THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 6, 1995 TAG: 9512060416
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT LITTLE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
The Allen administration will recruit businesses and help produce a week-long cable-television program for the Pennsylvania-based home shopping network QVC Inc.
The program, scheduled to run this spring, will feature 50 or more Virginia products, and segments will be shot from scenic and historic locations.
Virginia will be the first of 10 states highlighted by the network, which last year reached more than 52 million households and logged some $1.4 billion in sales.
Gov. George F. Allen held a news conference in Richmond on Tuesday to announce the arrangement.
``When you combine the high-quality products that we have in Virginia with QVC's tremendous marketing power . . . it benefits all Virginians,'' Allen said.
Morgan G. Stewart, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Economic Development, said no specific number of state employees have been assigned to the project, but that the agency will use ``whatever it takes.''
A toll-free telephone number has been set up in the economic development department to field requests from Virginia vendors who want to participate. State employees will answer the phones and gather information so QVC can select products to offer on its home-shopping channel.
The department's film office will help select sites to film the program, and the tourism division will help produce segments featuring Virginia landmarks.
``It's a benefit to QVC, but it's also a huge benefit to the small businesses that participate,'' Stewart said. ``It's international exposure for Virginia, and the businesses experience tremendous sales that they couldn't get otherwise.''
QVC employs about 1,800 workers at operations in Chesapeake and Suffolk. The company featured 20 Virginia products in a three-hour special broadcast earlier this year, sparking more than $1.5 million in sales. It was part of a QVC promotion highlighting local products from all 50 states.
``Our viewers loved this, even beyond our own expectations,'' said QVC President Doug Briggs.
Next year's program will fill 40 hours of air time, much of it broadcast on location from Richmond, Williamsburg and Jamestown.
Virginia vendors can get an application and additional information by calling (800) 588-0550. by CNB