|
  |
|
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sweeps month concludes with Saddam, BlakeA wild February for the networks
(CNN) -- First it was Michael Jackson vs. "Must-See TV." Then it was Michael Jackson vs. "Joe Millionaire." And then, of course, it was Michael Jackson vs. Michael Jackson. But tonight's network battle takes a more sober turn: It's Robert Blake vs. Saddam Hussein. Actually, interested viewers can watch both without fiddling with the VCR. The Saddam interview airs Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET on CBS' "60 Minutes II," and the Blake interview follows at 10 p.m. ET on ABC's "20/20." The Saddam interview was conducted over the weekend by news anchor Dan Rather. In it, the Iraqi leader declares that his country will not bow to U.S. military pressure, nor will he go into exile. "He comes across as a man absolutely convinced that it's his destiny to survive," Rather told CBS "Early Show" host Harry Smith, according to CBSNews.com. Across the dial at ABC, Barbara Walters will be talking with Blake about the charge that he killed his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, in 2001. Blake says he's innocent and maintains that a jury will agree.
"I'm not going to be found guilty," he told Walters, according to the "20/20" Web site. "Why? It's real simple: 'Cause God has never, ever deserted me. Can't say I haven't deserted him from time to time." 'Ridiculous,' 'craziest ever'The Saddam and Blake interviews bring an end to what has been an odd month of television. Sweeps months are usually strange to begin with, chock-full of stunt programming, blockbuster specials and anything the networks can program to grab viewers' attention. It's when ratings are used to set local advertising rates, so it's important to the networks -- and even more important to their affiliates -- to do well. But to say this has been an odd sweeps month would be an understatement. And, in fact, network honchos have been willing to go well beyond that. "This is clearly one of the most ridiculous sweeps in modern American TV history," NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker said in midmonth, before some of the Jackson specials, the "Joe Millionaire" conclusion and "The Bachelorette" finale had even aired. CBS President Leslie Moonves one-upped Zucker, calling the month "the craziest sweeps period ever." At the beginning of the month, the talk was about Michael Jackson. ABC paid $5 million for a British documentary on the pop star and aired it February 6. The show attracted more than 27 million viewers. Immediately, ABC booked a February 17 rerun -- against an NBC "Dateline" that examined Jackson's surgical history, among other things. But by then, the Jackson train had been derailed by Fox, which pitted its "Joe Millionaire" reality show finale against the Jackson specials. "Joe" trumped them both, grabbing an audience in excess of 40 million -- the best showing for a prime-time entertainment program since the conclusion of the first "Survivor" in 2000.
Fox even got the best of both worlds, since its own Jackson special, drawn from the singer's video, did well during its February 20 airing. The network also benefited from the 300th episode of "The Simpsons," which crushed its Sunday night competition. Winners and losersIn the end, the CBS strategy of sticking with its schedule -- hits such as "CSI" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" -- and Fox's reality stunt casting both paid dividends. CBS appears to have won the month in total viewers, while Fox, boosted by the "Joe Millionaire" and "American Idol" phenomena, is set to take first place in the important adults 18 to 49 demographic. The loser in all this appears to be ABC. Despite the Jackson special and good ratings for "The Bachelorette" finale, the network will likely finish fourth in adults 18-49 and total adults. Sitcom writers can't be too happy, either. The success of all these reality shows will likely prompt the networks to order more of the hit genre, and fewer scripted comedies. At least a dozen reality shows are expected to be on the broadcast networks' fall schedules, with more waiting in the wings as soon as a scripted show falters. There may be an extreme twist, however, on the reality front. With rhetorical temperatures rising and a possible war in Iraq brewing, the broadcast and news networks may soon find themselves showing the ultimate reality: war news. In that respect, the CBS Saddam Hussein interview may be a harbinger of programming to come.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
