When CBS Really "Blew It."

[MediaBoy4Radio]

Way back when the universe was being created......CBS backed the wrong Color TV format.........NBC's eventually won out.........

Also CBS's version of HULU is a large mistake and won't last long

 

[bpatrick]

Let's go back to the urban/rural thing for a minute.
In the 1969-70 season the buzzword "demographics"
began to be heard along Madison Avenue. NBC was
actually ahead of CBS in 18-49-year-old viewers
and in urban areas, and was threatening to win the
season on total homes (which it claimed it did anyway).
To save the season, CBS instituted "Operation 100,"
pre-empting its weakest shows and substituting specials
and blockbuster movies nearly every night from January
to April. But CBS president Bob Wood and Fred Silverman
realized that the CBS schedule needed a facelift; at the
end of that season they dropped Jackie Gleason, Red Skelton,
and "Petticoat Junction" (not only for demographics, but the
Gleason and Skelton shows were running up almost prohibitive
production costs).

With "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" in September 1970, and
especially "All In The Family" in January 1971, Wood and
Silverman decided to go almost all the way (Lucy and "Gunsmoke"
survived the purge) and dropped "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Green
Acres," Ed Sullivan, "Hee Haw," Jim Nabors, "Mayberry RFD,"
"Family Affair," and (in August 1972) "My Three Sons." While some
of these shows were still getting decent numbers in total homes,
they were no longer attractive to advertisers, and network television
is--after all--a business. CBS did make a compromise of sorts,
adding "The Waltons" in 1972. But so many of the classic sitcoms
(add "M*A*S*H" and Bob Newhart to MTM and "All In The Family")
might never have seen the light of day if CBS hadn't realized the
threat NBC posed to its number-one position.

So I hardly think CBS "blew it." Where they did, I think, is in spinning
off too many of its hits ("Maude" and "The Jeffersons" from "All In The
Family," "Good Times" from "Maude", "Rhoda" and "Phyllis" from Mary
Tyler Moore) rather than develop new shows against the day when
its established winners would age out; also, not being prepared for the 1975 family-hour rule which mandated family-friendly programming from 8-9 (ET)/7-8 (CT), something for which ABC was ready and probably did as much as
anything to help ABC dethrone CBS. (ABC's problem was an overload
of teen sitcoms, which cost it in the 1979-80 season, but CBS had learned
its lesson; "Dallas" and "The Dukes Of Hazzard" were the hottest shows on
the air by that time. A move back to rural shows, yes, but there was plenty
of balance from shows like "M*A*S*H," "WKRP," "Lou Grant," and "The White
Shadow.")

 

[formeraa]

So I hardly think CBS "blew it." Where they did, I think, is in spinning
off too many of its hits ("Maude" and "The Jeffersons" from "All In The
Family," "Good Times" from "Maude", "Rhoda" and "Phyllis" from Mary
Tyler Moore) rather than develop new shows against the day when
its established winners would age out;

Huh?!? Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons were some of the best sitcoms on television during that era. In particular, I thought that The Jeffersons directly confronted some of the racial stereotypes of the day, which made it more than just a sitcom.

 

[vchimpanzee]

So I hardly think CBS "blew it." Where they did, I think, is in spinning
off too many of its hits ("Maude" and "The Jeffersons" from "All In The
Family," "Good Times" from "Maude", "Rhoda" and "Phyllis" from Mary
Tyler Moore) rather than develop new shows against the day when
its established winners would age out;

Huh?!? Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons were some of the best sitcoms on television during that era. In particular, I thought that The Jeffersons directly confronted some of the racial stereotypes of the day, which made it more than just a sitcom.

Yeah, I was going to say this.

I was going to say something about "Rhoda", but I guess it wasn't THAT good. And now we have Rhoda's sister Brenda all over "The Simpsons" with those annoying voices that can't be good for her throat.

"Phyllis" gave us Mother Dexter. That's the best thing I can say. I never did see what was so great about Cloris Leachman, but she's still around, and doing quite well.

