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for syndie's young
After 'Dr.Phil,' there's a rising stack of body bags
By Kevin Downey
You may not know it from all the attention that “Dr. Phil” has gotten since debuting last fall, but a number of other talk shows premiered in syndication this season as well.
Any oversight can be forgiven, though, because most of those shows won’t be back in the fall.
New shows hoping to take their place are already lining up and more will be announced by the time the National Association of Television Program Executives kicks off its annual conference later this month.
Of the five talk shows that got their start in the fall, only “Dr. Phil” and the low-rated “John Walsh” will be back, while a watchful eye on ratings suggests that “Caroline Rhea” is a goner.
That show will join “Rob Nelson,” the only rookie talk show officially canceled, and “Beyond with James Van Praagh,” which is no longer in production.
Moreover, the longer-running “Crossing Over with John Edward” and “The Other Half,” which suffers from some of the worst ratings in syndication, are teetering precariously on the edge of cancellation.
If those shows are canceled, a number of new talk shows are ready to take their place, including programs from Warner Brothers with Ellen DeGeneres and Sharon Osbourne, both of which already have significant carriage deals for the fall.
“I don’t think there really is a trend this year, but unlike past seasons there won’t be the new version of fill-in-the-blank,” says Bill Carroll, vice president and director of programming for the Katz Television Group.
“The shows coming are distinctively different from one another. I think the reason they are getting picked up is that they are able to fill different needs, they don’t try to fulfill every need.”
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” was picked up by NBC-owned and operated stations, which reach about 30 percent of the country, while “Sharon Osbourne” has been picked up by Tribune-owned stations covering 40 percent of the country.
Other shows getting significant clearances include King World’s daytime talk show “Living It Up! with Ali & Jack,” which has been picked up so far in 60 percent of the country.
“Starting Over” is a daytime reality show from the producers of MTV’s “Real World” and NBC Enterprises. Stations covering about half the country have picked up the show.
Also in the works is a New York-based talk show with Sarah Ferguson, although the likelihood of that making it to the air this fall is uncertain.
“What set the blueprint for next year were the two big announcements from Warner Brothers with ‘Ellen’ and ‘Sharon Osbourne,’” says Carroll.
“There is probably room for another show or two, but they will have to start putting together a number of station deals. ‘Fergie’ is still going forward but has not received any large market clearances yet.”
Also set to be on the air in the fall is the “Wayne Brady” show, which started its roll-out this season. It will go national later this year.
Rita Rudner’s “Ask Rita” is set to start a slow roll-out this month.
While getting a new talk show off the ground has always been tough, that may prove especially true in the fall. With the success of “Dr. Phil,” which is now the No. 2 talk show behind “Oprah,” the rookies might be expected to attain higher ratings than new shows have in the past.
What’s more, syndicated television has had a strong year, which could also raise the bar for new shows.
“On average it was a little bit better year [for syndication], although some individual shows were down,” says Carroll.
“What you really have to look at is that two shows, ‘Dr. Phil’ and ‘Millionaire,’ started out with really solid numbers and most of the perennials were holding up.”
January 10, 2003© 2003 Media Life
-Kevin Downey is a staff writer for Media Life.
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