• B&C, Tuesday, June 1, 2010 10:23 PM

Stations, battered by the recent recession, are increasingly confronted by the lure of product placement lucre, and the effect it may have on viewer trust. Branded integrations have long been a staple of network entertainment programming, now they are becoming increasingly common in local TV, whether it's Pepsi containers on WIAT Birmingham's Wake Up Alabama, Verizon FiOS branding on WNBC New York's sports reports, or KFOR Oklahoma City branding its helicopter with the name of a local auto dealer. The LIN group has even built a stable of product placement-driven morning shows, including WNAC Providence's The Rhode Show and WISH Indianapolis' Indy Style.

Paid plugs may have been discouraged in the past, today, more and more managers, pushed harder to maintain profit margins on a slashed budget, are coming around to the concept. "The pressure to perform is so great that you've got no choice but to take a hard look at it," says WIAT President/General Manager Bill Ballard, who adds that he would not allow placements in a "hard" evening or late newscast.

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