Unfortunately, "Good Times" went downhill which was why John Amos left. Esther Rolle, I have read, stuck with the show just long enough to give the people in charge a chance to fix it. It didn't happen, so she left.

I always found the show entertaining, but then I guess I'm not hard to please..

 

[vchimpanzee]

My memory may be faulty, but I believe Cronkite did appear with the Captain once.
I have no memory of Douglas Edwards' ever appearing on "Captain," and he was
CBS's anchor in the days when I watched "Captain Kangaroo."

My mother watched the CBS soaps, so I remember Douglas Edwards well. He had a five-minute newscast after "Love of Life".

 

[stdjsb25]

But so many of the classic sitcoms
(add "M*A*S*H" and Bob Newhart to MTM and "All In The Family")
might never have seen the light of day if CBS hadn't realized the
threat NBC posed to its number-one position.

Of course, NBC wouldn't pose any threat for many, many years after that....the way they were programming (aside from Carson and SNL) and the reign of Fred Silverman (going up against what he had built at CBS and later ABC) pretty much ensured that. I believe that Tartikoff and Tinker were cleaning up after Freddie well into the 1980s.

 

[bpatrick]

So I hardly think CBS "blew it." Where they did, I think, is in spinning
off too many of its hits ("Maude" and "The Jeffersons" from "All In The
Family," "Good Times" from "Maude", "Rhoda" and "Phyllis" from Mary
Tyler Moore) rather than develop new shows against the day when
its established winners would age out;

Huh?!? Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons were some of the best sitcoms on television during that era. In particular, I thought that The Jeffersons directly confronted some of the racial stereotypes of the day, which made it more than just a sitcom.

I wasn't critiquing the shows but merely pointing out something that's been mentioned in a couple of books: "Up The Tube" by Sally Bedell Smith and "Watching TV" by Harry Castleman and Wally Podrazik. They all believe CBS
lost its edge by going back to the well and taking the easy way out: spinoffs.
But that was a trademark of Fred Silverman; he did it ABC as well, spinning off
"Laverne & Shirley" from "Happy Days" and "The Bionic Woman" from "The Six
Million Dollar Man." What none of the critics seem to realize is that the spinoffs,
especially "The Jeffersons," enjoyed respectable runs.

I personally think that the family-hour rule hurt CBS more than the spinoffs,
because in 1975 it had only two shows suitable for 8 PM: "Good Times" and
"The Waltons." "All In The Family" was forced to move to 9 PM; it was moved
from Saturday, which was probably the beginning of the end of CBS's Saturday-
night dominance; "Maude" was also forced into a 9 PM slot. No wonder Norman
Lear fought so hard (and ultimately successfully) to get the rule repealed on First
Amendment grounds.

 

[dustintv]

CBS did struggle from oh about 1985 til 2000, although during this time they still had a number of considerable hits. The loss of the NFC and the New World deal caused the network to take major blows, nonetheless it recovered.

The rural purge has always struck me an exaggerated myth of sorts.

 

[bpatrick]

Whatever you or anyone else thinks about the
rural purge (and you could make a case either way),
it's something Bob Wood and Fred Silverman felt had
to be done; as I said in an earlier posting, "demographics"
was the buzzword in the industry in 1970, and NBC was
claiming victory based on its better numbers among younger
viewers in major cities.

I recommend a book that came out in the early '70s about
that tumultuous year, 1970, Les Brown's (the Variety columnist,
not the bandleader) "Television: The Business Behind The Box."
He lays out all the moves and countermoves CBS and NBC made
in one of the closest ratings races in history.

Also remember that ABC and NBC were also canceling shows that
appealed to older, rural, less-affluent viewers. ABC dropped Lawrence
Welk, Johnny Cash, and its primetime game show block of "Let's
Make A Deal," "The Newlywed Game," and Jack Barry's "The Reel Game."
NBC dropped "The Virginian" ("The Men From Shiloh" in its last season),
"Daniel Boone," "High Chaparral," and Andy Williams.

 

[landtuna]

Also remember that ABC and NBC were also canceling shows that
appealed to older, rural, less-affluent viewers.

