NBC and the new network TV model

[Nate Wesley]

NBC has been catching some heat for some of its recent moves. It's reducing it's original scripted programming and putting Jay Leno in a nightly primetime show. It's had a big flops from Knight Rider to Chopping Block, and there's doubt about the return of some of its sophomore-seasoned shows (namely Chuck and Life). Its president/CEO recently commented that it may not ever be #1 ever again, and got plenty flack for it.

But I caught a little inspiration for what NBC might be doing in the future after seeing Southland and Kings for the first time this week. Southlandreally is a great departure from the typical network cop show, or at the very least, the Law & Order shows it's been doing for twenty years. It's grimier in content and in dialogue, and I think there's promise in its execution. (They could definitely get away with an 'uncut' version on NBC.com or Hulu.) And Kings is also a bigger creative risk than I'm sure they've done in a while. Perhaps they'll put more money and greater creative risk into better shows.

With both the new emphasis on a tighter programming and the emergence of dual-revenue cable, DVRs, and online streaming, perhaps there will be fewer of the traditional network show cancellations, given that even low rated shows attract millions of viewers. Instead, they'll move the show to another platform or another channel within the corporate family in order to best monetize the reliable audience that was captured.

I think Jeff Zucker's comments were a too-honest recognition that NBC's future will not lie in the old network pipeline to affiliate model. Thinking about the platforms that he mentioned, though, I'm not sure its a given that NBC will abandon relationships with broadcasters. Is it so crazy to think that they could follow MyNetworkTV's lead and become a programming service, albeit one with a top-tier brand?

They would already have relationships and name recognition with some of the largest and best-funded local stations with news departments. Outside of O&O stations and the top 50 markets, no more mandatory "all NBC" stations. Give these other traditional NBC stations the first crack at having Heroes by NBC Television on Monday nights 9/8 CT, then sell the same show whatever station that wants it on weekends or outside of weeknight primetime. You don't have music exclusivity to radio stations or the other platforms you hear music on. With the digital TV transition allowing new station sign ons and DTV multicasting, I don't think you can maintain the old exclusivity of seeing one show on one channel, at least with broadcast TV.

These were just a few of my ruminations. Thoughts?

 

[whit979]

It's going to be very interesting to see what kind of effect Leno has on their primetime block. I think that right now people need to laugh, and Leno is the kind of guy who can bring folks from every age group and background together. I think a lot of folks are burned out on crime-fighting shows, medical dramas, and reality shows. Perhaps a real, honest-to-goodness comedian can save the network. The overriding fact is, to me, that NBC's world has never been the same since the departure of Seinfeld. That's just my opinion, though.

 

[landtuna]

I gave up on Leno years ago. He was too much like Bob Hope. Virtually all their humor is/was topical but Leno was on daily instead of every other month or so. Gets really old and Leno's shouting the punch lines, as if he was in a loud bar and grill, is really irritating. If his new show is substantially like The Tonight Show (grating monologue and airhead guests promoting their latest project) I don't give it very long life. They need to do something new. So far it sounds like just another lame attempt to get the last few innings out of an old slugger.

Now, if they do features with Jay's Garage etc. it might draw some niche car guys but I don't see the women watching.

 

[benwolf]

The new NBC network model is C-H-E-A-P. When CBS was third they put a huge investment into scripted shows to grow on and came back, but NBC is simply cutting back. Now Leno to fill in the holes, which will only do well compared to the rest of their 4th-rated schedule. In my circle I really don't know anyone who watches NBC now. C'mon, their shows are terrible!

 

[Yeziknoradio]

NBC has been catching some heat for some of its recent moves. It's reducing it's original scripted programming and putting Jay Leno in a nightly primetime show. It's had a big flops from Knight Rider to Chopping Block,

Knight Rider? Flop? Don't think so, or at best, one could at least remove the word "big" from the sentance.

I don't even view it as a flop at all. The ratings weren't over the top, but they weren't rock bottom either. Reruns of the new Knight Rider are still airing in Canada, so there must be strong demand of some sort there...(?)

Otherwise, why air the reruns? Why not air something different?

PLUS, add in what Gary Scott Thompson has to say about the show:

"So this is a cost-cutting measure, it is not a cancellation measure.

So... Writing letters, though! Write a lot of letters to NBC telling them that you want Knight Rider back. To Ben Silverman at NBC!"

Source: http://knightrideronline.com/news/2008/12/knight_rider_not_canceled_says_gst.php

 

[pabsungenis]

That model (what MNTV is doing and you proposed for NBC) is the way things used to be done back in the early days. Stations like WFIL-TV in Philadelphia shared affiliations with Dumont and ABC, for example.

