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SURE, THE NETWORKS ARE ADDING PRIME-TIME NEWS SHOWS, BUT ENTERTAINMENT STILL RULES
Media pundits who are so sure that news magazines, and even nightly news broadcasts, will proliferate in prime time at the expense of entertainment programming lack a basic understanding of how the networks operate, according to network news executives.
It's true that the Big Three-NBC, CBS and ABC-will offer more news programming in prime time during the 1998'99 season. It's also true that some of the day's more important news stories may get a few minutes of airtime during a particular night's news magazine. And network news executives also know there is enough news out there to put together interesting and compelling programs, enough to fill the entire three hours of prime time each night.
But they also realize their news departments are just another program supplier that must compete for prime-time airtime against the enormous lobbying efforts of the Hollywood studios and the networks' own entertainment production companies. Plus, it is the network entertainment presidents who decide what type of programming will air in prime time.
"Everything on TV is based on the ability to deliver an audience that the advertisers want," says Bill Carroll, head of programming for Katz Television Group. "News magazines are analyzed the same way as entertainment programming. Right now, there is an appetite for this type of programming."
"We're in-house, we have a rich tradition, but we're treated like any other supplier," says Jonathan Klein, executive vice president of news for CBS. "We lobby like any other supplier. There's a huge constituency in Hollywood clamoring for prime-time slots. For every hour that news or a news magazine takes up, some powerful studio is not making money on it."
And David Corvo, executive vp of news for NBC, says, somewhat jokingly, "They [the network entertainment division] can call on us if they need [to fill] an hour."
Corvo says the prospect of adding a prime-time nightly news hour has "never been discussed" at NBC, adding that the network would be reluctant to tinker with its current formula. "Our early evening news program gets a substantial audience," he says. Indeed it does11.3...