{"id":2195,"date":"2020-08-03T12:15:46","date_gmt":"2020-08-03T16:15:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rawtravelblog.com\/?p=2195"},"modified":"2020-08-21T12:01:21","modified_gmt":"2020-08-21T16:01:21","slug":"raw-travel-pledge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rawtravelblog.com\/raw-travel-pledge\/","title":{"rendered":"Raw Travel Pledge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Weekends Matter!<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People are home from work and school. Sports (usually) airs on the weekends. So why are so many phoning it in on the weekends? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With sports so uncertain, how are your weekends really looking? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We get it. You’re running a million miles an hour just dealing with day to day and these aren’t exactly routine times. Since we focus exclusively on the weekends, we pay attention. So, we thought we’d let you know some of our findings and observations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are rich opportunities for stations on the weekends to capture and retain new viewers and eventually, when things normalize, revenue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RE-RUNS:<\/strong> Will you capture or shed viewers with oft-repeated, long-in-the-tooth programs “tired” from exhaustive network or cable runs? Have you ever noticed the copyright year of your weekend programming? Take a look sometime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

REPACKAGED SHOWS:<\/strong> We get it, COVID presents a challenging environment for us all. But if content suppliers are repackaging old stuff that is disguised to look like new stuff (new openings, themed re-runs, etc.), they need to be honest and let you know. First-run original content is KING and will be rarer than ever this fall 2020. Stations airing all-original, first-run programming will have a competitive advantage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

COMMERCIAL LOADS:<\/strong> There is no sugarcoating that some weekend program suppliers are cramming in so many commercials that the content is now “that stuff that goes in between ads.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why would viewers, with a plethora of choices, watch sub-par, old programming crammed with interruptions? Even the commercials themselves are sometimes repeated so often in the same show that it causes viewer tune-out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CREDIT SEQUENCES:<\/strong> Ever notice some producers cut corners on content by featuring abnormally long, drawn-out credit sequences with little or nothing to entertain the viewers. This isn’t vanity, but a sign of a somewhat sloppy (or perhaps greedy) production. And it means that lead-out programs and the station’s overall weekend numbers suffer. Why not hold on to viewers at every opportunity? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ELECTRONIC PRESS KITS DISGUISED AS CONTENT: <\/strong> EPKs are not TV content. EPKs, at best, are meant to support or enhance story-telling, not replace it. Travel, Cars, Pets, or other types of themed-programming that relies almost exclusively on “b-roll” or EPKs provided by a hotel, travel destination, car manufacturer, etc. is NOT compelling content and does NOT belong on broadcast TV. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

EXPLOITED CONTENT: <\/strong>This is difficult to say but it is true. How is a “sports clip” program, with a straight-face, showcasing footage of girls in bikinis dancing around as sports content? Are so-called “outdoor enthusiasts” hunters skirting regulations to kill endangered animals? Is this now considered entertainment? Do we understand it’s 2020? Viewers certainly do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weekends matter. These long-creeping trends are not just one production by one studio. These issues can be observed every weekend on programs from studios and distributors of all sizes. Many of us are just too busy to notice, but it hurts overall viewership and we’re missing golden opportunities to court new audiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Robert in the country of Georgia in Season 8 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Broadcast TV has a rare opportunity at a renaissance in 20-21. Still, it could be a final chance to garner new audiences before viewers return to pre-pandemic media habits (and advertisers will hopefully return). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our industry needs to be “all hands on deck,” to claim these new, and often young viewers. Weekend programming beyond the strip is a great way to experiment with unique, under-served content to garner new viewers while offering current viewers something blessedly original.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like you, we can’t see the future, but we all know that the short-term will be challenging. However, we think the long-term prospects for broadcast TV could be bright… if<\/strong> we don’t phone it in. If we cease some bad habits and laser focus our approach to super-serving our viewers and advertisers like never before, perhaps broadcast TV can come out of this challenging environment as a more robust, healthier, and savvy industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raw Travel pledges to you, our station partners, that Season 8 (20-21) will feature original content from around the world. Most, if not all, was filmed in 2019-20 (pre-pandemic). No previous season re-runs, or old, repackaged, “best of” stuff until we get to summer 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

October through June we pledge to premiere brand-new, first-run, top- of-the-barrel stuff. Travel offers escapism many viewers crave, especially now. We owe them our best. We’re working harder than ever to seize this unprecedented opportunity to garner new friends, fans and viewers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Raw Travel visits Jakarta, Indonesia in Season 8 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

RAW TRAVEL PLEDGE TO AFFILIATES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/strong>
1) ALL ORIGINAL CONTENT FOR SEASON 8 (20-21) <\/strong> I’ll admit it. We were lucky. We never said “no” to a travel opportunity in 2019, and we’re sure glad we didn’t. The happy result is plenty of content to ingest and many great and inspiring travel stories yet to tell! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) LIMITED COMMERCIALS:<\/strong> We will stick to our agreed-upon commercial load and will NOT try to sneak in extra commercial breaks. If we can’t make a living on our agreed-upon inventory split, then we need to find another way to make a living. Viewers crave content. Greedy pigs get slaughtered. We’re in this for the long haul. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) EXTRAS IN THE CREDITS COUNT: <\/strong> We believe in TV and the power of storytelling to lift up, inspire, and yes, affect positive change. We will always endeavor to entertain viewers right up until the closing credits finish rolling with behind the scenes or “extra” bonus content to keep them engaged into the lead-out programming whenever possible. Even our music during credits is carefully selected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

OUR MISSION<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our mission is larger than Raw Travel. We want to make heroes of our affiliates and our advertisers. We wish to entertain and inspire viewers to see the world in a different light, and someday soon, when it’s safe again, experience the life-changing benefits of travel first-hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Season 8 Trailer below (3 Min. TRT).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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