Is Cincinnati 'Roadshow' Causing Confusion? Public TV's Antiques Roadshow Has Complained Of Misleading Advertising In Court Action

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The advertisement above appears on the front page of today's Cincinnati Enquirer. It is hawking this week's Roadshow, which opened downtown Monday at the Duke Energy Convention Center. But the event has no connection to the popular public television series Antiques Roadshow, which is produced by the WGBH Educational Foundation in Boston. That Roadshow -- which has complained it is being victimized by a fake -- isn't scheduled to be on the road this year until June 12, when it does its first event in San Diego. The owner of the public TV show, WGBH, contends in a federal court lawsuit filed last month in Springfield, Ill., that its good name has been sullied by an impostor. It is seeking a permanent injunction for trademark infringement, false and misleading advertising, and unfair competition and business practices. The 26-page lawsuit, filed Feb. 23, 2010, says consumers are being confused:

"This action arises out of and is based on Defendants attempt to usurp the good will of an knowingly trade on WGBH's famous and hugely successful Antiques Roadshow television program and its ARS Marks and treasure chest logo. Defendants' use of the names TREASURE CHEST HUNTERS ROADSHOW and ROADSHOW to refer to themselves.,their appraisal events and their online and television programming and their use of a treasure chest is without WGBH's authorization, and is done with the knowledge that such use is in violation of WGBH's rights. Such activity is designed to deceive and has deceived consumers into believing Defendants are associated with Plaintiff to generate interest in their own services and events . . .

"Defendants misappropriation of Plaintiff's ROADSHOW mark and the treasure chest device has had the intended effect of confusing consumers. Plaintiff has received numerous letters and e-mails asking whether Defendants' events are connected to Antiques Roadshow. Consumers who see the advertisement placed by Defendants have contacted WGBH to ask whether in fact Antiques Roadshow is coming to the advertised cities, asking how to obtain tickets and asking about what can be brought to the appraisal events."

While the Cincinnati Enquirer has not yet seemed to notice there is a legal dispute under way, the Springfield State Journal-Register in Illinois has covered the flap in-depth. It notes that the treasure hunters say they won a ruling in 1999 that the Roadshow name is not solely WGBH's. The company's president defended its business practices. A full-text version of the lawsuit filed by the Antiques Roadshow is available here (pdf).

Cincinnati's Public TV Affiliate: 97K Web Hits Last Month, Shooting For 500K And Paid Advertising

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- For WCET-TV to reach its goal, the tax-subsidized PBS outlet would have to increase its monthly Web traffic by more than 500%. Eventually, it wants to sell advertising, which would position it as a direct competitor of private, for-profit enterprises that have been paying taxes, creating content, and investing in their own online operations. Unfair advantage? The Business Courier's Dan Monk says the station had an all-time record 97,000 visitors in February, which does seem somewhat puny for a Web portal connected to a brand, PBS, that has been around for decades. Monk's column about WCET's (Channel 48) efforts to become bigger on the Web is behind a firewall, but here are a few graphs:

"Cincinnati's public television station is hoping to make its Web site a break-even enterprise by adding content and giving users a chance to customize the information they receive from www.cetconnect.org. The tricky part will be juicing the site's revenue potential while holding true to its non-commercial roots.

" . . . Channel 48 recently won a $200,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to expand its online offerings. In 2006, it was the first public TV station in the country to offer on-demand video via the Web. It now has more than 1,000 hours of video archives, most of it news and public affairs programming.

". . . The site set a record in February with 97,000 visitors. The new goal is to boost that to 500,000 by launching a new redesign next month. The site will feature audio podcasts and a registration page where CET members can customize their online experience."