it's time to don some whiskers
But can the network still keep its teen viewers?
By Dave Lindorff
For some time the WB has been the network of young viewers, and proudly so. It would not--repeat not--allow itself to slide into an older demographic and thus become just another aging network.
But that was last week. Now, recanting somewhat, it says it would like to draw some older viewers without losing its kids.
The trick is whether they can pull it off. Changing demographics is not exactly like slipping into a new set of pajamas. It's a bit thornier, and media people are not quite sure why the network would want to do so.
At a meeting of the Television Critics Association, WB entertainment president Susanne Daniels said she and other WB executives couldn't help but notice that the most successful new fall series this season were older skewing, and even the WB's older shows have done better.
"It's clear to us that our best-rated shows, 'Charmed' and '7th Heaven,' have broader appeal," she said. As a result, she told the assembled critics, the new strategy is to broaden the little network's viewer base, which currently favors teen girls.
Accordingly, the network has contracted with John Wells, the executive producer of NBC's successful hits "ER," "The West Wing" and "Third Watch," to create a new series for the WB, possibly as early as the middle of the 200-01 season.
But while Daniels is talking about a broader audience, WB senior vice president for research Jack Wakshlag insists there is no intention of shifting the net's demo.
"We're talking about making the shows have broader appeal, but we're not giving up our teens," says Wakshlag. "We have a net with a 12-34 demo, and that's where we're going to stay."
Wakshlag says the WB will try to develop more sitcoms.
"We have been focusing on dramas," he says, "and now we're going to focus more on comedies, and we'd like them to be successful with a slightly broader audience, but we don't intend to follow the other networks to an older demo. We want our median age to stay around 30. It's at about 29 right now."
Ron Frederick, national network buying director at J. Walter Thompson, expresses surprise at talk of the WB going after an older audience.
"I don't get it," he says. "I know that you get styles in this business, and older people were out and now they're a little more in, but for a specialized niche network like WB, it seems like they've been doing pretty well with the niche they're in."
"Besides," he says, "you can't just push a button and get a new demo. To say that they're going to do that with a few new shows is asking a lot."
"There is a lot of slippage between intention and performance, and there's is also the risk that in going after a broader audience they'll put at risk the audience they've got now."
Annette Cerbone, TBWA/Chiat Day director of corporate broadcast and research, offers another view.
"I'd hate to see them do it," she says. "They're uniquely positioned right now. Maybe a little female- skewed for my and my clients' taste, but still uniquely positioned. I wouldn't want to see them become just another network."
"On the other hand, broadening their audience is the only way that they'll be able to grow."
-Dave Lindorff covers television and research for Media Life.