Of course, there were a lot fewer frequencies back then. Now the dial is crowded. Add in cable, and there's no reason for stations to pick-and-choose between networks for programming. I don't see it working.

 

[Nate Wesley]

That model (what MNTV is doing and you proposed for NBC) is the way things used to be done back in the early days. Stations like WFIL-TV in Philadelphia shared affiliations with Dumont and ABC, for example.

Of course, there were a lot fewer frequencies back then. Now the dial is crowded. Add in cable, and there's no reason for stations to pick-and-choose between networks for programming. I don't see it working.

I actually think the crowded dial is the reason to ditch the old network-exclusive or channel-exclusive way they've been doing it. The old linear schedule for where audiences had to tune in at Wednesday, 9/8 CT for Lost is technically gone, as we can time shift it through DVRs, download it from iTunes, or watch it online where we have the appropriate internet access.

I'm not saying that Lost should be run every hour like a radio hit. But more people would see it if were run once and first on ABC/ABC stations, then a second run on outside of primetime by any station (ABC or not) that wanted to run it, as long as they paid for those second run rights.

Disney doesn't limit its films exclusively to Carmike Cinemas and then just Blockbuster Video on DVD. They put it in every theater that they can, and sell the DVD in any store that sells them, from Xmart to MississippiRiver.com. I guess my main point is, since terrestrial TV is still the biggest medium for network shows' traction, they should maximize exposure where they can on TV.

 

[Nate Wesley]

Knight Rider? Flop? Don't think so, or at best, one could at least remove the word "big" from the sentance.

I don't even view it as a flop at all. The ratings weren't over the top, but they weren't rock bottom either. Reruns of the new Knight Rider are still airing in Canada, so there must be strong demand of some sort there...(?)

Otherwise, why air the reruns? Why not air something different?

PLUS, add in what Gary Scott Thompson has to say about the show:

"So this is a cost-cutting measure, it is not a cancellation measure.

So... Writing letters, though! Write a lot of letters to NBC telling them that you want Knight Rider back. To Ben Silverman at NBC!"

Source: http://knightrideronline.com/news/2008/12/knight_rider_not_canceled_says_gst.php

I don't know, a fall debuting show having a season finale in Februrary (IIRC) isn't the most promising of signs.

 

[imhomerjay]

Season finale? That was the series finale. The episode order was cut, and though drawing somewhat better numbers than its now-cancelled replacement, it's a goner. How one defines "flop" (be it little, big or tremendous) is subjective, of course. The end result---not so much.

 

[landtuna]

In my circle I really don't know anyone who watches NBC now. C'mon, their shows are terrible!

You can put me down for the NHL Game of the Week on NBC. That's it for that network.

 

[vchimpanzee]

NBC has been catching some heat for some of its recent moves. It's reducing it's original scripted programming and putting Jay Leno in a nightly primetime show. It's had a big flops from Knight Rider to Chopping Block,

Knight Rider? Flop? Don't think so, or at best, one could at least remove the word "big" from the sentance.

I don't even view it as a flop at all. The ratings weren't over the top, but they weren't rock bottom either. Reruns of the new Knight Rider are still airing in Canada, so there must be strong demand of some sort there...(?)

Otherwise, why air the reruns? Why not air something different?

PLUS, add in what Gary Scott Thompson has to say about the show:

"So this is a cost-cutting measure, it is not a cancellation measure.

So... Writing letters, though! Write a lot of letters to NBC telling them that you want Knight Rider back. To Ben Silverman at NBC!"

Source: http://knightrideronline.com/news/2008/12/knight_rider_not_canceled_says_gst.php

I enjoyed it. Sure the talking car was corny, but he had a personality. Makes me wonder why I didn't watch the original. Same with "Bionic Woman".

 

[Robnoxious]

You can put me down for the NHL Game of the Week on NBC. That's it for that network.

Hearing Mike Emmerick do the announcing week after week is grating enough for me to seek out illegal in the wild streams from Canadian broadcasters (CBC or TSN).

 

[landtuna]

Hearing Mike Emmerick do the announcing week after week is grating enough for me to seek out illegal in the wild streams from Canadian broadcasters (CBC or TSN).

After listening to the announcer pairings on Versus' other games I'll take Emmerick any day. He does get a bit over excited when one goes off the post though.

 

[Nate Wesley]

In my circle I really don't know anyone who watches NBC now. C'mon, their shows are terrible!

