NBC Executive Vows Season of Rebuilding


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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) - NBC's top programmer on Sunday acknowledged the challenges that the network faces in trying to rebound from a ratings slide and said that recovery may not happen in the coming season.

"OK, we're in fourth place ... what are we going to do about it?" NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly said in an appearance before the Television Critics Association.

The network, which fell behind CBS, ABC and Fox in the advertiser-favored young adult demographic in the 2004-05 season, is reinvigorating its creative spirit and discarding some viewer-unfriendly practices, such as starting and ending programs off the hour, he said.

"Last season for us was kind of like a colonic," he said. "It wasn't a lot of fun to go through at the time, but it's going to be healthy in the long run. It literally took any residual sense of entitlement or complacency at our company and blew it out."

When NBC was riding high on the strength of now-departed comedies including "Friends" and "Frasier," it had acquired a reputation among observers as verging on arrogant - wags said NBC stood for "Nothing But Cocky."

But efforts to launch new sitcoms have either foundered, as with the short-lived "Coupling," or, have yet to catch ratings fire, most notably in the case of "Friends" spinoff "Joey."

Significant changes will be made to "Joey," with Matt LeBlanc's character finally making it in Hollywood, Reilly said. The network also has high hopes for a new comedy, "My Name is Earl," which NBC has touted as testing exceptionally well with focus groups.

But while Reilly refrained from predicting an abrupt turnaround in viewership next season, he said change would likely be evident.

"Odds are we're not going to see a ratings difference. I'm pretty ... sure you're going to see a new tone coming out of this place," he said, adding "that sense of entitlement of who we are is gone."

Accustomed to success, the network had failed to recognize "underlying problems," Reilly said. He took over as entertainment chief after his predecessor, Jeff Zucker, was promoted. Zucker now is NBC Universal Television Group president.

"We're insane if we stay on the same track. That is the definition of insanity to keep making the same mistakes and doing things the same way," Reilly said.

Zucker, who attended the session but did not join Reilly in fielding questions from reporters, was asked afterward to respond to Reilly's reference to serious network errors.

"I didn't hear that, that NBC made serious mistakes," Zucker told The Associated Press. "I thought he expressed the position that NBC is in. We're in a rebuilding phase. Nobody's in denial about that. NBC Entertainment is in a down cycle this year, and clearly I think everyone acknowledges that."

NBC's viewership dropped 11 percent this past year, according to Nielsen Media Research. The decline was 16 percent with viewers aged 18 to 49, while CBS, ABC and Fox were all up in that demographic. Ratings among those young viewers is what NBC uses to set advertising prices. Looking ahead to fall, Reilly said the network plans a traditional start to the new season, with most series rolling out during the week of Sept. 19.

Except for the Law and Order series I barely watch NBC anymore and none of their new shows look to interesting to me.

I agree, the quality of NBC has been poor the past couple years.

NBC should do what CBS did to them a decade ago, steal a series. Does anyone remember how CBS snatched JAG after NBC canceled it. They changed Lt Austin to the character Cathrine Bell would star in. I would suggest the Jason Alexander and Malcolm Jamal Warner show "Listen Up" be purchased by NBC. There is already a good following, so they have a base audiance. Change the character of the wife, that is probably the weakest character on the show. Listen Up had some very good laughs, mostly when Jason and Malcolm were on the stage together. Lots of shows don't have perfect raitings the first time through, some pick up a viewers with summertime reruns. NBC needs to invest in something good, not just wait for a show to explode.

It's strange that for the first time in years, NBC doesn't have their golden Thursday night lineup. I remember when it first happened with Cheers/The Cosby Show/Family Ties/Night Court....then onto Frasier, Seinfeld, Friends, Will & Grace, etc.

The glory days appear to be over for NBC. It's hard to say if they'll ever recapture the magic.

I am very upset at NBC for canceling American Dreams. :mad: :mad: