No, not multitasking while watching television.  That’s been around since I began watching television as a kid.  And not because I’m watching in a hotel room on yet another business trip.   Far more commonplace than I would like.  No, what makes watching this broadcast unusual is that I’m watching it live.  Not on my DVR.  Not online at NBC’s website or Hulu or Fancast.  Not on my Slingbox.  Not on a mobile phone.  Live.  As originally scheduled by the network, including all of the commercial breaks.

Recently, I spent a week out of the country on business.  Luckily, ABC, NBC, and CBS were imported to the hotel.  It allowed me to keep up with a couple of summer favorites, but all of my cable viewing was still out of reach.  TNT, USA, A&E, History, MTV, TBS, AMC and E! all have summer originals on my viewing list.  What to do?  Network websites, Hulu, and Fancast were inaccessible outside the US.  Slingbox continues to have issues and their $30/call tech support is no longer of interest to me.  Still, no worries.  My DVR was cranking away back home, ensuring that everything would be there on my return.

Lately it seems that all my viewing is time shifted.  Not quite true, but we’re getting close.  The aforementioned DVR dominates of course.  VOD is fast becoming a reliable alternative.  AMC’s Mad Men, Starz’ Pillars of the Earth, and most of USA’s series can be found within a week of their scheduled premiere.  Checked out Comcast’s Fancast service recently. Initially, some cable nets were slow to feature their current series, but more and more are jumping on board.  Came in handy for TBS’s My Boys and MTV’s RJ Berger.

I’ve spent a good portion of my time in this business creating schedules for networks.  Now I bring my work home with me.  Many nights, it’s me, not a network programmer in New York or LA or Washington, deciding what I’m going to watch and, most importantly, when I’m going to watch it.   Tuesday becomes Friday.  Monday is a mix of Friday and Sunday.  Prime Time is no longer 8-11pm.  Some nights it can be 7-11pm, some nights 9-Mid, some nights it’s a few hours with an intermission in the middle.  Some nights it’s not even at night.  Could be early morning, late afternoon.  My call, not the network’s.

To be clear, the need for a network program schedule is far from extinct.  Audience flow, lead-in, lead-out, building a night, event scheduling, and every other strategy in a scheduler’s playbook continues to be essential to a network’s success.  My 401K is thankful for that.  But times are changing.  And, like every creative and/or technical change before it, those that embrace it will thrive.

Emmys are now over.  I’m heading over to Youtube to catch tonight’s episode of Big Brother.  Should be posted by now.

USA Network hasn’t acquired a major sitcom in years, mainly because its strategy has been focused on one hour dramas. Then again, it wasn’t until recently when the focus has been on such a strong sitcom in years since the reality craze took over and a good percentage of the primetime programming audience. In walks MODERN FAMILY. A powerhouse comedic series that not only rose to the top of the ratings charts for ABC, but was a critical success as well. MODERN FAMILY hits the ideal Madison Avenue demographics of Adults 18-49 and is fresh off ABC with no other prior exposure. It’s a win-win for USA. Not only does USA acquire the exclusive syndication rights that enable the network to freshen its line-up with a new series they can strip, it also allows them to acquire a series with a built in audience in which they can launch a new half-hour original.

While reality fare is present and brings in big ratings, it lacks an afterlife. Sitcoms are evergreen, especially if they are classics; they can repeat over and over again and still achieve a solid rating. With a sitcom like MODERN FAMILY, not only does it make a statement in primetime, as time wears on the program can easily be used in other time periods for USA to fill programming hours. Another caveat to this deal is that USA takes away a major sitcom from its arch rival TNT/TBS. How grand is that? And just to add the cherry to the cake it absolutely fits in perfectly with USA’s brand of Characters Welcome. This series embodies great writing and an ensemble cast, that is right on target for USA at present. It does come with a hefty price tag, but what doesn’t nowadays? No doubt the series was purchased with initial exclusive rights on USA, but we wouldn’t be surprised if other sister nets like Oxygen, Bravo, etc. sometime down the line, get a crack at it as well. What a bargain!

