• TV Newsday, Tuesday, March 3, 2009 10 AM

Tough times are making local TV stations more inventive in order to survive. One example is Meredith's KVVU in Las Vegas, which has expanded a watch-to-win promo as a way to boost long-term ratings and sales.

Called Fox5 Rewards, it gives viewers points for watching KVVU news and programming, redeemable toward goods and services. Viewers earn more points by patronizing advertisers that sign up as promotional partners, and even more points each time they use a credit card that they've registered with the program. For as few as 25 points, viewers can also register to win large "experiential" prizes, such as front-row seats at a major ballgame. Executives say each reward point is worth about 2 cents, and numerous businesses that don't have TV budgets now pay to become "rewards partners."

Since the program launched in late October, more than 20,000 viewers have signed up and more than 80% are active on a daily basis. The program has also attracted big-name national vendors to its Online Mall, including Wal-Mart, Priceline, Sears, Target and Apple's iTunes Store. Mall viewers earn points on every dollar spent there.

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