-
The “Pinnacle” of crappy “broadcast” commercials
This is more of a fun post than anything.
I was watching TV a week or so ago and I literally saw the worst TV commercial I’ve ever laid my eyeballs on. I don’t know HOW in the heck this thing made it to air. First off, these appear to be local Comcast commercials in the East San Francisco Bay Area, namely the Walnut Creek, Concord area if you’re familiar. If I remember right, it was a car auction commercial of some kind if I’m not mistaken (I’m always thrown off by how bad the ad is). But throughout the entire length of the commercial, the deck’s CG overlay was kept on, which includes the DV logo, video info, audio info, including, now get this, the CG VU meters at the bottom of the screen! Understand that I’ve seen this commercial air at least a half dozen times and I truly do not watch that much TV (mostly due to lack of time). Mind you, this was NOT done as part of a “stylistic” design.
There’s another Comcast local commercial I saw that has, ZERO QC standards, which include bad chroma levels, atrocious audio (can anyone say Popper Stopper?) and a closing shot that has such a green cast to it that it looks like the people are in a moss ridden fish tank. I think it’s some kind of fellowship/religious commercial but again, I’m thrown off from the message/advertiser because the spot is sooooooo bad that I can’t NOT look at it and shake my head.
1. How is the client allowing these ads to go to air?
2. How is the network allowing them through QC?
3. What happened to the days of true “Broadcast”?Somewhat rhetorical questions but a little true nonetheless.
From what I understand, Comcast creates these spots and of course airs them in the end. Now, Comcast is a large entity and the area they’re broadcasting in is no small suburban area by any means. I’m just in awe that this kind of garbage is allowable on cable TV transmission. Just amazing.
Marco Solorio
-
4 Replies
-
[Marco Solorio] “1. How is the client allowing these ads to go to air?
2. How is the network allowing them through QC?
3. What happened to the days of true “Broadcast”?Somewhat rhetorical questions but a little true nonetheless.
From what I understand, Comcast creates these spots and of course airs them in the end. Now, Comcast is a large entity and the area they’re broadcasting in is no small suburban area by any means. I’m just in awe that this kind of garbage is allowable on cable TV transmission.”
First, if its a cable spot its NOT “on the air.”
Cable-casting is not subject to the same “FCC standards and regulations that Broadcasters are (not on the “public airwaves.”)
But there ARE minimum cable standards, its just that (generally) if the client hands ’em the cash… the spot plays.
But, I’ve seen some really BAD over-the-air spots, too.
Not quite as bad as leaving the internal CG on-screen (which seems to be a REQUIREMENT of many tapes sent to America’s Funniest Home Videos!)Why do the bad eggs get all gthe way down the line and to the consumer’s video screens?
Nobody along the way gives the slightest damn.
-
[Thax] “Why do the bad eggs get all gthe way down the line and to the consumer’s video screens?
Nobody along the way gives the slightest damn.”
True, but you’d think the schmuck paying for the commercial and air time to promote their business or whatever it is, would care. Just can’t believe that they’d pay all that money to let it air like that.
Marco Solorio
-
[Marco Solorio] “Just can’t believe that they’d pay all that money to let it air like that.”
It seems that for the most part anymore, if it is cheap enough, clients will buy it. Quality doesn’t seem to matter anymore, with the advent of no or little requlations for cable and easily obtainable inexpensive home recording and editing systems, cheap is becomming the standard.
Even tho there are quidelines for broadcast, when a client says well cable aired it so I will just give them all my business, TV Sales Reps will cave in and quality standards are shoved aside.
Charlie
-
My wife and I just returned from a week of R & R in Maui, and there are a ton of locally produced commercials plugging everything from resorts, to snorkeling excursions, to “adventures in dining,” and the quality runs the gamut from stunning to numbing. The competition must be quite keen in such a lovely work enviornment.
One particularly lovely ad for an exotic resort hotel had audio levels so low, I missed the first few lines of copy. As usual, audio bites you in the a$$.
Wayne Orr, SOC
G5, Dual 2GHz, 1.5 GB Ram, OSX 10.4.8, FCP5.1.2, AJA Io, SATA External Array 500 Gig
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up