More fine, quality programming from the mouse.

[WDWHound]

I already posted about this on the CB, but I thought you folks would be interested as well. I cant beleive anyone, much less Disney, would air this kind of trash.

Follow this link and you'll see what I mean:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/25/offbeat.television.will.reut/index.html

(link corrected)

 

[JeffH]

I assume you mean this...
http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/25/offbeat.television.will.reut/index.html

 

[mickey1010]

Please somehow let this be a joke.

 

[All Aboard]

I hope the day that people utter the phrase "remember that reality-based TV show craze?" comes very soon.

 

[raidermatt]

Inspired by the Baron, here is a one act play that is very applicable to this situation:

Caveman #1: Ugh.

Caveman #2: Ugh.

Curtain.

Bow.

Thank you.

 

[Peter Pirate]

Greg, that saying is not only irritating, it really isn't very accurate either, is it?

But as far as the crappy programming like Bachelor & now The Will, the 'people' obviously eat it up, so I ask do you folks who constantly criticize ABC for losing the ratings war want them to be succesful or do they have to (now) do it in a certain way?

BTW, I watched 5 minutes of the Bachelor the other day and it was soooo lame it was almost funny..I can see college kids playing drinking games to it! But this is a society that has made Oprah one of the richest people in he country. What exactly is her talent????

 

[Jeff in BigD]

joy

 

[Lesley]

raidermatt, you've insulted cavepeople.

Peter Pirate...didn't Walt once state something about not talking down to an audience? I think he was referring to children at the time, but really.....the point comes back to the concept that if you give people something that may seem to be a bit above them rather than pandering to your lowest expectations of them they will often rise to the occasion and everyone is the better off for it.

The ratings be damned....I think what most of us want is to see something of quality! Quality first, the monetary success will follow....

 

[Planogirl]

The ratings be damned....I think what most of us want is to see something of quality! Quality first, the monetary success will follow....

How to explain a Jerry Springer then? I think that there are people who enjoy this low level of programming and always have. The problem IMO is that the networks seem to be forgetting about those of us who prefer something a bit better.

 

[Lesley]

But that's what I mean by pandering....sure, anyone can aim for the lowest common denominator, and probably get some money that way. But, well, that's not Disney! Or at least it didn't used to be.

I'm not arguing the fact that garbage can make money (go to any flea market!) but doing so is putting the lust for cash first and creating for the sake of making something good out the window. Most of us expect more from Disney. In days long gone, when something was done to make a quick buck by Disney there were still some standards of quality. It seems there no longer are any.

And I don't think those who enjoy garbage are incapable of enjoying something of quality...its just, well, they'll enjoy the garbage if they don't have a better option. Why not go for a better option?

 

[KNWVIKING]

Well, if pure ratings are a measure of success,then it's quite obvious the low brow humor & mentality of shows like Springer & Howard Stern are going to rule the airwaves. It kinda puts us in a tuff situation: We know ABC ratings have to go up,but at what cost.If sleaze & smut are kicking ABC's butt, then we have to either accept the butt wuppen or play follow the leader and get down and dirty with the best of 'um. It's a bad Catch 22.
People can argue QUALITY all day long, but if it isn't selling......

 

[DisneyKidds]

Quality first, the monetary success will follow....

Unfortunately, this is not always true when it come to TV programming. I'm sure we can all think of a quality program or two that has been cancelled due to lack of ratings. TV guide annually has an SOS (Save Our Shows) issue where they highlight those quality programs that are facing the hook.

 

[Peter Pirate]

Don't get me wrong, I'm in the quality programming camp but if it's profits that we're looking for in ABC then as Mr. Viking alludes Disney (ABC) may have no other choice...

I for one would like to see a network take the highroad (damn the ratings) and stick with it. The problem is the results in this scenerio will be slow I'm afraid.

To further add insult to injury did you all see that Anna Nicole Show got picked up for a second season? She makes a dim bulb seem bright!

 

[KNWVIKING]

Pete, I think thats called PBS.

 

[hopemax]

Which is why I never thought Disney getting into the network business was a good idea. A selection of cable channels where quality has a pretty decent shot of developing an audience, that is what I wanted to see Disney do. As far as networks, WB has done pretty well with its family programming, but since they weren't the big 3 or Fox, they've been able to build that audience slowly; they weren't expected to have it overnight.

 

[Another Voice]

Actually, the “people” aren’t eating up reality programming. The shows are popular with the networks because they are so cheap to produce. It’s basically follows the Disney Standard Policy these days: cut expenses fasters than the revenues fall.

Even the alleged “hit” of ‘The Bachelor’ is pretty much of a ratings stinker compared to what expectations used to be. Disney hyped the press out this morning all over Hollywood about how ‘Bach’ won its demographics – meaning it was the number one show for adult 18-49 years old. But when you look at the real numbers, it lost the overall audience to the World Series (and it was the lowest rated World Series game ever broadcast in the history of television and ‘The West Wing’ was yet another repeat (would it really kill them to make another episode of the show once a month?). And as someone mentioned, even with the “win”, the audience for ‘The Bachelor’ was one third the number of people that watched the number one show the same night and same time in 1980.

Big time commercial network television is a dead industry. The “people” have spoken with their actions – the huge collapse in ratings over the last two decades proves that people are chosing to watch other programming rather than bland network fare like ‘Bachelor”. Far from chiding the public for their bad taste and excusing away Disney’s inability to run a television business – shows like ‘The Will’ should be condemned for continuing the same brain-dead thinking that got ABC in its retched shape to begin with.

Increasingly, "success" is nothing more of having just the bigger slice of an ever shrinking pie.

 

[HorizonsFan]

Increasingly, "success" is nothing more of having just the bigger slice of an ever shrinking pie.

How else could you measure the success of a TV show?

 

[KNWVIKING]

... the ticker on CNN had Bach beating the WS.

 

[Another Voice]

“Success” means getting more people to watch, not just simply more people than are watching the other guys. Total viewership is off 60% in the last two decades – that’s the real problem for the industry. If you run a hot dog stand that used to sell a $100 a day, but now only sell $40, are you being successful because the coffee cart guy only makes $37?

The numbers touted for last week’s ‘Bachelor’ show are that more adults aged 18-49 watched the show than watched the World Series, but the total number of viewers (which would included younger than 18 and older than 49) was higher for baseball. Given the disastrous ratings overall for the World Series, beating it isn’t all that impressive.