Reason for TV Logos and animated adds? (1 Viewer)

[DeathStar1]

I remember a time, not too long ago, when TV used to be logo free. Maby a one second showing of it during the program popped up, most of the times during show credits, but that was it. We certainly didn't have animated monstrosities running across the screen during the program adversing another show.

Then around 1993/94, logos started popping up a little more. By the advent of DVD, logos where on full time, and now with the advent of TV on DVD, stations have gotten bolder with their logos, using animated Hulk things on the Sci-Fi channel during Knight Rider, advertising reality show over an airing reality show....

So, an inquiry. what are the chances the networks are doing this so you WANT to buy the official DVD's even more? If a show is aired uncut and logo free on TV, there's little incentive for the average person to buy the official release, despite cool extras.

Possible or not?

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Nope, won't wash. NBC swiped some footage from CNN, and claimed it as their own. CNN was the first station to use a logo to stop pilfering of news footage!

 

[Pamela]

The advent of the TV logo coincided with the plethora of cable stations. No need for a logo when there was only 3 networks and PBS. As more and more cable channels popped up and channel surfing became an Olympic sport, stations felt the need to ID their shows. Don't think it has anything to do with DVD.

 

[Scott Kimball]

It's really counterintuitive that a network would do anything to increase DVD sales... almost all entertainment programming is not owned by the network, and they get nothing out of later DVD sales.

For channels that air reruns, those DVDs are in direct competition with what they are paying out to the studio for broadcast rights. There are many reruns in syndication now, and/or starting in the fall, that are out DVD... Star Trek TNG, X-files, Buffy, Angel, M*A*S*H, Cheers, Frasier... ... ...

No the channel bug is just a station ID... a "branding." No matter that we all hate them, it creates brand identity and it works. The channels that are most guilty of it (TNN, FX, Scifi) can take comfort in the fact that it's almost impossible for a viewer to NOT remember that Stat Trek:TNG is on TNN, The Shield is on FX, and Stargate SG-1 is on Scifi.

The unfortunate thing is, the masses don't seem to care enough to complain. The few of us who are HTF hobbyists are driven crazy by this practice... but even if every member of HTF wrote a letter to the worst offenders, our numbers are not strong enough to offset the "brand identity" that these networks get out of what they do.

For me, personally... I NEVER watch TNN... and if they didn't do what they do, I may not have bought all seven seasons of TNG on DVD... but the funny thing is, TNN never saw a dime from me. Their advertisers did not reach me. My money went directly to Paramount, the same people that TNN pays for the broadcast rights. TNN in no way profited from ME via their "bug" practices.

-Scott

 

[ThomasC]

I immediately thought of one of the Simpsons episodes from the last season. After Fox had a Joe Millionaire ad go across the screen with the women in bridal gowns and such in an episode or two (or more), the Simpsons writers had the same thing happen, but this time, Homer is on the couch and sees it, goes "huh?", then grabs and eats it. "Mmm...promo...ew, Fox!"

 

[Jason Seaver]

TNN never saw a dime from me. Their advertisers did not reach me. My money went directly to Paramount, the same people that TNN pays for the broadcast rights. TNN in no way profited from ME via their "bug" practices.

Well, Viacom does own both TNN/Spike (got it with CBS) and Paramount. I don't know how autonomous the two parts of the company are, but one of the reasons TNN got reruns for the spinoff series was because they've got the same ownership.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

May was the 10th anniversary of the Fox Bug too, the first broadcast network in the US to do this. I haven't watched any of their shows since it started (I held onto The Simpsons as long as I could but the logo just made it a chore to watch), and when it started I thought for sure most people wouldn't tolerate it and it would stop soon. Matt Groening even protested the onscreen logo but not only did it not stop, but he ended up doing another show for them.

 

[DeathStar1]

Re: Simpsons Bug.


It got really bad for a while there with this one. A Fox logo on the left, a BIG Simpsons logo on the right. This seems to have stopped, though.

 

[JustinCleveland]

Yeah, it's all brand identification. I'm a radio guy, and we struggle to get our name out there, so the people with Arbitron ratings books can write us down... if we could have a voice that said, "B104.7" under every song, and you would hardly notice it, that would be great. But we know that would never work, and would only tick you off. It seems TV hasn't gotten this message yet... GET RID OF THE DAMN BUG. It can pop up every 5 minutes or so for a couple seconds, that works just as well. Instead, we as consumers have learned to tune it out, and it has lost all effectiveness. That's why they're getting bigger, and more obscene. Eventually, the stations will scrap them altogether and find some worse way to annoy us in the name of ratings and brand recognition.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Well, Viacom does own both TNN/Spike (got it with CBS) and Paramount. I don't know how autonomous the two parts of the company are, but one of the reasons TNN got reruns for the spinoff series was because they've got the same ownership.

Supposesdly they are are also frontrunning for Universal, which would be good in a way because maybe Sci-Fi could do for each Trek what they did for TOS

 

[Jeff Jacobson]

I immediately thought of one of the Simpsons episodes from the last season. After Fox had a Joe Millionaire ad go across the screen with the women in bridal gowns and such in an episode or two (or more), the Simpsons writers had the same thing happen, but this time, Homer is on the couch and sees it, goes "huh?", then grabs and eats it. "Mmm...promo...ew, Fox!"

