PDA

View Full Version : TV Executives Whom You Have an Unabashed Hatred For


TMC
05-31-2004, 12:51 AM
Off the top of my head:
-Jamie Kellner: Jamie Kellner ran the WB when it started out back in 1995. When Time Warner merged w/ AOL in 2001, Kellner was brought in by Brad Siegel to over-see the programming at TBS/TNT. So what was Kellner's first duty of business, well he straight up canceled all of WCW's programming like "Nitro" and "Thunder." Why is this of any significance, because if it wasn't Kellner not giving a crap about what pro wrestling fans thought, then Eric Bischoff & his financial backers would've saved the company and thus, prevented Vince McMahon from ultimately buying WCW.

-Peggy Charon: Peggy Charon founded a now defunct watch-dog group called Action for Children's Television or ACT for short. Basically, Charon pledged that stuff that was going on Saturday mornings be more "politically-correct", preachy, and less fixicated on acton & violence. Partically because of the efforts of Charon, that Saturday morning television is no longer an "event." It's instead a grave-yard for repeats of fluffy cable shows like Nickelodeon (CBS), the Disney Channel (ABC), and the Discovery Channel (NBC).

It was Charon who lobbied hard for the famous "Children's Television Act of 1990" which was beefed up in 1996 (just in time for the debut of the V-chip). At this particular point, over the air networks like ABC, NBC, who at that point, gave up on animation altogether in favor of live-action sitcoms produced by Peter Engel of "Saved by the Bell" notority, and CBS were forced/required to broadcast at least three hours of educational content. Here's some more information about the guidelines:
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/Orders/1996/fcc96335.htm

-Judy McGrath: Whoever wrote the following comments at the Jump the Shark website pretty much explained it for me:
http://www.jumptheshark.com/m/mtv.htm

Everything wrong with MTV can be summed up in two words: Judy McGrath. Everyone's is talking about how the "network suits" have ruined MTV. What they don't know is that she is the network suit that has done so! She was with MTV from 1981, and the higher she went in the organization, the worse things got for MTV. Somebody mention the "1992 Choose or Lose" series? She was in charge of that and considered it a jumping-off point in her career. She's the one who took off the music and filled air time with puerile reality shows, soft-core skin flics and celebrity garbage. And whatever music was left, she took it away from the great rock groups and gave it to Spears, Aguilara, Timberlake, and the rest of the nursury school. Goodbye Headbangers' Ball, hello Total Request Live. As for the horrible Video Music Award shows and the Super Bowl halftime show: all Judy McGrath. After the Super Bowl, she said she thought he show was great, gave excuses even more half-assed than the ones Timberlake gave, and wondered what the big deal was. This woman should be strangled with piano wire for what she's done to a great institution like MTV. Judy McGrath: Wanted for the Murder of Music.

-Don Ohlmeyer: Don Ohlmeyer was a top NBC executive on the West Coast, who helped get Norm McDonald removed from Weekend Update (which lead to the god-awful run w/ Colin Quinn as the anchor) on . Apparently, Ohlmeyer was not too happy about McDonald cracking jokes about his buddy, alleged double murderer OJ Simpson each week on "SNL."

Ohlmeyer also made some idiotic comments in 1997 concerning the World Series which NBC was covering that particular year. Ohlmeyer said something along the lines of him wanting the World Series to end in a four game sweep so that it wouldn't interfer w/ the Fall Schedule like "Friends" and "Seinfeld." Unfortuntely for Ohlmeyer the World Series between the Florida Marlins & Cleveland Indians went the full seven games.

But Ohlmeyer wasn't through w/ making an absoulte rear-end out of himself. In the year 2000, Ohlmeyer was brought in the executive produce "Monday Night Football." Don Ohlmeyer by the way, got his start as a director for "MNF" back when Howard Cosell was on the show. It was Ohlmeyer who came up w/ the brought idea to add comedian Dennis Miller to the booth. Unfortuntately, Miller would be gone after two seasons, and "MNF" is still trying to reclaim some of its credibility.

