped using the combined moniker “NewsCentral,” just several months after adopting the name in July.

Word is that incoming GM Steve Mauldin, who comes from the CBS O&O duopoly in Dallas, axed the name.

As you many recall, “NewsCentral” was also the name of Sinclair Broadcasting’s ill-fated attempt to centralize news operations that ended in 2006.

Orlando station changes branding

WESH-TV, the NBC affiliate serving Orlando, Fla., has a new slogan.

The station, which is owned by Hearst-Argyle, had been using “Big Coverage of the Big Story,” but as of Dec. 1 at 4 p.m., switched to “Local. Live. Latebreaking.”

The new slogan is based on the “LLL” branding used at many stations in the U.S., including several of WESH-TV’s sister ones. However, WESH-TV has chosen to swap “Live” and “Local” from their more common locations, likely to emphasize the local-ness of the newscasts rather than “live.”

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KGMB-TV and KHNL-TV debut Hawaii News Now

After combining news operations and efforts, KGMB-TV and KHNL-TV have debuted Hawaii News Now, a new news operation in the heart of Hawaii that combines both stations efforts into one “super-station”.

In August, the three stations–two owned by Raycom, one by MCG Capital–announced they’d all be under the same roof as part of a shared services agreement. The process is still going on, says reporter Rick Daysog.

Raycom Media of Alabama, which owns KHNL and K5, said the deal is necessary to prevent one or two of the three stations from going under during a severe downturn in the local television advertising market.

As part of the merger, both stations combined resources and newsrooms. Continue reading to see images of the new joint effort.

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Vegas stations dumping slogans for new ones

The Las Vegas Review Journal has an interesting and witty column on the local market’s use of news slogans.

More details a link to the story after the jump.

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Columnist offers ways stations can boost brands

In a guest column for TVNewsCheck, Paul Greeley pens his ideas for ways stations can create better marketing campaigns and branding strategies.

The column comes on the heels of NBC’s recent decision to consolidate marketing departments and offers up some interesting and, in some cases, daring, ideas, such as adding topical mini-newscasts before local news, partnership with radio stations to match demographics and working with cable channels to promote local news.

Meredith unveils new logo

Meredith Corp., which owns TV stations throughout the country as well as magazine titles including Better Homes & Gardens, has a new look.

According to a press release:

“To help visualize its evolution, Meredith is introducing an updated corporate logo. It features four interlaced letter “m’s” that reflect Meredith’s ability to distribute content across multiple platforms and bring to bear all its marketing services capabilities on behalf of clients. The colors, typeface and fonts are inviting, social and friendly, all attributes that align well with Meredith’s brands and culture.”

Read more and see samples of the logo at work in brochures and other branding materials at the Brand New blog.