By the turn of the century, the anchor programs of NBC’s Thursday nights (Friends, W&G, E/R) had all gone stale, and NBC had lost its nerve to take the risks necessary to develop and nurture fresh replacement shows. “Hill Street” was still going pretty strong at the end. “Cheers” went out on a high note. But “E/R” had been barely watchable for four or five entire seasons before NBC finally, mercifully pulled the plug.
NBC first forgot its brand, then it forgot how to compete. Now it’s losing to F/X, which I wasn’t even sure was a real network until just now.
So how does this lesson apply to General Motors?
GM had eight brands, and pissed them all away. Then they forgot how to compete. And now they’re in a receivership of sorts. Here’s the short version: Cadillac was “the standard of the world.” Then it became a tarted-up Chevy. Pontiac was the outlaw performance brand. By the ’90s, a Pontiac was a Chevy with plastic body cladding. “Buick” meant understated looks (and wealth), then it changed into a de-contented Caddy (which was a tarted-up Chevy). Saturn was supposed to be the import-fighter brand, but eventually devolved into rebadged Opel imports. Olds? High tech to… I have no idea. (It’s no coincidence that Olds was the first brand GM killed off, ten years ago now.)
And everyone knew what SAAB and Hummer were, but no one could figure out what they were doing as part of General Motors — not even the folks at General Motors.
Anyway, you get the idea. Eventually, GM just gave up. Witness: The Chevy Aveo. If that’s not an unconditional surrender, then even the French don’t know what one is.
Now we’re seeing the exact same thing happen to NBC. The Peacock soiled its brand so badly, that when “E/R” finally died, not only did it not have a replacement in the wings, it didn’t even try. NBC’s brass just said, “Aww, screw it — put on Leno.”
There’s nothing wrong with Leno. There’s nothing wrong with Miracle Whip on Wonder Bread, either — it’s just not very exciting. The network that used to give us genre-busting sitcoms from 8-10PM, and cutting-edge hourlong dramas in the 10PM slot, took the blandest personality from latenight TV and used him to redefine what it meant to be on NBC Primetime. NBC’s new brand is a yellow chicken on a white flag of surrender.
F/X might be tiny, but it seems to know its niche — it has a brand, in other words. F/X is also known for “Nip/Tuck,” and “Damages” as well as “Sons of Anarchy.” All are not-very-nice dramas that take chances. (Not always successfully. The writing at “Nip/Tuck” finally left all consistency and believability behind, and I quit watching in the middle of Season Four.)
And so it comes as no great surprise that the funky network with the funky lineup has flipped the Peacock the bird.
*Where the hell was “Family Ties” set?
Family Ties was set in Ohio–that much I recall. Wiki says Columbus, and I have no reason to disagree with that.
Don’t forget Breaking Bad on AMC and It’s Always Sunny in Philidelphia on FX.
Breaking Bad in particular is one of those genre bending shows. It’s either a really, really dark comedy or a dark drama with a lot of comic relief.
I know zilch about cars, but when I saw the P.T. Cruiser and the Honda Element, I saw a nosedive in the whole art form — never mind General Motors. Those are vehicles that people design when they are completely out of ideas. Jeez, even the names are flags of surrender!
A similar story is also currently being written on the (formerly) great Hollywood film studios.
Jay Leno has a prime time show now?
It’s about time he got a regular TV gig. Too bad it’s on NBC.
But seriously: what were they thinking, putting it up against “Sons of Anarchy”? That show rocks.
To be fair, FX is going out of their way to put on some seriously risk-taking shows. I’m still mourning the loss of Dirt and The Riches.
I don’t even /have/ cable and I was watching Sons of Anarchy on DVD Thursday night. Leno? Please.
Southland was a natural successor to these Thursday night dramas. It was produced by John Wells, the same guy behind ER. Wells also had a stint on West Wing.
Too bad NBC didn’t even give it a chance and canned it before an episode of its second season had aired.
I’ve given up on prime-time.
