rkolsen 1679 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 I always found it interesting the lengths a news divisions will go to so that any brand names are not seen on camera. I've noticed some stations really will cover up the manufacturers logo with duct tape making it look worst off than if it was uncovered. Here at WJZ they use a single duct tape to cover up the Dell logo on their laptops on their news desks. Then in their weather center they have two dell monitors sunken into a desk well with cheap duct tape covering the logo and behind them in a vertically mounted monitor behind the stand up position has the Samsung logo covered up in duct tape that does not even match the finish of the television set. On the opposite end of the spectrum here locally WBAL-TV never covers any brand name logos that are used on set. The monitor in front of the news desk still says Panasonic, while other features in their set such as a monitor tree and the weather center monitors none of the Samsung and Panasonic logos are covered. The most creative way I found a station to cover an original equipment manufacturer logo has to be the most recent set installation at KNBC where in their weather center set there are three dell monitors in a monitor well and someone from NBC Creative Services division made a medallion that goes in the place of where the Dell logo would go. Here is the image of the KNBC medallions: I see this done nationally on cable and national networks like MSNBC and NBC which duct tapes the side of their teleprompter's logo cutting off the AutoScript to covering up the thats written on the side on a box lens giving the focal length. My question is there any definitive reason as to the blacking out/covering up of named brand products? I can understand that a station will say they wont want to endorse a project but John Q. Public would be able to find the same exact monitors in use at BestBuy, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weeters 1812 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 I'm pretty sure the answer is money (which is usually the answer). If I build a news set, I'm going to spend tens of thousands of dollars on monitors. Why should Panasonic get to have their name all over my set (essentially free advertising) when I had to buy their product to begin with? Compare and contrast with product placement deals, where the products will have absurdly large brand logos slapped on them. This really isn't a "new" development. Back in the early 50's, when CBS' color system got rejected in favor of RCA's color system, and the only big manufacturer of television cameras was RCA, CBS took all of it's cameras and ripped the "RCA Television" branding off them and painted them dull grey. Just out of spite and so the RCA logo wouldn't end up on CBS' air or in publicity photos without RCA paying for it to be there. CBS jumped to different manufactures at the first chance... Their logos were allowed to stay. You can see some examples here: http://www.eyesofageneration.com/RCA_Cameras_TK10_30.php Also, it's probably Gaffers Tape you're talking about! It's essentially the broadcast and entertainment industries own version of duct tape (it fixes everything!) that doesn't usually ruin whatever it's stuck to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundershock MN 169 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 I have always been under the understanding it's tied to fair use laws. Although, the free publicity thing kind of dovetails into that. Some companies are very protective of their trademarks. If you don't have a license to use their trademark(s) and it doesn't fall within grounds of fair use you expose yourself to a potential suit. Now, the odds of that happening might be slim. But, if you are a corporate attorney looking to minimize risk and the choices are leave it or cover it up. Nine times out of ten it's getting covered up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkolsen 1679 Posted April 22, 2014 Author Share Posted April 22, 2014 I am not sure if fair use would be applicable here because most products like televisions and computers are approved for residential or commercial use only and broadcasting would fall under commercial use. I am now thinking they cover it up in case people would think it would be product placement or endorsement and standards and practices got a little bit jumpy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennTV1983 756 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 I am not sure if fair use would be applicable here because most products like televisions and computers are approved for residential or commercial use only and broadcasting would fall under commercial use. I am now thinking they cover it up in case people would think it would be product placement or endorsement and standards and practices got a little bit jumpy. That's what WSMV, WTVF, and a few others have been doing for years, but instead of using duct tape to cover the product names, they put a decal with the station's logo, brand, or slogan over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyHarry 719 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I'm pretty sure the answer is money (which is usually the answer). If I build a news set, I'm going to spend tens of thousands of dollars on monitors. Why should Panasonic get to have their name all over my set (essentially free advertising) when I had to buy their product to begin with? Compare and contrast with product placement deals, where the products will have absurdly large brand logos slapped on them. This really isn't a "new" development. Back in the early 50's, when CBS' color system got rejected in favor of RCA's color system, and the only big manufacturer of television cameras was RCA, CBS took all of it's cameras and ripped the "RCA Television" branding off them and painted them dull grey. Just out of spite and so the RCA logo wouldn't end up on CBS' air or in publicity photos without RCA paying for it to be there. CBS jumped to different manufactures at the first chance... Their logos were allowed to stay. You can see some examples here: http://www.eyesofageneration.com/RCA_Cameras_TK10_30.php CBS was the first to jump to Norelco Cameras because they hated RCA. Here are a bunch of old TK-41's on this page that CBS de-identified. An entire section was devoted to CBS and the way the cameras were de-identified. http://www.eyesofageneration.com/RCA_Cameras_TK40_41.php This is a cool picture on Facebook that may be of interest. It is a picture of ABC Coverage of an Ohio State-Michigan game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus in the 1970's. They used Norelcos down on the field, but check out that crane to the left. ABC rented that crane and there was a cameraman on that raised platform stationed there with an RCA TK-41 to get endzone shots. Now they use the blimps. They couldn't pay me enough to stand be up there with a 500 pound behemoth of a camera. https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/1907299_10201993784872663_5970480701089385168_n.jpg or https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201993784872663&set=p.10201993784872663&type=1&theater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 That's what WSMV, WTVF, and a few others have been doing for years, but instead of using duct tape to cover the product names, they put a decal with the station's logo, brand, or slogan over it. Wxyz uses a circle 7 logo for it's desk computers but the plasma TV's clearly say "Panasonic". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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