| GUEST QUESTIONS 05.31.07 7:30 PM |
PRINT | SEND TO A FRIEND |
|
| The Week in Review |
| One media buyer's take on the Upfront Week parties and presentations. |
|
 | |
Our Upfront Week mole posing with Justin Chambers of Grey's Anatomy at the ABC after-party.
|
|
|
We gathered lots of
media buyers’ impressions of Upfront Week, and as a whole, they tell a hectic, fun,
sometimes contradictory story of the television networks’ annual sales pitches.
For more consistent (yet just as subjective) view, we asked a supervisor at a
major media buying firm to share her thoughts, day by day. Here's her take.
Monday
3 p.m., NBC
presentation, Radio City Music Hall
It was fair. No one was really buzzing about the shows
except Journeyman. They didn’t touch
on their extensions like late-night and morning programming too much, and I
think everyone was kind of grateful for that. They cut to the chase with the presentation.
5 p.m., NBC
after-party, the Rink at Rockefeller Center
All the talent was at the party. [The casts] of Friday Night Lights, The
Office, Heroes, and new shows
like Journeyman and Life. The party was like it’s always
been: It’s really nice because it’s at Rockefeller Center, and it’s never too
crowded. When I walked in, four people from The
Office were just standing there.
There were a lot of passed hors d’oeuvres. The spring rolls
were good, prosciutto wrapped in greens, and little pizzas were really good.
The maps of the photo stations that they gave out were a
very good idea. They gave the times people were appearing, which was nice. At
CBS you never know who you’re going to get your picture with because they
rotate the talent. NBC was the most organized party. It always runs pretty
smoothly.
Upfront Energy Level
[UEL]: Everyone’s fresh, but you have a whole week to go. NBC is a little
tamer, but they have the advantage of everyone not being exhausted.
Tuesday
9 a.m., ESPN
presentation, Nokia Theatre
I did not attend ESPN because I had a client meeting.
4 p.m., ABC
presentation, Avery Fisher Hall
A lot of people were talking about the new talent before
ABC’s upfront. ABC always does something cute. The “Kimmel-cam,” with Jimmy
Kimmel making fun of people on a big screen as they were waiting for the show
to begin, was funny. Everybody really likes Jimmy Kimmel. The bingo game
promoting National Bingo Night was
funny and the whole marching band and confetti coming down from the ceiling was
pretty cute. The Fray performed [their song featured on Grey’s
Anatomy]; I thought they were pretty great.
6 p.m., ABC after-party,
Tent at Lincoln Center
It was really nice—like NBC, the party was close to the
venue. ABC always has a lot of food. They had really good fish and meat, and
really yummy spinach salad with tomatoes, couscous, or rice salad. The bar was
crowded, but they had one on the inside and one outside. They had big vats of
shrimp along the bar. Those were very popular.
Every star was there. We were some of the first ones to walk
in, and Drs. McSteamy and Karev were just walking around. They were sitting
outside smoking cigarettes. All the cast of Grey’s
Anatomy was at a big table. The cast of Desperate
Housewives was just hanging out. The photo stations literally go all around
the perimeter of the party. The lines were ridiculous because there were a lot
of shows people wanted to get their picture taken with. People stayed around
for a while. The party went pretty late.
UEL: Still pretty
high. It was gorgeous weather, really fun, and I got to hang out with a lot of
people.
Wednesday
4 p.m., CBS
presentation, Carnegie Hall
It was fair. It was close to an hour, even though it seemed
like it was going to be long at first. At the beginning these guys came out and
did a song-and-dance, kind of beat-boxing, saying, you know, “CBS is great.
Thanks for your money.” It was kinda weird.
6 p.m., CBS after-party,
Tavern on the Green
Unfortunately, it was gorgeous outside when we walked into
Carnegie Hall and pouring when we walked out. It was such a shame, because
Tavern on the Green is so pretty and it’s always so nice. We made the best of
it. It was packed. It was really hot in there.
The food was ridiculous. They had everything you could
possibly imagine: a burrito station, a carving station, mashed potatoes, ribs.
It was fun. We actually stuck it out and went to the after-party at Providence,
where they had a really good DJ everyone was talking about. When we left at
1:30 a.m., it was still packed.
UEL: Wednesday is
tough because you know you still have to do Thursday with CW and Fox. But
people are ready to go out to parties and after-parties.
Thursday
10 a.m., CW
breakfast, Theater at Madison Square Garden
At this point, everyone was a little tired, so on Thursday,
everyone was excited: “OK, it’s the last day.”
