FCC Sponsors NASCAR Driver Gilliland To Promote DTV Transition
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FCC Sponsoring NASCAR Driver Gilliland's
Car To Spread Word About DTV Switch In '09 |
The FCC will be the primary sponsor of Yates Racing's No. 38 Ford driven by David Gilliland for three of this season's remaining NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including Sunday’s Tums QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway, to promote the “February 2009 national transition to digital television,” according to Ted Hearn of MULTICHANNEL NEWS. The agency paid $350,000 for the sponsorship, and an FCC spokesperson said that it “received a $100,000 government discount on the deal.” Gilliland will also sport the FCC paint scheme at the November 9 Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix Int'l Raceway and the November 16 season-finale Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (MULTICHANNEL.com, 10/16). BROADCASTING & CABLE's John Eggerton reported the FCC "gets signage on the hood, sides and back of the car as well as on the driver's suit." The hood "will feature a picture of a TV set and the words: 'Is your TV ready for digital,' as well as a yellow banner with 'DTV Transition Deadline: February 17, 2009,' inside." It will also read "DTV transition" on the back and sides of the car (BROADCASTINGCABLE.com, 10/16). FCC spokesperson Mary Diamond: "It's the leading spectator sport in the country. That is a great opportunity to get the word out about the transition" (AP, 10/16). In Charlotte, Mark Washburn notes while the armed services have long used NASCAR sponsorships "as a recruiting tool, the campaign is believed to be the first time a government agency has advertised in motorsports" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/17).
CHANGING LANES: NASCAR will be at its TV viewing peak on February 17 when broadcast TV switches from analog to digital and the sanctioning body is trying to minimize the impact on its audience with a series of PSAs featuring driving legend Richard Petty and Petty Enterprises driver Chad McCumbee. The PSAs, designed to raise awareness about the change, will run during NASCAR broadcasts through the rest of the season. There's also a radio version. In them, Petty urges fans now using "rabbit ears" to give their TV a tune-up. In addition to race broadcasts, the spots will air at the track on Sprint Vision boards and on NASCAR.com (Michael Smith, SportsBusiness Journal).
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