The acronym is for Late Night Enhanced News Opportunity. That would really be LNENO, but you know who they’re really going after.
Project LENO is being described as “an aggressive multi-tiered local market campaign designed to boost its stations’ 10:00 pm ET/PT viewership and flow into late local news in the new season.”
“As the face of network television changes this Fall, ‘Project L.E.N.O.’ will help our stations capitalize on this opportunity in the 10:00 pm hour,” said George Schweitzer, President, CBS Marketing Group. “Our Marketing Group loves acronyms…and ‘Project L.E.N.O.’ says it all,” he added.
CBS said it is providing affiliates with a full “tool kit” of materials to promote the 10:00 pm hour. Opportunities include sponsorable broadcast spots and behind-the-scenes vignettes, sponsorable web banners and tagable radio spots. The package also includes an affiliate swap spot to promote the 10:00 pm hour, the network said.
RBR/TVBR observation: There’s going to be a lot of hand-wringing this fall at NBC affiliates with strong local news franchises. Jay Leno might be profitable for the network, but a guaranteed third-place (of the three networks programming 10-11 pm) lead-in for local news five nights a week will test the value of those local franchises.
