Holiday television programming is a strange animal.
For example, a broadcast loop of logs burning in a fireplace accompanied by a Christmas carol soundtrack burns up ratings in New York and on KCAL-TV (Channel 9) in Los Angeles.
So it’s not surprising to hear that reality TV camera has invaded one of the most private Yule moments of all the opening of a long-awaited gift on Christmas morning. Howie Mandel will narrate USA Network’s “The Great American Christmas,” which will document the anxieties of six families as they gear up for Dec. 25.
Broadcasters traditionally have shied away from depicting overt religious material or the commercialism of a modern holiday season.
According to the National Federation of Retailers, holiday spending accounted for about $450 billion in 2005, or nearly 12 percent of total U.S. retail sales for the year.
To cushion the harsh realities of holiday shopping, “Great American” will count on the appeal of Mandel and the families. “We knew that whoever would narrate this film would need to be both comedic and warm someone who people of all ages and backgrounds would feel good about,” said Jeff Wachtel, USA’s executive vice-president of original programming. “Howie Mandel was our first choice.” (No word from the network as to whether Mandel, who hosts the NBC game show “Deal or No Deal,” will give special attention to gift return decisions.)
Those featured include the family of Robert Schuller of Crystal Cathedral fame in Orange County, as well as regular folks from Los Angeles, Chicago, and Park City, Utah. They were filmed on location during the 2005 holiday season.
Storylines for the six clans unify on the theme of exploring people’s expectations of Christmas, and the clich & #233; that “everyone shares the same hopes, dreams and fears that come at holiday time,” according to USA Network.
The production comes from Gary Auerbach and Julie Auerbach, the couple behind MTV’s series “Laguna Beach.” It will premiere on Nov. 28.
E-Furniture Craze
“Consumers are migrating online to shop for furniture, appliances and home furnishings, both to research and complete purchases of large- and small-ticket items,” according to a new report from PriceGrabber.com, a comparative shopping site.
The report shows a 92 percent increase in merchant referrals over the past six months to retailers in the furniture category and a 50 percent increase in merchant referrals for major appliances, suggesting a strong connection between online research and in-store purchasing. Other statistics point to an increase in outright purchases online.
“Savvy consumers for quite some time have been taking advantage of the convenience and savings of buying big-ticket electronic items such as TVs and computers online. So it is natural to see online shoppers also embrace the convenience, selection and pricing that is now more readily available through the Internet for other large-ticket items,” said Kamran Pourzanjani, president of L.A.-based PriceGrabber.com.
According to the survey of online shoppers, the top motivations to go online for home furniture and appliance shopping include better prices, convenience and avoidance of crowds at stores and malls. Of those surveyed, 23 percent stated that they expect to buy more products online for their home within the next 12 months. The results confirm a late 2005 estimate from JupiterResearch that forecast 17.4 percent growth for online furniture and appliance sales from 2005 to 2010.
The experience of online retailers also supports the findings. “Our online business has increased more than 1,000 percent over the past three years,” said Scott Perry, chief executive of EverythingFurniture.com. “Buying furniture on the Internet is here to stay and growing.”
The most popular furniture and appliance products that users search for on PriceGrabber.com range in price from the Manhattan Chocolate queen platform bed ($140) to the Overture Oak bedroom set ($4,075). The most-wanted item is a Maytag freestanding kitchen range for $600.
Agencies Combine
One Los Angeles ad agency has acquired another in hopes of gaining traction in the massive packaged goods sector. Riester, a full-service advertising and public relations firm, has acquired Kalis & Associates, a specialist in consumer goods.
“As Riester has grown, it became apparent that expanding our packaged goods expertise and reputation would be necessary to attract larger regional and national client brands,” said Tim Riester, president of the namesake agency.
Murray Kalis, founder of Kalis & Associates, had worked as creative director for large packaged goods accounts such as Nestle, Procter & Gamble and Kellogg’s while at Leo Burnett in Chicago. He also handled Kraft with Young & Rubicam in Los Angeles. Kalis & Associates was founded in 1989 and has represented consumer accounts including Starbucks, Alpine Car Audio, Stagg Chili and Hormel Foods.
The acquired shop will operated under the name Riester-Kalis, Packaged Goods & Retail Division. Its starting client list will feature Hormel International, Farmer John Meats, El Torito Grocery Products, iSold It, Wetzel’s Pretzels and the Original Los Angeles Farmers’ Market.
Riester also serves as agency of record for Gold’s Gym International, Culligan, Veterinary Pet Insurance, Arizona Lottery and the California Department of Conservation. The agency has been named the fastest growing privately held advertising and public relations agency in the country by Inc. magazine for four consecutive years.
News & Notes
Dan Glickman, president of the Motion Picture Association of America Inc., will deliver the keynote sppech at the Hollywood Entertainment Industry Luncheon on Sept. 15, sponsored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Tony Uphoff, publisher of The Hollywood Reporter, will emcee. For information, go to www.hollywoodchamber.net. L.A. County Deputy Sheriff Steve Woolem will participate in the Dunlop Drivers Cup challenge on Sept. 11-15 on a racetrack in Danville, Va. The promotional race showcases Dunlop tires. Woolem manages the Sheriff’s Department vehicle fleet, but now he can live his fantasy of driving a racecar. Lee Clark, a Los Angeles-based consultant for HR service firm Employers Group, will also drive for the cup. Nine competitions in the Los Angeles region will determine “El Mero Mero Drywalero (“The Best of the Best Drywaller”). The event, sponsored by U.S. Gypsum Co., the manufacturer of Sheetrock brand drywall, will culminate with 36 finalists battling for the championship at Plaza Mexico in Lynwood on Oct. 29. For details, visit www.usg.com/elmeromero. …
Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at
[email protected]
or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237.
