Look to the Skies

Look to the Skies

A large, dedicated group of VERONICA MARS fans is pulling out all the stops to support the show's move to the new CW network.

Their efforts include:

• Raising over $5,000 — in just 4 days — from fans on various websites.
• Using a large portion of these funds (in addition to nearly $2,000 in independent donations) to purchase DVDs of the show's first season, to be donated to libraries in major TV markets across the country. Click here to see a map of the various libraries.
• Encouraging fans who want to help to donate DVDs to their hometown libraries (so far over 100 sets have been donated and accepted).
• Sending VERONICA MARS-inspired t-shirts, care packages, and floral bouquets to decision makers at the CW, its parent companies, and influential people in the media.

But the group's biggest effort is ensuring that on TUESDAY, MAY 9, the day of the VERONICA MARS Season 2 Finale, "CW" will stand for something entirely different: CLOUD WATCHERS.

During the morning and afternoon rush hours, on Tuesday, May 9, an airplane will fly the skies between the UPN offices in Los Angeles and the future site of the CW headquarters, showing network officials the way to their new home in Burbank. And on that day, should those in charge of the fictional private eye's future look to the skies for guidance, the message from her fans will be clear: "RENEW VERONICA MARS! CW 2006!"

If you want to get involved, check out the "Look to the Skies" LJ community.

Or comb the "Guarantee a Season Three" thread on TWoP.

Plane pictures

Thanks to the ©The WB/Mitch Haddad for the picture.

Thanks to sueypooey and SweetCynic for the pictures.

Carebox pictures

Thanks to silvyme for letting us post these.

