• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, August 9, 2006

In an increasing age of multiplying media, brevity in entertainment marketing is the key for a quick rise to the top of the charts. Now, with global warming slowing everyone down, we all need simple, clear thinking. Everyone is getting into the act.

The National Cable Television Association's national show is no longer called The National Show, but The Cable Show. That decision was made yesterday. (Other conferences have been in on this game for a while, such as the Consumer Electronics Show, long known as CES).

Earlier this year ABC turned its new fall show, "Betty the Ugly" into "Ugly Betty," which accounts for a Spanish-language translation and saves a word. No longer is Mel Gibson, Mel Gibson.  He is now just plain Mel. Like Moses, singular biblical names mean speedy responsive reading.

Another of ABC's new shows was originally "Let's Rob Mick Jagger." Now, it's "The Knights of Prosperity," named after the funny, clumsy gang that intends to do that deed. It isn't simple, just appropriate, since the name sounds clumsy.

 We all know what "Idol" and "Grey's" and "Housewives" are. Can't do much better than that.  TV marketers started this trend years ago with "Beverly Hills, 90210" which became the shorthand "90210." And "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" which became a much simpler, "Buffy." (Thank Bob Bibb and Lew Goldstein, marketing heads at Fox and most recently at The WB, for those transitions)

Newly marketed network names can be less-weighty prepositions--like "Versus," which will replace the name of the Outdoor Life Network.  The WB and UPN will save not only hundreds of millions of dollars but three letters in merging to form the new "The CW." And the BBC has long been "the Beeb."

Baseball has always had its own Cliff Notes renditions--especially on ESPN's "SportsCenter." Houston's Astros are just the "Stros"; Seattle's Mariners can go by the "M's"; San Francisco's Giants sometimes turn into the "G-Men."

We are in an entertainment rush--thus DVRs and fast-forwarding, thus sport highlight shows, thus reality :"results shows" that offer up a shortened version of the actual performances -- be it singing, dancing, or draping.

The most popular videos on Google and YouTube are mostly two- to four-minute clips.

Look for even quicker appellations. I hear Yahoo is marketing itself as just 'hoo.