American prime-time tv has been taken over by infomercials, The New York Times reports:
The two-minute commercials, for a DVD set of “The World at War” and a CD of relaxing classical music, both from Time Life, ran during almost every show on the (CBS) network’s recent Saturday nights.
It is a sign of just how bad the advertising market is: infomercials are running during network prime time, filling slots that automobiles and banks once owned.
Time Life are running twice as many prime-time ads as they did this time last year, the piece reports. And newspapers are filling their ad space with stuff that would previously have been relegated to a 3 x 3 square in the classifieds: USA Today and the Wall Street Journal have both been running full-page ads for an Amish room heater.
Things aren’t looking too good on this side of the world either. The Sunday Times sold all of page 4 to the National Newspapers of Ireland (Association?), whose ad was a plea for more ads:
News, as the name indicates, is the essential component of newspapers…Press is the one medium that never fails to actively encourage information-seekers. So if your advertising is in the newspaper, then it’s also in the news. Make the news today. With newspaper advertising.
(Pleeeeeeeeeeeease!)
Noticed any Amish room-heaters, or the like, occupying page three of your newspaper? Tell us in the comments.