As for sister network Oxygen, GLEE is the quintessential series for the Live Out Loud network catering to Women 18-34. GLEE makes a perfect platform for pairing up a new companion unscripted series, as well as bringing in its own built in audience. There is a lot of bang for your buck when you acquire such a popular show that has had critical and ratings success. Oxygen is about the here and now, and GLEE is a very relevant choice for the network and its viewers. In today’s marketplace it is rare to find two powerhouse shows under one distributor, and the ability for these two sister networks to make this deal happen in today’s changing marketplace is noteworthy.

Connection to the story: In any TV program, viewers look to somehow weave themselves and their experiences into the story being told on the screen. They look to see how they fit within the story — which character they’re most like and unlike, what they would do or not do in similar situations.

Internationally, soccer is an important part of the traditions of many countries, which makes the viewing audience feel as if they’re a part of the story. A triumph in the World Cup is more than just a win on the soccer field, it’s a happy ending to a long storied history of that particular country. The audience can’t help but feel personally connected to that, but since soccer was never a huge part of American history, there’s no story to tie Americans into the game.

Strong characters: Any TV person will tell you networks of all genres are looking for strong characters.. it’s said so often it’s almost a cliché. Characters who are both over the top and relatable to the audience are what work best on TV. They make even unlikely shows huge hits. This is true in sports as well. Personal rivalries and interesting personalities always bring out the largest crowds and engage the audience beyond the game being played.

When a team has a especially interesting player with a personal life filled with scandal and intrigue people want to see him play. American soccer just doesn’t have many characters with crazy stories off the field. Landon Donovan is not dating Paris Hilton, doesn’t have tattoos, a crazy hairdo or a criminal record and this is true for most of team USA players.

Plot twists and surprises: In an interesting story, there is always an unpredicted plot twist or surprise. The highly successful series 24 was pretty much one big plot twist after another and it kept the audience tuned in and engaged for the entire season.

This happens all the time in sports.. Grand slams, interceptions and slam dunks constantly keep things interesting in American sports. In soccer, although surprises are possible, many times the action never comes. Unlike other sports there are no “small victories”.. no layups, no base hits, no field goals. It makes it is pretty probable that you’ll watch the full 90 minutes and never see anything exciting at all.

A gratifying ending: Good stories need an ending. At the end of every episode there needs to be some sort of conclusion or the audience gets impatient.

Whether it’s a happy or sad ending, through over time or extra innings, major American sports almost always declare a winner. Conversely, in soccer, it’s not uncommon for games to end in ties. The USA and England match last Saturday ended in a 1-1 tie, leaving America’s new soccer fans confused, and maybe a little betrayed. You see, for this game the story had been set; it was a great, longstanding rivalry (on and off the field), the US were the underdogs searching for respect and honor on the international stage. That was enough to make more than 13 million Americans watch! (not counting the Spanish-language broadcast). For a game with this much build-up, a tie is hard to accept and may have discouraged some viewers.

So maybe soccer is a long way from trumping baseball, but it is getting bigger. MLS has been growing in the past few years and adding more star power (or at least some eye candy … hello David Beckham) and the international team is getting better. A tie with England is pretty good! It’s not too late for team USA to start their own story, build characters, add some plot twists and finish with a happy ending this World Cup … and I hope you’ll be watching!

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to attend LA Screenings, the major studios showcase for all of their recently picked up pilots for international buyers around the world. What a great event. A chance to screen almost every new fall series, months ahead of the public. In less than a week, we sit and watch more than 50 pilots nonstop, in darkened theatres, with nary a moment in between programs for a bio-break. They hand out pens with a light on the tip so you can write in the dark. Warner Bros screening alone is a 9 hour marathon.

