NEW
YORK (AP) -
ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox all have specific challenges during this
week's "upfronts," when schedules are unveiled in glitzy presentations to
thousands of advertising executives. But ABC, mired in fourth place for
much of the past few months, may have the biggest challenge of all.
Despite glazed eyes, ABC entertainment chief Susan Lyne can put on a
brave face. Like her counterparts at other networks, Lyne has spent the
past few weeks in screening rooms, watching pilot programs to decide on
next fall's schedule. "I love this time of year," Lyne said. "We get to
sit in a room and watch television all day. What's bad about that?"
It depends on what she's watching.
Lyne must convince them that ABC still has a pulse.
There were indications last fall that some of ABC's new comedies,
particularly "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" and "Life
With Bonnie," were catching on. Their initial ratings beat even ABC's
expectations, Lyne said.
Yet most of ABC's decisions after the first of the year have fallen
flat. A wave of reality series, including the ridiculed "Are You Hot,"
were critical and commercial duds. ABC may have killed one its few shows
with an Emmy legacy when it moved "The Practice" to Monday to accommodate
the failed "Dragnet" remake.
Fox blew by ABC in the ratings on the strength of "Joe Millionaire" and
"American Idol," making ABC's failures stick
out.
"People are looking for them to show some strength," said Stacey Lynn
Koerner of Initiative Media, one of the ad executives who will make
recommendations to clients based on what she sees this week. "They did a
decent job of trying to introduce some new series in the beginning of the
season, but they didn't get credit for it because of all the reality."
ABC's reality blitz this spring looked bad for two reasons. First, the
lack of quality. Second, it appeared the network hadn't learned from the
mistake that sent ABC into a tailspin in the first place, when it relied
too heavily on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" at the expense of
developing other shows.
"It looked like we were changing our strategy, when in fact we were
trying to use the time when we were in repeats to try out some stuff and
better our numbers," Lyne said.
ABC was too ambitious, she said, and it didn't help that the network
had little money left to advertise the shows on other outlets.
In fairness, the strategy of throwing plenty of ideas against the wall
to see what sticks wouldn't be questioned if one of the shows had
succeeded. NBC is essentially trying that same strategy this summer. ABC's
latest try, "Extreme Makeover," is showing signs of life.
Despite the ugly ratings numbers, ABC has at least stopped the bleeding
from the past two seasons and will even see an increase over last season
among viewers aged 18 to 49, Lyne said. Throw out the years when
"Millionaire" was a sensation, and ABC had been in decline for seven
years, she said.
ABC had modest goals for this season and achieved them, she said.
The biggest challenges for the other networks:
- CBS, which will probably end the season as TV's most popular network,
needs to shore up its Sunday night schedule, once a source of strength.
"60 Minutes" is going nowhere, but its ratings are fading and it has the
oldest audience on television. CBS may consider abandoning its
long-running Sunday movies, which are hurting from cable competition. The
jury is also still out on "Becker" and "My Big Fat Greek Life."
- NBC must keep trying to develop new strong new comedies, a goal that
has largely eluded them the past few years. This takes on a special
urgency with "Friends" and probably "Frasier" entering their last seasons.
Perhaps most damaging is that a string of unfunny comedies introduced over
the years - particularly on Thursday nights - has created a sense of low
expectations.
- Fox is still the reality king, and the success of "American Idol" has
also boosted the fortunes of "24" and "Bernie Mac." But the bench of
scripted series is still thin. And although the young viewers Fox loves
watch a lot of TV on Thursday nights, few are watching Fox. It needs to
become a player on Thursday and Friday, and it might not hurt to develop a
drama that young women will love.
As for ABC, when you're in fourth place, there are lots of holes to
fill.
With only six returning series last fall, ABC had to construct a new
schedule nearly from scratch. This year, 10 or 11 series will return, Lyne
said.
The network's emphasis on comedy will continue; last season it called
the 8 to 9 p.m. time slot "happy hour." ABC is particularly high on three
pilots: "Hope
& Faith," starring Faith Ford and Kelly Ripa, about a soap
opera star who seeks refuge with her stay-at-home sister; a series
starring Dan Finnerty as a bad singer headlining his family's lounge; and
a series reminiscent of Hugh Grant's "Notting Hill," where a high school
English teacher dates a female celebrity.
It's a good bet that next fall, ABC will air more comedies than any of
its rivals.
"It gives us a chance to distinguish ourselves and offer a
form of programming that audiences have always loved," Lyne said. "Why not
take advantage of the fact that other networks aren't concentrating on
comedy?"
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