Yesterday, FTVLive told you Nexstar CEO Perry Sook says he plans of spending more than $10 million dollars in promotion to try and get viewers to sample the ratings challenged News Nation.

Sook claimed that research shows that 86% of people have no clue about News Nation and he is hoping that his promotion will change that.

A couple of TV types emailed FTVLive with their thoughts on the story:

Email:

Scott,

Uncle Perry does not realize his beloved News Nation is yet another "fast food news restaurant" in a sea of so many others already established. You'll get a customer or two to try it sure, but breaking habits is difficult. He also does not realize the food in his restaurant is terrible. It's not new, unique and does not stand out from the crowd. The news "food" is average at best and you can get it anywhere. The point is, promos DONT bring customers. Quality product does. News Nation looks appetizing but when you take a bite...well....just saying.

Now as for that promo campaign he paid Leo Burnett thousands for? I have done those promos hundreds of times for many stations I've worked for over the years. Substitute out one brand or set of call letters out for another and you have the same promo. NOT ONE new phrase or syllable in those scripts. NOT ONE. Further, Uncle Perry and his band of merry marketers in Dallas have experienced Creative Services Directors coast to coast. I'll bet not one of them was asked to help in the campaign. Why? Oh CSD's don't count for much in the Nexstar equations. Former News Directors and regional cooperate news consultants know more. At least that's what they told me. I worked with many excellent CSD's in the Nexstar group. Dynamic, creative and imaginative people with teams who could have pulled off what Uncle Perry wanted. But they are ignored. Always ignored. I also know that you can't advertise in places where your customers are NOT. Can't advertise to an audience that's not there. Oh I am sure all his precious beloved news directors just love being forced to run promos asking people to turn away from their stations to watch another. Oh I am sure GM's , CSD,s and News Directors just love that in a time when audience ratings are being dropped faster than 3rd period French.

You don't go to Chic-Fil-A for the commercials. You go because you know the food will be great. NO amount of promotion will be able to sell the bland news food being produced. I can get it any where and I'll stick with my brand. So to Uncle Perry; Thanks but no thanks. I like what I've got.

Email:

So I sadly watched Newsnation from 7PM on as background noise the last few nights as I was doing work and to fix the network isn't really rocket Science. The network is called newsnation owned by Nexstar which owns stations in almost every state, yet they don't use them for the network. From 9Am-7PM those local stations should be producing headline news style hours with local talent to create a "newsnation" a group of locally powered stations that produce a national news network. In the morning they should have a Coast to Coast show featuring 2-3 local news anchors delivering national news. Then from 7PM on it should be general newscasts or a nightly version of the today show with seasoned anchors from the national level. This way the brand and the mission is in sync.

But right now you have a mesh of 3 different business plans over the course of year on air with producers from various networks who have contacts and a rolodex of sources that are partisan hitting the airwaves. For example do I believe that Vittert and Donlon actually are that bias towards the right? no, but their producers clearly have worked at right leaning networks and only have contacts from their time there. So both shows are structured as Fox News light because it's simply what they are working with. If I was Vittert and Donlon and wanted a future career I would shut that down asap. Because you can't have a down the road news network and then have on all your producers buddies on air from the last job. The best hour on Newsnation is the 9PM hour because it's a general newscast. Banfield brings that old 20/20 vibe to 10 PM and that's fine. But all I want as a viewer and someone who used to work in news is to have access 24/7 to the 9PM newscast vs talking head shit.

Uncle Perry has everything he needs and it is local stations and talent. Put money into the stations and in turn have them power Newsnation. Just like the premise of the network is supposed to be.

BTW- I love that my “Uncle Perry” moniker for Perry Sook appears to be sticking. I’m guessing Uncle Perry doesn’t feel the same way.

Just saying….