But it was the NBC Universal screening that I found the most interesting. More than anything in recent memory, it reinforced the power of a network brand. No, not NBC’s brand. USA. Yes, USA. The general entertainment cable network, now part of NBC’s stable the last few years, and home of some of the freshest, funnest, and most successful dramas on television.

NBCU screened the full pilot for a half dozen series, two of which were destined for USA. I easily named both series without having to read the literature. COVERT AFFAIRS and FACING KATE. Hard to describe, but easy to see, the network’s tag line “Characters Welcome” just made sense when it came to both series. They felt like USA programs.

Up until a couple years ago my interest in USA was limited to watching US Open tennis every fall. Then along came BURN NOTICE. Loved it immediately. Last summer, ROYAL PAINS entered the picture. Thursdays were still must see television, but now it was a different network. Over the winter WHITE COLLAR debuted. An art thief and an FBI agent? Probably not for me. But if it was on USA it was worth checking out. Glad I did. Great series.

Recently, my mother visited Miami. Driving around the area, she commented that a certain neighborhood looked like the one that Michael’s mom lived in. Michael who? Mom had never been to South Florida. Confused, I asked who Michael was. Her reply? Michael Weston of course, the lead character on BURN NOTICE. (His mother is brilliantly played by Sharon Gless). The next three days, from South Beach to Downtown, from Ocean Drive to Biscayne Bay, her visit was one big studio tour for USA’s biggest series. Probably don’t have say that she’s a big fan of the network as well.

BURN NOTICE and ROYAL PAINS started their new seasons last week. When COVERT AFFAIRS premieres next month and FACING KATE hits later in the year, I’ll be there. How could I not? The network hasn’t let me down yet.

Characters Welcome. More and more, so am I.

It was Turner’s chance to show off all the new stuff they have bought. Conan. NCAA play-offs. THE BIG BANG THEORY. And most of all, dozens of the biggest Hollywood names, from Spielberg to Bochco, Ray Romano to Angie Harmon.

It started with Conan O’Brien and ended with a stage jammed with celebrities including George Lopez, Ice Cube, Kyra Sedgwick, Ray Romano, Andre Braugher, Scott Bakula, Jada Pinkett Smith, Dylan McDermott, Timothy Hutton, Noah Wyle, Jason Lee, Alfre Woodard, Ben McKenzie, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Breckin Meyer and Angie Harmon. In all, 16 original programs were presented, each charged with star-power and big Hollywood names, which actually overshadowed Turner’s recent record-breaking deals with The NCAA and THE BIG BANG THEORY.

It was a notoriously tough crowd…following his hilarious video, Conan came on stage to loud applause, but not a standing ovation, prompting him to joke, “please sit.”

David Levy (President of Sales, Distribution and Sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.), Linda Yaccarino (EVP-COO of Turner Entertainment Ad Sales, Marketing and Acquisitions) and Steve Koonin (President of Turner Entertainment Networks) came out to present Turner’s positioning, which has been remarkably consistent through the years; TBS and TNT are on par with the broadcast networks. They continue to forge the ever-shrinking broadcast / cable divide. These are “days of big changes” David Levy told us…it doesn’t matter to viewers if they watch content on their televisions, their computers, or their mobile devices. He hit on the driving force of the dynamic when he talked about broadcast going after the dual revenue stream that has funded cable’s growth – money from advertising and money from distribution.

Click here to read the full summary and analysis.

Less amusing is the fact that when I watch TV, it seems that commercials are airing on Every.  Single.  Channel.  At the same time.

Yes.  I think I remain one of the final few who occasionally make the attempt to watch television live, rather than relying on my DVR to help me skip commercials.  But really, TV, how much punishment can I take?

According to my research, back in 1952, 13% of programming time was taken up by commercials.  In 2009, that number skyrocketed to  30% of the show time – and this doesn’t even take into account the sly product placement that is most of the time, not-so-sly.  The vignettes.  The sponsored promos.  The website contests.  I get it, I get it.  I appreciate the high production value of shows, and I appreciate the fact that the networks can create some incredible programming because of the advertising dollars spent.  But when does that interruption become too much?