I turn to “I Love Lucy” or “Seinfeld” episodes when the goin’ gets tough.
Thanks for the picture of “Joyce Davenport”. I’ve given up on NBC at ten o’clock. Reruns of Criminal Minds are better.
Television would be almost completely dead if the US had a decent broadband network. If it wasn’t for some sports, I doubt I’d even want cable. The internet is the future, shows on demand are the future, and there’s no urgency to see anything other than sports since there’s just no reason not to wait and get the commercial-free version. To me, broadcast television is like reading a catalog: I look a little, decide what’s best, and buy it at Target or Amazon when the entire season is available. I don’t have water cooler discussions where I miss out if I haven’t seen the latest episode of whatever, but I do enjoy watching half a season of something when I sit down with friends to watch something.
And while It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the best series on FX, I’m a much bigger fan of Metalocalypse and The Venture Brothers from Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Dethklok rules! And Brock Samson can kick Chuck Norris’ ass without breaking a sweat.
Rescue Me on FX is reason enough to get cable. (Or just get the DVDs)
Don’t forget F/X is owned by Fox
Good points about NBC on Thursday, but you don’t go far enough back. Before the ’80s, the Peacock owned the night through most of the ’60s and 70s with shows you’re probably too young to remember:
Dragnet (all the way back to the ’50s)
Daniel Boone
Ironside
Dean Martin
Shows got old and had to be replaced over time, but the basic way of picking a new show remained. The fact is, network execs boxed themselves in when they gave up so many formats in the mid 70s, the same way the car companies did, and found themselves essentially trying to re-invent the wheel.
It all comes down to the ”dumbing down” effect, too much politically correct crap with a definite left-wing bias, basically, just unoriginal bad quality like junk-food. And this same phenomenon is everywhere – TV & movies, music, politics, the arts, companies like GM that make boring crappy unimaginative products.
Jay Leno has a loyal audience that appreciates humor and relaxation. He’ll do fine.
@ vivo … you do realize this isn’t a political issue, right? You don’t have to try to spin this one. lmao
It is interesting that while the ratings for the major networks are declining, the ratings for news programs (especially FOX news programs) are dramatically increasing. Although the major networks still hold the most viewers, their numbers have been declining quickly and consistantly over the past few years. Throw in the impact of the Internet on young people, and you have the networks doing no better in the ratings than programs that you see on standard cable TV. I think the major networks (ABC, CBS, and certainly NBC) are going the way of newspapers in this country. They let not only their competition, but technology, pass them by and now they can’t compete with other forms of media. I wonder how long it will be before Obama approves a bailout for the networks, especially NBC? After all, isn’t NBC too big to fail? And we wouldn’t want the free market to determine what people watch, now would we? I’m sure that General Electric, which owns NBC and is a big Obama supporter, will be getting a check soon.
Mr. Green:
““Hill Street” was still going pretty strong at the end.”
In ratings perhaps, but in content it had devolved to Hawkeye Pierce from MASH as a big city police precinct commander. Veronica Hamel was the only consistently watchable thing about the show. Daniel J. Travanti was morphing into Alan Alda all through the run, and by the time they killed the turkey, one half expected to see him living in a tent and wearing fatigues…
Your comparison of NBC’s decline to General Motors’ is apt, but you totally missed the most glaring parallel between the two.
NBC made of itself the “Law and Order Network”.
Like GM’s offerings, you could get the baseline “Law and Order”, the economy “CI” model, or,(for you offroading enthusiasts), the “SVU” edition with on-demand four-wheel-crime.
GMAFB!
If the Chevy Aveo is a sign of GM’s surrender, then the “Smart Car” is a sign of America’s surrender.
Jay Leno’s show has lousy boring guests and the format is too structured for him . He is a spontaneous type of person and this format does not let him be who he is . Too bad,he can be so funny.
11 proof – agree, reruns of “Criminal Minds” are worthwhile, it is one of three shows I watch consistently.
Why in God’s name does anyone watch any of it??
