The NFL/United Way PSA campaign is the "longest running
of its kind in TV history," as an "estimated 110 million
viewers" see the spots every week, according to Erik Brady
of USA TODAY. Director Mario Pellegrini has done all of the
"nearly" 1,000 spots, including the newest, which will air
during tomorrow's Steelers-Lions game on CBS. The halftime
show at the game will be a tribute to the 25th anniversary
of the NFL/UW partnership. Brady, on the spots: "They are
still schmaltzy, shameless weepers minus the sheen of most
commercial advertisements. But maybe that is their charm."
NFL TV partners provide the league with 80 seconds of free
time per game of which the United Way gets one 30-second and
one 10-second spot. United Way of America President Betty
Stanley Beene: "The value of the air time is extraordinary.
We could never afford to buy that time. It amounts to $65
million annually. More people see our Super Bowl spots than
vote in a presidential election." NFL estimates put the
value of the UW's air time at "more than" $1B of since '74.
NFL Senior VP/Communications Joe Browne said that no player
"has ever been paid to appear" (USA TODAY, 11/25).
