B'casters Start Promoting Return of Prime-time Shows

NEW YORK As broadcasters await the return of their established series following the writers' strike, a top priority has become making viewers aware of fresh episodes. To that end, the four major nets have begun running on-air promotional spots touting their shows' returns.

NBC uses the Welcome Back Kotter theme song to herald the return of its Thursday prime-time sitcoms.

"Comedy still holds a legacy for NBC," said John Miller, CMO at NBC Universal TV Group. "So we wanted to make sure our focus was there."

Although most of NBC's marketing muscle will be flexed on its own air, Miller said the network would look to print, radio and digital to promote its shows.

ABC also plans to go off-channel. Under the title "All You Need to Know About," the net is prepping four-minute season recaps of Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, Ugly Betty and Samantha Who?, which will first appear on ABC.com and then on other online outlets.

"We're just trying to cover all our bases," said Marla Provencio, co-evp, marketing for ABC Entertainment. "It's important for us to search out our viewers wherever they might have gone since these shows have been in repeats."

CBS is playing up its NCAA March Madness telecasts to hype its shows. "The multi-week tournament is a great opportunity to let viewers know we're back," a spokesman said.

Of course, finding viewers may be easier said than done. "We are concerned that there might be some form of malaise setting in among audiences," said Joe Earley, evp, marketing and communications at Fox Broadcasting. "It's almost like a summer viewing attitude, where people are used to the idea that their favorite shows are in repeats, and they don't really need to pay attention until the fall."

Earley said Fox could also face an uphill battle airing original episodes of House and Bones on a new night, Monday. "We have to do some noisy messaging about that," he said.

Even so, the noisiest of messages can't guarantee results. "What may happen is it may take some time to get the whole new audience back," said Provencio. "But we're hoping that viewers are really looking for something new. They just don't know when all of this will air. And once some of them understand that, word of mouth will help get those we haven't reached."