Television

The new TV season is rapidly approaching. We're hard at work making all the promos, ads, apps, stunts, and social media content designed to catch America's eyes, whet their appetites, and get them to tune in to CBS in September.

Getting people's attention in the summer months is particularly tough: kids are out of school and the nation is in vacation mode. It's a time for cookouts, swimsuits, and state fairs.

So this year, we're taking a high-tech, high-touch approach by going directly to the people and their summer events with the CBS Buzz Tour … Read more

We're hitting the road this summer with the CBS Buzz Tour, bringing all things CBS directly to the fans. CBS giveaways, a photo green screen experience, and special events may be coming to a city near you! Read more about it in a recent New York Times article.

And be sure to "Like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @cbsbuzz to get the latest updates on the CBS Buzz Tour!

In an article about 2012 upfront week "disappointments," Broadcasting & Cable incorrectly stated that CBS promised cupcakes at its upfront afterparty but did not deliver. I contacted them to set the record straight -- we promised cupcakes and delivered cupcakes (handed out by servers in "Two Broke Girl" waitress outfits no less)! B&C issued the following correction in the May 28, 2012 issue.

Couch potatoes everywhere have lost a true hero. Eugene Polley, inventor of the first wireless remote control, died on May 20 at the age of 96. As an engineer at Zenith Electronics in 1955, Polley created the Flash-Matic remote control, a device that, for the first time ever, gave viewers the ability to change channels without leaving the comfort of their couches and recliners.

Read the full obituary in The New York Times.

Read my post about remotes "Clicking into the Future."

Visit our Remote Control Gallery on The CBS Attic.

The influential Jack Myers Media Business Report gave CBS 5 out of 5 "Jacks" (the equivalent of 5 out of 5 stars) in its annual Television Upfront Report card.

Here is Ed Martin's review:

CBS (5 Jacks) Anyone who might wonder why CBS usually takes top honors for the week need only have walked through Carnegie Hall before its presentation even began to understand why it remains the network to beat for upfront effectiveness. For the better part of a half-hour before the show started, a vivid display of glamorous and exciting images and videos featuring all … Read more

And we're off! On May 16, we held CBS's 2012 Upfront presentation, the annual show-and-tell at Carnegie Hall where we introduce our new fall schedule to advertisers. The upfront is a tremendous source of pride for us at CBS. It's a celebration of broadcast television and the fun and important business of entertaining America. (See my post from May 2010 for a full description of how the upfronts work.)

In addition to bringing in the stars of CBS's numerous hit shows, we often feature surprise appearances and performances from special celebrity guests. This year, hip hop … Read more

That wise old marketing philosopher Yogi Berra said: "I don't make predictions, especially about the future." By looking back at some of the history of entertainment marketing and how people have responded to it over time, we can gain perspectives that help us in the present and future.

We're heading into the Upfront season -- the time each year when television networks host presentations in New York to introduce our new shows and fall schedules to the advertising community. Now is a good time to look back at our collection of vintage CBS print ads from … Read more

Even with all of the media choices available to viewers today, on-air promotion continues to be the single most effective way for TV marketers like CBS to get the word out about our shows. Yes, we also advertise on every media platform in every format -- print, digital, outdoor, radio, mobile, social. But nothing has the same creative impact as the running our promos on the first screen.

Promos give people a free sample of the show. Research tells us that viewers like promos -- they view them as entertainment content and program information that helps them decide what to … Read more

In a world of limitless choice, the appetite for big event television continues to grow. And as exciting and pervasive as social media chatter about television has become, it simply reflects -- and often magnifies -- the enduring power of what happens on the first screen.

For example, with more than 13 million viewers, the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on CBS delivered a 4 percent increase over last year's ratings. That's the result of a vibrant country music community looking to connect with their favorite artists and each other during the live broadcast.

Together with … Read more