I can’t tell you the last time I watched anything on NBC that held my interest. The other networks, even USA, at least one show I love (Damages, Lost, the Mentalist, Glee, sometimes 24, Psych, Monk)).
Might I add that NBC got into nonstop lecturing on global warming, eco-this and eco-that (not that the other networks aren’t doing their share). In disgust, I finally stopped watching anything on the dead Peacock.
Leno was so entertaining I watched all of 4 minutes of his first show before falling into the best, deepest sleep I’ve ever experienced.
I can’t think of anything I watch on the main networks anymore. My last holdout was “CSI” (the Las Vegas-based one), but that’s gotten old to me. “The Office” was good for awhile, but outing the Jim/Pam romance was its shark-jumping moment. Fox was INSANE to kill “Arrested Development”, whose loss I mourned, as I did the ending of “The Shield” on F/X (one of the best TV shows ever, IMHO). I think the niche channels are all that’s left, and that’s not saying much.
Like so much else, it comes down to economics.
After the strike the production costs went sky high. They dont’ gamble with stakes high enough they’ll lose either their jobs or the network.
Leno, reality, game, news shows r cheep.
You’re seeing this in the videogame world too. As pixels get smaller, the amount of work and dollars is a CUBE function of pixel size. You can’t get ps3, xbox, or high def ground-breaking games. The wii is the source of novel games not because of its good technology but because of its BAD technology (the pictures are low resolution and the time/effort/money doesn’t go into art but instead into game design.
My father in law has a 2007 Buick Lucerne. We bought a GMC Acadia last winter. I test drove a CTS Sport Wagon, and will be buying a Chevy Equinox in a few months. Up until a few years ago, I never would’ve considered GM.
GM has not given up. They are streamlining, dumping the crap, and putting out some great vehicles. The Aveo is nothing more than a bone to politics; they’re making it because they have to. Where they’re really putting their effort, they’re getting results.
The Aveo is actually a rebadged Korean Daewoo. I’m not sure what that says about GM, or NBC, but it’s probably a bad sign when you are selling a car from a company that had to stop selling cars in the US because they couldn’t sell enough.
And DaveM – the smart car is made by Mercedes (a German company) with some design input and cobranding from Swatch (a Swiss watch co). I don’t think that it says anything about America. It’s a niche product for the US – it makes sense if you live in a city and parking is a premium.
Two words for the failure of NBC: Jeff Zucker.
Zucker is a no-talent coporate hack who has followed the Peter Principle up to oblivion. Hollywood is full of people like this. They have a knack for getting on with what they condescendingly call “pieces of talent,” aka actors, and once that happens the higher-ups are terrified to get rid of them for fear of losing access to that talent. And then, sho nuf, we end up with NBC. And trainwrecks like MSNBC, but that’s another matter. Jeff Immelt, how’s that Six Sigma working out for you?
I bought my first new GM car in 1974, and my last (a truck) in 2006. I have $3,000 “banked” on my GM Mastercard towards a new vehicle but I’m cutting up the card and walking. Any corporation that caves to the White House Stalinistas has lost my business…permanently.
Same goes for NBC and its parent company GE. I’m not interested in what Chris Matthews has running up (or down) his leg and it will be a cold day in hell before I buy anything with a GE label on it.
How’s them apples?
We like Leno.
However, we seldom watch CBS.
We dislike the Conan show, drives us crazy. CBS needs a bailout..
Zucker was rejected by Harvard Law, and went on to work at the Today show. Too bad. He must have dirty pictures of Immelt or someone close the way he keeps “falling up” the ladder..
Still wouldn’t buy a GM vehicle and support a union. ‘don’t care if they produce a wonder car.
(I think someone watches too much television)
36. Brian
Right on.
I couldn’t tell you the last time I watched a show on ABC CBS or NBC. Maybe when Sienfeld left.
How could they have gone wrong,
giving the people what they want ?
Dumb, dumber, dumbest; Finalists
in the Darwin Award competition.
