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A promo (a shorthand term for promotion) is a form of commercial advertising used in broadcast media, either television or radio, which promotes a program airing on a television or radio station/network to the viewing or listening audience. Promos usually appear during commercial breaks, although sometimes they appear during another program.
Promos typically run from 15 to 60 seconds, with 30-second spots being the most common, although some occasionally last run as little as five seconds or as long as 90 seconds. Most promos show select video or audio clips of scenes or segments from an upcoming program (such as a television or radio series, film or special). Some television promos (particularly for an upcoming television series) utilize a monologue format in which a star or host of the program breaks the fourth wall, which is often done in a humorous and/or parodical manner. Most radio promos utilize this format as well, with a host of the program discussing the show itself, though some feature audio clips from past editions of the radio broadcast. Broadcast television stations promote upcoming newscasts by featuring teases of select story packages to be featured in the broadcast, such as an investigative report or a special-interest feature segment. [1]
The airdate and time of the program's broadcast as well as the name and/or logo of the station or network that the program will be broadcast on are displayed either at the end of or throughout the promo (in the latter case, the airtime and network/station may be displayed before it is mentioned verbally by the announcer). Until the mid-1980s on broadcast television stations, the text showing the date and time, along with the station logo were displayed on the bottom of the screen (unlike with broadcast and cable television, airtime information is not pre-displayed on promos for syndicated programs as syndicated programs are typically aired at different times depending on the market, and are instead inserted by the station itself); however, stations now posterize graphics over the tail end of a syndicated program promos where the program's logo is shown (many stations use this treatment on promos for programs airing on networks that the station maintains an affiliation, such as Fox and The CW) or show the latter portion of the promo within a box surrounded by the graphic.
Premium cable channels and other television networks that do not accept outside advertising traditionally only air promos during pre-determined breaks that start after a program concludes; the length of these breaks can vary depending on the start time of the succeeding program, it is feasible for multiple program promotions to be shown within the break until the start of the next program. Types of promotional media:- 1) television 2) radio 3) internet 4) billboards 5) newspapers, magazines 6) pamphlets 7) SMS 8) brochures 9) word of mouth
An ad in the lower third of a TV screen during a show helps to remind people what network they are watching. Called a snipe, this type of promotion targets people, especially younger people, who are used to seeing such items when they look at computer screens or cell phones. Some people have criticized the practice because it is distracting, and in some cases such ads cover up subtitles and prevent information from being seen. In some cases, the additional information can help people understand a story, but in others, too much information can interfere with communication. [2]
The Fox Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with additional offices at the Fox Broadcasting Center in New York and the Fox Television Center in Los Angeles. Launched as a competitor to the Big Three television networks on October 9, 1986, Fox went on to become the most successful attempt at a fourth television network. It was the highest-rated free-to-air network in the 18–49 demographic from 2004 to 2012 and 2020, and became the most-watched American television network in total viewership during the 2007–08 season.
The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American multinational commercial broadcast television network that serves as the flagship property of Walt Disney Television, a division of Disney General Entertainment Content of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, California, on Riverside Drive, directly across the street from Walt Disney Studios and adjacent to the Roy E. Disney Animation Building. The network's secondary offices, and headquarters of its news division, are in New York City, at its broadcast center at 77 West 66th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Station identification is the practice of radio and television stations and networks identifying themselves on-air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name. This may be to satisfy requirements of licensing authorities, a form of branding, or a combination of both. As such, it is closely related to production logos, used in television and cinema alike.
Nick at Nite is an American family-oriented nighttime programming block that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon. It typically broadcasts from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., 9:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. (Saturdays) ET/PT. The block is marketed as a separate network from Nickelodeon for ratings purposes, similar to Adult Swim, the nighttime branding of Cartoon Network.
A news ticker is a horizontal or vertical text-based display either in the form of a graphic that typically resides in the lower third of the screen space on a television station or network or as a long, thin scoreboard-style display seen around the facades of some offices or public buildings dedicated to presenting headlines or minor pieces of news. It is an evolution of the ticker tape, a continuous paper print-out of stock quotes from a printing telegraph which was mainly used in stock exchanges before the advance of technology in the 1960s.
A digital on-screen graphic, digitally originated graphic (DOG), bug, or network bug) is a watermark-like station logo that most television broadcasters overlay over a portion of the screen area of their programs to identify the channel. They are thus a form of permanent visual station identification, increasing brand recognition and asserting ownership of the video signal.
Breaking news, interchangeably termed late-breaking news and also known as a special report or special coverage or news flash, is a current issue that broadcasters feel warrants the interruption of scheduled programming or current news in order to report its details. Its use is also assigned to the most significant story of the moment or a story that is being covered live. It could be a story that is simply of wide interest to viewers and has little impact otherwise. Many times, breaking news is used after the news organization has already reported on the story. When a story has not been reported on previously, the graphic and phrase "Just In" is sometimes used instead.
