MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Will NBC continue with Brian William's 2 minutes worth of good news?

Hallelujah. Have you caught this? It's been a week and it sounds like they're getting millions of responses from ordinary people who are doing good things around the country in what appears to be random acts of kindness. Apparently the idea came from William's wife and in blog-like style for the past week, at the end of the 6:30 broadcast up pops a little blue "making a difference box" with a few good things that Brian Williams reads. They send out a camera crew for some stories in an effort, I HOPE to finally perpetrate good, rather than the usual bad that we see on the evening news. Of course it still needs to be constructed within the subject of the "economy," but I think it's a good start. Do you think they will keep this feature at the end of the broadcast for longer than a week?

Here's their request: We are always looking for good news, especially in this economy. Specifically, here's our request: nominate people who are doing good things where you live or work...perhaps a random or regular act of kindness in a cruel economy.

Add your story and keep good news alive on television!

PRODUCT PLACEMENTS IN PROGRAMMING WILL OVERTAKE 30 SEC SPOTS

And they'll be sneaky about it.

It looks like NBC takes the cake for tops in product placements. NBC also owns Bravo, so you will see in the chart below that NBC Universal has 8 out of 10 of the top program product placements in 2007. In a rare combination of corporate sponsorship and all-out advertising, on New Years Day, musician Seal performed live on, “The Music of Seal on Ice,” (NBC) while Gold Medalist skaters performed for the crowd with proceeds going to the nonprofit organization Autism Speaks. On a side note, Bob White, Autism Speaks co-founder, whose grandson is autistic, is Vice Chairman of General Electric and served as CEO of NBC for 20 years.

There were quite a few corporate sponsors, one of which was Musselman’s applesauce. The show was quite effective in interviewing the skaters and their families about their Musselman’s healthy snack choices. The show itself was rather odd, but I love Seal and continued to watch in awe while the advertising and promotion machines were seamlessly integrated both in program content and the “traditional” commercial advertising. According to one blogger who was at the “live” event, Seal actually went backstage for 5 of the songs while the skaters performed to canned Seal music, yet the broadcast showed only the Seal live performance. Keep your eye out for more product placements and less 30 minute spots in the future.

TOP 10 MOST EFFECTIVE PRODUCT PLACEMENTS OF 2007

1.TYSON - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)

2.Sue Bee Honey - The Apprentice LA (NBC)

3.Soft Scrub - The Apprentice LA (NBC)

4.KRAFT - Top Chef (Bravo)

5.Propel Fitness Water - Workout (Bravo)

6.Smart Mouth - The Apprentice LA (NBC)

7.NEXXUS - Shear Genious (Bravo)

8.Second Life - The Office (NBC)

9.Visa - What Not to Wear (TLC)

10.Kenmore - Top Chef (Bravo)

Source: Hollywood Reporter