During commercial breaks of shows like “The View,’’ “Ellen,’’ and “Live with Regis & Kelly’’ viewers will see a 30-second spot publicizing the worldwide hunt for the fugitives.
After years of searching for the 81-year-old Bulger, a fixture on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list who has triggered thousands of look-alike sightings all over the world, agents want to focus on the much younger Greig, who is likely to be more social and whose idiosyncrasies should make her stand out. The blue-eyed, 5-foot-6 Greig, now 60, has undergone several plastic surgeries, including a facelift and breast augmentation. She loves going to beauty salons, was known to get monthly teeth cleanings, and adores animals, officials said.
“We are trying to reach a different audience that will produce new leads in the case,’’ said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Richard Teahan, head of the task force that includes investigators from the State Police, the US Marshals Service, and the Massachusetts Department of Correction.
“We’re looking for people sitting in a hospital waiting for an appointment with a doctor where there are three or four [television] monitors on the wall, and they are watching these shows … or people who are in a beauty salon or barber shop,’’ he said.
FBI officials said a large percentage of daytime viewers are women in Greig’s age group.
“Those are the people who are her contemporaries, who would be her friends, her co-workers, someone she hangs out with,’’ said Special Agent Gregory Comcowich. The age difference between the couple is also something that may stand out to a friend or neighbor, he said.
A radio version of the public service announcement will also air on “The FBI This Week,’’ a syndicated program that airs daily on ABC and iTunes. In addition to television and radio spots, images of the couple will be displayed on digital billboards in New York’s Time Square.
The FBI is spending about $50,000 for the billboard and the ads, which will run in 350 time slots and 14 cities, including Boston.