I'm guessing the worm has now turned and us "old farts" have now become the new-affluent (in relative terms of course). The new "big ticket" item is a cell phone. ;D

 

[imhomerjay]

It hasn't turned all that much, rightly or wrongly. Not that CBS would trade its position for NBC or anything silly like that with today's realities, but the higher median age for CBS is something that gets addressed from time to time. They're still in decent shape to be sure, but don't think for a moment they aren't trying to carefully lower that age without going too far.

Part of the problem is the data showing brand preferences solidify as people age, making advertising less effective. And no, anecdotes about someone's aunt Ida who just switched brands of dishwashing liquid don't disprove the general, across-the-board evidence. Savvy marketers are finding ways to do well in that market, and with demographic trends being what they are, perhaps there will be more movement over time, but it's a slow change process, not a case of flipping a switch.

 

[bpatrick]

What Madison Avenue seems to miss is that those
of us beyond the 18-49 range have more disposable
income; generally the kids are grown and we're not
making the purchases necessary to start a household,
so we can buy more things we want--a big car, for
example--rather than what we need (other than
the daily essentials, like food). Madison Avenue's
objection, as I think the previous poster mentioned,
is that the older people get, the more brand-loyal
they get, and it's hard to get them to try new brands.

But CBS, while still having the highest median age, has
been able over the past decade to attract younger viewers
with shows like "Survivor" and "CSI." What I wonder is when,
given its schedule, ABC will pass CBS and have the highest
median age.

 

[MediaBoy4Radio]

and guess what .....in this day and age technology is running wild with all sorts of devices and products which were not in existance a few days ago......it is impossible to have a brand loyality to a new product or device which did not exist .................so when the next widget or whatsit is invented ......it will be just as new to the prime demos as those over 49..............especially when it is produced by a company which also did not exist yesterday...................................

 

[imhomerjay]

Sure, you can slice and dice certain scenarios but they don't change what'd been found in objective research time and time again. It's not about whether or not any of us like it or can point to certain exceptions or to the cases where a business model has been built on catering to that audience--but there's only so much room there, and with a finite inventory, you can't be all things to all people.

Logically, what the 'younger' (let's say under 49 just to pick a figure for discussion) audience might have more need for from a product standpoint would be different than the older audience with more free cash flow. (As a side note, let's not discount the number of that older segment with considerable debt from helping to pay for the kids' education or helping with their own parents' care, not to mention the lost value of the retirement accounts.) The advertisers for the younger audience aren't, by and large, going to pay for the older viewers and vice versa, regardless of how much cash the older set may or may not have. The luxury car ad means little to the segment that needs a minivan.

 

[bpatrick]

imhomerjay, you must be a lawyer; you know
how to destroy an argument . Actually, the
business about "disposable income" is an argument
television and radio stations with schedules geared
to the over-50 crowd (like some CBS affiliates I know)
love to make to attract ad business (I know, I once worked
for a radio station that played mostly big-band music and
that was our standard presentation to potential advertisers).
The problem is, I don't see too many potential advertisers
buying into this--literally or figuratively--if my experience
is any indication.

I'm sure the networks will target the 18-49 audience for the
indefinite future, and as I said, CBS has managed to attract
younger viewers with "CSI" and some of its reality shows
(but not its game shows like "Million Dollar Password").

The subject that I believe started this thread was the early-
'70s overhaul of the CBS schedule: the purge of the rural
shows and the introduction of shows like "All In The Family"
and "M*A*S*H" that were geared to a young, citified audience.
CBS felt it had to be done; NBC had come within a whisker of
winning the 1969-70 season, and ABC--once it shed three hours
in January 1971--also saw its ratings pick up. And Bill Paley,
persuaded it was the right thing to do, let Bob Wood and Fred
Silverman have at it. That's it. And it changed the face of television
for better or worse, depending on your point of view, since ABC and
NBC also dropped their older/rural-based shows.

Bottom line: I don't think CBS "blew it" but rather bought themselves
four or five more years at number one--until ABC outprogrammed them
with even younger, more urban-oriented shows.