• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, March 26, 2010

A prominent media buyer said several years back he once oversaw a campaign aimed at about 17 people, but didn't want it to appear that way. A new show on the Washington CBS affiliate might provide a more efficient way to reach a specific group, although the targeting will be obvious.

"Platts Energy Week" that debuted Sunday on Gannett's WUSA covers wonky, arcane topics involving dependence on foreign oil, climate change and other energy policy. "American Idol" it's not, but it does address the future of America.

Programmed for Washington influencers in the field, it aims to provide advertisers looking to impact energy policy with a forum to reach the gatekeepers enacting it. That means directing an ad at a Capitol Hill chief of staff or targeting a greenhouse gas expert at the Energy Department.

"Broadcasters call them fifth-quintile viewers," said Allan Horlick, WUSA president-general manager, "the most difficult people to reach."

The Platts brand brings some cachet, having covered the energy trade for 101 years through a range of publications, including daily and weekly newsletters. One of its editors will host the half-hour show, which airs Sundays at 8 a.m., and is streamed online.

McGraw-Hill-owned Platts and WUSA are co-producers. Neither Horlick or a Platts representative would provide details on any revenue-sharing or financial arrangements.

For WUSA, the show follows the model of the 2-year-old "This Week In Defense News," also running Sunday mornings. That's a partnership between a defense-industry trade publisher and the station, where an editor hosts and the audience is those on both sides of the Washington divide. Advertisers have included Boeing, as well as businesses outside the trade, such as Geico.

The esoteric defense and energy shows are slotted within a block that includes the more broadly appealing "Face the Nation" and "McLaughlin Group."