They had servers holding Jamba Juice, fruit cups, mini
parfaits ... of course there were coffee stations. I assumed the artists
painting on a raised platform during the breakfast had something to do with the
presentation, but I was confused. I thought it might be a runway for a fashion
show.
11 a.m., CW
presentation
They had the best shows, I thought. The Pussycat Dolls were
a little overwhelming in the morning. CW president Dawn Ostroff was a pretty
good speaker. Last year they had a luncheon in Bryant Park, but they cut it
this year, which is totally fine because a lot of people didn’t go.
4 p.m., Fox presentation,
New York
City Center
Thank God they changed it from last year. They had held it
at the Armory; you couldn’t get a seat, it was really hot, there was no air. It
was a mess, and so long. Everyone was really happy they went back to the
Manhattan Center. Fox was the only one with assigned seating, which made it
kind of nice.
They had the funny Jack Bauer [Keifer Sutherland's character from 24] intro—that was cute, everybody
liked that. They did keep it to an hour, which was very impressive because Fox
is always the longest. I don’t think they did any sort of routine or anything.
They were keeping it to an hour and I think everyone appreciated that more than
having talent or entertainment there.
5:30 p.m., Fox after-party,
Wollman Rink in Central Park
Everyone was questioning what was going to happen at Wollman
Rink. All in all, the party was a thousand times better than last year’s. It
was Miami-style, very Art Deco. Very big inside and outside.
The food was kind of lacking. They didn’t have anything
passed. People were kind of disappointed by that. The food stations were good:
They has sushi in the back, burgers and fries—everyone likes that. The desserts
were by far the best: big buckets of M&M’s and Reese’s Pieces, a huge make-your-own-sundae bar, a very cool little display of chocolate truffles on
sticks sticking out of grass. Everyone was impressed. But they ran out of beers
pretty quickly.
They had the band they have every year come on and play
oldies, which was fun. It stopped around 11:30,
12 a.m. Everyone wants that one to go
longer.
UEL: I was
exhausted. I would have loved to have stayed in bed that morning. I was pretty
beat ... but once you’re out and socializing, you perk up.
Friday:
UEL: By Friday
everyone is dead. My energy level Friday morning was nonexistent.
The final assessment: None of it matters. None of the parties or presentations have anything to do
with what we buy. We go through the pilots and watch them, and then we try to
figure out what the next big hit is, which is impossible.
RELATED TOPICS
Upfront Week, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, The CW
MORE GUEST QUESTIONS STORIES
Media Types Share Their Strangest Swag
Fashion Week Attendees Approve of McDonald's Lounge, Stress Importance of Sponsorships
Calvin Klein's 40th Impresses With Strict Minimalism, Access to High Line
Sponsors and "Free Sh*t" Abound at Metromix.com's Lollapalooza Music Lounge
Fashion Biggies Dig CFDA Awards' Garden Setting, Swarovski Decor
MORE STORIES ABOUT UPFRONT WEEK
Upfront Report Card: Chuck Bass, Glitzy Venue, and Celeb-to-Civilian Ratio Garner CW an A
Upfront Report Card: Candy, Corn Dogs, and T-Pain Earn Adult Swim an A- From Media Buyers
Upfront Report Card: Guests Liked CBS's Club Atmosphere, Wondered Where the Food Was
MORE STORIES ABOUT ABC
In the News: Magazine Builds Revenue With Events, White House Disapproves of Destination Meeting Blacklist
ABC and NBC Share Tuesday of Upfront Week, Bring Out Comedians for Events
| More Suppliers/Venues to Consider |
ADVERTISEMENT |
|
|
|
Terminal 5
Terminal 5 is an award-winning, extravagant, multilevel event site in New York with 40-foot ceilings, unobstructed sight lines, state-of-the-art sound and lighting, high-speed Wi-Fi Internet access, a convenient Midtown location, incredible acoustics, and versatile event environments—including the large column-free main floor, a second- and third-floor wraparound mezzanine, elevated lounges, greenrooms, and an outdoor rooftop lounge. There are a large coat check, a kitchen prep area, easy ground-floor load-in and load-out, nearby parking, and ample bathrooms. More >>
EMAIL THIS RESOURCE |
|
Chef Pierrot Signature Catering
Whether intimate or opulent, your occasion will enjoy the utmost care and attention to detail. Customized menus offer the finest in contemporary food using the freshest seasonal ingredients. More >>
EMAIL THIS RESOURCE |
|
Seating Solutions
Seating Solutions provides turnkey solutions for your temporary seating needs. In-house designers will walk you through the planning of your project to create custom layouts for your event. More >>
EMAIL THIS RESOURCE |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
