Sometimes even a dominant station needs a good kick in the pants. But then a smart strategy can turn that pummeling into solid promotion.

For Hearst-Argyle's WGAL, the kick came during the Blizzard of 1996, when most of Pennsylvania was buried by over two feet of snow.

While the NBC affiliate dutifully telecast an NFL playoff game, its hyphenated 41st market was hammered by high winds and hail, paralyzing Harrisburg, Lebanon, York, and especially Lancaster.

Despite WGAL's frequent weather crawls, thousands of cable viewers switched to Philadelphia's WPVI, which, unburdened by football, ran wall-to-wall storm coverage.

By the time the game ended, it was too late for much live reporting. The governor had already closed roadways to all but emergency vehicles.

The next day WGAL was walloped by a worse storm: a blizzard of angry editorials and viewer letters decrying the station's limited weather coverage, and branding their explanation a "snow job."

WGAL's Lori Burkholder interviews a local at a town hall meeting in Lewistown, Pa., on June 19.  (Photo by Lewistown Sentinel's Bradley Kreitzer.)

WGAL confronted its critics head-on. General Manager Paul Quinn took to the airwaves to invite Lancaster viewers to present their complaints at a live town meeting, where he promised straight answers about the snowstorm coverage — and anything else viewers wanted to ask. Hundreds of central Pennsylvanians accepted the invitation.

"It was such a huge success that ever since we've been taking this show on the road about eight times a year, every month during the non-snow season," says Quinn.

Since that first town meeting a dozen years ago, the format has varied little, except that Quinn is now accompanied by station news anchors and reporters. The meetings typically last one hour, followed by door prizes such as the News 8 Weather Watcher Umbrella. The station also serves light refreshments, during which Quinn and the news talent linger to chat informally with viewers.

In addition to on-air promos, WGAL publicizes each town meeting by partnering with local newspapers and civic groups. The station also makes sure to send personal invitations to appropriate local officials.

Now it helps to know that WGAL has been the dominant station in the market since it first went on the air in 1949. According to Quinn, the town meetings help it stay that way.

"Regular public meetings with our viewers help us to build tremendous community support. And giving viewers such direct access fits nicely with our slogan, ‘Coverage You Can Count On.' "

The town meetings are videotaped in their entirety, with highlights shown on subsequent newscasts. Sometimes those excerpts prompt follow-up stories.

That's because the viewer often come armed with suggestions for the newscasts, according to WGAL Creative Services Director John Baldwin. "Every town meeting results in several great ideas for news stories. And it's clear that the viewers enjoy sharing those ideas with our anchors and managers."

Despite the longtime popularity of the town meetings, WGAL has steadfastly avoided the temptation to monetize them. "We never sell partnerships," says Baldwin, who adds that they want the meetings to be perceived as "pure efforts of public outreach."

Nor does the station attempt to direct the discussion. And surprisingly, although Pennsylvania is a hot "battleground state" in the presidential election, viewers have rarely mentioned the candidates. Instead they're more focused on local concerns, says Baldwin, including the upcoming digital transition. "That's one of the few topics we've openly suggested and the viewers have responded with several good questions at each meeting."

If the project has a downside it's that even with eight town meetings per year, the station can't always visit all the major towns in the market. "Last year we tried to skip Carlisle and the local paper called me demanding that we schedule one," says Quinn.

Needless to say, Carlisle was returned to the schedule.

Market Share by Arthur Greenwald showcases successful local marketing every Monday in TVNewsday. Have you got a hot image campaign running or launching in your market? Tell us about it. Contact Arthur at greenwald@tvnewsday.com.