In broadcasting, a commercial bumper, ident bumper, or break-bumper is a brief announcement, usually two to fifteen seconds in length that can contain a voice over, placed between a pause in the program and its commercial break, and vice versa. The host, the program announcer, or a continuity announcer states the title of the presentation, the name of the program, and the broadcast or cable network, though not necessarily in that order. On children's television networks, they are sometimes called external eyecatches due to the resemblance of internal eyecatches in anime and there is usually no voice over, but some bumpers do feature one. Bumper music, often a recurring signature or theme music segment, is nearly always featured. Bumpers can vary from simple text to short films.
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) has used several corporate logos over the course of its history. The first logo was used in 1926 when the radio network began operations. Its most famous logo, the peacock, was first used in 1956 to highlight the network's color programming. While it has been in use in one form or another for all but four years since then, the peacock did not become part of NBC's main logo until 1979 and did not become the network's sole logo until 1987. The logos were designed by NBC itself. The first logo incorporated design from parent company RCA, and was a unique logo not related to the NBC radio network.
Below is a glossary of terms used in broadcasting.
In the United States, commercial radio stations make most of their revenue by selling airtime to be used for running radio advertisements. These advertisements are the result of a business or a service providing a valuable consideration, usually money, in exchange for the station airing their commercial or mentioning them on air. The most common advertisements are "spot commercials", which normally last for no more than one minute, and longer programs, commonly running up to one hour, known as "informercials".
The WB 100+ Station Group was a national programming service of The WB Television Network—owned by the Warner Bros. Entertainment division of Time Warner, the Tribune Company, and group founder and longtime WB network president Jamie Kellner—intended primarily for American television markets ranked #100 and above by Nielsen Media Research estimates. Operating from September 21, 1998 to September 18, 2006, The WB 100+ comprised an affiliate group that was initially made exclusively of individually branded cable television channels serving areas that lacked availability for a locally based WB broadcast affiliate and supplied a nationalized subfeed consisting of WB network and syndicated programs; in the network's waning years, the WB 100+ group began maintaining primary affiliations on full-power and low-power stations in certain markets serviced by the feed.
The CW Plus is a secondary national programming service feed of The CW, owned by The CW Network, LLC, that is intended primarily for American television markets ranked #100 and above by Nielsen Media Research estimates. The service is primarily carried on digital subchannels and multichannel subscription television providers, although it maintains primary affiliations on full-power and low-power stations in certain markets.
The Night of Favorites and Farewells was a one-time special lineup that aired on The WB on September 17, 2006. It consisted of pilot episodes for some of the network's most popular and longest-running shows. The five-hour block was aired on most affiliates of The CW with the exception of those which had taken affiliation with MyNetworkTV, unless they kept The WB as a secondary affiliation. It served as The WB's last nationally broadcast schedule, as the network, which had been on the air since January 11, 1995, officially shut down after the series Dawson's Creek ended to make room for The CW.
In broadcasting, local insertion is the act or capability of a broadcast television station, radio station or cable system to insert or replace part of a network feed with content unique to the local station or system. Most often this is a station identification, but is also commonly used for television or radio advertisements, or a weather or traffic report. A digital on-screen graphic, commonly a translucent watermark, may also be keyed (superimposed) with a television station ID over the network feed using a character generator using genlock. In cases where individual broadcast stations carry programs separate from those shown on the main network, this is known as regional variation or an opt-out.
Brokered programming is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot commercials. A brokered program is typically not capable of garnering enough support from advertisements to pay for itself, and may be controversial, esoteric or an advertisement in itself.
In broadcasting, continuity or presentation is announcements, messages and graphics played by the broadcaster between specific programmes. It typically includes programme schedules, announcement of the programme immediately following and trailers or descriptions of forthcoming programmes. Continuity can be spoken by an announcer or displayed in text over graphics. On television continuity generally coincides with a display of the broadcaster's logo or ident. Advertisements are generally not considered part of continuity because they are advertising another company.
Antenna TV is an American digital television network owned by Nexstar Media Group. The network's programming consists of classic television series, primarily sitcoms, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Antenna TV's programming and advertising operations are headquartered in the WGN-TV studios in Chicago. The network's operations are overseen by Sean Compton, who serves as the president of strategic programming and acquisitions for Nexstar.
TV advertisements by country refers to how television advertisements vary in different countries and regions.
The American cable and satellite television network Pop was originally launched in 1981 as a barker channel service providing a display of localized channel and program listings for cable television providers. Later on, the service, branded Prevue Channel or Prevue Guide and later as Prevue, began to broadcast interstitial segments alongside the on-screen guide, which included entertainment news and promotions for upcoming programs. After Prevue's parent company, United Video Satellite Group, acquired the entertainment magazine TV Guide in 1998, the service was relaunched as TV Guide Channel, which now featured full-length programs dealing with the entertainment industry, including news magazines and reality shows, along with red carpet coverage from major award shows.