Television
Pondering NBC with Silverman out
By Diego Vasquez
Jul 28, 2009 - 7:15:33 AM

Yesterday the media world was abuzz over the exit of Ben Silverman, the NBC Entertainment co-chairman who had been on the job just two years. It raises lots of questions for media people, not the least of which is how Silverman’s exit, just six weeks before NBC’s fall slate starts to premiere, could impact the network’s fall schedule, and how that in turn will affect the other networks. Like the other Big Five, NBC is in the midst of upfront negotiations, and while buyers say its fall slate looks much more promising than last year, the fourth-place network is still sustaining the biggest year-to-year declines in what it's fetching for its ad inventory. That reflects in part NBC’s riskiest move under Silverman, slating “The Jay Leno Show” as a weeknight strip at 10 p.m. in a bit of bottom-line programming that has not impressed many media buyers. Shari Anne Brill, senior vice president and director of programming at Carat USA, talks to Media Life about what Silverman’s exit means for media people.

 
Were you surprised by the news of Silverman's exit from NBC? Why or why not?
 
I didn’t think it was his thing.

He seemed to be more of an entrepreneur-dealmaker. It’s hard to say because I don’t know him, but I think he’s at his best when he’s acquiring programming. I don’t think his heart was really in programming a schedule.
 
I think post-writers’ strike, it was a mistake going straight to air with series and skipping the pilot process. Not many of the shows from under his watch are back this year.
 

What concerns did media people have about the scheduling during Silverman's reign?
 
I can’t speak for the entire industry, but I know the network keeps falling in adults 18-49. This was the network that held first place in 18-49s for the better part of two decades.

They literally went from first to fourth. So it appears there was more of a concern with the bottom line, as evidenced by the decision to air Jay Leno five nights a week.
 
But everyone’s becoming cost-conscious.
 
As for the idea of advertiser integration [product placement] you still need to have programs that viewers want to see for that integration to be most effective.

But some of the development this year looks a whole lot better than it did last year.

 
His exit comes less than two months before NBC premieres its fall schedule. How can the network assure media people that it will be a smooth transition?
 
Well, the development is pretty much done. The real issue is and will be development for next year.

 
Will his exit impact the ongoing upfront negotiations at all? If so, how?
 
You know, I don’t know. It’s more about the delivery of the audiences.
 
For 2010 and 2011, that remains to be seen.
 
But this year looks a bit better and their shows look a bit more appealing. It’s too bad “Parenthood” is postponed, that looked like it has potential, as does “Community.”
 

What changes do you expect in NBC's approach to programming with Silverman's exit? Will we see less of the commercialization that some had criticized him for?
 
You know, who’s really to say?

I think what will happen will bear itself out when we start seeing audience numbers for the new scripted content, as well as what the Jay Leno experiment will look like.
 

What sort of things would you like to see Silverman's replacement, Jeff Gaspin, address?
 
Really it's about getting advertisers, and I’d say that advertisers still want to be associated with quality scripted content.

No matter who it is [in charge], it’s about getting quality shows that viewers want to see. Viewers do come back for good shows.



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