And there was an earlier one where (in the couch gag) Homer rips the Fox logo from the corner of the screen and stomps on it.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

In honor of the 10th Anniversary of the Fox bug, here's the oldest Usenet post I could find on the subject:

Hi all.
Boy, am I mad. I don't watch any Fox shows except for The Simpsons, but
earlier this week, just in flipping channels, I noticed that on some Fox
shows, they super-imposd the most ANNOYING "Fox" logo in the lower-right
hand corner of the screen... not just for a few seconds, but for most of the
span of the show, as I watched...
I was hoping they wouldn't do that to the Simpsons, but it appears they have.
I can only assume it is a new Fox policy to put their stupid FOX logo on
every program there (and how CONVIENET for us, that it appears only during
the program. They graciously fade it away each time a commercial approaches)
Here's what I want to know: is it just the Fox station here in LA
(KTTV/11) that is doing this, or is it sent out to all the FOX stations
across the country?
It is DAMN annoying for me... especially because it's white-ish, and anything
with a colored background (blue, red, etc) it really stands out in plain
view. If Fox is so concerned to have their name in the show, at least they
could do something like what one of the local non-Fox independents here do:
They flash their station logo for 3-4 seconds after each commercial break.
I suppose that stops people from doing bad things, but it also disappears,
making a good compromise. I hope to god enough people write and call
Fox and their local affilates and complain about this. Put it this way:
it is ANNOYING, and those non-Simpsons shows that I will occasionally watch
(such as "Herman's Head") I will no longer watch as long as that stupid
logo is there. And I suppose now I'll have to wait for the Simpsons go
go into syndication starting next year is it? to see them now without
the logos.
*Can someone email me and tell me if it's just LA, or if their local
stations are doing it as well? PLEASE DO NOT AUTO-RESPOND HERE, but
rather email me at *THIS* address: [email protected]
*Do any of the shows creators hang out here? I think I saw that Bill Oakley
had an account on internet/usenet...are the people at Gracie aware of this
going on?
It sounds like making a fuss out of nothing,but at least to me, it ins't
nothing... to me, it is EXTREMELY annoying and distracting. As I said, I
don't complain with the local non-Fox station flashes their logo for a bit
after each break, but they're nice enough to make it disappear for most of the
episode... it's only there for a few seconds... unlike Fox which now it seems
must mar all of their shows with their stupid logo. What are they thinking?
That this "advertising" will make more loyal watchers? / That by reminding
us that we're watching Fox by pasting it on each and every show we'll
somehow like it? Some hip network. Are they too stupid to realize that
they're ruining the enjoyment fans of Fox's shows receive by watching them?
And when it's no longer fun to watch a show, people will tune out.

After 10 years, I'd like to hear someone from Fox tell me exactly what they've GAINED by doing this- not theorizing but actual results. All it's done is make me not watch their network (and the others the practice has since spread to.)

 

[Scott_J]

Herman's Head. There's a blast from the past, when FOX actually had funny sitcoms on their network.

Getting back to the topic at hand, how about that ABC 50 Years bug ABC used for a couple weeks? That was annoying. But luckily the only show I watch on that network is Jimmy Kimmel Live, so I didn't have to be subjected to it too much.

 

[ThomasC]

It got really bad for a while there with this one. A Fox logo on the left, a BIG Simpsons logo on the right. This seems to have stopped, though.

Hmm, I don't remember seeing the Simpsons logo. What seasons did they do that with?

 

[Scott_J]

Thomas, I believe Neil is referring to a practice that WNYW, the NY FOX affiliate, did for a while a couple years back on many of their syndicated sitcoms, including the Simpsons. They had their normal bug in the lower right corner of the screen, and a yellow circle with the show's logo in the lower left corner for the duration of the program.

AFAIK, FOX (the network) never did that. Just a local thing at WNYW (and possibly other affils across the country?).

 

[MarkHastings]

I forget which (The Simpsons or Futurama), but they put that freakin Monster banner at the bottom of the screen for the new American Idol for kids

Every day, broadcast TV is getting higher and higher on my shit list.

What's next? Half of the screen being covered every 2 minutes so someone can come on and yell "YOU'RE WATCHING FOX!!!".

I guess their trying to use these shows to promote new shows since most people that have ReplayTV and TIVO don't watch too many commercials.

I mean COME ON! I pay for my cable bill, and I'm sure the networks get enough advertising money. I'm surprised someone like Matt Groening doesn't say something to these studios about covering parts of his show for advertising. It's obvious that he is upset about the crap they pull with these show. Like in the Futurama commentaries when they show the credits and Matt makes a comment about "actually being able to read the credits", which is in reference to the fact that most stations usually shrink the damn credits down to 1/4 screen so they can put MORE advertising into the episode.

 

[ThomasC]

"YOU'RE WATCHING FOX!!!"

[monotone Simpsons family voice]We are watching Fox.[/monotone Simpsons family voice]

:frowning:

 

[Dan Rudolph]

I loved it when Homer ate the Joe Millionaire add.

 

[Chris Hovanic]

FX's bugs as of late are way obscene. The MR Lucky show with (what seem like 2 foot dice) tumbling across my screen and the sound of a slot machine so loud you cant hear the dialog of the show. Then there is the one for the movie? 44 minutes... gun blasts so loud you think your actually in the gun fight.

Thank god its on the wifes show and I don't have to watch it all the time.

 

[Scott-S]

Well, I guess the viewers lost the battle.

It is now almost 2006 and the logos and ads are on all stations and getting bigger.

Sigh.