The decline began when Eisenhower’s
Infomercials won over whats-his-name’s
professorial lectures.
#17 agree with you 100%. Gave up on law and order when they continually went after Bush. Also, most of the other shows on tv. Cable is the only way to go. Thank heavens for sports, except nbc and that idiot obermaniac on the football game. Boycotting pro football anyway because of their caving to sharpton, so will stay with my favorite college ball.
#34 – agree, would never buy a GM because it has become the zero’s company.
Leno could become the new edgy comedian by attacking Obama and his ship of fools. No one else will do it so he would have it all to himself. Sure it would be controversial but isn’t that what a comic wants? He has it in him but does he have the courage to buck his network and 1/3 of the public? Go Leno!
I’ve been watching TV for 60 years. My problem is that I’ve seen everything, so you have to be good or innovative to get my attention, otherwise I can guess where the plot line is going. Most of the newer shows are just plain boring. I can’t get real news anywhere except the internet. As for Leno, I never watched him to begin with; there are no talk-show hosts who can best Jack Paar (watch some old videos and you’ll understand). In a culture where the celebrities are housewives and toddlers in tiaras, and we have choices between rehashes of hospital, legal, and crime dramas or endless aging reruns, it’s no wonder we’re turning elsewhere. If we went back to reading, we’d be better off, a lot more informed, and Americans might wake up to what is actually happening to their country.
It’s not surprising to see Leno’s numbers plummeting. People expected (and were promised) something new…and didn’t get it.
Interestingly, polls now show that Obama’s approval ratings have plunged faster than any other president in 50 years. And why? Because people expected (and were promised) something new…and didn’t get it.
20. Libertyship46:
I’m sure that General Electric, which owns NBC and is a big Obama supporter, will be getting a check soon.
Your cynicism is lagging. At Ace of Spades:
Obama ally General Electric, owner of Obama-approved media organizations NBC and MSNBC, lobbied for special rules to get TARP money despite having almost nothing at all to do with banking. (They have a finance arm, but their “banking” presence derives from the ownership of two small banks.)
GE, you will be happy to know, got the money under special rules and also, being so very special, does not have to comply with Obama’s Pay Czar’s CEO pay demands.
See more at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/28/AR2009062802955_pf.html
and
http://www.ge.com/pdf/investors/financial_reporting/proxy_statements/ge_proxy2009.pdf
I like Leno, he is by far the best of the late night comedians. He really nailed Bill Clinton to the wall over Monicagate along with Bubba’s other misadventures. But even Leno seems to have drank the Obama kool aide. To his credit he did have Rush Limbaugh on and it was a real breath of fresh air from the usual trash Republican/Obama worship mantra. But then he had Michael Moore, Michelle O, along with the usual liberal wingnuts.
Obama has given comedians so much ammunition to use against him, if Leno wanted to he could probably knock Obama’s approval down at least 5 points singlehandedly. The man who campaigned in 57 states, who can’t speak coherently without his teleprompter, who called Iran a tiny country, who doesn’t know the geography of his own homs state…
When Hugh the ancient skankoid pos Hefner and his harem of whores got the show, “Girls Next Door”, I came to the conclusion that there is no ‘value’ left in ‘shock value’.
I love Leno.. just his monologue.. then to bed.
But do any of you really believe that NBC would allow him to take on Obama.
Nevah hoppen!
Michelle Obama was on Leno and no one noticed. How safe can you get?
Family Ties was set in Ohio, somewhere near Columbus I believe.
If I need more Obama cool , Bush stupid jokes , I’ll be sure to tune in .
House is the only watchable American made TV program. A lot of the problem comes from ensemble shows (crime, legal, etc.) where the female actors are chosen for their looks and then told that to be convincing cops, lawyers, etc. they should act like males. Doesn’t work for me. In fact, it’s mostly excruciatingly painful to watch.
