Introducing new anchors
Michael Gay August 3rd, 2007
WRTV has launched a standalone website as a way to help introduce their new anchor team to the Indianapolis market. ToddAndTrisha.com includes blogs, YouTube videos, slideshows. They’re even asking viewers to suggest places the anchor team should visit during an upcoming market tour. It looks like the site is run on WordPress, and it’s a nice template and design.
24 Comments Add your own
1. invitedmedia | August 3rd, 2007 at 4:48 am
their gm is one heckuva guy, even has a blog.
how many gm’s actually do? i think he posed that question some time back.
he also lets the weather and traffic guy run wild with a piece they call offthecuff.
it’ll take a few episodes to get under your skin, but don’t worry, your doctor can prescribe something for it.
check it out @ theindychannel(dot)com then click off the cuff in the nav.
how’d i do, don?
2. Brink | August 3rd, 2007 at 5:55 am
Remember when anchors just delivered the news?
Seems like a very long time ago.
I miss that time.
3. Mike | August 3rd, 2007 at 6:43 am
Looks nice but somebody needs to teach their graphic designer the concept of page weight. Not one single graphic on that page has been optimized for the web. The two shot graphic alone is over 650K and the total weight is well over 1 meg. I’m on broadband and it took nearly 10 seconds for the page to finish loading. I’m sure their dial-up viewers won’t mind waiting 5 minutes for each page.
4. Rich | August 3rd, 2007 at 6:46 am
great idea…interesting concept..but it almost looks like a parody - it seems like something FOX should be doing for their new “Back to You” comedy
5. baker | August 3rd, 2007 at 8:36 am
i think, someday, we’ll all look back on this and have a good laugh…so when is *too* soon to start laughing.
6. invitedmedia | August 3rd, 2007 at 8:52 am
i hope you won’t be laughing AT them.
for being what many consider A FLYOVER, the fine folks in indianapolis do a heck of a job on the net, EFFORT-wise.
they have multiple websites, blogs, myspace pages and seem open to TRYING new things. Naturally the budgets are small (or non-existent) so tune into offthecuff next week when they get out of re-runs and see if my recent $5 cash donation doesn’t become the plot of an episode.
the cash is in the mail, glen.
7. Jeremiah | August 3rd, 2007 at 9:05 am
Lack of forward thinking, IMHO. The station will invest all this time/money in a URL/Blog/site for the anchors….what happens when an anchor leaves? You’re left with a useless web property…..
Forget the custom urls - better to keep everything under your house brand, IMHO.
8. charlie | August 3rd, 2007 at 9:05 am
What’s the deal with people wandering around in the background during the interviews? The traffic seems to happen back there with startling regularity, doesn’t add purpose and only seems to distract. Okay, it’s TV and it’s contrived, but do you have to make it so OBVIOUSLY contrived?
9. Z | August 3rd, 2007 at 9:30 am
Lack of forward thinking, IMHO. The station will invest all this time/money in a URL/Blog/site for the anchors….what happens when an anchor leaves? You’re left with a useless web property…..
Forget the custom urls - better to keep everything under your house brand, IMHO.
In fairness, the time/cash involved is rather small, especially compared to other potential ventures. Why not give it a shot?
10. invitedmedia | August 3rd, 2007 at 9:42 am
“house brands” are useless.
please point me to ANY housebranded sites/channels that are screaming ahead of last year at this time. i’ll even settle for incremental growth
not the lone standout in your station group because of a locally trafficed story, but some housebrand that is making it happen.
i venture to say i’ve asked this same question several times before and it goes unanswered. so, please have at it.
like the man says, give it a shot. $10 for a URL too much for the new media budget?
11. Jim | August 3rd, 2007 at 1:56 pm
I’m not old school when it comes to the Web, but maybe I still am when it comes to marketing anchors. To me, I don’t think you want to go out of your way to say “OUR ANCHORS AREN’T FROM AROUND HERE!”
12. Kendall | August 3rd, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Clever idea..and it’s outside advertising that’s cheap. Refreshing to seem something that breaks out of the mold in the midwest.
13. R K Shull | August 4th, 2007 at 6:42 am
I was going to leave this post on the GM’s blog site, however, it seems I’ve been blocked.
If I were him, I don’t think I’d be having a link to this blog, as the comments are not glowing. Unless, of course, he can get his marketing dept. to flood this blog with positive comments.
The station has a history of taking long time talent and discarding them: Bob McLain and David James and Reid Duffy to name a few. Too bad they had to de-pants Ray Cortopassi and demote him to “field anchor.”
14. Anonymous | August 6th, 2007 at 7:56 am
I’m annoyed just looking at the photo.
15. Ed | August 6th, 2007 at 8:38 am
I want to vomit.
16. Sage | August 6th, 2007 at 8:40 am
Stand-alone Web sites for a community niche = Great idea. Stand-alone Web sites for Todd and Tricia? Holy Jesus.
17. Marilyn | August 7th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
What has happened to Martha Weaver? I think she’s great.And I love Ray Cortipassi! These new anchors look really phoney. Yuk.
18. Marilyn | August 7th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
What has happened to Martha Weaver? I think she’s great.And I love Ray Cortipassi! These new anchors look really phoney. Yuk.
19. Marilyn | August 7th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
What has happened to Martha Weaver? I think she’s great.And I love Ray Cortipassi! These new anchors look really phoney. Yuk.
20. Rich | August 7th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
Marilyn: What’s with the triple postings?
21. John | November 16th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
I agree with R K Shull. I miss Bob McLain, David James and Reid Duffy. I still remember how poorly Bob was treated ( from a viewer point of view ) when he was made to retire. The ending of that broadcast was pitiful. So where is Ray Cortopassi ?? Just because Martha left does not mean Ray needed to be “demoted”. Bring him back to the anchor desk !!
22. steve | November 20th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Yes, what happened to Martha, don’t you think your loyal viewers should get a explaination. I loved her style and am not impressed with the replacements!
23. steve | November 20th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
P.S. whatever it takes you need to bring back Martha Weaver!
24. MP Lacien | March 25th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
WRTV - Demoting Ray C. = BAD IDEA.
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