I was up to four peacock shows this season. I gave up Knight Rider after the first few episodes to return to watching ABC's Pushing Daisies...that turned out to be a swell move, didn't it? I had to give up on Heroes in the middle of this season, as the show has become way too convoluted. (And since its a sci-fi 'superhero' show, that's saying something.)

I still enjoy two NBC shows that may indeed be candidates to get the ax: Chuck (season finale next week) and Life (season finale two weeks ago).

 

[Al Timiter]

Hi...Nate, I think the premise in your original post is well thought-out and worthy of notice by any of the big four, really. However, as a TV network traditionalist, the new era is bitter medicine. Broadcasters used to be real Broadcasting people, passionate about their product. Not, accountants and CEO's expected to meet Wall Street's expectations and a thousand ways for the competition to beat you instead of just a couple of ways. But for better or worse, such is the place we find ourselves and Nate, your suggestions are better than anything else I've read. Sounds like you should be working at one of the networks. Gawd knows, they need something!
P.S. I was just thinking yesterday how much I miss Phoebe and Joey. And the reruns don't count!

 

[Nate Wesley]

Hi...Nate, I think the premise in your original post is well thought-out and worthy of notice by any of the big four, really. However, as a TV network traditionalist, the new era is bitter medicine. Broadcasters used to be real Broadcasting people, passionate about their product. Not, accountants and CEO's expected to meet Wall Street's expectations and a thousand ways for the competition to beat you instead of just a couple of ways. But for better or worse, such is the place we find ourselves and Nate, your suggestions are better than anything else I've read. Sounds like you should be working at one of the networks. Gawd knows, they need something!
P.S. I was just thinking yesterday how much I miss Phoebe and Joey. And the reruns don't count!

Hey, I'm just a nobody with more free time than he needs at the moment. I'd just hear people way smarter than myself speculate that the future of NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox will lie in those networks simply joining the ranks of subscription cable--neglecting the fact that they already have cable channels tied to them (corporately).

As far as Friends...I'm not aware of anything Lisa Kudrow or Matt LeBlanc are super busy with at the moment. Maybe some sort of exclusive web series? Or would that cost too much (remembering the salary demands NBC had to do for the show in its last years)?

 

[JeeperOne]

But I caught a little inspiration for what NBC might be doing in the future after seeing Southland and Kings for the first time this week. Southlandreally is a great departure from the typical network cop show, or at the very least, the Law & Order shows it's been doing for twenty years. It's grimier in content and in dialogue, and I think there's promise in its execution. (They could definitely get away with an 'uncut' version on NBC.com or Hulu.) And Kings is also a bigger creative risk than I'm sure they've done in a while. Perhaps they'll put more money and greater creative risk into better shows.

Agreed.

With both the new emphasis on a tighter programming and the emergence of dual-revenue cable, DVRs, and online streaming, perhaps there will be fewer of the traditional network show cancellations, given that even low rated shows attract millions of viewers. Instead, they'll move the show to another platform or another channel within the corporate family in order to best monetize the reliable audience that was captured.

Not only that, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if NBC decided to move Days Of Our Lives to NBC.com once it leaves the broadcast airwaves since it's the only soap opera they still have. You & I both know that Proctor & Gamble will wanna do the same thing with Guiding Light & (Eventually though obviously not right away since it's still getting decent ratings) As The World Turns by putting them on AOL Video with all the other shows they have.

I think Jeff Zucker's comments were a too-honest recognition that NBC's future will not lie in the old network pipeline to affiliate model. Thinking about the platforms that he mentioned, though, I'm not sure its a given that NBC will abandon relationships with broadcasters. Is it so crazy to think that they could follow MyNetworkTV's lead and become a programming service, albeit one with a top-tier brand?

They would already have relationships and name recognition with some of the largest and best-funded local stations with news departments. Outside of O&O stations and the top 50 markets, no more mandatory "all NBC" stations. Give these other traditional NBC stations the first crack at having Heroes by NBC Television on Monday nights 9/8 CT, then sell the same show whatever station that wants it on weekends or outside of weeknight primetime. You don't have music exclusivity to radio stations or the other platforms you hear music on. With the digital TV transition allowing new station sign ons and DTV multicasting, I don't think you can maintain the old exclusivity of seeing one show on one channel, at least with broadcast TV.

Not only that, but with the multicasting capabilities which DTV provides broadcasters, the floodgates could be BLOWN OFF as more & more shows & other syndicated fare is made available to us average viewers.