Source of graph: the latest Nielsen Television Audience Report.

As a viewer, I’m frustrated.  I remember back in college, my professor, talking about writing for television, said originally, TV shows were written so that the commercials would be seen as “welcome breaks in the story.”  I remember laughing at this with my television-writer friends, not believing that in the 21st century, this could ever possibly still be the case.  Now that it’s 2010, I’m trained to multi-task, so any time my attention is broken, I’m that much more likely to forget about TV, and start playing with my ipad.  (OK, so I don’t have an ipad.  Maybe I’ll go check out what’s in the fridge.  Or think about the gym.  Then go back to the fridge.)

I’m certainly not the only one that feels this way.  Obviously, the DVR has been created and has flourished because there are a million other people, like me, who don’t want to be bothered with commercials.  There’s even a facebook group called American Idol Has More Commercial Time Than Show Time.  As of this writing, there were 341 fans of this.  What they are trying to accomplish is unknown to me; I do, however, admire their go-get-it attitude.

Hmmm.  I suddenly need a Coke.  See you guys later.

The network with the best tagline in my opinion: Travel Channel – “Catch it”. As in, catch the travel bug. Perhaps not the most obvious, but when you get it, you can’t help but smile. I’m also a fan of Spike’s double entendre line, “Get More Action”. Spike is where you can watch blockbuster action movies and UFC, alongside male-skewing original series Manswers and Blue Mountain State. It defines the biggest genre for the network while also setting the tone. I’d pat FX on the back as well for “There Is No Box”. They’re claiming their stake in the realm of what’s cool today with shows like Nip/Tuck, Sons of Anarchy, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

I admire some of the networks who choose to have no tagline at all (MTV, National Geographic, E!, to name a few). These are well-recognized brands that perhaps assume they don’t need an extra dose of identity definition in the form of a tagline. You know what MTV is all about; it used to be Music Television, now it’s that plus lifestyle television for teens, pretty much anything it does we can assume is cool, nuff said. (By the way, that’s the network’s perspective, not mine… I do not condone teen pregnancy!) But a couple of networks might benefit from having one: CMT (yes it’s country music television but do you know about Trading Spouses and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders?), Discovery Health (the only cable net dedicated to health programming, but also a home for family-themed specials that you might expect to find on sister net TLC).

The worst tagline in my opinion: Bravo’s – “Only By Bravo”. No one can deny that their programming has risen to the top in terms of capturing an attractive yet elusive demographic (affluent 30- and 40-somethings), so I get the attitude. But it’s just plain obnoxious. Not unlike a lot of the characters in their original series… so I guess I’d give them a “bravo” for accuracy on this one.

As a community of people passion- ately interested in story telling I think there is an interesting question sparked by this exchange. Namely: What makes a story worth a viewer’s time? Clearly the answer is of value to both producers and network executives given that both of these groups are interested in what attracts an audience and so I welcome your feedback on this in the comments section. And I’ll start by sharing my own answer to this question.

Basically I have this, maybe, snobbish belief that some programs are objectively better than other programs. I’ve written about this somewhat in a previous entry. In summary: My stance is that worthwhile programming does more than reflect, it projects. In the previous column I referenced Rand’s belief in “Romanticism” as the most worthwhile form of art, but I’d now like to reprint a quote by Edward R. Murrow related to a discussion about what makes television programming worth a viewer’s time. Murrow’s commentary has stood with me from the film about his life directed by George Clooney:

“… if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost. This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.”

I am not attempting to be as severe or stern as Murrow. I also don’t know whether I can justify everything I watch on TV by telling you clearly how it’s improved my life. But I am, at the very least, aware. I think the sheer amount of television content competing for my attention makes me a viewer who requires more and asks the question, “is this a good use of my time?” And I know I’m not alone in feeling overwhelmed by choice, and having to ask this question to justify my viewing.

