ABC's New Programer Goes from Supplying to Buying
By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - He's brand new as chief programer at ABC, but Stephen McPherson is hardly a stranger to the beleaguered network's slate of existing and forthcoming shows. After all, he oversaw development of most of them -- the winners and the losers.
The highly regarded former head of sister studio Touchstone Television must now shift roles from supplier to buyer as he begins choosing which shows make it to the fall lineup that ABC will present to advertisers in just four weeks.
McPherson, 39, who shepherded television's top-rated drama, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," to CBS four years ago after ABC passed on it, was named this week to replace Susan Lyne as president of ABC Prime Time Entertainment in a major management shake-up at the Walt Disney Co.-owned network.
He will report to Anne Sweeney, installed as co-chair of Disney's newly created media networks division that groups together the company's broadcast and cable properties. But she said in an interview this week that in terms of running ABC, "This is clearly Steve McPherson's show."
ABC, trailing its three major network rivals in the ratings and dragging down Disney's share price with its losses, is desperate for new hits, and McPherson's success may hinge on his ability to operate independently. A frequent criticism of ABC has been that its top executives were often second-guessed by their Disney superiors.
TOUCHSTONE'S INSIDE TRACK
The changing of the guard at the height of TV's pilot season has rattled some producers who suddenly find themselves facing a new team at ABC as they jockey to get their shows renewed or launched next season.
But the management shuffle may make little practical difference. Shows from Disney-owned Touchstone have long enjoyed the inside track at ABC over those from rival studios.
Indeed, seven out of the 12 comedies on ABC's prime-time schedule this season and four out of eight dramas are Touchstone productions, including some of its biggest successes -- sitcoms "According to Jim," "My Wife and Kids" and "8 Simple Rules," as well as the espionage thriller "Alias." But one of ABC's biggest disappointments this season, "Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital," likewise carries the Touchstone imprint.
Touchstone also is behind 16 of the 25 scripted pilot series delivered to ABC as candidates for next season.
One rival studio executive suggested ABC's bias toward Touchstone may be a shortcoming that could deepen with McPherson's appointment.
"Does this mean (ABC is) going to buy only Touchstone stuff because McPherson developed it and of course he thinks it's great?" the executive asked rhetorically, speaking on condition of anonymity. "ABC has been known not to take a fair look (at outside productions) anyhow. They bought, like, nothing from anybody. That's why they're in the trouble that they are."
Conversely, the executive said, many in the industry should greet the ABC shake-up with relief, saying both McPherson and Sweeney are "very well-liked and respected."
ASTUTE, STRAIGHT-SHOOTER
Jonathan Littman, a former colleague who is now head of Jerry Bruckheimer TV, the studio that created "CSI," agreed that McPherson was an astute executive who knows enough to put merit over favoritism for his old company.
"If his mission is to turn around a network, you're going to want to deal with absolutely the best programing you can get, no matter where you get it from," Littman said. "He knows how this is done."
McPherson also has a reputation as a straight shooter among Hollywood talent. "When I'm talking to Steve, I feel like I'm dealing with a guy, not some agent or lawyer or someone who's manipulating an agenda," actor Jim Belushi, star of "According to Jim," told the Los Angeles Times.
Some of McPherson's greatest success has come from shows airing on networks other than ABC. His team at Touchstone developed "CSI," which evolved into one of TV's hottest franchises on CBS after ABC rejected the show, as well as the NBC hit comedy "Scrubs."
According to the Los Angeles Times, McPherson at times felt ABC was itself to blame for misfires of some Touchstone shows, citing the costly drama thriller "Threat Matrix" as an example of a series that was unwisely scheduled opposite brutal competition from CBS and NBC without adequate promotion.
The stakes for calling the right shots could hardly be higher. ABC has languished in fourth place in TV ratings since its onetime gargantuan hit "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" collapsed from overexposure after the 2000-2001 season.
Despite cultivating a handful of moderately successful comedies during Lyne's two-year tenure, ABC's lackluster performance has been a focal point of the recent Disney takeover bid by Comcast Corp. and efforts of dissident shareholders to oust Chief Executive Michael Eisner.
Some media analysts have said they believe ABC faces more than $100 million in "make-goods" obligations to advertisers due to shortfalls in ratings targets.
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Notice that they described Alias as one of the network's "biggest successes," and said that they tend to favor the shows developed by Touchstone, which Alias is. Also, the new programming manager is the guy who was in charge of Touchstone and responsible for developing Alias. That makes me feel relieved, anyway.
