The chairman of the ABC Television Entertainment Group was into forestry analogies when he met with reporters last week to discuss the network’s recovery from a two-year ratings slump–seven if you don’t count the years inflated by “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”
Lloyd Braun said ABC had “lost the sort of sequoia trees that traditionally hold up network schedules.” Speaking of budding hits such as “8 Simple Rules” and “Life With Bonnie,” he said ABC “had to plant a whole bunch of new trees and hope that they took root very quickly.”
Then he had Susan Lyne, president of ABC Entertainment, talk about a big load of fertilizer.
ABC will go heavy on reality shows starting in February. “They can be a real weapon, particularly on a night where you need to get a foothold,” Lyne said.
The heaviest concentration will be on Thursday night, where the hugely popular CBS and NBC slates leave ABC with a pitifully small audience.
So ABC plans to offer “All-American Girl 2003,” a contest that combines elements of just about everything from Miss America to a Punt, Pass and Kick competition; followed by “Are You Hot? The Search for America’s Hottest People.”
Both Lyne and Braun rejected the notion that they were tarnishing ABC’s image with these and other reality fare, including “The Bachelorette” and the upcoming “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here” (which debuts Feb. 19 and airs for the 15 consecutive nights that six “celebrities” spend in an Australian rain forest).
“I don’t think NBC has been hurt too much by ‘Fear Factor,’ ” Braun said.
