NBC executive: On right post-Silverman path but must assert network’s ’sophisticated’ brand

NBC on right post-Silverman path, executive says

PASADENA, Calif. — In the wake of Ben Silverman’s departure from NBC, the top programming executives left behind said the network is on the right path and will be patient with changes he put into motion, including a bold prime-time talk show with Jay Leno.

NBC entertainment chief Angela Bromstad, in an interview session Wednesday with the Television Critics Association, underplayed Silverman’s exit as co-chairman of NBC Entertainment last month to start a new venture.

“I think this has always been Ben’s plan … to transition back to his entrepreneurial roots,” Bromstad said, looking surprised when the remark drew skeptical laughs. “I don’t think he was looking to be at NBC for a long-term thing.”

NBC failed to launch any new hit shows and remained mired in fourth place under Silverman, and industry and media speculation had been growing that his tenure might be at an end. He’s heading a new multimedia production and distribution venture with Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp.

Bromstad said Silverman had put “everything in place” for a smooth changeover, including bringing her in as entertainment president and putting Paul Telegdy in charge of reality shows as executive vice president for alternative programming.

“There’s tremendous continuity and calm and we’re moving in the right direction,” Bromstad said.

But NBC needs to reassert its commitment to its brand of smart scripted and reality fare, she said, citing “30 Rock” and “Heroes” as examples of shows that live up to NBC’s “legacy.”

“I think that we have fallen short in the past couple years, and it’s our goal to bring back those high-quality, sophisticated comedy and dramas and a brand of alternative (series) that fits in with that,” she said.

The Leno prime-time gamble, orchestrated by Silverman with NBC Universal President and CEO Jeff Zucker, will be the biggest test of the Silverman legacy.

It represents a sea change for network TV, reducing the space on NBC’s schedule for series by a third each weeknight and testing the audience appetite for yet another talk show and at an earlier hour. Leno potentially could dilute interest in NBC’s “Tonight” and new host Conan O’Brien.

Asked what how many viewers “The Jay Leno Show” needs to attract to satisfy the network, Bromstad declined to provide a specific ratings number.

“There are a lot of things that would mean success for this show,” she said, adding later: “It’s a marathon. It’s not going to be determined in the first five days of the show.”

One benchmark, Telegdy said, is the fact that Leno will provide original programming for 46 weeks of the year in the 10 p.m. slot. Typically, there are about 22 episodes for a scripted series in a season, with reruns or other shows used to fill out a time slot.

The executives were challenged about an NBC news release touting O’Brien as the new “king” of late-night on “Tonight” shortly after he debuted to strong ratings. The show then slipped from the lead among total viewers that Leno consistently held over David Letterman’s “Late Show” on CBS.

Bromstad said O’Brien wins the 18-to-49 viewer demographic and “that’s the business we’re in” with advertisers who favor young adult viewers. One reporter pressed the point, saying that Leno led in total viewers when he was dubbed the king.

“I think it’s fair to say we’re going to declare victories where we have them,” Bromstad replied.

Telegdy added that reporters offer their coverage of TV and “we announce and manage perception of our own output.”

Taking a broader look at the state of network TV, Bromstad said NBC needs to push cost-control efforts on overly expensive shows and take advantage of NBC Universal cable TV properties as broadcasters continue to lose viewers in a multichannel world.

General Electric Co. has 80 percent ownership of NBC Universal, with French media and telecommunications company Vivendi SA controlling 20 percent.

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