February 6th, 2012 
joel Just a few voters shared their interactions with Erie media via social networks when we asked the question. The most common use indicated that people are willing to post a link to an Erie online story on their personal Facebook wall, as well as “Like” local Erie media Facebook pages.
It time for our annual local Super Bowl ad poll. We’ve listed the top ten ads as picked by the USA Today panel. Their favorite this year was from Doritos:
What was your favorite?
Loading ... February 2nd, 2012 joel 
How the Hard Rock Hotel is promoting the Big Game
When a local reporter gets tapped to cover a professional sports championship, its a plum of an assignment that makes up for all those miserable quarters of high school football in the sleet, or the mind-numbing innings of a pitching dual.
What makes covering the championship of the National Football League unique, is that depending on your lawyers’ interpretation of copyright and trademark laws, these reporters may not be able to specifically name the event they are covering. That’s the case of Mike Ruzzi and Jay Puskar, whose station WICU will broadcast the Pro Football Championship Sunday evening. In a spot promoting their coverage from Indianapolis, the talk is all about the Championship and the Big Game.
In a Chicago Tribune article Wednesday, the paper quotes an NFL spokesman regarding protecting their trademarked phrase “Super Bowl”, “When we become aware of a potential violation, we will be very aggressive, and sending a cease and desist letter would be the first step.”
In a 2008 newsletter to its clients, broadcast law firm Leventhal, Senter & Lerman warned that:
Without express permission from the NFL or the teams, you may not use the following, or related protected
words or logos in marketing or promotions:
- “Super Bowl”
- “Super Sunday”
- The Super Bowl logo
- “NFL”, “AFC”, or “NFC”
- “National Football League”
- “American Football Conference”
- “National Football Conference”
- Any team name (e.g., “Patriots”) or nickname (“Pats”)
The law firm goes on to indicate that stations can’t even give away tickets to the game in a promotion, even if they paid for them; it’s one of the terms and conditions on the ticket itself.
I’m quite sure that the verbal gymnastics Mike and Jay might occasionally enter into won’t diminish the coolness of one of the best assignments of their careers…at the big game in Indianapolis.
Posted in Television 
Tags: Chicago Tribune, Hard Rock Hotel, Jay Puskar, Leventhal Senter & Lerman, Mike Ruzzi, NFL, Super Bowl, WICU 
No Comments » February 7th, 2011 joel Here’s the good news for wireless retailers: nearly half of P&T poll respondents already own a smartphone. The bad news? Less than 15% are in the market for a new phone this year. Of those, Android phones are the preferred choice. Fully 42% say they don’t want a smartphone.
This week we want to get your picks for Super Bowl ad of the year. For the first time ever, USA Today had a tie for first place in their Ad Meter poll, each featuring dogs! It was between a Doritos spot and the following Bud Light commercial.
What’s your #1?
What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial from the Top 10 USA Today Ad Meter results?
Total Voters: 50
Loading ... Posted in Polls Tags: Bud Light, Doritos, Google Android, smartphone, Super Bowl, USA Today 2 Comments » February 22nd, 2010 joel In our Super Bowl ad poll, P&T readers matched the sentiments of the nation in general in their love for the Betty White/Abe Vigota ad. Quick…what was the product the spot advertised?
I’m shining the light on the newspaper biz a bit this week starting with a poll about your consumption of the primary news operation in Erie: the Erie Times-News. How often do you read it, and do you spend any money to get it?
How often do you buy or read Erie Times-News content?
Total Voters: 63
Loading ... February 8th, 2010 joel Some 86% of our poll respondents thought that it would take at least three years, if ever, for local HDTV to arrive in Erie. Meanwhile we will just endure the standard def news and commercial cutaways.
A shocking yet exciting win for the New Orleans Saints last night in the Super Bowl.
It is also the Super Bowl of television advertising, with businesses spending between $2.5 and $3 million per placement. I missed having Pepsi in on the party, but there was some good creative here.
Here was my favorite, from Audi (always loved Cheap Trick!):
What was yours?
Of the USA Today top 10, what was your favorite Super Bowl ad?
Total Voters: 40
Loading ... February 11th, 2009 joel Luke Simons has been racking up the frequent flyer miles recently, with the WJET-TV sports anchor’s latest trip taking him and cameraman Kent Urbanski to Tampa for a week’s worth of coverage of the Pittsburgh Steelers successful run at the Vince Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl XLIII. The JET-TV team was the only Erie television reporting unit on the ground in Tampa. They were joined by John Dudley of the Erie Times-News for the weekend and game.
I asked Luke to share his experiences at the biggest media event of the year. Here he is in his own words, exclusively on The Press and Tower:
P&T: Why did JET-TV make it a priority to follow the Steelers to the Super Bowl?
LS: When it comes to this year’s Super Bowl, I don’t think there was any question as to whether or not we would go. We have been covering the Steelers all year long and it was only appropriate that we were there when they made it to the Super Bowl. There’s no doubt that Erie has a huge Steelers fan base, but I also think that there are a lot of football fans that were interested in all of the stories that surround the week of the Super Bowl. I know it’s hard for Browns and Bills fans to see, but believe me when I say that if those teams were there, we would have made the trip for them too.
(more…)
Posted in Television Tags: Erie, Luke Simons, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl, WJET 1 Comment » Loading ...
Deep Background for February 2011
February is the month for Punxsutawney Phil, February sweeps, Oscar contests, snowmageddon and the Super Bowl. Can’t think of a bigger media month than this one!
Meanwhile, this space sits at the ready for a conversation on what excites, encourages, disgusts, and annoys you about Erie media. Keep it civil…and keep it going.
Leave a comment below, drop an e-mail, or tweet @pressandtower.
Embrace the chaos!