Jericho fans shell LA Times with nuts to say "Nuts to Nielsen" and highlight Jericho 4 Sale efforts

June 9, 2008 - PRLog -- Jericho Fans delivered 1,100 pounds of nuts to the LA Times to protest the antiquated Nielsen ratings system. This friendly "nutting" of the LA Times hopes to generate media coverage and press for the Jericho Billboard and Jericho 4 Sale efforts


The fans of the twice-canceled show Jericho have pooled their resources to place a giant billboard in Studio City, CA to convince CBS Paramount to “Sell Jericho.”  The billboard is situated at Ventura and Vineland within a mile of potential buyers as well as CBS. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ljP322HfBoA)




Jericho stands at the apex of the debate going on at television networks and in newspapers throughout the country.  Television ratings are down 20% and executives and analysts are scrambling to understand what Jericho fans have been saying for a year: the old viewing and counting systems no longer apply.

Jericho has become a reference point in media discussions of the accuracy of Nielsen ratings and fan-driven efforts to save shows. While the second season Nielsen numbers reported steadily around six million, Jericho's position on the Live +7 (DVR) was solidly in the top fifteen overall and in the top five of all non-reality television shows.  (tvbythenumbers.com)  Jericho was routinely in the top ten iTunes downloads.  (New York Daily News) The CBS Jericho website is in the top ten of all television websites.  Quincy Smith, who runs CBS' new media division, said the post-apocalyptic drama Jericho has a bigger online audience than it does on traditional TV.  (USA Today) Jericho = New Media eyeballs.

After receiving more than 40,000 pounds of peanuts, CBS announced it would bring Jericho back last June.  CBS reinstated the program for a shortened season. In an open letter to the fans, CBS President Nina Tassler charged the fans with the responsibility of marketing Jericho. Coming off the heat of the fan-based publicity campaign, CBS waited eight months before the new episodes aired.  CBS did not assist through their less-than-aggressive marketing strategy and placement: Tuesdays at 10:00 PM.  

CBS canceled Jericho for a second time on March 21.  Refusing to accept the abbreviated second season as the end, fans have launched a new campaign to persuade CBS Paramount to find Jericho a new home.

The argument is that the over six million fans of Jericho would be a welcome ratings boost on networks such as SciFi, USA, TNT, Hallmark and the CW. In April, The New York Times reported that Comcast is exploring a potential partnership with CBS Paramount in a deal similar to the NBC / Direct TV pact that saved Friday Night Lights.  The Jericho Producers, Carol Barbee and Jonathan Steinberg report that talks are on-going.
To further encourage CBS Paramount and potential new networks, the fans have ramped up efforts including:

•   Full page ads in Variety 4/25/08 and The Hollywood Reporter 4/28/08. Funds were raised in the amount of $11,180 by fan contributions and through cast-autographed memorabilia on Ebay.  Over 700 pounds of peanuts were delivered to Variety magazine to coincide with Variety and The Hollywood Reporter Jericho ads.
•   A massive letter writing campaign to CBS Paramount and possible Jericho buyers.
•   Nuts to Nielsen.  Over 1,000 pounds of peanuts were sent to Nielsen headquarters by Jericho fans to protest to the fact that 99.99% of TV viewers are not counted.
•   Fans are purchasing DVDs of Jericho’s Season 2 for military personnel stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
•   Jericho Fans have funded a “Save Jericho” commercial to be aired in the greater Los Angeles market on Times Warner Cable throughout the remainder of June.

The possibilities are massive beyond the show itself.  Just ask CBS who has yet to remove Jericho from their website largely because they want to benefit from the advertising dollars.  Google “Jericho” and find more websites, blogs, articles, news stories and “buzz” than almost any other television show in history.
Jericho proves to the networks and advertising agencies that the two boxes, the television and the computer, are converging.  The network that learns to harness that power will be the network that embraces the future.  If television executives turn a blind eye to the evidence clearly proven by the Jericho model, they will find themselves in the same position as the music business.

The fans are out there.  Smart buyers will learn how to count them.