Brotherhood was a worthy competitor, but apparently it’s been axed. I assume it was terminated because it’s primary theme was the ugly corruption and immorality behind Democrat Party urban political machines. The WH probably called Showtime and the producers and told them it was not welcome in the new America of Hopey McChange.
As a consequence, most of my TV watching requires work since it comes by way of downloading ITV/BBC programs from British television – the current Red Riding, soon to be a major motion picture from Ridley Scott; the coming Murderland with ex-Cracker Robbie Coltrane; and, the always reliable Poirot, Miss Marple, Wire in the Blood, etc.
In the old day, the free networks could probably have drawn a decent sized audience by showing a test screen, because they were the only companies that could deliver a highly desirable product (tv shows) to a very large customer base. Their operating models reflected this reality, and I suspect that as with most organizations, the organizational culture is resistant to change so that the free networks continue largely to operate the same way as they did when there was no competition. As each new generation grows up less devoted to the free networks, their customer base will probably continue to decline unless they change their ways. (think about it; if you were 10 years old today, would NBC or CBS mean anything different to you than F/X or USA? They all show up equally on your tv)
So somebody at NBC thinks that Jay Leno was popular and decides to put him on the air without giving any thought about what the show needs to have to continue drawing an audience.
I watch movies. I watch Showtime Series. I play video games. Anything to avoid MMM.
The French may be expert at unconditional surrender; lately, we are pretty good at pre-emptive surrender: first to Putin, then to that Iranian guy. The French surrendered to a bigger enemy, we surrender to smaller ones. We certainly do a better surrender job than the French.
NBC let their liberal Socialist politics get in the way of programming; NBC is in COLLUSION with the White House via its CEO. As a result, NBC lost its brand. I haven’t watched any NBC show in years. As a child of the 1980′s, NBC Thursdays was essential with The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, Night Court; furthermore, for years in the mid-1980′s, Saturdays was also essential NBC since I loved the Golden Girls & their associated shows of the evening ending with 227. What was the show with the 2 20 something daughters living with their father? It often crossed over with The Golden Girls…? Anyway, NBC is in an unflushed toilet with Dictator wannabe Obama & only we the people can smell the wretched stench.
Leno has always been funny on male-female relationships, headlines, and Jaywalking. Everything else is just so-so, and his political humor is abysmal – nothing but “Bush-Cheney stupid” jokes – still!!
#54 SS
“NBC let their liberal Socialist politics get in the way of programming;..”
I agree totally. Just like with this administration, they don’t care to hear what “real” people are saying! They just keep trying to “dumb us down” and cram the SOS down our throats.
At least I had the pleasure of participating in a Neilsen survey recently. Three guesses what networks were not watched in my household!
NBC got what they deserved by promoting Zucker. He was in charge of NBC entertainment before he tripped up the ladder. Thursday night started going in the toilet when he took over.
As for John Wells, I don’t know what his problem is. Halfway through, ER took a dark turn — even the set lighting grew darker. I gave up watching ER, because it was so depressing. What joy — depressing and stale. Then NBC caught on by rejecting his new show, because it was “too dark.” Theme here, anyone? Maybe Wells needs to get counseling.
On top of this, Wells adopted the NBC company line of liberal, socialist politics, and we would get a ‘sermon’ every week about the war, how bad the United States is, etc. I’m tired of the ‘preachiness’ of NBC now. I’ll turn on a Christian station instead. If I’m going to be preaches to, I want it to be uplifing.
TV is getting disgusting and depressing. Not at all like it was in the 60s. I can’t take the abuse. And now we have to take the liberal, socialist, sanctimonious preaching on top of it. Bleh, we’re finding other things to do.
NBC has much to gain from the Cap & Trade bill if it becomes law, hence, the unlawful collusion charge. NBC basically made their bed with Pinhead & the other Cenobites for the sake of “going green.” NBC needs to be looked into for collusion with the White House….
