Moonves: CBS Is Just Ducky, Despite Absence Of New Hits

New York Times   |  BILL CARTER, GERALDINE FABRIKANT   |   October 19, 2007 01:26 PM


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Last spring, Leslie Moonves, chief executive of the CBS Corporation, delivered what several executives there described as a strong message to his programming troops: find us another hit, fast.

That urgency was something of a departure for CBS, where executives pride themselves on qualities like steadiness and stability and on an overall approach of rebuilding the network "brick by brick," as Mr. Moonves frequently puts it.

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The photograph of Moonves accompanying the article is appropriate, it shows him doing something he shouldn't be doing.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:54 PM on 10/21/2007

Like Eddie Wilson said to "word man" Frank Ridgeway in Eddie and the Cruisers

Words and Music man.

CBS has forgotten the words. Like when the Cruisers tried to make it without Frank Ridgeway.

Moonves is doing "Betty Lou has a new pair of Shoes." Great music, great pictures, snazzy special effects, no lyrics.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:41 PM on 10/21/2007

The network has zero credibility, as long as Katie Couric does the news or conducts interviews of important personalities! She destroyed Valerie Plame's "60 Minutes" interview, just as she destroyed the Edwards' interview! In attempting to "make news," she pushes too hard like an amateur, and comes off sounding like the "Wicked Witch of the West!" No other Democrat should consent to an interview by her ever again!!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:51 PM on 10/21/2007

I saw that abysmal interview of Valerie Plame by Katy Couric.

Couric failed to draw anything new. She has a talent for asking the obvious and what we already know. She has the reverse Midas touch when it comes to serious news.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:58 PM on 10/21/2007

GenericBlogger

Hard to take Katie seriously after she gushed that "Navy Seals ROCK" crap on the Today Show while Boooosh was perpetrating "Shock and Awe" on the civilian population of Baghdad.
Moonves has brought down the house that good men like Murrow and Cronkite helped to build.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:17 AM on 10/22/2007

The wonderful thing that the media and the public will never get their heads around, is that NO ONE knows what will be a hit with the public. That's why, when something hits, everyone else rushes to copy it.

The fickle public taste cannot be anticipated. And there is no formula for success-- you have to throw things against the wall and see what sticks. But in order to keep raking in their 8 figure salaries these guys have to keep playing the game that someone knows how to produce a winner.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:30 PM on 10/20/2007

You are right about the public's unpredictable fickleness. When I hear the phrase "surprise hit" it means the show is a surprise hit and the network programmers are clueless.

We sometimes hear of surprise hits turned down by all but that one network programmer who took a chance.

Network programmers are inept at selecting hits and keeping them. These days they are trigger happy and cancel series after only a few episodes. MASH had fairly poor ratings in its first year but the network kept it. By today's standards, it would have been canceled. CBS canceled Jericho last season then received enough viewer complaints to renew it.

I wonder how many series were deprived of their fame, the viewers who missed out on quality TV programs, and the network profits missed because series are mercilessly slashed from network schedules.

Such is the mentality of network programmers.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:55 AM on 10/21/2007

Sure it can be predicted! The public likes "quality," and the networks have given precious little of it in years! CBS used to give it to us, but they have become lazy and fat in recent years, especially in the Moonves years! They "speak down" to us! They are the "dumb" ones, and their ratings show it! When they "respect" us, and "speak up" to us, their ratings go up. It is as simple as that! Read the "History of the Golden Years of TV!"

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:28 AM on 10/22/2007
- Manx I'm a Fan of Manx permalink

CBS has experienced a sharp decline in viewers and CBS president, Les Moonbeam, says everything is just ducky. What a complacent attitude for a CEO. I'm selling my CBS stock immediately.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:45 PM on 10/20/2007

The alphabet channels need to stick to soap operas. News is for grownups. Katie Couric looks pretty that's all she's got going for her. I liked Deborah Norville better now she was HOT!!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:57 AM on 10/20/2007

Is there a reference to ducks I was supposed to get? ("CBS is just ducky.")

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:22 AM on 10/20/2007
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Ya, whats with that?
I think CBS is just Donald Ducky!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:23 PM on 10/21/2007

pdxuser

Okay.

If it walks like a flop, and sounds like a flop, it's probably a flop!

Happy? heh heh

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:21 AM on 10/22/2007

You can only recycle "evening soaps" so many times. It started with shows like Dallas. I have always believe you have be a bit mental to watch soap opera, which are start to finish doom & gloom and betrayal. I was glad they were only on in daytime when so many Liberal women could watch and mimic their behavior. But when Dallas hit prime time I realized TV was about to start a long slow spiral to perversion. And it did.

Repackage a soap and call it a new name in a new location. Network TV is doomed, thank goodness.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:14 AM on 10/20/2007

TV is about writing and they have forgotten that at CBS. TV was never stars. Uncle Miltie was not dependent on Miltie it was writing. Jack Benny was not a star because he was cheap it was the kids in the hall doing the writing. CBS did not beat Ed Sullivan with star power. Ed Sullivan had the Beatles. CBS had Maverick, the first adult western. That was writing.

When CBS tried to copy law and order, they did not copy the writing. They made CSI and depended on special effects. Special effects are OK. for movies, but on TV you need writing.

Ed Murrow, Walter Chronkite, Dan Rather were writers. Katie Couric is an actress. they are doomed.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:36 PM on 10/21/2007
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Moonves also said that Couric was excellent. Money Moonrayes does not equal competence.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:49 PM on 10/19/2007
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I think Network TV as a whole is sort of on its last leg.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:32 PM on 10/19/2007

The ratings and success of all networks follow a cyclical trend. Without any new megahit in the CBS horizon, this is the quiet before the storm. Katie Couric is an omen.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:26 PM on 10/19/2007

Only if you give a sh*t what Donny Deutsch says.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:06 PM on 10/19/2007
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