Brian Damage
01-04-2010, 07:25 PM
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-tv-history3-2010jan03,0,7729958.story
A&E Television Networks Chief Executive Abbe Raven, Dubuc's longtime mentor, said she was quickly persuaded that unscripted shows such as "Ice Road Truckers" would give History a fresh approach to old subjects. "If you look at the history of our country, it has really been about exploring and breaking into the new frontier," Raven said. "This is not just about driving down a treacherous road. I think we'll look back at these as early explorers."
Competitors see that argument as a stretch. Clark Bunting, acting president and general manager of Discovery Channel and Science Channel, said he admires Dubuc's success in expanding the network's reach. But he said that widening the focus leaves an opening for rival networks, such as Discovery's Military Channel, to steal what had been the channel's niche.
"You can get to a place where you construe history to be whatever happened yesterday," he said. "The goal is to give you scale, scope and perspective on important events. As entertaining as I find 'Ice Road Truckers,' I'm not sure what the relevance is."
Still, History's foray into reality doesn't appear to have stirred much outcry in academic circles, in part because many historians said they're realistic about the network's constraints. "I think professional historians realize that this is a popular genre in a free-market situation," said Kevin Starr, the noted California scholar, who said he sticks to the network's traditional offerings. "It's not PBS."
But the changes haven't gone unnoted in the creative community. Mark Burnett ("Survivor") produced last spring's "Expedition Africa," which retraced Henry Morton Stanley's journey through Africa, and is in conversations about doing other series with History.
Most recently, Dubuc joined forces with one of television's hottest entertainment producers: Joel Surnow, co-creator of the Fox series "24," who will produce an eight-hour miniseries about Joseph Kennedy's relationship with his sons John and Robert, slated to air in 2011. "The Kennedys" represents the network's first scripted project, a move that has triggered considerable chatter, Surnow said.
"When somebody comes on the scene and makes really kind of fierce, independent decisions, people take notice," he said. "It feels like a very vital network, and I think the people in the industry see that."
A&E Television Networks Chief Executive Abbe Raven, Dubuc's longtime mentor, said she was quickly persuaded that unscripted shows such as "Ice Road Truckers" would give History a fresh approach to old subjects. "If you look at the history of our country, it has really been about exploring and breaking into the new frontier," Raven said. "This is not just about driving down a treacherous road. I think we'll look back at these as early explorers."
Competitors see that argument as a stretch. Clark Bunting, acting president and general manager of Discovery Channel and Science Channel, said he admires Dubuc's success in expanding the network's reach. But he said that widening the focus leaves an opening for rival networks, such as Discovery's Military Channel, to steal what had been the channel's niche.
"You can get to a place where you construe history to be whatever happened yesterday," he said. "The goal is to give you scale, scope and perspective on important events. As entertaining as I find 'Ice Road Truckers,' I'm not sure what the relevance is."
Still, History's foray into reality doesn't appear to have stirred much outcry in academic circles, in part because many historians said they're realistic about the network's constraints. "I think professional historians realize that this is a popular genre in a free-market situation," said Kevin Starr, the noted California scholar, who said he sticks to the network's traditional offerings. "It's not PBS."
But the changes haven't gone unnoted in the creative community. Mark Burnett ("Survivor") produced last spring's "Expedition Africa," which retraced Henry Morton Stanley's journey through Africa, and is in conversations about doing other series with History.
Most recently, Dubuc joined forces with one of television's hottest entertainment producers: Joel Surnow, co-creator of the Fox series "24," who will produce an eight-hour miniseries about Joseph Kennedy's relationship with his sons John and Robert, slated to air in 2011. "The Kennedys" represents the network's first scripted project, a move that has triggered considerable chatter, Surnow said.
"When somebody comes on the scene and makes really kind of fierce, independent decisions, people take notice," he said. "It feels like a very vital network, and I think the people in the industry see that."