Marketing company MediaTides signed its first station client for a new campaign to celebrate, rather than sound the alarm for, the digital-TV transition.
According to Greg DePrez, the former Starz Entertainment video-on-demand executive who runs the company, his charter client is Ramar Communications of Lubbock, Texas, which owns a mix of full-power and low-power stations including Fox affiliate KJTV, MyNetworkTV affiliate KMYL Lubbock, Telemundo affiliate KXTQ Lubbock, and a digital multicast weather channel. It also operates The CW affiliate KLCW under a JSA (joint sales agreement) with Woods Communications.
DePrez began officially offering the campaign to stations this week.
For an initial sign-up and monthly fee, MediaTides will host a customized DTV Web site, with the company and stations splitting the revenue from banner ads on the site -- stations get two of the four major ad blocks. They also get a "community-outreach" kit to help promote DTV.
DePrez pointed out that Ramar has a multifaceted DTV message to try and put across since it has an analog station transitioning to digital, a digital-multicast channel and low-power stations, which aren't making the switch to digital Feb. 17, 2009, when the full-power TV stations must pull the plug on analog.
