Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 16, 1994 TAG: 9411160102
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LYNN ELBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
But office cooler chat is a long, bleak nighttime away. So you sidle up to a source of instant gratification: the computer that will carry you into cyberspace to meet fellow 'Place junkies.
Or fans of ``The Nanny.'' Or Mike Judge, creator of ``Beavis and Butt-head.'' Or Peter Jennings, who answered election day questions via computer. Or talk show host Greg Kinnear.
Increasingly, on-line services such as Prodigy, CompuServe, America Online and Delphi are helping TV networks open up a brave new world of marketing and promotion - ummm, we mean communication.
The Internet, a worldwide amalgam of computer networks that is free to the public, is also abuzz with TV chatter.
``This gives a network an opportunity to build loyalty, to have a closer personal relationship with viewers,'' says Prodigy executive Barbara Bellafiore Sanden, who oversees on-line services for about 40 cable and broadcast networks.
And possibly attract more viewers? The success of the newly released science fiction film ``Stargate'' has been credited in part to an aggressive on-line campaign.
``It's a little early to tell, but that's part of what we're all betting on: This is another promotional tool to cut through all the clutter out there,'' Sanden says.
It's also, she noted, a way for networks to dip their toes into much-discussed interactivity, using computers for now instead of TV sets.
So-called ``bulletin boards'' that let computer users talk amongst themselves are a longtime on-line staple. In the past year, a growing number of actors, producers and network executives have begun sitting down for keyboard chats as well.
These may be scheduled ``auditorium'' question-and-answer sessions that allow on-line users to pose queries and get real-time responses via keyboard, typos and all.
Entertainment, as much as information, is the goal.
Asked by one fan if he'd ever had a paranormal experience, producer Chris Carter of Fox's eerie adventure series ``The X-Files'' replied: ``I was audited by the IRS once. Beyond that, I'd have to say no.''
Fran Drescher, star of the CBS sitcom ``The Nanny,'' offered this advice on breaking into show business during a recent Q&A: ``Start young, get into a play ... or have a relative with the last name Sheen or a brother with the last name Baldwin.''
A producer or network may browse through bulletin board comments to sample viewer comment. And it can be widespread: One ``X-Files'' fan logs in to Delphi from the North Pole; others come aboard from Australia.
``What I get from it is a certain, immediate feedback from people who are watching the show, a visceral reaction to what we're doing,'' says Carter, a regular reader of computer chat. ``You don't have to wait for fan mail.''
Viewers get to enjoy a shared passion. ``It's like going to a good party and having a spirited debate,'' he says.
``There's a lot of fun, frivolous stuff out there, like the `David Duchovny Estrogen Brigade' and the `Gillian Anderson Testosterone Brigade,''' Carter says, naming on-line fan clubs for his series' stars.
Networks are beginning to use information gleaned from the computer in decision-making; Fox compiles a memo for department heads based on on-line comments, says network executive Charles Kennedy.
The initial reaction to the information gleaned from Delphi (owned by Fox parent company News Corp.) or the Internet was a quizzical ``What is that?'' Kennedy recalls. ``Now, it's `I have my ratings; where's my comments?' ''
Networks also are pumping a stream of goodies and enticements out to cement the bond between viewers and programs and, in some cases, to turn computer flow into cash flow.
CBS, in conjunction with automaker Ford, created a Prodigy promotion for the miniseries ``Scarlett'' that includes giving away a free car.
Without cost, users can view and save color photos and video clips from programs. There are detailed episode guides, and organized on-line ``conferences'' about programs.
A virtual wardrobe of T-shirts, caps and other gear promoting TV series is available for purchase. And there's other merchandise, such as a book from William Shatner of ``Star Trek'' fame, available through an on-line service at a discount.
by CNB