Media Tracking

1. Forbes: My Show Must Go On - In 2006, fans came to the rescue of CW's Veronica Mars, a show that had been "on the bubble," in industry parlance. In addition to the myriad letters, fan sites and blogs, a group of Mars fans dispatched a plane towing a "Renew Veronica Mars" banner to fly over the CW offices. Shortly thereafter, the Nancy Drew-like drama with meager ratings got another season's pickup.
2. UGO: Fans Save The Endangered Series - Jericho is Resurrected - Last year, dedicated fans of cult darling Veronica Mars organized a compelling plea for renewal - they hired a plane to fly over the WB headquarters trailing a banner marked "Renew Veronica Mars!" One can assume the campaign was influential, as the show with mysteriously low ratings was signed for a third season.
3. Portrait Magazine!: Veronica Mars: Boom Goes the Dynamite! - The show itself moved from UPN to the newly formed CW Network, but not before dedicated fans pulled out all stops to ensure that their beloved show was picked up for a third season. One of these creative measures was flying a plane above the network headquarters with a banner titled "RENEW VERONICA MARS OR ELSE!".
4. Chicago Tribune: TV's bubble creates burst of energy from fans - And so threats, or even just rumors, of cancellation are met regularly with protests, petitions, letter-writing campaigns, bumper stickers, banners towed by airplanes over the targeted studio.
5. LA Times: A death in the TV family - And so threats, or even just rumors, of cancellation are met regularly with protests, petitions, letter-writing campaigns, bumper stickers, banners towed by airplanes over the targeted studio.
6. LA Times: Fast-forwarded future for 'Veronica Mars'? - This time last year an airplane flew over The CW headquarters with a banner that pleaded with executives to save "Veronica Mars."
7. E! Online: Detective Work: We're Grillin' Rob Thomas About Veronica's Fate - Certainly, the decision about Veronica Mars will be made in the next two or three weeks, so if you have a desire to send postcards or fly banners above CW headquarters, now is the time.
8. Media Life Magazine: The campaign to save 'Veronica Mars' - Last year the group dispatched a plane towing a banner reading "Renew ‘Veronica Mars'" to fly over the CW offices
9. UGO: Who Will Save The Endangered Series? - Last year, a dedicated group of fans organized a compelling plea for renewal - they hired a plane to fly over the WB headquarters trailing a banner marked "Renew Veronica Mars!" One can assume the campaign was influential, as the show with mysteriously low ratings was signed for a third season.
10. TV Series Finale: Veronica Mars: Fans Take to the Streets - Last year, Mars fans (called Cloud Watchers) collected $5,000 in donations to help save their show via a "Look to the Skys" campaign. On May 8, 2006, network execs received packages with binoculars and flightplan information. The next day, on the date of the season two finale, a plane flew over the UPN and future CW headquarters with a banner that read "Renew Veronica Mars! CW 2006!" Series star Kristen Bell commented, "I heard that a whole group of fans rented an airplane... and they flew it over the CW... Whose show does that? Our show! We have the best fans in the world."
11. Austin 360: ‘Veronica Mars' is back … for now - These are the same people who hired a plane to fly a banner ("Renew Veronica Mars!!") over the network headquarters in Los Angeles when programmers were pondering the show's fate previously.
12. TV Guide: Mission to (Save) Mars Has Fans Taking a Flyer - The plucky folks who at this time last year hired a plane to fly a "Renew Veronica Mars" banner over what was then the WB network HQ are keeping their feat on the ground this upfront season, as the Neptune gang face their most formidable pick up yet.
13. TV Blend: Veronica Mars Fans Take To The Streets To Save The Series Once Again - Those pesky ‘Veronica Mars' fans are at it again! Last year when the show was in danger of cancellation, an internet fan group called Cloud Watchers hired a plane to fly over the CW network headquarters carrying a banner which stated simply "Renew Veronica Mars." The show was indeed renewed for a third season.
14. Daily Herald: - Endangered series list - Then there's the way "Veronica Mars" fans petitioned the CW by airplane message last year.
15. Fair Game(Audio): Interwith with Rob Thomas
16. E!-Online: Save One Show: Gilmore and Veronica Get Fan Love in Record-Breaking Vote! - "We're continually astounded by the fans' willingness to go grassroots to keep us around. More than ever, the letter-writing, vote-casting, plane-circling efforts of our fans may be just the push we need to make it back on the air."
17. The Philadelphia Inquirer: Jonathan Storm | Save my show! - But that doesn't stop viewers from trying. Last spring, Veronica Mars fans hired a plane to fly a "Renew Veronica" banner over the office of CW Entertainment president Dawn Ostroff.
18. Star-Telegram: SOS: Save Our Shows - "I think last year the Veronica Mars fans flew a plane over the offices where [CW Entertainment President] Dawn Ostroff was located," says Paul McGuire, the network's executive vice president of communications.
19. Starry Constellation Magazine: JASON DOHRING - HARD LUCK - They are flying banners over the network; which is unbelievable.
20. Geek Monthly: FAN GIRL .. - When it was announced that UPN, the home of Mars for its first two seasons, and The WB were merging to form The CW, the Cloud Watchers did everything from hiring a plane to fly over the former UPN headquarters with a banner reading, "RENEW VERONICA MARS! CW 2006" to delivering 500 Mars Season 1 DVD sets to libraries in all 5O states and in the Top 100 Nielsen markets.
21. AccessAtlanta: Sassy 'Veronica Mars' ready to resume sleuthing -This was last season's lowest-rated show to get renewed, but it got a new lease on life, thanks in part to its rabid fan base, one that even paid for a plane to fly a banner with the words "Save Veronica Mars" over the CW offices.
22. MSNBC: It's now or never for ‘Veronica Mars' - And Tuesday's season premiere was made available online last week in order to mobilize fans and have them spread the word. Since the show's fanatical cult following was willing to spend thousands of dollars of its own good money last spring to hire a flying banner begging the new network to renew it, it's a good bet they will.
23. M-NET: Cloud Watchers - Veronica Mars is a show with a dedicated following. In fact, communities of Veronica Mars fans have developed all over the Internet. One such group, calling themselves the Cloud Watchers have committed themselves to promote the show, to the extent that they hired a plane to fly to Los Angeles, pulling a banner that said, "RENEW VERONICA MARS!"

    This was partly due to the fact that Veronica Mars's rating had fallen during the second season because it was in the same timeslot in the States as Lost and American Idol. Although Veronica Mars was officially renewed for a third season on 18 May 2006, its loyal fans haven't stopped campaigning for their favourite show.

    The Cloud Watchers planned another campaign aimed at bringing in a larger viewership to Veronica Mars - they donated DVD sets of the first season of the show to libraries all over the United States!

