Shaw leaving
as head of ABC ad sales
Other shorts: Programming notes: TNT axes 'Bar'
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Dec 1, 2009
Mike Shaw is leaving as head of ABC ad sales
For the past 10 years, Mike Shaw has led ABC sales and marketing, and 10 years is enough, it appears. Shaw, who is 55, is leaving at the end of the year, saying in a statement: "I have decided to step down at this time in order to pursue a number of personal goals." There's no word yet on who will replace Shaw, who holds the title of president of sales and marketing, but a replacement is expected to be named soon. In the meantime, Shaw will continue on as an advisor on sales and marketing to Anne Sweeney, Disney/ABC TV Group president, as well as work on projects for the network in the coming year. Shaw has spent 20 years with the network, having come from Buena Vista Television, where he headed ad sales. In the last 10 years, as president of ABC ad sales, Shaw has charted network sales through two ad recessions, the rise and fall of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and the network's slow climb back in the ratings with the arrival of such shows as "Desperate Housewives." More recently, Shaw helped negotiate the adoption of new metrics for selling TV ad time based on viewing of commercials and incorporating delayed viewing up to three days, known as C3. That work drew praise from Sweeney, who said in a statement: "Mike is a visionary as sales executive whose efforts have helped reshape our industry." Where Shaw goes after his consulting gig with ABC is anyone's guess, but it's unlikely he'll leave the TV business. His talents will be in too much demand.
Programming notes: TNT axes 'Bar'
TNT's "Raising the Bar" showed so much promise barely one year ago, when it debuted to a then-record 7.7 million total viewers in September 2008. But the Steven Bochco drama never delivered on that promise, with viewership declining rapidly through its first season and never really perking back up in season two. That led TNT to cancel the show yesterday, saying in a statement that ratings "did not reach the levels required for TNT to renew the series." Meanwhile, in other programming, Syfy has picked up 13 episodes of “Haven,” a supernatural series based on the Stephen King story “The Colorado Kid.” The show will premiere sometime next year. Planet Green has acquired three news series: “Blood, Sweat & Takeaways,” which shows how fast food is really produced; “Blood, Sweat & T-Shirts,” about people working on a clothing production line in India; and “Conviction Kitchen,” in which 24 ex-cons will help open a restaurant in three weeks. All three will premiere early next year. Documentary Channel on Jan. 1 will roll out “DocTalk,” a behind-the-scenes look at documentary films and filmmakers. On Feb. 1 Bravo will premiere “Kell on Earth,” a reality show following fashion public relations expert Kelly Cutrone. PBS will re-launch “PBS NewsHour” sans Jim Lehrer's name, with rotating anchors Gwen Ifill, Judy Woodruff and Jeffrey Brown alongside Lehrer. And Fox is developing an animated comedy called “Rooster Tales,” which is inspired by the life of Matthew McConaughey’s brother. The show is about a redneck sheriff who marries a younger woman from Mexico.
Giant exit: African-American title shuts down
These days when a print magazine shuts down, it often lives on via the web, and that will be the case for Giant, the magazine aimed at young, affluent African-Americans that was acquired by Radio One three years ago. Citing the poor economy, Interactive One president Tom Newman said the magazine has been shut down in favor of GIANTlife.com, which Newman will oversee. The web site will launch with a series of videos featuring Alicia Keys, 50 Cent and more. Keys will be on the final print edition of Giant, which hits newsstands Dec. 15. The magazine is only the latest casualty of the sour economy, which has felled dozens of titles this year, though many have continued on the web. A very small number have promised to return when the media economy comes back, though at this point the prospects seem dark for the launch or relaunch of most any title.
Jackson bumps Britney from top search spot
It seems we like our stars hot -- a hot mess, that is. After a four-year reign, a notably drama-free Britney Spears was finally bumped from atop the Yahoo internet search list this year, giving way to Michael Jackson. His surprising death bumped the singer to the top of the search chart this year, while Spears slid all the way to No. 5, right behind "Transformers" hottie Megan Fox. The interest in Jackson's death was intense. Though it did not happen until June, it quickly displaced the year's previous top search, President Barack Obama's inauguration, and the King of Pop kept drawing hits as the aftermath of his death played out: the custody of his kids, the rumors over their paternity, the reason for his death and the drama of his memorial. Finishing No. 2 to Jackson among search terms was "Twilight," the novel and movie series, followed by WWE in third, Fox fourth and Spears fifth. Anime term Naruto was sixth, followed by "American Idol," reality star Kim Kardashian, NASCAR and online game Runescape.
Survey: 80 percent say Lambert was inappropriate
We all know what the Parents Television Council thought of Adam Lambert’s American Music Awards performance last week, but what did the average viewer think? Well, they agree with the PTC. Of 307 viewers who were shown a clip of Lambert’s performance, which featured simulated oral sex and backup dancers dressed in chains, 80 percent said that it was inappropriate, according to a survey from HCD Research. When asked if the public reaction would have been different if a woman had given the performance rather than a gay man, the respondents were evenly split—50 percent said yes, 50 percent said no. The survey also found that 39 percent think it’s more socially acceptable for women to perform sexually provocative acts in public than men. ABC, which aired the "AMAs," has received more than 1,500 complaints about the performance and canceled Lambert's scheduled appearance on "Good Morning America" shortly thereafter. The PTC has been leading the anti-Lambert charge, calling the performance "tasteless and vulgar."
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