ABC: Reality Show Awards Coming!

[Another Voice]

You just can't make up stuff that's this good...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A27158-2003Sep4?language=printer

ABC to Air Awards Show for Reality Television

Reuters
Thursday, September 4, 2003; 6:35 PM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Would you believe it? Reality television shows will get their own prime-time awards program so that "Joe Millionaire" can rub shoulders with Oscar.

ABC said on Thursday it will, in conjunction with Don Mischer Productions, create a prime-time awards show honoring broadcast and cable reality programs.

Nominees for the two-hour awards show, set to air this fall, will be chosen by a panel of about 200 people, the network said, and winners will be chosen by the public via Internet balloting.

Mischer is a veteran of TV awards shows, in particular the prime-time Emmys, and the new, as-yet untitled program will feature both series honors like "Best Series" as well as reality-appropriate categories like "Best Twist."

Programs airing in the 2002-2003 season, including this summer, are eligible for nomination, the network said.

In the period from Sept. 2002 to May 2003, according to Nielsen Media Research, five of the top 10 shows on TV were reality programs, including the dating series "Joe Millionaire" and two editions of competition show "Survivor." *

ABC is a unit of the Walt Disney Co.



* - I beleive they are talking about single episode ratings and not for a series in total. Typically the final segement of these shows do very well for that evening. The only "reality" series to consistantly pull in strong numbers is 'American Idol'.

 

[Walt's Frozen Head]

The Golden Snow Globes, presumably?

 

[DancingBear]

There you go again, AV. It's clear to me that if Walt were alive today he'd be big into reality TV. After all, he did those nature shows. Surely he would have eventually gotten around to plunking an odd mix of humans next to that cute beaver's pond.

WFH, given the food items consumed on some of these shows, I was thinking maybe the Golden Grub.

 

[crusader]

Dancing Bear -

I think it's the award show concept being emphasized here more than reality TV.

What's really frightening is the probability that people will tune in, particularly if it incorporates MTV and showcases morbid behavior.

Surely our viewing habits have clearly proven that Americans have discovered one of the best mediums to reassure one's sanity is to watch average people humiliate and degrade themselves on national television.

 

[Peter Pirate]

According to reports uncovered by "Inside The Behind...The Real Hollywood Story", there were several tv series ideas found among Walts possessions after he was frozen. These discovered "scripts" were found in a secret vault in his DL Apartment. Script ideas entitled "Who Wants to Marry An Animator" and "Mickey Millionaire" were among those found...

 

[DancingBear]

Originally posted by Another Voice
* - I beleive they are talking about single episode ratings and not for a series in total. Typically the final segement of these shows do very well for that evening. The only "reality" series to consistantly pull in strong numbers is 'American Idol'.

Ya know, I've always thought that the success of "reality" shows was overemphasized, because they lumped in "Millionaire" (really a quiz show) and "American Idol" (really a talent show). I guess they share being "unscripted" and cheap to produce, but they really aren't all the same concepts.

 

[Bstanley]

Hmm, I wonder what the categories will be...

"Most Tasteless" - could be Concept, Person, Camera Angle, Title, Situtation, or an entrie show!

"Cheapest to Produce."

"Fastest show from Executive Brainfart to broadcast date."

and of course my personal favorite,

"Shows most responsible for the demise of their creators when, in a desperate attempt to stop the show ever being aired their creator's own large intestines leapt up into their throats and throttled them while they were watching the pilot."*

-bruce

* Plagerized from some truly great writing that is SO MUCH more deserving of being broadcast than ANY reality show.