24. LA Times: High 'Wire' Act - ans of "Veronica Mars" actually rented a small airplane that towed a "Renew Veronica Mars" banner over the studio in a campaign to save it
25. Kidz World: Veronica Mars TV Show Facts - A group of hardcore Veronica Mars fans took to the skies to save their favorite show. The Cloud Watchers rented a plane in May 2006 to fly over UPN and CW's headquarters with a banner reading, "Renew Veronica Mars! CW 2006!". The group has also donated close to 500 season one DVD sets to libraries across the country to help popularize the show.
26. TV Guide: Mars Attacks Kindly Librarians - The Veronica Mars DVD Drive for Libraries, a charitable enterprise organized by WatchVeronicaMars.net (a fan group formed to help land the teen crime solver a new home on CW), has donated to date more than 400 sets of the series' Season 1 DVD to libraries in all 50 states, representing a retail value of nearly $25,000
27. Tv Blend: Veronica Mars Fans Donate DVDs To Promote The Show - The ‘Veronica Mars' online fan club is at it again. The website has been organizing a campaign to help get and keep ‘Veronica Mars' on the air. Back in May, the website, run by a group known as "The Cloud Watchers" got a banner flown over the UPN offices in LA demanding that the new CW network keep the show on the air. The show did get picked up for 13 episodes but that wasn't enough for die-hard ‘VM' fans.

    Whether or not the group's efforts had a direct effect on the show being picked up for a third season is arguable but regardless, the Cloud Watchers aren't through with their campaign to drum up promotion for the show. The group has raised money to purchase over 400 DVD sets of Season 1 of ‘VM', which have been donated to libraries all across the country. The group's original goal was to get the DVD sets in libraries in all 50 states in the Top 100 Nielsen Markets. Once reaching that goal they set a new goal, which is to reach the 500 mark in donated DVD sets by the time the new season starts in October.

28. TV Blend : The Clicker Takes Notice Of The Internet's Role In Television - Veronica Mars gets saved after fans rallied on the internet and basically demanded that the new CW network keep the show – whole websites got together and campaigned for the show. They flew a banner over the network headquarters, did petitions and sent letters and gifts to the network in a desperate but effectual attempt to save the show. It worked. T
29. The Age : Hard boiled high - and one group of fans hired a plane to fly over the production lot with the banner RENEW VERONICA MARS. It worked.
30. STLtoday: Faithful viewers seek to influence fate of shows - Fearing that "Veronica Mars" wouldn't make the cut for the CW, its fans hired an airplane last spring to pull a pro-"Veronica" banner over the network's headquarters.
31. Austin American-Statesman: Austin creator Rob Thomas' ‘Veronica Mars' could thrive on CW - "Veronica Mars" is the darling of critics and beloved by a fervent, but small group of fans. But when UPN and the WB merged, the fate of "Veronica" was again up in the air. Fans in Los Angeles were so anxious they rented a plane to fly over the network with a banner pleading for renewal.
32. MovieHole: The last stand for "Everwood"? - Everwoodians have formed a quid pro quo relationship with the Cloud Watchers, Veronica Mars fans who flew a plane over the UPN and CW offices to get their show renewed. Through the Cloud Watcher's Café Press store, Everwood related merchandise is being sold with all proceeds benefiting the Everwood campaign, and their sales assisting the Cloud Watchers.
33. Chron: Destination Mars - There's no doubt that the series has a small but rabid fan base. In May, when it wasn't clear that the show would be renewed, diehards raised funds to fly a plane carrying a "Save Veronica Mars" banner over CW's Hollywood headquarters.
34. IGN: Veronica Mars Season 3: Kristen Bell and Rob Thomas Talk -
    Q: What do you have to say to the people who rented the plane with the sign [to encourage The CW to renew the series]?

    Kristen Bell: I think that it's really crazy and really awesome that they would go to those lengths. I think that a lot of our fans have gone to unbelievable lengths to show their appreciation for the show. And they are smart; there's no one that's dumb that watches Veronica Mars. I mean, you have to pay attention. But they were sending letters to the network. It wasn't like they were just doing the word-of-mouth. The bloggers are pretty much the reason we've gotten a lot of the numbers. I think that we're all extremely thankful, extremely thankful to the lengths that they have gone to. It wasn't me, if that's what you were asking!

