The Brave Future of Television

This week, my local public radio station which hosts a program called "Studio 360" had a show segment entitled "Is Network TV Dead Yet?" discussing how the television industry recently held its upfronts, where the networks unveiled their fall lineups.  The problem seemed to be that the outlook for the traditional broadcast networks suggests an industry still struggling to find its place in a brave new media world where cable networks and even internet startups like Netflix and Hulu (which, at the moment, is still partially owned by the major broadcast networks) have won most of the viewers and advertisers.  Even Google's YouTube is now commanding viewers.  It wrote that all "The buzzy shows you love to talk about are on cable, while CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox are all wrapping up one of their worst seasons on record."

Indeed, based on the 2014 upfronts, broadcast networks now seem to be taking their cues from cable, such as by trying shows with shorter runs than the typical 22-episode model.  However, network television is struggling in a world of nimble upstarts only too willing to pick up network TV's discards (see my posts at http://goo.gl/JSzlD and http://goo.gl/tE0ur for a few examples).

Indeed, this week, Marketplace Radio featured a segment that suggested how one state, my home state of Connecticut, has claimed a space in this brave new world, being the production home to the soap opera reboots as well as NBC Sports' new home.  That clip may be listened to below, or by visiting http://bit.ly/1871qf2:

To be sure, as Warren Littlefield, who was the former Chief of NBC during its heyday of "Must See TV" back in the late 1980s to the early 1990s (see my post featuring an interview with Mr. Littlefield at http://goo.gl/Vzbcn) told NPR that "Network is still looking for a larger tent, still looking to find something like a 'Modern Family' that appeals to adults and kids, audiences of all ages. That's still, at nearly 20 million people a week, that's a pretty broad-based hit that really far exceeds what's being watched on cable."

As my post about the recent soap opera reboots on Netflix (see my post at http://goo.gl/TQ1qP) prove, the economics differ in this new environment, making it feasible to make money on shows with only about one-sixth the viewers, or 500,000, in order to break even on them.  You may listen to the "Studio 360" segment I referenced previously below, or by visiting its website at http://www.wnyc.org/story/293250-is-network-tv-dead-yet/:



I should also add that Warren Littlefield acknowledged that the era of big network's control over what we watch seems to be over, noting that today, its possible for people to make a television program themselves and post it online.  He told Audie Cornish:

"Well, 200 channel choices in most homes certainly gives you the world of choice. And so slicing it, dicing it and offering someone their favorite thing - by the way, if it's not good enough, make it yourself and post it."

Some are doing just that.

For example, I cited one such example, notably Jane Espensen's gay-themed sitcom "Husbands" about two gay men who wake up married in Las Vegas which is distributed via YouTube (see my post on that at http://goo.gl/3Ic0S) which funded its second season via Kickstarter.  Incidentally, NBC just cancelled a similarly-themed program called "The New Normal" which was co-created by Ryan Murphy of "Glee" (and "Nip/Tuck") fame, which got some attention for its premise of two gay men deciding to have a baby through a surrogate, a long with the termination of a higher-profile series about Broadway called "Smash" which was a personal favorite of NBC entertainment boss Bob Greenblatt - whose interest extended even to production design decisions, according to insiders (see news of the cancellations for both at http://lat.ms/10hZ2zM).  Others would like to try rebooting old shows on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim (see http://goo.gl/aZkMS), but haven't managed to succeed ... yet, but time will tell.

Given the cost of producing content has plunged thanks to internet distribution and low-cost cameras and the like, the possibilities for new content today seem to be wide open in today's TV market.  Finding an audience may prove to be more challenging, but its not inconceivable that the networks could be mining YouTube for new content before too long!  Don't laugh.  KCRW's (in Los Angeles) "The Business" radio program on the entertainment industry noted that a comedian named Marc Maron reignited his comedy career with a popular podcast which landed him a television show (see http://bit.ly/11wPvZ7 for that podcast), so that is indeed coming.

Why Must-See-TV Is History; But Is It The End of "Shared" Pop Culture?

With 200+ Channels, DTV, On-Demand, DVRs, Roku, Hulu and and personal libraries of DVDs, a veteran TV guy ponders the future of one of pop culture's most prominent channels ...

