http://nymag.com/news/media/61857/

It’s easy to enumerate how dire things are for the network: The fourth-place finishes, night after night, in both total viewers and the 18-to-49-year-old demographic that still serves as TV’s gold standard. The absence—for the third year running—of any new hit show. (For the week ending November 1, NBC placed exactly one series in the top 30.) The continued attrition of the network’s Thursday-night lineup, which throughout the eighties and nineties was the bedrock of both NBC’s wide appeal and its yearly Emmy tally and now has only The Office and 30 Rock keeping that old tradition-of-quality candle burning. And the fact that the network’s one big prime-time ratings success—Sunday Night Football—goes off the air in early January, making the season’s second half, particularly after the Winter Olympics, even bleaker.

NBC’s latest Dark Age began a few years ago, but worsened last December, when Zucker, who has run or overseen the network’s entertainment programming since 2000, announced that Jay Leno, the departing host of the Tonight Show, who was grumbling about handing the reins over to Conan O’Brien, had won a whopper of a consolation prize: five hours of prime time a week. Good-bye, five scripted dramas. Hello, one cheap-to-make replacement that, for all the promises about new concepts and creative rejuvenation, would end up being a bland clone of Leno’s Tonight Show, when it arrived ten months later. Zucker hung tough when his decision was trashed by TV writers angry that a talk show was going to put many of them out of work, and critics who, noting that Leno’s late-night run had not been distinguished by a whole lot of innovation, saw the move as a statement: We’re not even going to pretend we’re trying anymore.

Zucker saw it as a statement as well: This is a business, and we’re in it to make money. Phrases like “managing for margins” (meaning “We don’t care if fewer people watch as long as we make a profit”) were incanted as new gospel. When critics carped, he shrugged; when the head of the network’s Boston affiliate threatened not to air the show, NBC slapped him back in line. Leno, Zucker explained, would provide 92 weeks of original programming over two years for a small fraction of what it costs to produce and license scripted dramas. Preemptively redefining success downward, NBC let it be known that a barely detectable 1.5 rating among 18-to-49-year-olds (meaning consistent last-place finishes) would be an occasion for boardroom high fives.

http://nymag.com/news/media/61857/index1.html

http://nymag.com/news/media/61857/index2.html

If you want to save NBC the first step is to get rid of Zucker!!!

If you want to save NBC the first step is to get rid of Zucker!!!

Hear, hear! :yeahthat: :nod:

If you want to save NBC the first step is to get rid of Zucker!!!
BINGO!! Once they do that, there's nowhere to go but up. :nod:

The Nationa Broadcasting Company is back to its late 70-early 80s bleakness as I, James Terrell, wonder why Jeffrey Zucker should be overthrown from his position as CEO of NBC.

How long has Jeff Zucker been at the helm of NBC, anyway?

I'm just wondering, did NBC only start to go downhill once Friends finished in 2004?

Perhaps NBC should cancel 30 Rock. Awards don't equal ratings! Move Community or Parks & Recreation behind The Office. NBC has the right idea with shrinking The Biggest Loser to 1 hour 30 minutes and launching 100 Questions at 9:30 during midseason (or at least for now). Dump Heroes, its a loser. Keep Jay Leno on Tuesdays and Thursdays ONLY. Surely but slowly NBC can rebuild itself, but they need to find some good shows and get rid of almost all the crappy ones (so almost the whole network).

NBC has the right idea with shrinking The Biggest Loser to 1 hour 30 minutes

Uhm, The Biggest Loser is on for AN HOUR AND A HALF? And it was shrunk from an even LONGER running time? :eek: :confused:

I'm just wondering, did NBC only start to go downhill once Friends finished in 2004?
Don't forget, Frasier went off the air at the same time as Friends, which couldn't have helped matters any. :eek:

Perhaps NBC should cancel 30 Rock. Awards don't equal ratings! Move Community or Parks & Recreation behind The Office. NBC has the right idea with shrinking The Biggest Loser to 1 hour 30 minutes and launching 100 Questions at 9:30 during midseason (or at least for now). Dump Heroes, its a loser. Keep Jay Leno on Tuesdays and Thursdays ONLY. Surely but slowly NBC can rebuild itself, but they need to find some good shows and get rid of almost all the crappy ones (so almost the whole network).

I agree to an extent... I like "Parks" better than "Community" but I think it would make the most sense to move "Community" after "The Office." "30 Rock" gets lots of awards but it clearly is not going to grow its audience, why not give a new show like "Community" a chance to develop an audience outside of the 8pm lead-off. I don't think they should necessarily cancel "30 Rock" but I'd move it to the 8pm hour (maybe 30 Rock-Parks-Office-Community ?)

Also, I do think it's smart to launch "100 Questions" at the Tues 9:30 slot and it would be good to see "Leno" just Tues/Thurs or just MWF

If you want to save NBC the first step is to get rid of Zucker!!!

The arguement that NBC under Jeff Zucker has become a joke is really nothing new:
Zucker can't program a network, but he's an expert in super-sizing (http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2008/12/sepinwall_on_tv_nbc_has_nothin.html)

NBC's Jeff Zucker has given up (http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/03/20/nbcs-jeff-zucker-has-given-up/)

Uhm, The Biggest Loser is on for AN HOUR AND A HALF? And it was shrunk from an even LONGER running time? :eek: :confused:
It's been on for 2 hours for about 3 or 4 seasons now (counting Fall and Spring). NBC plans to shrink it to 1:30 in January (for the new season) which I will love if they do! 2 hours is great, but a bit too long.

