Scripps' Script: Synergy Sells

摘要

Last year, when E.W. Scripps Co.'s Food Network was about to launch Iron Chef America, the company put together all of its marketing pieces. Instead of giving the show a promo nudge, Scripps decided to give it a great big push. Ten of Scripps' broadcast sta- tions aired spots promoting the show and ran sneak peeks and contests during morning shows. Scripps' cable networks ran up to 18 spots a day for the show and teased it in their online newsletters, reaching some 3 million subscribers apiece. Scripps' newspapers featured the show on the covers of their TV-book inserts. The premiere was a smash, with more than 2.3 million viewers. It quickly became Food's highest-rated regularly scheduled program. It also earned a 1.0 rating with males 18-49, a demo Food Network wants. That success helped lower Food's median male viewing age to 43.5 during second quarter 2004, down from 45.4 last year. Scripps Networks President John Lansing, a veteran broadcaster and news director relatively new to the cable game, says successfully managing Scripps Networks— the name for the company's cable properties—comes down to two things: "Long-term planning and being nimble."