A recurring theme here at "Harvest Gold Memories" is that in the days before digital cable TV and 200+ channels, DVRs, On-Demand programming, YouTube, Hulu and Roku streaming internet video players, TV viewers had much more of a shared, collective experience with this particular form of pop culture (television).  Indeed, as "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops?" authors Gael Fashingbauer Cooper and Brian Bellmont wrote in the introduction to their book (check out my coverage of that book HERE):

"For a supposedly fractured generation, we kids of the 1970s and 1980s share a far more universal past than kids today.  We all watched the same five channels, shopped at the same few chain stores, hummed the same commercial jingles."

That "shared" element is something that's lost when truly customizable TV programming has become the norm, and the trend away from it appears likely to continue.  For advertisers, its easier to sell to different niches of consumers than to try and do mass-marketing.  Although advertisers aren't the only factor behind this trend, they play an important role.

It's for this reason that I found a recent (April 30, 2012) NPR "All Things Considered" interview with former President of NBC, Warren Littlefield very interesting and informative.  Mr. Littlefield posits (and I'm inclined to agree with him) that there will like never again be an experience like what NBC television called "Must See TV" back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Have a listen below, or by visiting NPR at http://n.pr/L2VEB2:

I'm not one to dwell too heavily on a past that cannot be resurrected, but I do find the issue interesting for a variety of reasons.  Notably, it makes me wonder just how sustainable the notion of being an "American" really is anymore?  One need only look at election results over the past 25 years or so to see the incredible fracturing taking place (according to a new report from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, Americans' values and "basic beliefs" are more polarized today than at any point in the past 25 years).  But politics aside, there is similar fracturing in a once largely-homogenous U.S. pop culture, especially television and to some extent, radio, too.  Mr. Littlefield described what's happened this way:

"We lose some of that massive collective experience," he said, "and that will never come back."

But less anyone be led to believe that all the hyper-fragmentation is good for all parties involved, don't be mistaken: Mr. Littlefield believes it's not specificity that viewers want most; rather it's good television. He added "I think what audiences covet, really, are the high-quality."

Neither he, nor anyone else in television, see the old days with massive TV audiences coming back.  However, we ARE seeing a return to some actual sitcoms after a nightmare of almost nothing but bad reality TV shows on almost every network for several seasons.  Those were seen as cheap to produce, with a cast that worked for free, but who the hell wants to watch reruns of past seasons of American Idol, The Amazing Race, Survivor or The Bachelor/Bachelorette?  That's completely disposable entertainment whose appeal dissipates when the conclusion is aired.

As for quality programming, we're seeing a mixed bag on that.  There are some standouts, but with so many choices, I suspect the creativity of networks and TV producers is being stretched a bit thin.  For every standout like Modern Family or Glee, there are also duds like The Playboy Club or Unforgettable (apparently, it was forgettable, it ended after just 1 season, with the final episode on May 8, 2012).

I would say much of the reason "Must See TV" is history is driven by technology.  Today, viewers don't see television as something they need to schedule their evenings around, but as something that comes to them whenever (and wherever) they want it.  The VCR was the first move in this direction, but few people could really program them (heck, few people could even set the damn clocks!), then came DVRs which made it sooo much easier.  Along with that, we have digital cable with on-demand, as well as streaming internet video via Netflix, Hulu or other sites.  Even if you don't pay for television, digital broadcast tripled the number of VHF TV stations available, and now includes things like RTV (Retro Television) or Antenna TV.  And you can even set your DVR to record something with your mobile phone so it records something you can watch when you get home.

If you're interested in learning more, Mr. Littlefield has a book available entitled "Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV" by Warren Littlefield and T. R. Pearson.  The book can purchased online, or downloaded as an ebook via the usual places (Amazon.com, iTunes, Google Play/Android Marketplace and elsewhere), or you can check it out at your local public library.  Besides the book, there's also a CD entitled "NBC: A Soundtrack Of Must See TV" containing theme songs featured on "Must See TV" consisting of around 50 songs.  That one, as I understand it, is only available on CD but you can likely find it online.