won't revive Fox Family Channel
Troubled teener no salve for falling ratings
By Andrew Wallenstein
By Fox Family Channel standards, the new original series "Higher Ground" (Fridays, 9-10 p.m. ET, debuted last Friday) isn't half bad. But it won't do much to reverse the cable network's sagging fortunes, either.
Created by network vets Michael Braverman ("Beverly Hills 90210") and Douglas Schwartz ("Baywatch"), "Ground" stars Joe Lando ("Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman") as headmaster at an unorthodox school for wayward teenagers.
If Rupert Murdoch could send any of his broadcast properties to a remedial media school, FFC would be packing its bags. In what was supposed to be a transition year, deep pockets have done little do revive southbound ratings. "Ground" certainly isn't the miracle the network desperately needs.
The series focuses on Mt. Horizon High, which isn't your typical school. For one thing, it resembles a mountaintop chalet. Nestled in the Pacific Northwest, the school is home to teen ne'er-do-wells who get straightened out in a drug/alcohol/sex-free zone. Given those are the temptations that usually make teen dramas compelling, FFC better have scripted a few infractions in future episodes.
Without the long locks Lando sported on "Quinn," he is virtually unrecognizable. The rest of the cast is attractive but unfamiliar, including a hunky football star (Hayden Christensen) who turns to drugs to cope with a painful secret. A recognizable face or two would probably be a better draw.
Take the new TNN drama "18 Wheels of Justice," for instance, which probably didn't hire G. Gordon Liddy and Billy Dee Williams for their acting abilities. That kind of casting adds a veneer of credibility to cable originals, which often seem low-budget without known talent.
All in all, "Ground" is not even close to the "South Park"-sized hit FFC, which reaches 74.5 million homes, needs to orchestrate a turnaround. In the third quarter, the channel's primetime rating (0.9) plummeted 31 percent from last year; total day ratings dropped 25 percent. The free fall comes despite the fact that Murdoch pledged $500 million for the first two years of programming and plowed $125 million more into the company in the form of a loan to avoid technical default. His company bought half of the channel in 1998.
There are some bright spots. After an awful September, the fourth quarter is showing slight improvements. The Saturday morning kid-targeted block is up 30 percent over last year. FFC is also developing a knack for original movies, judging from healthy Nielsens yielded by 1999's "Au Pair" and "Michael Jordan: An American Story," which drew over 7 million viewers. The CBS series "Early Edition" was bought for $45 million and will likely be stripped in the early fringe.
But FFC needs to hunker down and figure out what exactly its brand stands for: In the past two years, network president Rich Cronin has alternately declared kids, teens and adults his desired audience. Pick a target and stick with it; a network for everyone is a network for nobody.
The year 2000 is an absolutely crucial year for Cronin and FFC. Murdoch's other cable property, FX, has performed nicely, so he isn't likely to give up that easily. Then again, patience has never been one of his virtues and he has publicly aired his frustrations with the network. Still, don't be surprised if he ends up buying the other 50 percent of FFC from Saban Entertainment.
-Andrew Wallenstein covers television programming for Media Life.