NFL officials will know better this month what the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville might comprise after seven producers solicited by the league finish submitting detailed bids.
The league typically does not discuss the show until the end of the season, said spokesman Greg Aiello, but the procedure could change due to the recent controversy over Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at this year's Super Bowl in Houston.
Judging by NFL officials' comments, the list of bidders and a new branding concept rolled out at Amelia Island last week, the show is likely to depart from the edgier concepts of recent years.
The NFL will begin overseeing production of the show, while the selected producer will devise content also shaped by executives of Fox Inc., the network that will broadcast the February game in Jacksonville.
New branding concept projects NFL's message
NFL officials, gathering near Jacksonville for an annual meeting, discussed how a new branding concept featuring the NFL's and Jacksonville's shared "American values" would help shape next year's show.
"We're going to be about projecting the NFL's message, instead of someone else's message," said Aiello, who added that thematic elements would supplant big name stars.
"The talent becomes less important than the message," he explained.
Companies submitting bids include Clear Channel Inc.; dick clark productions inc., which produces the American Music Awards; and Ken Ehrlich Productions, The Grammy Awards' producers since 1980.
MTV/Viacom, which produced last year's show, was not asked to submit a bid, Aiello said. "You can draw your own conclusion," he said.
"Building Bridges"
The seven bidders are being asked to consider the league's new branding concept and the 2004 theme, "Building Bridges."
The NFL's first attempt to brand a season will begin with the NFL Kickoff Weekend Sept. 9, with live musical events aired nationally from Foxboro, Mass., and Jacksonville before the New England-Indianapolis game.
The kickoff event in Jacksonville will air Sept. 9 from The Jacksonville Landing. The branding effort will continue throughout the season and include mentions of the city, NFL Vice President Jim Steeg said.
"It will generate unity around the core values of the NFL and Jacksonville," Steeg said during a breakfast co-sponsored by The Business Journal. "I think we've learned a lot. We need to get back to a greater focus on football and the themes we stand for."
The state Legislature in April passed a resolution asking the NFL to produce a musical salute to "America's Greatest Generation." Steeg said the halftime show might involve the military because of the Navy's large presence in Northeast Florida, but he said no commitments are in place.
Navy officials hosted a dinner for the NFL owners aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kennedy.
"Depending on what the mood of the country is at the time, that is a definite possibility," Steeg said.
Each producer is invited to present proposals to NFL officials in New York, with written bids due by the end of June, Steeg said. The league should select a producer based on its bid sometime in July.