Ovation Arts Channel To Provide $500,000 In Free Airtime for Arts & Cultural Groups

Ovation Celebrates Its Launch on XFINITY TV (Comcast) in Greater Philadelphia by Joining Forces with Local Arts Agencies to Produce "Discover Philadelphia", a program that will air free editorial spots and PSA's on the Ovation national arts channel

Ovation Celebrates Its Launch on XFINITY TV (Comcast) in Greater Philadelphia by Joining Forces with Local Arts Agencies to Produce "Discover Philadelphia", a program that will air free editorial spots and PSA's on the Ovation national arts channel

Media Information:
John McInerney (Cultural Alliance)
215-399-3515 | johnm@philaculture.org
Patricia Frith (Ovation)
818 876-0480 | pfmarketing@roadrunner.com
Ovation TV Press Website:  www.OvationTV.com/media

Philadelphia, PA – April 8, 2010  --  To celebrate its  launch on XFINITY TV from Comcast in Greater Philadelphia, Ovation, the only television network dedicated to  art and contemporary culture, has partnered with the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and the City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, to create a new, innovative program designed to support Philadelphia’s cultural  institutions. 

The new program was announced today at a press conference held at Philadelphia City Hall.  Speaking at the event were Debra Balamos, VP Affiliate Marketing, Ovation; Eric Schaefer, SVP Sales and Marketing, Comcast Freedom Region; Tom Kaiden, Acting Executive Director, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance; and Gary P. Steuer, Chief Cultural Officer, City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. Mayor Michael A. Nutter provided prepared video commentary.

Ovation and the Philadelphia partner agencies are introducing a submission process for local cultural institutions and performing arts groups whereby they are being invited to submit content for both a series of custom PSAs and broadcast-ready 30 second spots highlighting their organizations activities. Accepted content will be aired on Ovation across the country.  The network is providing production and airtime with a value in excess of $500,000.  Cultural groups can apply at www.philaculture.org/ovation.

“We are very pleased to be a part of the XFINITY TV lineup in Greater Philadelphia and are grateful to Comcast for their support of the arts in the community,” said Debra Balamos. “Through this program, Ovation is providing Philadelphia cultural institutions with free access to a national media platform, which might not otherwise be available to them.  In return, Ovation will have an opportunity to promote the channel to the institutions’ like-minded members and visitors.  We think this competition will have a very positive impact on everyone in the Philadelphia art community.”

How it works
Ovation, to celebrate its launch on the Comcast network in Greater Philadelphia, is offering over $500,000 in interstitial and public service announcements for the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Community. Any nonprofit arts and cultural organization in Greater Philadelphia is eligible to apply. Ovation, with guidance from the local partners, will produce 6 interstitial promotional spots highlight cultural activity in Philadelphia. 
The six thematic spots will be facilitated by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and will have the following individual themes (subject to change): 
1.    Public Art
2.    History and Historic Sites
3.    Visual Arts
4.    Festivals/Children and Family
5.    Theater/Dance
6.    Music

Cultural institutions can submit content for any of the six themes. All applicants are also eligible to submit completed broadcast-ready :30 PSA’s for inclusion on the Ovation channel.
 Spots will begin running in late Summer 2009 and run for 18 months. Approximately 1600 spots will run through the course of the project.

"We are grateful for the addition of Ovation to Xfinity TV. This program is a great way to highlight our extraordinary cultural assets to a national audience, “said Gary Steuer Chief Cultural Officer for the City of Philadelphia.

The deadline to apply for this program is Thursday, May 6, 2010. Final decisions will be announced Monday June 3, 2010.  Both Interstitials and organizational PSA's will begin airing by August 2010.

RFQ’s will be reviewed by a panel comprised of representatives from the partner agencies.


"In these difficult times, corporate support, in particular for broadcast advertising, is a critical resource for the arts,” said Tom Kaiden, Acting Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. “Philadelphia’s cultural resources are a key driver for this region and this program ensures that our story is heard around the country.”

The final thematic spots will air as part of “Ovation Happenings”, the national series of promotional spots focusing on arts and culture from around the country.  Themed spots will include branding for Philadelphia and acknowledgements for the Philadelphia partner agencies.  Each PSA will drive viewers to pages at www.Phillyfunguide.com, Philadelphia's regional events calendar, which will have information on the events/organizations promoted in each topical spot.  Additional organizational spots will air throughout the year.

This program is a collaboration between Ovation, the only television channel dedicated to art and contemporary culture; the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.

About Ovation: 
Ovation is the only multi-platform network devoted to art and contemporary culture. The network creates and curates one-of-a-kind programming about all the art people enjoy most, from the popular to the avant-garde and everything in between. The channel reaches a national audience of 38 million households through carriage on DirecTV (channel 274), Dish Network (channel 157) and on cable and telco systems in major markets across the country. Ovation’s programming is also available on video on demand (in both standard and high definition) in the US. Ovation’s popular website (http://www.OvationTV.com) is a dynamic experience, featuring information about local and national happenings in the art world, as well as a vibrant community of artists who have uploaded over 100,000 pieces of original art.

About Comcast
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 23.6 million cable customers, 15.9 million high-speed Internet customers, and 7.6 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.  Comcast’s Eastern Division serves approximately 5.7 million residential and business customers across Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC. The Eastern Division is based in Oaks, Pennsylvania and employs more than 20,000 people.

About the Cultural Alliance

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is the region’s premier leadership, advocacy, and umbrella marketing group for arts and culture.  With nearly 400 members, the Cultural Alliance’s mission is to make Greater Philadelphia one of the foremost creative regions of the world. The Phillyfunguide events calendar promotes the region’s cultural activity and is a part of the Cultural Alliance’s  Engage 2020 initiative, an effort by the Cultural Alliance to increase cultural engagement in Greater Philadelphia through research, marketing and innovative approaches to cultural participation. More information at www.philaculture.org

About the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy
The mission of the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy is to improve access to the arts for both residents and visitors; expand arts education for young people; oversee all the City’s arts programs; support the growth and development of the City’s arts, culture, and creative economy sector by promoting public and private investment in the creative economy sector; coordinate with relevant City agencies to unify the City’s arts efforts; and serve as a liaison between the City’s many cultural institutions.