    Rob Thomas: We did an event in my hometown of Austin in the middle of the year, and it turned into sort of a Veronica Mars convention. I felt like Gene Roddenberry. I mean, they know everything. They know everything about the show. A fan just sent me a link to the Veronica Mars graveyard, where you click on it and you see every character who's died on Veronica Mars and how they died and some sort of joke and quote about them. And there were eight or nine characters I don't remember in that graveyard!

    Q: For someone out of the loop, could you tell me what is the plane thing that he was referring to?

    Rob Thomas: Fans did one of those planes with the banner flying behind it. And they did it in Los Angeles, which was a shame, because the network brass was already in New York by this point. Though, I think they got word about it that it suggested they keep Veronica Mars on The CW.

35. MSNBC: ‘Veronica Mars' stays in orbit - Bell and Thomas were also asked about the fans who hired a plane to fly between UPN's old headquarters and the CW's new ones carrying a banner that read "Renew Veronica Mars CW 2006." (Thomas noted, however, that network brass were in NY, not LA, when the plane flew.) Bell called the actions "crazy and really awesome," and noted that "there's no one that's dumb who watches ‘Veronica Mars'. "
36. Philly : Ellen Gray | Save-our-show stunt appeals to CW chief - "These fans are so passionate," she bragged yesterday. "The 'Veronica Mars' fans hired a plane to fly over my office."
37. Seattle PI : Kristen Bell, Rob Thomas hope The CW switch solves the mystery of why "Veronica Mars" hasn't caught on. - But "Veronica's" fans are such a loyal crew that they rented a plane to fly a "save our show" message by The CW's offices.
38. Enrico Colantoni Fan Site : Enrico Colantoni Interview - And organized and that whole banner thing. That's enough to make Dawn Ostroff go, I love this show as much as you guys do, she's thinking, so yeah that's all I need.
39. TV Blend : The Clicker Acknowledges The Evolution Of The Teen Drama Series - Some fans even went so far as to have a banner flown over CW headquarters just to make sure execs knew the show was wanted. Their voices were heard and the show is set to air on the CW Network this fall.
40. TV Week : Back to Mars - A few months ago, when the show's future lay perilously in the balance, a group of rabid fans in the US hired a plane to fly through the skies above the show's American network offices, towing a sign that read, "Renew Veronica Mars". Thankfully, their brazen stunt seems to have paid off - and a third season has now been commissioned.
41. The News & Advance : TV fans have some influence - ...A group of fans put their money where their mouths were and hired a plane - pulling a banner that read "RENEW VERONICA MARS! CW 2006!"...
42. TV.com : Everwood comes to an end - A similar trick was used for the renewed Veronica Mars--fans hired a biplane to fly a banner over an LA freeway at rush hour.
43. Urban Dictionary : Urban Dictionary : Awesome - Veronica Mars fans are awesome. They love the show so much they hired a plane to fly a message over Hollywood to show their support for renewal.
44. Entertainment Weekly : R.I.P. The WB - After frantic Veronica Mars fans flew a banner over L.A., The CW picked up the drama.
45. MediaWeek : The Programming Insider - To the fans of Veronica Mars who came up with the cash to run a banner ad asking the CW to save the beloved drama, nice job…it worked!
46. IGN : Veronica Mars Renewed by CW - In the meantime, the extremely dedicated Veronica fandom did all they could to insure the series would be renewed, including flying a banner over the offices of UPN and The CW in support of the show.
47. Times Online : Viewers revolt to keep axed shows on TV
48. Philly : Jonathan Storm | CW network sets its first fall lineup - It may not have hurt that a ga-ga group of fans paid a reported $7,500 to rent airplane advertising ("Renew Veronica Mars! CW 2006!") and fly it over CW headquarters. (So much for fact checking)
49. TV Guide : My First Upfront - Seeing a photo of the banner plane that Veronica Mars fans had sent over Dawn Ostroff's office. She definitely took note
