Did you hear this one, folks? NBC is throwing in the towel. The boss of bosses, NBC Universal CEO, the head honcho himself, Jeff Zucker, was at an industry event recently and declared, "I don't think we'll ever be able to say, 'NBC is number one in prime time.'" Okay, there it is. The man has given up. He's basically admitting that his product is inferior and he doesn't think he'll ever catch up with his competitors. So, as a TV viewer, I have to wonder why I should invest in anything Zucker churns out at NBC if he doesn't believe that he's ever going to be number one again?
Think about it, would you want to eat dinner at a restaurant where the chef thinks he's never going to be the best in the business? If you were looking for fill the top spot at a network, is this the executive you would want in charge?
I've been down on Zucker before. I think the Jay Leno in prime time, five nights a week, is a mistake and I don't like the idea of NBC abdicating the 10 o'clock hour to the other networks. I don't care that this was an idea floated in the 1980's with Johnny Carson. It was a dumb idea then and it's a dumb idea now. If it turns out to be a success, I'll eat my mouse, okay?
But here's the thing about Zucker; he's a defeatist. Why isn't he fighting to make NBC the number one network again? I get all the new media/new business model malarky that he extols. The days of big ratings might be in the past, but how does he explain Fox's American Idol or CBS's success with all the CSIs? These shows are not apparitions. NBC could bounce back to the top. It's not out of the realm of possibility, but not when you have a CEO who is running up a white flag of surrender.
Here's my suggestion for NBC Universal: offer Jeff Zucker early retirement. Send him away. Get someone who has the fire and desire to get NBC back to number one, someone who has the vision to develop the TV shows and program them with an eye to long-term success. Zucker's had more than enough chances and while there was a time when NBC could at least claim victory in demographics and the bottom line, these days the network is just looking sad.
I want NBC back. I want the next Seinfeld or Cosby or ER or Heroes (like it was in season one), but it's not going to happen with Jeff -- "we'll never be number one again" -- Zucker at the helm!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
3-20-2009 @ 1:16PM
Ken Goyette said...
I hate to see Zucker have that, but he is sort of right. I mean take a show like Friday Night Lights, good show, but it costs to much to make. Look at their Thursday night lineup, they are trying with good shows (The Office and 30 Rock), but are still getting beat. What shows are doing well, Reality shows, so unless you catch lightning in a bottle, IE Idol, what is he suppose to do.
The CBS thing boggles my mind, because I can't stand any of those shows, but they aren't catered to me. I think my point is, its not that NBC is actually putting out awful shows, its just no one really wants to watch good NBC shows.
I also think the Demo for the NBC shows lends itself better to the web. I know as a 28 year old "geek" I have stopped DVRing Chuck, Hero's and a few other because I would just rather watch them on Hulu.
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6-09-2009 @ 10:23PM
Andres said...
NBC has completely lost it. I HATE Conan O'Brien. I now turn off the TV when he comes on. I don't care WHAT NBC promised him 5 years ago. He has no appreciable talent. He just leans on making faces, physically jumping around and bouncing remarks off whoever that dude is behind the podium. Their exchanges are not funny. He is not funny. ALSO, who SAYS the set is great? It's NOT. It puts as much distance between the host and the audience as possible. And all that hooting and hollering from the audience? Not even believable. They would have done better to put Jimmy Fallon in the Tonight Show spot, as he has more talent. Despite the fact that Leno and O'Brien are supposed to be friends, Conan's appearance on Leno's last show had all kinds of unfriendly vibes from O'Brien. He made sure people knew of the fact that he irritated about hearing that he has "big shoes to fill." He's no Leno -- and he doesn't even have Carson's approachability. It's a big flop!!!
And what about the NBC News? Why can't NBC put the 6:00 new on at 6:00 despite whatever day of the week it falls on or whatever sport is playing. I don't give a rat's behind about any sport taking place during the local and national news spots. I want it to be on when it's supposed to be on, period!
As for reality tv. What a cop out! People will watch good tv dramas. Nobody needs to watch some MORE fools doing idiotic things that hurt themselves for the peeping tom nastiness of others. STOP it already!!
Get CREATIVE and you will get your audiences back.
3-20-2009 @ 1:18PM
Stuman714 from Indy said...
Sorry for their rotten luck. They move quality programs around like rubber balls and don't give anything a solid timeframe OR night to endure on, and the only drivel they seem to give a chance are the so-called reality shows. Both Life and Medium deserve MUCH better then what they have gotten or are going to get from word around the web.
Personally I think NBC is doing their best impression of the Titanic. Taking on water fast and listing and you know it's just a matter of time before it drops like a dart.
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3-20-2009 @ 1:21PM
Jason said...
"The days of big ratings might be in the past, but how does he explain Fox's American Idol or CBS's success with all the CSIs? These shows are not apparitions. "
I think you mean aberrations rather than apparitions.
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3-20-2009 @ 1:21PM
Jeff N. said...
I think NBC's Monday lineup is pretty entertaining. Chuck, Heroes, Medium. I enjoy Life, Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock & The office. So NBC does have good entertaining shows. But no one watches them. They all watch reality shows or Procedural Crime shows that CBS Produces. It is depressing.
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3-21-2009 @ 4:22PM
MIke said...
Great point. Other than Medium (I've never seen it), that is the EXACT same shows that I watch on NBC while on CBS the only shows I watch are HIMYM, and, Old Christine, but CBS kills in the ratings. What we have to remember by just visiting a TV-centered website, WE ARE NOT THE DEMO THEY WANT. The desired ratings are from the mindless lemmings who will take anything the networks give them.
3-20-2009 @ 1:20PM
Kirby said...