-Geraldine Laybourne: Gearldine Laybourne was the President of Nickelodeon from much of the 1990s. The story behind her is kind of hard for me to explain in proper detail. The bottom-line is that many die-hard fans of "Ren & Stimpy" hold her responsible for getting rid of John Kricfalusi (the brain-child of "Ren & Stimpy" as well as the original voice of Ren the dog) and thus damaging the quality of the program:
http://victorian.fortunecity.com/russell/105/partthree.htm
http://www.jumptheshark.com/r/renandstimpy.htm

-David Peckinpah: The name that causes a universal groan for fans of the TV show "Sliders."

TMC
06-01-2004, 09:55 PM
Comic Book Resources Forums > Miscellaneous Forums > TV/Film
TV Executives Whom You Have an Unabashed Hatred For (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=3015)

tvfan0101
06-01-2004, 10:29 PM
I don't actually hate any executives or "suits" in any network. No matter how much love I have for a series I realize that, at the end of the day, these executives are simply doing their job. I may not agree with them and I may curse their names but there is no hatred.

That being said, whoever is responsible for cancelling Angel needs to be beaten about the head and shoulders with a two by four. And the suits at FOX who got rid of Titus, Andy Richter, Futurama, etc, etc.

TMC
06-02-2004, 07:45 PM
http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000012/thread/8925377?d=8928741#8928741

Re: TV Executives Whom You Have an Unabashed Hatred For
by - jazman-6 (http://www.imdb.com/user/ur1370572/boards/profile/) 16 hours ago (Wed Jun 2 00:22:08) Ignore this User | Report Abuse


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lloyd Braun & Susan Lynne both formerly of ABC. These guys were the bumbling idiots that drove ABC into the ground the last few years. I don't know whether it was their stupidity or their lack of ability to manage the manipulation of the network by owners Disney, but they blew it big time - and thankfully they are now out of jobs.

These guys proved they had no clue with every press release ABC had. First they hate reality tv, then they embrace reality tv; they cancel a bunch of their new drama programming then say they need to develop viewers by offering them quality programming. Hey maybe if they let shows stay on long enough to develop an audience?

I'm sure everyone has their favorite ABC show that was "screwed by the network". My personal favorite would be Miracles from 2003 with Skeet Ulrich & Angus Macfayden. Unfortunately, the show was a mid season replacement and was constantly getting preempted due to the war and ABC's coverage of those events. ABC pulled the plug after six episodes. If I remember correctly they replaced the show with reruns of some lameass reality show like Joe Millionaire or something.

To all those people who weep over the end of great shows like Angel, let me just say this, "Be greatful it didn't air on ABC, because it probably would have been cancelled after 1 season instead of the great five years it had".

One final word to the new guys at ABC - please get David Spade off of 8 Simple Rules. Yes John Ritter may have wanted the series to go on, but not with that little lack of talent jerk doing his SNL crap again and again. Isn't the world tired of his him yet?

"Snack bar closes in five minutes"

Dragonflies
06-02-2004, 10:39 PM
Originally posted by TMC
These guys proved they had no clue with every press release ABC had. First they hate reality tv, then they embrace reality tv; they cancel a bunch of their new drama programming then say they need to develop viewers by offering them quality programming. Hey maybe if they let shows stay on long enough to develop an audience?

I'm sure everyone has their favorite ABC show that was "screwed by the network". My personal favorite would be Miracles from 2003 with Skeet Ulrich & Angus Macfayden. Unfortunately, the show was a mid season replacement and was constantly getting preempted due to the war and ABC's coverage of those events. ABC pulled the plug after six episodes. If I remember correctly they replaced the show with reruns of some lameass reality show like Joe Millionaire or something.

To all those people who weep over the end of great shows like Angel, let me just say this, "Be greatful it didn't air on ABC, because it probably would have been cancelled after 1 season instead of the great five years it had".

One final word to the new guys at ABC - please get David Spade off of 8 Simple Rules. Yes John Ritter may have wanted the series to go on, but not with that little lack of talent jerk doing his SNL crap again and again. Isn't the world tired of his him yet?

"Snack bar closes in five minutes"

The last truly great show ABC had was Boy Meets World. When that left the air, ABC went downhill from there.

:mad:

dandelion wine
06-03-2004, 11:50 PM
The folks over at the Sci-Fi Channel and USANetworks, who need to pull their heads out of their asses and quit screwing with the lineups. They obviously have very little consideration when it comes to what the viewers want/don't want. I was once a huge fan of the Sci-Fi channel, but over the last 10 years... forget it.

Stuck In The '70's
06-03-2004, 11:53 PM
I can't stand the executives at FOX.