That's on top of the emergence of small networks like America One & .2 once the DTV transition has been completed nationwide.

I can just see it now - An example - Monday Night Football - Produced by the NFL, broadcast using ESPN announcers, but syndicated nationwide by ESPN in partnership with the NFL to ANY station wanting the game.

I can also see the usual Regular Season Sunday Afternoon NFL deals ending too in lieu of each team having local deals with local stations for regular season games just as they do with preseason games. The network(s) would only feature one or two marquee matchups just like the NBA does it (Note I don't dare mention MLB because anytime the Red Sox & Yankees get together, FOX & ESPN are all over the series EVEN IF there are better matchups). The network(s) would still keep the post-season & Super Bowl rights though as that just simply makes sense.

The same thing with The Olympics. Produced by the IOC's own production crew. Syndicated in partnership with an American network in the USA (Isn't CBS supposed to broadcast the 2010 Winter Olympic Games??) to ANY station wanting the games. This way, CBS can live up to it's contractual obligations with regards to the Olympics WITHOUT hamstringing themselves for two weeks (Which is likely what led to them dumping the Olympics altogether back in 1990s after the 1994 Winter Games).

Those are just a few examples. I'm sure there are other possibilities as well.

Cheers

 

[dgendvil]

I assume NBC sports schedule hasn't been good since the NBA left in 2002. But the 4th place network also had some good things in bringing football on sunday nights, despite that John Madden is leaving. If the NBA's contract were to expire from ESPN/ABC, could they get hockey back on ESPN, while NBC switches back to the NBA & bring back Marv Albert to the mike? Now that would be a good swap, despite that ESPN switched off hockey four years ago & that was a terrible thing for the network. In fact the NHL on ESPN had some high ratings, better than NBC & Vs. is today. Both NBC & the Vs. Network has done terrible in the ratings lately. The NBA's ratings on ABC & ESPN is another thing, despite they had ratings trouble in recent years. Maybe it would be about time for that to happen! We shall see.

 

[JeeperOne]

I assume NBC sports schedule hasn't been good since the NBA left in 2002. But the 4th place network also had some good things in bringing football on sunday nights, despite that John Madden is leaving. If the NBA's contract were to expire from ESPN/ABC, could they get hockey back on ESPN, while NBC switches back to the NBA & bring back Marv Albert to the mike? Now that would be a good swap, despite that ESPN switched off hockey four years ago & that was a terrible thing for the network. In fact the NHL on ESPN had some high ratings, better than NBC & Vs. is today. Both NBC & the Vs. Network has done terrible in the ratings lately. The NBA's ratings on ABC & ESPN is another thing, despite they had ratings trouble in recent years. Maybe it would be about time for that to happen! We shall see.

ESPN will NEVER get the hockey audience back.

And even if they did get hockey back, ESPN's announcer (Gary Thorne) is now the PxP announcer on MASN for the Baltimore Orioles (He doesn't even do baseball on ESPN anymore).

As for the NBC announcer, I'd have to agree with those who say he's grating. He reminds me of the (Now thankfully!) former Colorado Avalanche announcer when they were on FSN Rocky Mountain (They're now on Altitiude along with the NBA's Denver Nuggets & several other sports teams in town). Guess where he's calling games - St. Louis for the St. Louis Blues. Gawd he was grating. At least the Avs current announcer (Who was in the radio booth for the Avs) only gets grating when the team scores a big goal. Other than that, he's just like any other announcer.

Just my opinion....

Cheers

 

[vchimpanzee]

In my circle I really don't know anyone who watches NBC now. C'mon, their shows are terrible!

I was up to four peacock shows this season. I gave up Knight Rider after the first few episodes to return to watching ABC's Pushing Daisies...that turned out to be a swell move, didn't it? I had to give up on Heroes in the middle of this season, as the show has become way too convoluted. (And since its a sci-fi 'superhero' show, that's saying something.)

I still enjoy two NBC shows that may indeed be candidates to get the ax: Chuck (season finale next week) and Life (season finale two weeks ago).

I never gave up "Knight Rider" but I taped "Pushing Daisies". I was glad to read it's coming back for a few episodes.

"Chuck" has become one of my favorite shows but I don't want it to end.

Another favorite for me is "Howie Do It". And I watched "Friday Night Lights" even though I never enjoyed it all that much. Same for "Kings". What happened to it? They'd better not have sneaked a new episode onto Saturday's schedule, because I didn't know about it. And when the listings said it was there, it wasn't.

I also watch "My Name Is Earl" and "30 Rock".