50. yourTV : Mars orbits LA - Obsessed fans of Veronica Mars have taken their love of the teen drama to new heights - literally. To boost the show's chances of being renewed for a third season, three fans hired a plane to fly over Los Angeles during peak hour and promote the series.
51. Miami Herald - Not much new in fall lineups for Fox, CW - Veronica Mars fans actually hired planes to buzz Ostroff's office towing banners demanding she save it.
52. LA Daily News : A new way to get you fix of teen drama, wit - Though "Veronica Mars" has struggled to find an audience, Ostroff pointed to the passion of the critical darling's fan base including the fact that fans hired a plane to fly a banner over the network requesting the show's renewal and the chance to pair it with The WB's compatible "Gilmore Girls" on Tuesday evenings.
53. E-Online : CW Puts "Gilmore Girls" on "Mars" - -last week, worried Veronica fans even took to the skies, in the form of an airplane-toted banner ad, to make a plea for the future of the teen sleuth.
54. WFAA : The CW dawns - Veronica Mars, beneficiary of a concerted "Save Our Show" campaign, will be paired with Gilmore Girls on Tuesdays
55. The Associated Press : New CW Network Revives '7th Heaven' - Ostroff was the target of a heavy lobbying campaign by fans who wanted to see their series survive, including some who rented an airplane to fly a sign over CW headquarters urging that "Veronica Mars" be kept on the air. Those fans succeeded; the show will air Tuesday nights following "Gilmore Girls."
56. TV.com : Veronica lives, Everwood axed - Last week, intrepid fans of UPN's Veronica Mars took to the skies in an effort to keep their cult favorite alive. Maybe it worked, because the CW renewed the teenage detective series and may pair it with Gilmore Girls.
57. Variety : New net looks familiar - The "Veronica Mars" pickup is sure to warm the hearts of the show's tiny but rabidly loyal fan base, which took to renting planes and sending large care packages to CW Entertainment prexy Dawn Ostroff in hopes of saving the show.
58. SignOnSanDiego : 'Mars' fans putting up a flight - If "Veronica Mars" fans can't get their favorite girl detective a spot on the new CW network's fall schedule, it won't be for lack of trying.
59. Television Without Pity : Leave It To Beavil - Totally awesome. I'm glad that, according to media reports, the efforts haven't gone unnoticed, and you guys deserve a huge pat on the back.
60. E-Online : Veronica Mars - Kristen Bell Interview!! - That's why we love ‘em! ‘Cause they're crazy! ‘Cause they think! Whose show does that?! Our show! We have the best fans in the world.
61. Digital Spy : Fans rally to save 'Veronica Mars' from axe
62. Wall Street Journal : 'Veronica Mars' Fans Have So Many Ways To Say They Love Her (Corrections & Amplifications)
63. TV Guide : Podcast
64. TV Guide : Graduation Day - Oh, and thanks to the nice Veronica fans who sent me the cute Hearst hat and T-shirt. I hope your plan works!
65. Seattle PI : Update: Cloud Watchers flight delayed
66. TV.com : Fans hope Mars lands on Earth - ...Today, a group of Mars fans is attempting a novel tactic to express their love for the show...
67. Media Life Magazine : Taking to the air over 'Veronica Mars' - ...so the show's biggest fans wanted to grab the attention of the network's executives by doing something beyond the usual online petition...
68. AintItCool : Herc Gives Five Stars To UPN's Last VERONICA MARS Ever!!
69. E-Online : Watch with Kristin (Watch out for spoilers) - How effing cool is that?
70. MediaWeek : The Programming Insider - Taking my research hat off for a moment, I do hope my prediction is wrong. And I admire the gusto of the countless fans of Veronica Mars who have tried to save the show
71. TV Guide : Mars Fans Aim Sky-high - ...Aww, Ron would be so proud...
72. LAist : It's a Bird…It's a Plane…It's Veronica Mars - ...we have to admire the tenacity of Veronica Mars fans...
73. SMRT-TV : A Time to Cancel, A Time to Renew - ...a member of the "Cloud Watchers" Save Veronica Mars campaign, wrote in to report on the incredible variety of activities fans are engaging in to save this show...
74. Seattle PI : Things you might want to know about, part II - That's right, guys. You tell 'em!
75. Pop Culture Junkies : Veronica Mars Has Some Mega-Fans
76. Tube Talk: Veronica Mars campaign and season finale