NBC Considers Cutting On-Air Time

[Turbo]

http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/08/news/companies/NBC_Zucker.ap/index.htm?postversion=2008120816

A terrible fall season at NBC is forcing the network to consider scaling back the number of hours it airs programming, Chief Executive Jeff Zucker told an investor conference Monday.

While NBC will continue to fund the creation of pilots, Zucker told analysts at a media investor conference sponsored by UBS that NBC is considering cutting the number of hours or perhaps even the number of nights it provides programming.

"Can we continue to program 22 hours of prime-time? Three of our competitors don't. Can we afford to program seven nights a week? One of our competitors doesn't," Zucker said. "All of these questions have to be on the table. And we are actively looking at all of those questions."

[...]

Zucker said he did not blame the poor ratings at NBC on NBC Entertainment co-chairmen Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff.

Hm. Advertising revenues and ratings on NBC are plummeting. However, your news brodcasts and cable channels are doing quite well, with USA, Bravo, and MSNBC posting double-digit growth. Perhaps, sir, you should be placing the blame on those managing NBC's entertainment department.

(Sorry. My anti-Zucker bias is showing. The man is a moron.)

 

[wamdue]

ive read another article elsewhere that suggests saturday night is up for the chop, a night of repeats & Dateline, what would we really loose?

 

[Orintho]

What else can the networks expect if they keep on shoveling out the garbage they air. Why not instead invest in improving what they do?

 

[Amaris]

What else can the networks expect if they keep on shoveling out the garbage they air. Why not instead invest in improving what they do?

You see, you're arguing that these people should do their jobs well and be creative. Totally, totally insane idea.


J.

 

[Orintho]

This is an example of the real problem: wasn't it NBC that decided to run an hour-long prime time bingo game show or something like that? Who the hell sits through that?

The last scripted TV show I have watched regularly was 'The Tudors'. I have gave up on the networks for most programming. I don't look to the networks for the one kind of entertainment they should be the masters of - scripted television series.

The few creative ideas that work and survive the ruthless elimination process can get duplicated so much that it will kill their own audience. Unfortunately most good projects that do hit the small screen are often prematurely killed either through schizophrenic viewer scheduling or complete failure to actually try and cultivate a viewing audience.

NBC has only themselves to blame.

 

[DarthPipes]

Zucker said he did not blame the poor ratings at NBC on NBC Entertainment co-chairmen Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff.

Failure rewards failure.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Well, there's a winning strategy. Give up!

 

[Lawrence B]

Related to this, NBC is going to announce tomorrow that Leno will be getting a new nightly show airing at 10pm.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/business/media/09leno.html?_r=1&hp

 

[Mordock]

That's very interesting. It's cost-effective, and keeps Leno on the team. I don't know if an audience of worthwhile size by primetime standards will turn out to see Leno every weeknight (but then, I have often wondered why an audience of any size shows up to see Leno, so it might not be that much of an issue).

 

[bigdaddy]

I like the fact that Fox doesn't have enough hours to show it's programming and NBC has too much time to fill with their garbage shows. Interesting how things change.

 

[Kronos]

Related to this, NBC is going to announce tomorrow that Leno will be getting a new nightly show airing at 10pm.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/business/media/09leno.html?_r=1&hp

Oh that is going to blow up in their faces, people will catch Leno and swich off to either watch DVR recordings or Letterman, not stick around for the Conan show.

This outta be good

 

[JNG]

This Leno business is a pretty interesting programming decision, but I hope it doesn't take something away from Conan's Tonight Show. Neither Jay nor NBC nor Conan fans want that or would benefit by it, and I think Conan seems like a good guy and deserves success in that slot also.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

It's funny how people think they are actively trying not to be creative.

Everytime they try, people tune out for the uncreative crap. It's impossible to predict and to please the masses.

I do feel for the guys trying to figure out what we, the masses, want. Because we have no clue.

 

[Dick Whitman]

It's funny how people think they are actively trying not to be creative.

Everytime they try, people tune out for the uncreative crap. It's impossible to predict and to please the masses.

I do feel for the guys trying to figure out what we, the masses, want. Because we have no clue.

I agree with 100%!

 

[bigdaddy]

I
I do feel for the guys trying to figure out what we, the masses, want. Because we have no clue.

I, and I think the masses, want Zucker fired.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

I
I do feel for the guys trying to figure out what we, the masses, want. Because we have no clue.

I, and I think the masses, want Zucker fired.

Why? What has he done that's so bad?

Truth be told, I watch NBC more than I watch any other network. I love the comedies on Thursday (well, Kath and Kim doesn't count...) and I enjoy some of the other shows. As far as I can see, I personally don't have much to complain about.

But then that's also the problem with trying to predict the next big hits. What I love, the next person hates. What the next person hates, I may love. Too much subjectivity.

 

[Maestro]

Hmmm.... NBC... Heroes, Chuck, and formerly ER. Yeah. They need programming 7 nights a week. Send it off to the channels that give a damn.

 

[Super Grover]

I don't know about you, but I could do without about two hours of the Today show.

 

[Vanyel]

Now that I think about it, I only watch Heroes and sometimes SNL on NBC. Otherwise I watch nothing but FOX, except for news programs, Countdown with Kieth Olbermann, or documentaries, Monsterquest.

 

[Hermiod]

Four word's to save NBC - Saturday Night's Main Event.