I don't want to watch the most popular show on Television so much as I want to watch an excellent show that's targeted to me. So I think your whole premise is flawed.
If NBC were to decide they aren't going to be slaves to the ratings anymore, churn out fewer reality shows and copycats of whatever is popular on other channels, that could be great news. Stick with a Friday Night Lights. Keep making the smart comedies like 30 Rock and Earl and Office. (Not so much with Kath and Kim.) Try some more niche shows.
Hire a bunch of the now-free BSG writers to write a really good science fiction show. You'd get viewers. Maybe not CSI numbers, but there's a market.
I think there's a lot of merit in a network that chooses to refocus on quality, gives smaller shows a chance, and is interesting in building a following for the long-haul. If you're not defining success as #1 Network, it gives room for a lot more diversity to succeed. And maybe if you focus on quality, the #1 Network thing will just happen, who knows?
Now, I don't know if this is what they're actually doing, but it's a completely polar opposite reaction to yours.
I'd much rather shop at my local grocery store than Wal*Mart, even though the latter is #1.
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3-20-2009 @ 1:25PM
No1Dad said...
"I don't think we'll ever be able to say, 'NBC is number one in prime time.'"
Yeah it's kinda hard to be number one when you cancel good shows like Journeyman before they have a chance to take off.
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3-20-2009 @ 9:21PM
Jojee said...
Journeyman. 'nuff said.
3-20-2009 @ 9:34PM
Jake said...
Um... Journeyman was bad. Hate to say it.
3-20-2009 @ 1:30PM
notatoad said...
i think this is a good thing. the quest for top ratings is what churns out garbage like idol. if NBC can quit trying to get the highest number of viewers and just put out a quality product, they can still maintain good ratings. look at what they have now: 30 rock, the office, chuck, heroes (used to be quality anyways), the new show kings, etc. none of them do particularly well in the ratings, but if NBC is going to stop being so ratings-driven, then good but less popular shows like these can survive.
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3-21-2009 @ 10:46AM
SirCrumpet said...
Damn straight. If not caring about the ratings means excellent shows like Chuck get renewed based on talent alone, I'm all for it.
3-20-2009 @ 1:44PM
Pamela said...
I'm attributing their slide to poor management and too many reality shows as well as canceling good programs such as Journeyman. Zucker needs to stop whining about Jon Stewart being so unfair and do his job.
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3-20-2009 @ 1:52PM
Florin said...
Get Jack Donaghy to run the network!
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3-20-2009 @ 1:53PM
Chris said...
I have to add to the chorus of disagreement. I tallied it up the other day, and my tv watching on the networks is like this:
nbc 8
fox 6
cbs 4
cw 3
abc 2 (not including pushing daisies)
Even then, 2 of the CBS shows are because of the wife (Thursday night). So I barely watch "America's Most Watched Network." Aside from Lost, NBC has the only shows that I don't want to do without (Chuck, The Office, Friday Night Lights).
I'd choose quality programming over quantity programming any day.
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3-20-2009 @ 2:32PM
charles melrose III said...
You folks write like you've not yet graduated high school. Zucker's real message is that being #1 in ratings has been rendered irrelevant by the changing economics of the business. What if his ratings decline by 15%....but by replacing expensive 10PM shows with low cost programming like Leno his costs for that hour go down 60%? Do the math. Ratings used to equal revenues. Now costs are the biggest factor in generating profits--the kind of profits that allow the network to invest in quality stuff like Friday Night Lights.
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3-20-2009 @ 2:35PM
James said...
Why does it matter if they're #1? From a business perspective, as long as they are profitable, it doesn't matter. If programs like American Idol are the most watched, I'd much rather them make high quality programs that cater to a smaller audience than to try and make more American Idol clones simply for bragging rights.
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3-20-2009 @ 2:44PM
const said...
Zucker is lucky Jack Welch is not CEO and hasn't since he's been in charge. No way would this guy still have a job, let alone been promoted as has been.
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3-20-2009 @ 2:56PM
Dan said...
Jack Donagy is a far better head of NBC than Zucker...
3-20-2009 @ 2:40PM
Jimmy said...
I hate to disagree with most of you, but NBC's programming is mostly crap. Maybe I'm the wrong demographic to like crappy shows like My Name is Earl and Kath & Kim. Personally, I think 30 Rock is over-rated and The Office a snoozefest compared to its British version. ER has been in a slow fade and probably should have been cancelled a year ago -- and I'm a fan who still watches. Monday is OK, thanks mostly to Chuck. Heroes may be forever ruined because of the Villains fiasco and Medium just isn't as interesting as it used to be. Tuesday is what? Biggest Loser and SVU? Boring. Wednesday is an utter mess. Friday's only saving grace is Friday Night Lights but it's saddled with crappy reality and news programs that don't cater to the same demo as FNL. Saturday, which in the past was one of NBC's huge nights, is a wasteland. Sunday has the intriguing new Kings, but with it's crappy ratings it won't be around long.
What exactly is there to watch on NBC other than maybe, maybe, 4 or 5 good shows? You can't sustain a network on that. Jeff Zucker has only himself to blame. He's kept programs on the air long after they should be gone and there is a total lack of originality and a willingness to take chances at the network. I mean, I'm surprised Kings even made it past the pilot stage with it's originality and risk-taking. Of course, with no one watching NBC they're limited in their ability to even advertise new programming because there are no real hits to advertise with.
I just hope Zucker doesn't ruin USA. They have some great, original, risky programming on that network -- some of which is being watched more than the broadcast network shows. The fact that Zucker is giving up on even trying to improve NBC says a lot about him. It says a lot about GE that they promote such an obvious moron and allow Ben Silverman to stick around.
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