Proof that Disney wants PAX TV??
ABC vows more 'traditional' fare
Thu Mar 21, 1:38 AM ET
By Scott Collins
NEW YORK (The Hollywood Reporter) --- ABC executives told media buyers this week that the third-place network had "lost its way" during the past few years and promised a return to its traditional programming style next season.
Susan Lyne, tapped two months ago as ABC's entertainment president, reassured the buyers here that the network is tackling the problems that have led to a 23% drop in viewers this season and will revive "what traditionally made ABC a network," according to Kevin Brockman, ABC's senior vp entertainment communications. That likely will mean more family-oriented comedies and fanciful dramas -- and presumably less "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (news - web sites)."
"The overall message" to the ad buyers, Brockman said, "is how we lost our way" and what the Walt Disney Co. unit is doing to stem the slide, adding that the reception from the buyers was "incredibly positive."
The presentations offered the clearest signal yet that ABC is planning a major shakeup in its primetime programming. For the past two years, the network has depended heavily on "Millionaire," at one point scheduling the game show four times a week.
But "Millionaire's" ratings have eroded alongside those of other one-time hits like "Dharma & Greg" and "The Drew Carey Show." As a result, ABC might be facing one of its most difficult advertising upfronts in years.
Brockman said the network wanted to return to "kid-friendly" shows in the 8 p.m. hour, becoming more "adult-centric" as the night goes on. He even cited "Fantasy Island," Aaron Spelling's wish-fulfillment soap from the late '70s, as the type of "playful" programming that ABC once pioneered and hopes to revive in spirit, if not in fact.
At least one media buyer was impressed with ABC's pitch.
"Susan Lyne did a great job; she's a very good presenter," said Bill Cella, chairman of Magna Global USA. "I think they're trying to do everything they can to get the ship back on track."
Cella particularly liked the pitch for "Capital City," a pilot from writer-producer Rod Lurie, that Cella described as a "fast-paced" drama set in Washington.
Like ABC, the WB Network and Fox were holding development preview sessions with media buyers this week in New York and Chicago. UPN is holding meetings over a three-week period in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. CBS and NBC are expected to hold informal sessions with buyers prior to their schedule-setting announcements in May.
As for ABC, Cella said that its upfront advertising sales -- the period during the summer when the major networks book the bulk of their sales for the coming season -- might have a happier ending than its ratings struggles this season would indicate.
For one thing, Cella said, the network is performing better in certain demographic groups than it is among total viewers. Also, media buyers tend to prefer a balance of power among the broadcast networks, he said.
"We want a more level playing field," Cella said. "If (one network) gets too much out of whack, it becomes disruptive to the market. So we're rooting for them." |