Michelle Obama on Jay Leno. What did the Stepford Wife do? She smiled & waved then talked about the wonders of ObamaCare which the Obama’s will have no stake in personally. In the meantime, the heat from all the lights started to literally melt Michelle Obama; she turned into a human candle. All Jay Leno could do is blow out the flame & make a wish to be funny again. They took Michelle Obama back to the Men’s Association to fix her up nice & proper…
Michele Obama kept repeating, “Let them eat cake” while she turned into a candle herself. The maker’s of Obama’s dress got immediate calls for the medium rare dress & wanted copies for everyone’s dog. The cats felt left out & started a shakedown operation called the Feline Coalition. Jesse Jackson sued the Feline Coalition until Van Jones said he would represent the pussy cats.
The ghosts of Mao, Lenin, & Stalin possessed the burnt dog dresses & formed a sentient clothman named Facsimile Doctrine; Facsimile is currently President Obama’s Common Sense Czar…
NBC is doing one thing right: They’re running USA. They’ve been churning out some of the funnest, most entertaining programming on TV, in my mind. We’ve got three shows on permanent DVR, and they’re all USA: Burn Notice, Psych, and Monk.
Let’s hope they can keep it entertaining as long as possible there, before the rest of NBC shows up to “fix” the network.
Dear God, please don’t let them ruin “Burn Notice.”
Not ‘entertainment’ by any stretch but:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warning/etc/synopsis.html
54. Sebastian Shaw:
What was the show with the 2 20 something daughters living with their father?
Empty Nest with Richard Mulligan, Dinah Madoff and Kristy McNichol.
Oops: Dinah Manoff
I hate commercials. I mean, really really hate them. For several reasons, including the shortening attention spans they create.
Anyway, my TV watching is restricted to movies: HBO, Showtime, TCM, Cinemax, Encore, Starz (although Starz is starting to put streamings ads across the bottom every once in awhile.). And even then, most movies in the last 15 years are cr*p.
If there’s a commercial break in it, it’s off my list. No news, no nothing w/commercials.
Been that way for me for nearly 20 years, now.
19. Emma:
“you do realize this isn’t a political issue, right? You don’t have to try to spin this one.”
Political? Spin? Go back to your soap operas and foxed news.
The unintended ironic twist to this article is that Leno is more entertaining when he’s talking about cars. Nice guy, but his inner boredom w/TV shines through. Other than sports programing, nobody is watching the Big 3 anyway. When they abandoned the more expensively produced shows for the “Reallity” based ones, the Nets surrendered. They might as well just throw on prime time infomercials and be done with it.
Any surprise that vivo too has Fox News paranoia? I understand this disease, fed by an adversion to the truth, is pandemic in Marxist circles. The Obama White House is searching for a vaccine, but leaning towards outright cancellation of First Amendment rights.
How about Boston Legal? Does nobody watch it? I LOVE it! Of course I live in Europe and it may not be one anymore in the US?
Jim Norton is a brilliant, conservative leaning comedian that makes regular appearances on Leno’s show. He trashed Sharpton a few days back, and other than his appearances, the show is somewhat bland.
I stopped watching Dirty Jobs since Mike Rowe was forced to do green jobs; he still does. The last show had him recycling toilets in San Francisco.
Khiri, yes Empty Nest! I loved that show. Thanks.
Today’s television programs are so tawdry, so boring, so intellectually impoverished even the tawdry, boring, intellectually impoverished American public is turning them off. Maybe it’s time to look elsewhere for entertainment to fill our empty lives. Exciting things to do: fistfights over politics, picking up a stranger in a bar, drag racing, form your own band, (fill in the blanks)…
66. vivo:
Political? Spin? Go back to your soap operas and foxed news.
Apparently vivo has not bothered to read the comments on VDH’s recent article on being a cultural dropout, which got around 500 comments, many of whom said they didn’t bother with TV anymore, let alone “soap operas and foxed news.”
Also note that a number of posters here also said that their TV watching had declined considerably.
