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Programming Network
New plan will target males and African-Americans
By Kevin Downey
UPN, having lost nearly a fifth of its audience since last season, needs a plan. It appears it has one.
Remember the old plan? That's where each night of the week was programmed to a different audience. That plan is out.
The new plan, which the network is touting at the ongoing Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, calls for more directly targeting young men and separately the so-called urban youth who have propelled UPN’s adult 18-34 rating up 18 percent on Mondays.
Monday, with its lineup of African-American sitcoms, is the only night on UPN’s schedule to post a year-to-year increase in its ratings, a fact not lost on CBS president Leslie Moonves, who also oversees UPN.
“I want UPN to be viewed as a younger network, a hipper network, a quality network,” he told reporters over the weekend.
“I’d like to see it become a fuller network to obviously represent something that CBS doesn’t.”
Media buyers generally think it’s the beginning of a good plan.
“He has to do something to improve audience flow, not just through a night, but through nights,” says Roy Rothstein, vice president and director of national broadcast research for Zenith Media.
“But at some point they have to decide if they are an African-American- or male-skewing network and take a stand. They are most successful with the African-American sitcoms, so maybe they should become the African American network.”
UPN’s current lineup is geared on different nights toward African-American women, science fiction fans with “Enterprise,” young men with “WWE Smackdown,” and a demographic that can change by the week with its Friday movie.
That mix has been both hailed for harking back to network strategies of years past and derided for being confusing to viewers and advertisers, depending on which direction ratings were trending.
For better or worse, a less erratic version of that approach will remain.
The network has already begun to broaden its focus on urban viewers.
The sitcom “Abby” joined UPN’s lineup this month to weak ratings and generally poor reviews, but is notable for bringing sitcoms with African-Americans to Tuesday night.
Moreover, the network has shows in development from Will Smith and rapper Eve.
UPN will also add two shows in midseason. “Platinum” is a drama about two brothers running a rap music company and “America’s Next Top Model” is a reality show co-produced by model Tyra Banks, who also will serve as a judge.
“If you find something that works, you need to stick with it, and they have done a very nice job of targeting African-Americans,” says Susan McClellan, national TV and radio analyst at Empower MediaMarketing.
Regarding young men, UPN’s strongest show is “Smackdown,” which despite losing some audience this season remains the network’s most profitable program, noted Moonves.
UPN has male-geared shows in development from Mel Gibson and John Milius, the writer and director perhaps best known for co-writing “Apocalypse Now.”
“Men is going to be a tough target unless you throw sports at them,” says McClellan.
“Most shows have a much stronger female skew because women watch more TV. It is an interesting proposition, though.”
The biggest problem facing UPN, again related to its wandering demographic focus, is that the network has a tough time promoting its shows.
The idea behind a more streamlined approach is that on one night, say Mondays, UPN can promote shows airing on another night, like its similarly themed Tuesday comedies.
That’s something the current schedule makes difficult and one other networks, notably the WB, have done a better job of by sprinkling comparable programs throughout the week.
“For the other networks it’s not difficult to go from one night to another, especially if they have one target like adults 18-49,” says McClellan.
January 14, 2003© 2003 Media Life
-Kevin Downey is a staff writer for Media Life.
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