Sony To Get Local With ‘Queen Latifah’

When Queen Latifah starts taping her Sony Pictures Television daytime talk show later this summer, the singer-actress will tape field pieces in about a half dozen cities where local affiliates can meet her and tape content for newscasts, Sony executives told stations at PromaxBDA Station Summit in Las Vegas.

“When she’s shooting field pieces, we’ll be doing local publicity and, to the extent scheduling permits, station visits,” says Sheraton Kalouria, CMO-EVP at Sony Pictures Entertainment. “If she can’t do that, we’re making it so the station can come to the local shoot.”

Queen Latifah, from Latifah’s Flavor Unit and Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment, will premiere Sept. 16, including in major markets on CBS Television Stations.

Queen Latifah will have celebrity guests, segments with Latifah singing and heart-warming stories about real people.

Queen Latifah has been taping promotional spots that Sony has been sending to stations. The newest spot is “Q the Fun,” a play on the word “cue,” where Latifah talks about her show being fun.

In May, five promos called “Getting to Know Q” had Latifah talking about the show as she stood in front of an eight-foot-tall letter Q.

“The idea of those spots was that Queen Latifah was just being herself,” Kalouria says. “For 20 years, people have known her as a performer. They know her as a singer, an actor and an entrepreneur. In these, we stripped away her character. This was about getting to know her.”

Around Labor Day, another set of promos with footage from field pieces will be sent to stations.

“They show that this is a show where she gets out of the studio with very positive, uplifting messages,” Kalouria says. “What’s great about it is that she is one of those film stars where people come right up to her and say, ‘Queen Latifah, I love you.’ To see her with real people in unstaged moments reflects the show.”

Those spots will also announce Queen Latifah’s first guests.

Off-air, Sony will air ads on radio, local cable TV, digital platforms, outdoor and in print, including in local newspapers and national magazines such as People.

“It’s an ultra-straightforward message,” says Kalouria. “Our star is in the center with the glow of the sun. It makes clear that this is a daytime show and it emphasizes her warmth.”