Category

Throwback Thursdays

Nov 30 2017
2

Sesame Street: Sweeping the Clouds Away for 48 Years

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On November 10, 1969, television viewers were introduced to “Sesame Street”. In the almost 50 years since, the series has become one of television’s most-watched and most iconic programs, and not just for kids. With 90 million graduates in the US alone, adults and parents love it too. And it has won more Emmys (159) than any other show in history.

The series began in 1969 as a revolutionary idea: use TV to help kids learn. At the time, an estimated 97% of American homes had a television set, and preschoolers were watching on average 27 hours of TV each week. Television producer Joan Ganz Cooney set out to create a show for kids that would “master the addictive qualities of television and do something good with them” – such as prepare them for school. Read More

Oct 26 2017
4

The Great Halloween TV Tradition

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After a long, hot summer, we look forward to sweater weather, splurging on their favorite candy, costumes, and decorating for the Halloween season. And of course, bingeing on some good Halloween-themed TV.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), American consumer spending for this Halloween is forecast to reach a record $9.1B, up from $8.4 billion in 2016. Seven out of ten plan to celebrate Halloween this year by dressing up, handing out candy, and decorating our homes and offices.

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Sep 28 2017
1

Hurricane Season: Wreaking Havoc on Land, Sea, and TV

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The unprecedented fury of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria caused power outages, flooding, and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. While this season’s aggressive hurricane season has broken weather-related records left and right, it’s also impacted something a little closer to our industry: television.

When Irma struck Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, it left 6 million people without power in Florida and drove others towards watching the weather news. The Weather Channel kicked into “severe mode,” broadcasting live around the clock for several days around each of the back-too-back storms. It was the only network to do so, which was reflected in its ratings. Read More

Aug 31 2017
0

The Most Sensational, Inspirational, Muppetational Show Ever

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“The Muppet Show.” The original one, from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Only the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, muppetational show ever. I did not come up with that myself. Those are lyrics from the opening credits of the show.

The original “Muppet Show” premiered in September 1976 in the UK. Creator Jim Henson took his idea to the US TV networks: ABC, CBS, and NBC. US network executives unanimously praised his work, but were not convinced a puppet show could pull ratings in prime time. Henson created two pilots, which aired on ABC. Neither brought in good ratings, so ABC passed on the series. Read More

Aug 24 2017
0

Back to School, Back to D.A.R.E.

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It’s the end of August, which means that kids all over the country are soaking in the last of the summer sunshine and gearing up for school starting up again. If you grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, an important part of the school year was Drug Abuse Resistance Education – also known as D.A.R.E.

D.A.R.E. began as a small program in Los Angeles in the early ’80s, but grew to a major, national campaign in schools. At it’s peak, D.A.R.E. was implemented in 75% of American schools. Read More

Aug 18 2017
0

The 100th Anniversary of Fluff

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Archibald Query. You may not know his name, but if you have spent much time in New England, there is a very good chance you know a product he sold for a few short years leading up to World War I.

One hundred years ago, beginning in 1917, he cooked batches of melted marshmallows at home and sold them door-to-door in his neighborhood in Somerville, MA. Sadly, a World War I sugar shortage ended his enterprise. In 1920, Query sold his recipe to Massachusetts-based candymakers H. Allen Durkee and Fred Mower, for $500. Read More

Aug 10 2017
0

Mastering French Food in Julia Child’s Studio Kitchen

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August 15th would be TV chef and author Julia Child’s 105th birthday. Her presence on TV and her love of teaching and educating the American public about quality food helped inspire generations of cooks – professional and home alike. “The French Chef” also showed TV producers and executives that there was a strong appetite for cooking shows on television, one which has continued unabated since.

Julia’s story began in 1948 – after moving to France with her husband Paul Child, Julia fell in love with French cuisine. Julia attended the Cordon Bleu cooking school, and soon after formed a cooking school with fellow classmates. The trio also worked on a two-volume cookbook, adapting French cuisine for a mainstream American audience. In 1961, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” was released, and has since become a standard cookbook to find in home kitchens everywhere. Read More

Aug 03 2017
2

I Want My MTV!

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Just after midnight on August 1, 1981, the brand new Music Television Network came on the air, with a bang. Its opening moments consisted of footage of a rocket launching and an announcer declaring “Ladies and Gentlemen, rock and roll!” A guitar riff played with an image of an American astronaut planting an MTV flag on the moon.

The video that followed was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the English band the Buggles. About 80 videos comprised the first week’s schedule, which was almost the totality of music videos in existence at the time. It turns out that video did just the opposite of killing the radio star. Read More

Jul 27 2017
0

French’s Mustard: A Spicy National Habit

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Now that we’re in the heat of the summer, I’m sure we’ve all attended plenty of cookouts and consumed our fair share of hot dogs with mustard (and ketchup). The folks over at McCormick & Co. must’ve had summer cookouts on their mind when they announced that they were acquiring the iconic French’s mustard couple weeks ago. McCormick bought French’s and other products from Reckitt Benckiser, including Frank’s RedHot and Cattlemen’s BBQ sauces, reportedly for the hefty sum of $4.2 billion. Read More

Jul 20 2017
0

Remember When Amazon Just Sold Books?

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When Amazon officially opened for business on July 16, 1995, the only thing they offered were books. Within just one month, Amazon had shipped books to all 50 US states and to 45 countries. Bezos’ aim and motto was to “get big fast,” and as we know the company is now an ecommerce mega-mall, selling so much more than books.

As we rely increasingly on the giant company for our personal shopping as well as business needs, it’s hard to remember a time just about twenty years ago when Amazon sold only one product: books. Because today, “There’s virtually nothing left that they haven’t touched,” said Kelly O’Keefe, professor at the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter. Read More