Hello Leno, goodbye scripted shows?

[DeepModem Mom]

LAT: Hello Leno, goodbye scripted shows?
The NBC late-night host's move to 10 p.m. may be a further sign that the days of producing expensive hourlong dramas are numbered. It also may mean fewer Hollywood jobs.
By Meg James
December 10, 2008

NBC's decision to move Jay Leno to 10 p.m. next fall sends a clear warning to viewers and to Hollywood that the expensive, scripted programs that have dominated prime time for decades may go the way of the Edsel.

Only time will tell whether NBC's gambit is a stroke of programming genius or simply a way to avoid pushing the network's biggest star into early retirement -- Leno has long been scheduled to turn over the "Tonight Show" desk to Conan O'Brien in June. But NBC believes it is introducing the network-television equivalent of a Prius or SmartCar into a prime-time lineup populated with Packards.

In recent years, scripted shows have been on the decline, replaced by cheaper game shows and reality fare. Now the broadcast networks -- ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox -- are bracing for what they expect to be a severely depressed year as automakers, the largest advertisers on TV, and other companies slash spending during the worst recession in decades.

At the same time, more consumers are using digital video recorders to watch their favorite shows so they can skip the commercials, threatening the 30-second spot, which has long paid the bills in television. Viewers are also shifting to the Internet.

The networks spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually in an inefficient research-and-development process to discover the next breakout hit. A series such as "Friends" or "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" generates far more money than the cost of all of the clunkers along the way. But production expenses have soared, and even the most popular prime-time comedies and dramas no longer are able to command audiences large enough for the networks to profit....

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-networks10-2008dec10,0,448368.story

[mwei924]

1. Reality TV has already taken over some top spots...

..though I'm not sure how "unscripted" they might be. But scripted shows cost a crapload of money to produce.

[doc03]

7. Oh no more Biggest Loser, Big Brother and

Survivor shows. I can see it now Jay Leno, Rosie O'Donnell, Jerry Springer, how about a show with a bunch of winos "A Wino Survivor" that sounds like a hit to me.

[1]

2. i don't own a tv... n/t.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. So in effect, regular TV will soon be nothing but garbage that anyone

with a brain would not watch...

Perhaps if they would stop trying to appeal to the lowest IQ viewer, they might actually have some audiences.

[DJ13]

4. Were going back to the late 40's to early 60's

Ed Sullivan must be laughing his ass off somewhere....

[SoCalDem]

8. Yup.. Amateur Hour, lame-o game shows, & "stunt" shows..

But then, the "networks" have not produced much in the way of quality shows..for a long time.. maybe one every couple of years..and then they give up on it..

[RB TexLa]

5. Just different garbage. If you want mental junk food you turn on one of the entertainment networks

can't see how it matters which one or what they are showing.

[Engineer4Obama]

6. The way I see it

is that Network TV is losing its dominance. A lot of new shows are coming out on Cable Stations like USA or TNT, that used to just air syndicated shows.

[LeftyMom]

9. Definitely. There are four shows I make a habit of watching, not one is on network TV.

For that matter, for various reasons I don't think any of them could air on network TV without significant alteration.

[DJ13]

10. What I dont understand is the idea that the major networks cant afford

... the price tags of hour long dramas anymore (the excuse given for Leno's show).

How can NBC not afford an hour long drama that has a major star and pulls in 7 million viewers (the Christian Slater spy show), but a pissant cable network can afford an hour long drama starring Glen Close that would be lucky breaking the 3 million viewer number?

[Cleita]

11. Who cares? For me it's the less reason to watch CBS/NBC/ABC/FOX.

They got rid of a lot of my TV watching time with their commercialization of the news, the god awful reality shows and now they will do talk shows in prime time? I mean what's next, Oprah at nine p. m., Tara Banks, Martha Stewart? You can be sure I will be watching cable channels, scanning the internet and popping in DVD's to watch instead.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

12. A few of the better dramas are being shown on cable networks. ie Mad Men, Damages,

Saving Grace, The Closer, In Treatment

I can live very easily without being "forced" into network reality shows or Leno's prime time venture.