Upfront Reviews: CNN's Triple Strike, Comeback Spectacle at BBC America and Reelz Does Polka

CNNVenue Skylight Modern the twofloor exhibit space located on W 27th St which also plays home to Digitas39 annual NewFront event two weeks from this Thursday Most of the action happened in the downstairs auditorium Columns around the room posted quotes from Anderson Cooper Erin Burnett and other CNN anchorpeople tied in with quotGo Therequot the channel39s new motto In what may be the most unique display any upfront has used so far the kind of board that flips departure and arrival information at airline terminals or rail stations was in action at the back of the auditorium listing new CNN projects or breaking news coverage the city involved and the datetime This display is too good to be used just once Ship it to Time Warner Center and make this the first thing people see inside CNN39s NewYork offices Pronto Grade 5 JacksPresentation After reminding the crowd of the channel39s past accomplishments over the last 34 years via a sizzle reel CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker traveled a quotlet39s clear the airquot road with the audience CNNamp8217s format quotof news and information is not changing everquot he declared quotWhat39s changing is how we39re informing your consumers Tell the story the whole story through deeper immersive storytellingquot Yes more weekly series and documentary specials not just on weekends Yes a number of series will involve quotbig personalities telling stories with attitudequot Yes the perennial 9 pm talk show every night is out However when the choice is between breaking news coverage and scheduled programming breaking news will trump every time Zucker emphasized all four points throughout Grade 45 JacksNews Three big developments First that 9 pm hour will be filled by a different original series each night starting in June The series lineup includes limited 10part effort The amp821660s The Hunt with John Walsh Somebody39s Gotta Do It from former Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe and a new Lisa Lingproduced hour The rest of the primetime lineup including the recentlylaunched CNN Tonight with rotating anchorpeople at 10 pm stays as is Second 247 interactive content comes alive with CNNX launched as an iPad app last week en route to distribution via cable and satellite amp8211 and later smart TVs this fall Viewers using CNNX can supplement what they watch live with rundowns of specific newscasts from which they can pick reports played earlier or coming up Another feature is onscreen retrieval of multimedia content and social media related to the news presented live at any moment Third HLN will launch its first major series under new chief Albie Hecht and his socialcentric strategy The Daily Share this fall Weekly series in development there include The Social Life Web Mysteries Trip Trader Weekly Mashup and Keywords Grade 5 JacksHost Zucker was in command of his audience from start to finish with Hecht holding court for the HLN portion Grade 4 JacksOverall Grade 45 Jacks Great format that made the key points and surroundings like that terminal board that left no doubts about the channel39s direction More important CNNX may become a milepost on the interactive TV highwayBBC AmericaVenue Terminal 51 located on W 56th St between 11th and 12th Avenues one block past the famed CBS Broadcast Center Guests entered a spacious room that on one side welcomed visitors with a gallery of BBC series and BBC World News anchorpeople presenters in Great Britain Big stage in front bar in the back and a second level on three sides of the room for networking Space wise 360 degrees from the small Liberty Theater space near Times Square that played havoc with last year39s event Splendid food including tender chicken on a bed of jasmine rice Grade 5 JacksPresentation BBC America39s gaudy live and living in decadence affair was one of the big upfront event hits two years ago People still remember the woman with a large playful yellow python around her neck the ballet dancer prancing all over and those people above the floor stuffed inside wedding cake The repeat performance last year was stifled by the overcrowded space a few tipsy attendees and dangerous walkways from ground floor to second level thanks to unattended garbage With plenty of room to use and an quotUpfront Blitzquot theme suggesting royal pranks it was back on grand point How grand you say Try a group of mostly men strutting in David Bowie costumes to his hits quotChangesquot and quotFashionquot or a group of female Buckingham Palace guards getting their kicks on a Rockettes chorus line Four guards went to columns throughout the room for an extended shimmy session a la 1960s discos Here the big shimmy song was quotGet Luckyquot by Daft Punk not quotHappyquot Mark Grade BBC America39s executive vice president of ad sales took the wise route and minimized his greetings Grade 5 JacksNews No announcements or press releases here Grade 0 JacksHost Repeat Mark Grade BBC America39s executive vice president of ad sales took the wise route to and minimized his greetings Very wise given the crowd was so into what their eyes were catching Grade 35 JacksOverall Grade 4 Jacks Comeback of the year No doubt the masterminds behind this panorama of the senses can dish memorable images that push the message Boy did that happen Thursday night However why was BBC America39s treasure chest of talent absent No Tatiana Maslany from Orphan Black given the Peabody Award the week before No Top Gear or Graham Norton or cast members from Doctor Who Let39s get them into the act next springReelzChannelVenue Hudson Hotel on W 58th St near 9th Ave up the block from Time Warner Center a very apt choice for this independentlyowned network39s first major upfront gathering The former home of WNETThirteen with a long escalator leading to its main floor never held an event of this kind Reelz remodeled portions of that main floor into two separate quotOctoberfestquot rooms one for networking under a bigtop tent the other for food drink emphasis on beer music performances and speeches from company executives Also Reelz scheduled its event against BBC America39s showcase some blocks away To the ad community39s credit the crowd was considerable and in the mood Indeed the fun they had was so considerable that the event scheduled to end at 10 pm went at least an hour overtime Grade 45 JacksPresentation Formal remarks and videos were minimized in favor of live music from The Chardon Polka Band subjects of the upcoming reality series Polka Kings accompanied by dancers beer barrel taps and chesschecker moves and a pop band doing covers of 1960s tunes like quotTwist ampamp Shoutquot Joining in the frolic The casts of Hollywood Hillbillies Treasure King and The Capones Grade 4 JacksNews One pair of reality series and another pair of scripted miniseries are on the channel39s roadmap over the next nine months Mansion Matchmakers will be the first reality series up this July company fulfills eccentric requests for mansion use by celebrities to fashionistas followed byBranson Cab next January familyrun taxi enterprise in the Missouri entertainment getaway After Camelot the longawaited sequel to The Kennedys debuts in early 2015 followed by The Disciples a few months later Several scripted series are under consideration and Reelz has picked up rights to Facing The Enemy the Bomb Girls finale special Grade 35 JacksHost Unable to see the executive portion of the presentation due to conflict with BBC America39s event No Jacks count hereOverall Grade 4 Jacks Off the bat Reelz created a fun atmosphere with its event while getting its message across Again a large crowd staying way beyond closing time for your first effort speaks volumes about how you39re doing5 Jacks Excellent4 Jacks Very Good3 Jacks Good2 Jacks Fair1 Jack Poor0 Jacks Worse than badUp next PivotUntil the next time stay well and stay tunedThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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Upfront Reviews: CNN's Triple Strike, Comeback Spectacle at BBC America and Reelz Does Polka

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Upfront Reviews: CNN's Triple Strike, Comeback Spectacle at BBC America and Reelz Does Polka

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