Some Advertisers Bail Out of the Oscars

This year's Academy Awards may have some of the lowest television ratings in the history of the awards ceremony.

As a result, some advertisers are pulling their ads from the telecast. Hyundai Motor America is taking General Motor's usual spot and L'Oreal, who has been advertising during the show for the last five years, has pulled out.

The movies that are up for best picture were very weak at the box office, which traditionally has led to lower ratings and less viewers. The combined domestic gross of this year's nominees was less than $275 million. In comparison, 1998's best picture nominees grossed (domestically) $996 million.

Some argue that the movies have nothing to do with the lack of advertising, but that it is the failing economy that is leading advertisers to cut their ads.

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McDonald's Appearance on 30 Rock Was Not Paid For

When McDonald's and the McFlurry made appearances on a recent episode of NBC's 30 Rock, most people thought it was shameless product placement.

The fast food chain also ran an ad during the episode, which made it appear even more as though its appearance in the script had been paid for.

However, the restaurant and its product were actually written into the script and were not paid for by McDonald's. In the story line, two characters have an argument at a McDonald's establishment. Part of the episode was actually filmed in a McDonald's restaurant.

30 Rock is known for poking fun at the product placement the show is involved in and including it in story lines.

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New CBS Show May Start Trend

The new CBS show, "Harper's Island," may begin a new trend in television. CBS has ordered only 13 episodes of the program and plans to start airing them in April and continue through the summer.

Network producers and advertisers are hoping this kind of schedule will entice viewers to continue watching telecasts through what is usually considered the slowest season of TV viewing.

Normally, the time between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July means a major decrease in viewers.

CBS has taken the unusual measure to not only tell potential viewers when "Harper's Island" begins, but also when it ends. The network is also using online tactics to attract viewers to this new format.

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