Baby, if you've ever wondered, wondered what company would use the iconic WKRP In Cincinnati theme song in its advertising campaign….
Well, the answer is Teasdale Fenton Carpet Cleaning & Restoration.
Radio advertisements hit the airwaves this week, with new lyrics for the WKRP theme song. TV spots will fill the air starting Wednesday Nov. 7 – the day after Election Day, when all the political ads stop polluting the airwaves.
"Baby, if you’ve ever wondered how my floors remain so clean," the jingle begins. It ends with: "Just call Teasdale Fenton Carpet Cleaners in Cin-cin-na-ti."
Company president Jim Olmstead was inspired to adapt the theme during a business trip after someone realized he was from Cincinnati, and mentioned the 1978-82 TV series (airing 9:30 p.m. weekdays on MeTV) fictionally set in a Cincinnati radio station.
"We wanted a jingle that spoke to our hometown roots and was readily identifiable," Olmstead stated in the company's media announcement. "It seems like so often when I tell people where I'm from, the show is mentioned along with the theme song. It just seemed like the perfect fit."
Steve Morgan from the Straight No Chaser a cappella group performs all the vocals for the jingle. Local singer Nancy James, who started her career here on WLWT-TV's Bob Braun Show, reads the scripted promotional message.
The TV commercials will appear on most Cincinnati TV stations, including WLWT-TV's MeTV subchannel.
"Yes, I'm buying some spots during WKRP. It just seemed fitting," says Lisa Specht, media director for Holland Advertising, the agency that created the campaign.
WKRP in Cincinnati premiered 40 years ago on Sept. 18, 1978. Here's my Celebrating 40 Years Of WKRPcolumn from September.
The sitcom airs 9:30 p.m. weekdays nationwide on MeTV,including on WLWT-TV (Channel 5.2) and Dayton's WHIO-TV (Channel 7.2). However, the MeTV version does not include that great old rock 'n' roll music from the original broadcasts.