By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - He's brand new as chief programer at ABC, but Stephen McPherson is hardly a stranger to the beleaguered network's slate of existing and forthcoming shows. After all, he oversaw development of most of them -- the winners and the losers.
The highly regarded former head of sister studio Touchstone Television must now shift roles from supplier to buyer as he begins choosing which shows make it to the fall lineup that ABC will present to advertisers in just four weeks.
McPherson, 39, who shepherded television's top-rated drama, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," to CBS four years ago after ABC passed on it, was named this week to replace Susan Lyne as president of ABC Prime Time Entertainment in a major management shake-up at the Walt Disney Co.-owned network.
He will report to Anne Sweeney, installed as co-chair of Disney's newly created media networks division that groups together the company's broadcast and cable properties. But she said in an interview this week that in terms of running ABC, "This is clearly Steve McPherson's show."
ABC, trailing its three major network rivals in the ratings and dragging down Disney's share price with its losses, is desperate for new hits, and McPherson's success may hinge on his ability to operate independently. A frequent criticism of ABC has been that its top executives were often second-guessed by their Disney superiors.
TOUCHSTONE'S INSIDE TRACK
The changing of the guard at the height of TV's pilot season has rattled some producers who suddenly find themselves facing a new team at ABC as they jockey to get their shows renewed or launched next season.
But the management shuffle may make little practical difference. Shows from Disney-owned Touchstone have long enjoyed the inside track at ABC over those from rival studios.
Indeed, seven out of the 12 comedies on ABC's prime-time schedule this season and four out of eight dramas are Touchstone productions, including some of its biggest successes -- sitcoms "According to Jim," "My Wife and Kids" and "8 Simple Rules," as well as the espionage thriller "Alias." But one of ABC's biggest disappointments this season, "Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital," likewise carries the Touchstone imprint.
Touchstone also is behind 16 of the 25 scripted pilot series delivered to ABC as candidates for next season.
One rival studio executive suggested ABC's bias toward Touchstone may be a shortcoming that could deepen with McPherson's appointment.
"Does this mean (ABC is) going to buy only Touchstone stuff because McPherson developed it and of course he thinks it's great?" the executive asked rhetorically, speaking on condition of anonymity. "ABC has been known not to take a fair look (at outside productions) anyhow. They bought, like, nothing from anybody. That's why they're in the trouble that they are."
Conversely, the executive said, many in the industry should greet the ABC shake-up with relief, saying both McPherson and Sweeney are "very well-liked and respected."
ASTUTE, STRAIGHT-SHOOTER
Jonathan Littman, a former colleague who is now head of Jerry Bruckheimer TV, the studio that created "CSI," agreed that McPherson was an astute executive who knows enough to put merit over favoritism for his old company.
"If his mission is to turn around a network, you're going to want to deal with absolutely the best programing you can get, no matter where you get it from," Littman said. "He knows how this is done."
McPherson also has a reputation as a straight shooter among Hollywood talent. "When I'm talking to Steve, I feel like I'm dealing with a guy, not some agent or lawyer or someone who's manipulating an agenda," actor Jim Belushi, star of "According to Jim," told the Los Angeles Times.
Some of McPherson's greatest success has come from shows airing on networks other than ABC. His team at Touchstone developed "CSI," which evolved into one of TV's hottest franchises on CBS after ABC rejected the show, as well as the NBC hit comedy "Scrubs."
According to the Los Angeles Times, McPherson at times felt ABC was itself to blame for misfires of some Touchstone shows, citing the costly drama thriller "Threat Matrix" as an example of a series that was unwisely scheduled opposite brutal competition from CBS and NBC without adequate promotion.
The stakes for calling the right shots could hardly be higher. ABC has languished in fourth place in TV ratings since its onetime gargantuan hit "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" collapsed from overexposure after the 2000-2001 season.
Despite cultivating a handful of moderately successful comedies during Lyne's two-year tenure, ABC's lackluster performance has been a focal point of the recent Disney takeover bid by Comcast Corp. and efforts of dissident shareholders to oust Chief Executive Michael Eisner.
Some media analysts have said they believe ABC faces more than $100 million in "make-goods" obligations to advertisers due to shortfalls in ratings targets.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Notice that they described Alias as one of the network's "biggest successes," and said that they tend to favor the shows developed by Touchstone, which Alias is. Also, the new programming manager is the guy who was in charge of Touchstone and responsible for developing Alias. That makes me feel relieved, anyway.