TMC
06-06-2004, 01:51 AM
Here's some more infomation behind this particular discussion:
http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=3015

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=110837

http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000012/flat/8925377

http://www.conservativex.com/yabbse/index.php?board=3;action=display;threadid=7315

http://p076.ezboard.com/fwrestlecrap42390frm11.showMessage?topicID=279.topic

TMC
06-06-2004, 01:54 AM
www.jumptheshark.com

http://www.triotv.com/flops/pink_lady/images/main.jpg
http://www.triotv.com/flops/pink_lady/

This short-lived variety show stared Japanese mega pop stars, Mitsuyo Nemoto (Mie) and Keko Masuda (Kei), and comic Jeff Altman. Two sexy young ladies who spoke very little English, Mie and Kei were depicted in comedy sketches as trying to learn about American customs. Helping them was Altman, who acted as their guide and interpreter. The show had guest stars, songs, comedy sketches with a regular supporting cast, and a scene at the end of each program with Mie and Kei in bikinis in a hot tub. Guest stars include: Deborah Harry, Sherman Hemsley, Bert Parks, Donny Osmond, Sid Caesar, Teddy Pendergrass, Larry Hagman, Greg Evigan, Cheap Trick, Hugh Hefner, Florence Henderson, Lorne Greene, Boomer, Red Buttons, Alice Cooper, Jerry Lewis, Bobby Vinton, Byron Allen and Roy Orbison. Although the show may have seemed like a groundbreaking idea at the time, it effectively ended Pink Lady's career as well as sending NBC head Fred Silverman packing.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080262/usercomments

This was from the period when NBC was horrible and Fred Silverman was running the show (no pun intended). This from the man who help develop gems like "Three's Company" and "Laverne and Shirley" for ABC and beauties like "All in the Family" and "M*A*S*H" for CBS.

It baffled me that he went to NBC and came up with crap like this. How could you give a show to 2 women or anyone for that matter who could barely speak English??? I still remember both Kei Masuda and Mei Niemoto at the beginning of the show tell the audience who that night's guests will be. You could barely make out what they were saying and it was very painful to listen.

Jeff Altman as well; This had to set his career back 2-3 steps. I like his comedy, but even he couldn't save this show.

Every episode would always end with Mie and Kei say something to Jeff you couldn't understand, then they would remove their kimonos revealing the swimsuits they were wearing under it and would drag him fully dressed into the hot tub. It was one of the few funny things I can remember, but they did that every week and it got old fast.

Clearly, not one of television's best moments.



Many people site "Hello Larry" as the show that ended Fred Silverman's run as head of N.B.C.. However, this piece of crap was the one that made the network's executives say enough is enough. When ole Fred was at C.B.S. he was hailed as a genius for making them more hip (despite the fact that he was responsible for the purge that got rid of many of the most popular shows on that network because of their rural appeal). He also was hailed as the man responsible for making A.B.C. the most popular network while he was there. Unfortunately when he got to N.B.C. his midas touch disappeared. And if it wasn't bad enough that he virtually destroyed N.B.C., he also basically ruined the career of young up and coming comic Jeff Altman. The only good thing to come out of this show though was that Pink Lady never was heard from again.



Ahh, for the halcyon days of Freddy Silverman! Supertrain, Sheriff Lobo, Hello Larry, and the nadir, Pink Lady and Jeff. I can't imagine why network executives have such a poor reputation for intelligence. I mean, who could have predicted that an obscure Japanese duet, appealing primarily to little girls carrying "Hello Kitty" lunchboxes, wouldn't be successful on American network TV? Oh, and by the way, they *don't speak English*. Sounds like a sure-fire hit to me.

I enjoy surrealism as much as the next guy, but seeing the girls mouthing the punch lines to jokes, and laughing on cue, was quite disturbing. And poor Jeff Altman, this was below even his dignity. At least they had Ernest.

Absolutely pathetic. A test pattern would have been more entertaining.

Fred Silverman was called "the man with the golden gut" because of his alleged ability to discern what TV auduences would enjoy. Pink Lady was surely a disaster, but I thought the show that really brought him down was Supertrain, which was not only a disaster, but a very expensive one. (http://www.conservativex.com/yabbse/index.php?board=3;action=viewprofile;user=Cincinnatus)