Are You Game for Some New Revenue?
Recently, I received an e-mail from Las Vegas-based producer Mark Richards, whose resume includes a long list of game shows he's created, hosted or produced for cable and local TV and radio stations.
The e-mail summarized Three Heads Are Better Than One, Richards' ambitious proposal for a local, hour-long, Monday-Friday game show that promises to generate new revenue for stations. The format recruits teams from 20 small businesses per week to compete for $10,000 worth of spot time on the producing station.
A yearly fee to Richards would cover most production elements, including music, graphics and a virtual set. The show would contain no barter, says Richards, "so stations can sell the entire 12 minutes of inventory per show."
Richards' confidence in the sure-fire profits is based upon each business paying the station $750 to play. This, says Richards, is OK with the FCC because the quiz-based contest is a game of skill, not chance.
Now $750 times 20 businesses yields $15,000 weekly. I won't attempt to review all of Richards' math, but he expects this total will cover weekly fees for both for the station and Richards as well as in-house production expenses plus the $10,000 in spot time (presumably heavily-discounted).) Richards estimates that stations that produce the show year-round will earn $260,000 from the players' fees alone.
Naturally, I had my doubts, so I sought a second opinion by sharing Richards' complete e-mail with my friend Bruce Kaplan, a longtime CBS station sales executive now the principal in Pittsburgh-based marketing consultancy Shoots & Scores. Among other concerns, Kaplan was "skeptical at best that there would be enough interested clients."
For one thing, Kaplan worries that clients will balk at the entry fee, however modest. He also questions the viability of a 60-minute format. "About the only successful hour-long game show is the network version of Deal or No Deal, which offers a famous host and beautiful women."
Recalling his experience with local high school quiz shows at Pitttsburgh's KDKA, Kaplan further cautions that "it's a real stretch to produce five half-hour episodes at a time with any production quality.
"It's probably smarter and more realistic to start with just one half-hour show per week and try to build up," he says.
All good points, but still I wonder whether Richards' idea is so crazy it just might work. In any event, you've got to give the man points for positive, creative thinking at a time when even network chiefs seem to have run out of fresh ideas.
In fact, if we're to maintain ratings and revenue between now and full fiscal recovery, we need more of this kind of thinking. So here are some of my ideas for game and game-like revenue boosters.
News quiz: Challenge viewers to answer a daily question at least once in each newscast, awarding an advertiser-driven prize for each correct answer. To expand your station's e-mail list, encourage e-mail entries, but also provide a telephone alternative. Each reply enters the viewer in a daily and/or weekly drawing for a larger prize. Sure, this could add an asterisk to your news ratings but, these days, that might even be a good thing.
60-second game show: This mini quiz show requires some post-production, but will likely prove less labor-intensive (and more entertaining) than a call-in format. Viewers register online (or regular mail, which reportedly still exists) for a chance to answer a question on the air within 15 seconds to win a prize — provided, of course, by a sponsor.
The station calls eligible contestants until one answers, then the fun begins. Post-production cuts right to the action, removing extraneous stuff like dialing, answering and explaining. (You'll need to disclose the editing in a super.) You can retain a timely feel by basing the question on same-day programming. A great showcase for your weather or sports anchor.
Branded bargain-of-the-day: Coupon clipping is hot again in the current economy. Here's a video version that rewards loyal viewing and builds revenue. It also spares stations the workload of running a quiz or contest. Offer viewers station-branded bargains-of-the-day — significant savings at local restaurants or retailers — during key newscasts or syndicated fare. Significant is the key word, ideally a two-for-one deal or better. Naturally, businesses pay for this privilege. Thanks to ongoing promotion, this feature is a traffic builder for both you and the advertisers.
Homework challenge. Want to add a public service bonus to your sales promotion? Team with the local school system to challenge elementary and middle school children to answer questions from the actual school curriculum. Ideally, every correct answer would win a prize. This can start out as a weekly news segment, a great companion promotion to Fox's Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? It could also be expanded into its own half-hour show. Sell it to a local sponsor or link with an ongoing sponsored public service effort such as Pizza Hut's reading incentive program, Book It!
So there are four ideas right off the top of my head. I've deliberately skipped over obvious watch-to-win formulas that depend on a secret word or number. On the other hand, I've followed Bruce Kaplan's advice and stuck to ideas that don't require producing an entire show, let alone a strip show.
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