Helicopter Crash Kills 3 TV Crew Members

A helicopter crash in Southern California on Sunday killed three people who were working on the production of a coming reality show for the Discovery Channel.

Production of the untitled series was shut down after the crash. The incident could draw new scrutiny of the production practices of reality TV shows.

“A production company was shooting a show for Discovery Channel when this tragic accident occurred,” a spokeswoman for the channel said. “We are all cooperating fully with authorities. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families.”

The crash occurred around 3:30 a.m. Pacific time at Polsa Rosa Movie Ranch, about 30 miles north of Los Angeles. The ranch is frequently used by film and television crews.

“The helicopter, a Bell 206B Jet Ranger, crashed under unknown circumstances,” said Allen Kenitzer, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. Mr. Kenitzer said the agency was helping the National Transportation Safety Board in an investigation of the crash

A permit for filming at the ranch, provided by FilmL.A., described the Discovery Channel series as an “untitled military project.” The permit allowed filming from 5 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday. Attached to the permit was a filming plan submitted by the helicopter pilot that proposed filming from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.

The permit was provided to Bongo Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the production company behind the show, Eyeworks USA.

“We can confirm that a helicopter crash occurred this morning while shooting a new series for a cable network, which resulted tragically in three fatalities,” an Eyeworks spokeswoman said. “We are cooperating fully with the authorities. We extend our deepest sympathies to the families of those involved.”

Eyeworks, formerly known as 3 Ball Productions, has produced a wide range of reality shows. Its credits include “Flying Wild Alaska,” a documentary series on Discovery; “Bar Rescue,” on Spike; and “Splash,” a d! iving competition that is scheduled to have its debut on ABC next month.

A New Swimsuit Issue Feature

In addition to the usual array of leggy models in skimpy bikinis in exotic locations, Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue this year, due on Tuesday, has a surprising new feature: a small style guide geared toward the issue’s legions of female readers.

Women read the swimsuit issue Yes, 18 million of them, according to research conducted by the magazine.

The guide includes six pages of content from Sports Illustrated and six pages of Target ads. Titled “Secrets of Swimsuit,” the guide will include information on swimsuit trends and advice on how mere mortals, not supermodels, can achieve that sexy beach look.

Laura Portwood-Stacer, a visiting assistant professor of media, culture and communication at New York University, said magazines like the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue teach womenwhat culture considers ideal.

“Women learn on a daily basis, unconsciously but also consciously, how to carry themselves, how to present themselves in a way that will be deemed acceptable and attractive by others,” Ms. Portwood-Stacer said. “As such a major cultural institution, it makes sense that the swimsuit edition would be a sort of bible for that kind of learning,” she said. “Women are trying to see themselves in the images; they’re comparing themselves to these ideals of feminine sexuality.”

M. J. Day, the magazine’s swimsuit editor, said the tips were meant to help women recreate the looks they see in the issue. “It’s all things that everyday beautiful women can do at home. Tousled beachy hair, very light makeup,” Ms. Day said.

Women are “a part of our franchise that we can grow,” she added. “Why not deliver more to them”

The guide features swimsuits costing a few hundred dollars to less than $50, and brief interviews with some of the mode! ls.

Target is a marketing partner for the issue this year and its six pages of ads in the guide feature swimsuits it sells, many for less than $40.

“From a business standpoint, swim is a huge business for Target,” said Michelle Mesenburg, a marketing vice president at Target. “We wanted to have something that was a little more innovative and not just an ad in the book,” she said.

The editorial content and the ads were created independently, and the guide was not meant to be branded content, executives from both Target and Sports Illustrated said.

NPR Campaign Seeks the Quirky Listener

Are you a sky diving algebra teacher A Sudoku-playing barista NPR has a new ad campaign aimed at you.

The pilot campaign, in four cities, is intended to bring new listeners to local public radio stations, and in turn NPR’s national programs, by matching a show to even the quirkiest interests.

The three-month campaign, financed with a $750,000 grant from the Ford Foundation and developed by Baltimore agency Planit, includes billboards, as well as television spots, social media outreach and rail, print and digital ads aimed at adults 25 to 54, with at least some college education. Ads point to a Web site, interestingradio.com, where visitors can take a poll, discover shows and click through to a live stream from a local station.

The ads will run in the Dallas/Fort Worth, San Diego, Indianapolis and Orlando, Fla., markets, chosen because they offer geographic diversity, as well as stations that are strong and growing, said Emma Carrasco, who joined NPR two months ago as chief marketing officer, a new position.

The campaign comes as listenership for “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” â€" NPR’s two top programs and the radio news programs that reach the most people nationwide each week â€" declined from spring 2011 to spring 2012, the last period for which national ratings are available.

Year-to-year, the cumulative weekday audience for “Morning Edition” declined 5 percent to 12.3 million listeners a week, from 13 million, NPR officials said, citing Arbitron ratings figures, while “All Things Considered” was off 4 per! cent, to 11.8 million weekly listeners, compared with 12.3 million in spring 2011.

Preliminary fall 2012 estimates showed year-to-year audience increases for those two shows, NPR said, but the figures were for major markets only.

Local public radio stations have undertaken similar efforts in recent years. WQXR’s modest 2011 “Obeythoven” campaign used TV spots to get audiences thinking about New York City classical music radio in a new way. Chicago’s WBEZ this month began a cheeky campaign called “2032 Membership Drive” encouraging audiences to procreate and raise a new generation of listeners.

If NPR’s new ads are deemed successful, NPR will seek additional funds to expand them to more markets, Ms. Carrasco said.

Warner to Show 3-D Film Trailers at Truck Stops

LOS ANGELES â€" Warner Brothers marketers are hot in pursuit of … truckers

It appears so. Despite a continued hard sell by Hollywood, audiences have been increasingly reluctant about paying a $2 to $5 surcharge to see movies in 3-D.

But Warner is not giving up. To advertise the 3-D effects of “Jack the Giant Slayer,” set for release March 1, the studio has decided to buy space on Travel Plaza TV, which is distributed in about 300 gas stations and Pilot Flying J truck stops in 42 states.

It is less weird than it seems. The network’s high-tech screens allow viewers to see 3-D imagery without wearing special glasses, according to Steven C. Barber, an advertising entrepreneur who sold Warner on the idea. Warner, Travel Plaza TV and Mr. Barber’s company, Vanilla Fire Productions, heralded their partership as “the world’s first 3-D without glasses ad campaign” in a Feb. 6 news release.

Travel Plaza TV, which already carries ads for items like cookies and chili dogs, reaches 30 million people a month, Mr. Barber said. “They have more families than truckers,” he added, putting the 18-wheel crowd at about 40 percent of viewers.

Warner has committed to use the network to advertise 3-D versions of both “Jack the Giant Slayer,” a revved-up version of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and “Pacific Rim,” a science-fiction film headed for theaters in July. Bill Botte, chief executive of Travel Plaza TV, said his company is “hoping to forge a long-term relationship” with Warner.

The studio had no comment.

Mr. Barber said he got the idea to bring movie ads to the 3-D network after popping into a Flying J in Utah last year. Since Warner made its commitment public, he said, three other major studios have called for demonstrations.

“I couldn’t get anyone except Warner to call back a few months ago,” he said. “Even they started out lukewarm. But the demo made them sit up and say, ‘Aha! This could be the future!’ ”