WFAA8 keeps trying to move early morning ratings meter, this time with a "kid" Corning comedy spot
09/20/11 05:46 PM
By ED BARK
WFAA8 generally remains stuck in third in D-FW's early morning news ratings, occasionally slipping up to second ahead of NBC5 or sliding down to fourth behind CBS11.
But the station can't be accused of not trying. Its Daybreak team of Cynthia Izaguirre, Greg Fields, Alexa Conomos and Ron Corning, who arrived in late April from New York, receives heavy doses of daily promotion on the ABC affiliate. And now in a brand new 30-second spot, it's Corning getting his first showcase, in tandem with l-o-o-o-o-o-ngtime sports anchor Dale Hansen.
Again puffing on a cigar and pontificating, Hansen welcomes the "kid" into his godfather-ish realm and initially calls him "John" before proclaiming himself a "legend in town."
Corning is told that he, too, can be somebody. "Get your name out there," Hansen counsels/orders. Your name is the key. Trust me on this."
In the next scene, Corning is amply splashed with yellow paint while carrying two buckets. And the cops are chasing him. Pan to an overhead billboard in which Corning has painted a "C" over the "M" in "Love Your Morning."
"Dale!" he exclaims while on the run. Then comes the voice-over pitch: "He's taking over the morning. Ron Corning. Now on News 8 Daybreak.
I'm not sure that the spot entirely works. I'd give it a B. But look at it this way, too. It's a full-blown effort to differentiate itself on the part of a locally owned station that still hand-carves all of its spots. Many of them are unlike anything else seen in the country's fifth largest TV market. This latest one is filmic and brimming with production values. It doesn't look cheap, it caught my eye and it gives me something to write about.
So here it is. See what you think.
WFAA8 generally remains stuck in third in D-FW's early morning news ratings, occasionally slipping up to second ahead of NBC5 or sliding down to fourth behind CBS11.
But the station can't be accused of not trying. Its Daybreak team of Cynthia Izaguirre, Greg Fields, Alexa Conomos and Ron Corning, who arrived in late April from New York, receives heavy doses of daily promotion on the ABC affiliate. And now in a brand new 30-second spot, it's Corning getting his first showcase, in tandem with l-o-o-o-o-o-ngtime sports anchor Dale Hansen.
Again puffing on a cigar and pontificating, Hansen welcomes the "kid" into his godfather-ish realm and initially calls him "John" before proclaiming himself a "legend in town."
Corning is told that he, too, can be somebody. "Get your name out there," Hansen counsels/orders. Your name is the key. Trust me on this."
In the next scene, Corning is amply splashed with yellow paint while carrying two buckets. And the cops are chasing him. Pan to an overhead billboard in which Corning has painted a "C" over the "M" in "Love Your Morning."
"Dale!" he exclaims while on the run. Then comes the voice-over pitch: "He's taking over the morning. Ron Corning. Now on News 8 Daybreak.
I'm not sure that the spot entirely works. I'd give it a B. But look at it this way, too. It's a full-blown effort to differentiate itself on the part of a locally owned station that still hand-carves all of its spots. Many of them are unlike anything else seen in the country's fifth largest TV market. This latest one is filmic and brimming with production values. It doesn't look cheap, it caught my eye and it gives me something to write about.
So here it is. See what you think.