Face it guys NBC is dead.Zucker wants to drive it into the crowd and then he will move on to the next network.He is trying to kill TV itself.Someone kill him and save NBC and then TV will be saved...until Jill Farren Phelps comes along.

NBC has been long past saving for years.

I think NBC has given too much time to The Biggest Loser and other short lived reality shows like Clash of the Choirs and the American Gladitors remake. NBC should have never axed Journeyman. Right now I think NBC is doing ok with sitcoms. Community is pretty good and Parks and Recreation has improved since last season. I also think the Jay Leno Show will get axed at some point. Many people in Jay's fanbase have stated that they don't care for the new show.

I think NBC has given too much time to The Biggest Loser and other short lived reality shows like Clash of the Choirs and the American Gladitors remake. NBC should have never axed Journeyman. Right now I think NBC is doing ok with sitcoms. Community is pretty good and Parks and Recreation has improved since last season. I also think the Jay Leno Show will get axed at some point. Many people in Jay's fanbase have stated that they don't care for the new show.
I've been in Jay's fanbase for years, and I switch to the news after the monologue. I also like Headlines on Mondays, but that's it. I don't care for the new format myself. :(

I've been in Jay's fanbase for years, and I switch to the news after the monologue. I also like Headlines on Mondays, but that's it. I don't care for the new format myself. :(

I also don't care for the format either. I loved Jay in late night. That format worked well and was entertaining. I think probably a lot of people in Jay's fanbase probably watch other shows during the prime time hours. Sons of Anarchy on FX beat him ratings a couple of weeks ago. When Jay was on during late night hours I watched the show mainly because nothing else on during those time slots interested me. I live in mountain time zone so Jay's show is on at 9 pm which is still early and I'm usually watching something else at that time.

http://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-zucker-inexplicably-to-lead-comcastnbcu-venture-2009-11

The man who led NBC into the ground will continue to stay at the helm.

http://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-zucker-inexplicably-to-lead-comcastnbcu-venture-2009-11

The man who led NBC into the ground will continue to stay at the helm.
If NBC is stupid enough to keep him around, then they deserve to be where they are now!!

If NBC is stupid enough to keep him around, then they deserve to be where they are now!!
Maybe they want to fall below the CW. :lol:

Maybe they want to fall below the CW. :lol:
They're certainly headed in that direction!! :eek:

http://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-zucker-inexplicably-to-lead-comcastnbcu-venture-2009-11

The man who led NBC into the ground will continue to stay at the helm.
:eek2:

I've been in Jay's fanbase for years, and I switch to the news after the monologue. I also like Headlines on Mondays, but that's it. I don't care for the new format myself. :(

I love Jay, but I find myself switching the station after his monologue, too. Sometimes I go back, sometimes I don't. I watched Jay more when he was on late night.

Here's a petition that I just found that discusses the potential negatives relating to an NBC-Comcast marriage:
http://www.freepress.net/comcast

Talk about a bad marriage. Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company, is getting hitched to NBC, one of the world’s biggest producers of TV shows and motion pictures. For consumers, it means higher prices, fewer choices and less innovation. This is one wedding we need to stop!

I love Jay, but I find myself switching the station after his monologue, too. Sometimes I go back, sometimes I don't. I watched Jay more when he was on late night.

On Thursdays I switch to The Mentalist after the monologue. Mondays I've been switching to Castle after the monologue lately, except last week, when they did Headlines right after the monologue, which I enjoyed. The other nights I'll switch to the news, unless there's a good guest or bit on.

They do need to switch back ASAP. I've been hearing that they did the trial thing Monday/Tuesday of last week with the old format, and they'll be switching back to that permanently. My other gripe - those stupid comedian bits need to go, and they need a lot more musical guests on the show. The hybrid idea was stupid - if they could just go back to monologue/comedy bit/guest(s)/musical guest, I'd be a bit more enthused to watch it.

NBC, as well as the other networks, forget that they use OUR AIRWAVES for their private profit.

Why aren't the people protesting the vandalizing of programming with self-serving pop up ads?

Because more and more are turning off.

And Leno is a casualty of that decision.
The audience seeks entertainment - not to be annoyed. And current networks are rising to the challenge to match the annoyance of ad choked cable programming.

Will NBC go bankrupt?
And get a 'bail out'?
Then we can look forward to some 'real hands-on' pro-administration programming.

On Thursdays I switch to The Mentalist after the monologue. Mondays I've been switching to Castle after the monologue lately, except last week, when they did Headlines right after the monologue, which I enjoyed. The other nights I'll switch to the news, unless there's a good guest or bit on.

They do need to switch back ASAP. I've been hearing that they did the trial thing Monday/Tuesday of last week with the old format, and they'll be switching back to that permanently. My other gripe - those stupid comedian bits need to go, and they need a lot more musical guests on the show. The hybrid idea was stupid - if they could just go back to monologue/comedy bit/guest(s)/musical guest, I'd be a bit more enthused to watch it.
:yeahthat