But what can one expect from someone with a screen name of vivo, which in the Southern Cone of Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, and other countries means con man, flim-flam artist, scam artist, fast talker etc.
vivo is not a very good vivo , as it is so easy to see through his inane comments. He’s more like a wannabe vivo.
I’ve blogged on this considerably. NBC promoted it’s head of Cable operations, including USA, to replace Ben Silverman (his name escapes me at the moment). While USA is excellent at getting a broad spectrum of viewers, men/women, young/old, Bravo and other outlets are niches, gay-female ghettos.
On substance, Stephen Green is wrong. NBC’s problem, and GM’s, and Leno’s, are that they are not popular enough. They are niche operations with a broad-based legacy cost structure, unable to live off revenues from niche customers.
Ferrari can handle only a few thousand customers per year — they charge premium prices. NBC wanted to be Ferrari, not GM of the past, and sought the logical extension of the “Brandon Tartikoff strategy” by using stuff like Hill Street Blues to attract fewer but wealthier yuppies.
This soon morphed into a politically correct mish-mash of a gay-female ghetto.
WHERE on NBC’s schedule are any shows aimed at men? The two that were SOLIDLY aimed at men last year, Life and Chuck, were either cancelled (Life) with no real effort to promote and work with the show, or relegated to a mere 13 episodes in the Spring (because Sponsor Subway was inundated with Chuck fans mailing in their register receipts demanding the show be saved).
Meanwhile you have the female-gay oriented “Mercy” which features an Iraq War veteran nurse who cheats on her doofus good guy husband with a hunky doctor. Or “Trauma” etc. No shows appealing to men.
Broadcast TV is in fact a gay-female ghetto. Most of Hollywood is oriented (particularly TV) around the female audience, with various princess fantasies being the basis of Disney-ABC’s empire, and variations of that for ABC (Desperate Housewives, Witches of Eastwick), NBC, CBS, and to a lesser extent Fox (which is the youngest and most male oriented of the nets). CW is of course the home of “Gossip Girl” and “the Vampire Diaries” so that takes care of younger viewers.
In order to succeed the Nets need a broad audience. Men as well as women, old as well as young. The Superbowl with about 100 million viewers or so represents what could have been done with five nets accounting for population growth, akin to the 60 million viewers that the Beverly Hillbillies got in a nation of 200 million people in the late 1960′s. Even with cable erosion, the amount of people actually watching, particularly 18-34 for the five networks is about 12% or so IIRC of the potential 18-34 population.
Link to my article, WSJ sources, comparison with the Census Bureau data is here.
Let’s review: NBC abandoned Saturday Nights (Pretender, Profiler, etc.) in 2000, ABC in 1999, CBS in 2004. In 1999-2000 the Networks had: “Angel,” “the Pretender,” “Martial Law,” “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Nash Bridges,” “Harsh Realm,” and “Seven Days.” All male skewing. It would be a miracle if the nets had even ONE male-skewing/oriented show left on their schedule.
The networks in good times, pursuing wealthy yuppie women, with ad money rolling in, had no reason to pursue a broad viewership that would insulate them from downturns. They were like GM focusing on trucks/SUVs. Unable to make anything else profitable.
Now broadcast TV is perceived as male-friendly as Broadway or a Twilight convention. It would take years of losses to lure back men the way it will take years for GM to lure back broad based consumers for non-truck/SUV vehicles.
Lesson: in media, pursuing wealthy yuppie customers is very vulnerable to inevitable economic downturns. NBC is in trouble because they have nothing men want to watch, and are in pursuit of the same female audience that CBS, ABC, CW, and Fox pursues.
Let’s face it, Leno is a joke. And the only time Obama makes me laugh is every time I look at those megaphones he wears masquerading as ears.
74. Gringo:
Ayyy, gringuito
“many of whom said they didn’t bother with TV anymore,”
The woman was talking trash, delusional, how do you know she’s not a soap opera addict like you?
“which in the Southern Cone of Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, and other countries means . . . ”
That’s their slang, not anywhere else, keep your smears within your agringados.
I’ve noticed something about Leno and his replacement, Conan. I used to never watch the Tonight show when Leno hosted; basically because the opening monologue was too full of Leftist humor (i.e. Bush-bashing, capitalism-hating, etc). Now that he has his own show he appears more open not only right-wing guests (he actually dared to have Rush on) but the occasional actual Left-bashing, Obama jokes.
Conversely, I used to love watching Conan’s show. Firstly, because I liked his weird and self-deprecating humor; and, secondly because political jokes were rare and there was no discernible outright Leftist humor.
I started watching the Tonight Show when Conan took over; but it took less than a week to rack up an uncountable number of Anti-Conservative, Anti-America, Defending-Obama “jokes” in the opening monologue. A thing unheard of on his own show, when Conan was actually in charge of the content.
I must therefore apologize to Jay Leno. Yes, I know … I’m sure he’s been anxiously awaiting MY apology.
Anyway, I apologize for thinking that Jay was a rabid Moonbat, when it was the NBC writers all along.
I must also apologize to Conan for assuming that he had any integrity. My bad.
My favorite part of Sons Of Anarchy is that the baddest biker and the baddest biker babe are both played by Jewish actors.
Fun show with good acting.
Hamlet on Harleys with a nod to the Sopranos.
Actually, there’s some similarity between MCs and the Mob. They are both subcultures with their own rules. They may not be society’s rules, but they are rules nonetheless.
What is it with these people who insult whole portions of their audience? I don’t mean gentle humor (a la Carson), but outright ridicule?
I can’t believe they actually believe that everyone agrees with them. Or that losing a large portion of their audience is good for them.
I guess they just exist as a propaganda machine for the very young. I suppose it works. I imagine that is more important than providing good entertainment everyone can enjoy.
Seriously, I think the propaganda is the purpose. I also think it helps propel us into civil war.
I think Leno used to be a Conservative, then he accepted Liberal jokes, now he doesn’t care if you are red or blue.
Jay Leno, the 2nd best comedian who’d read a placard/ teleprompter of other people’s jokes is doing his ‘own show’ now on another channel? And it’s not doing well? Wow, I’m in ‘shock and awe..’.
Jay, get off the teleprompter, hit the comedy circuit again. Heck, borrow Robin Williams’ rainbow suspenders and remember once upon a time: you were actually funny!
I long for the days of Rodney Dangerfield. The ultimate funny man in his heyday.
Do yourself a favor… pick up seasons 1-5 of ABC’s “LOST”, get caught up, and enjoy the final season when it starts in January. It lagged a bit in season 3, but it’s back to top-notch quality now and is headed for a thrilling finish in 2010.
Does Leno still explain all of his jokes, 2 or 3 times? As a rule, real comedians do not ever do that, even once.
Leno’s time slot is absurd. He was great late night, but 9:00 MST?
Jay Leno has never been funny IMHO. He was sarcastic and snobbish, but never funny. He made jokes at the expense of others, but never in a kind or offbeat way, just nasty. Now, prime time viewers know that he just doesn’t have IT, whatever that may be.
How did NBC fall so far and so fast? Jeffery Imhelt!!
I’m trying to think of the last time I actually turned on a television to watch something being broadcast, and I’m genuinely coming up blank. I’ve been in rooms with TVs on, sometimes sat down to watch parts of shows, but the last time I actually sought out TV…at a guess, the 2008 Super Bowl? And even that was more an excuse to load up on my buddy’s home-made nachos. I still watch plenty of TV shows, but the networks themselves have nothing to do with it – I hear a show is good, snag it off BitTorrent, then buy it on DVD if I like it.
As for the actual point of the article though, the parallels seem fairly obvious. They got big, cocky, and risk-averse, didn’t change with the times, and forgot why they ever got to the top in the first place. Their corporate culture stinks, and anyone with an idea worth having works for the upstart competitors instead of beating their heads against that particular wall. The real question you should be asking is, how many hundreds of other companies fall into the same bin?