I also think whether you’re a television executive, producer or just a casual viewer there is something powerful about Murrow’s words and the idea of television as a vehicle for something positive beyond mere entertainment. The issue is this: I think networks are announcing a valid but narrow agenda when they say — and I hear this all the time — “at our core, we’re about great stories.”

The problem is, what makes stories great? The network executive may say, “unique, larger-than-life characters.” But again, I think you can have a great character with a wild story and still have something that’s not worth my time. To me it seems the key to a great story — and more importantly, for a network, the key to a hit show — rests in its ability to communicate some message or takeaway that might be useful to the viewer.

Many networks and programs on them have great depth because they do this successfully, but there is a longer list of programs that do not.

This applies to fiction and non-fiction programming too. I certainly don’t espouse the first quotation’s thought that anything made up is a waste because some of the stories that have most affected my life and continue to serve as a benchmark for the person I strive to be, are completely made up. Networks and non-fiction producers have an even more challenging time communicating these influential messages because they don’t have the luxury of a blank sheet of paper. They must work within the limitations of the characters they’ve chosen to tell the story. Still, I think an awareness of message or takeaway should always be the goal.

The refrain should be less “stories matter here” and more something like “lessons matter here.” I think the stories and characters all flow with more force when something like this is used to describe what a network is seeking and what a producer must work to capture. For instance, if you asked someone to tell you their best life story they’d probably tell you about the implausible time they had a hole in one on the golf course or the dramatic time in ’89 when they got into that bar room brawl while on vacation in Florida. This all might be interesting and what not but I think if, instead, that same person were asked what his biggest regret is, or his greatest love or why and how his life was changed by his father’s influence, you’d be opening the doors to a more valuable, powerful story that would be worth more to an audience.

This American Life host Ira Glass actually talks about this best when he makes note of all the really interesting stories they just haven’t been able to use on air because they’re merely narrative cause-and-effect and they don’t have that takeaway or moment of reflection on personal change.

What do you think about the importance of “the takeaway aspect” of a story and what makes a story worth your time?

After about 45 minutes of info, all in the general theme of “Here’s what they’re doing and what they want,” one of us (name doesn’t matter, though she gets full credit from me) went contrary right off the bat:

“EVERYONE SAYS THE SAME THING,” she said. “y’know, strong characters, big stories, docusoaps, formats, blah-blah-blah.”  Rarely does anything truly new come forth or are there any secrets revealed.   Just about everyone of the 50 or so “30 Minutes With” participants had a mantra that became redundant sometime Tuesday morning.

Ya think a network is going to tell 100 or so people at a 1,000+ conference their plans?  In this marketplace?  (Or any other, for that matter.) Why leak your strategy to the competition?  As a result, rare is the candor of a speaker in these settings. Though there are exceptions. A&E’s Rob Sharenow wins our award for SUMMIT SPEAKER OF THE YEAR.  He turned up everywhere and was always smart, funny and brutally honest.

Not that we all threw away our notes last night, but it is a good thing to consider when submitting your programs to a network.  The very best way to stay up to date more than once a year is to subscribe to CableU.  We had most of this info (unadorned with conference hype) in our network needs section a full two weeks before D.C.  Count on CableU.tv to get it to you first!!

Sorry for my promo but after two weeks on the road with NATPE and Realscreen, I’m still in a sales mode.  And if we sell for you, that is a good thing.

One more thing:  CableU’s Bulls&%t Bingo at The Summit was a big hit … dozens of buzz-words, overused phrases and silly slogans arrayed like a bingo card.  We gave away some iPods to those who caught the words as they floated out from the daises in D.C. We also picked up a few new overused goodies for the list:

• DNA
• 3D
• Genre-busing
• Transactional Docusoap
• Credible-Obsessive
• New Jersey is the new Alaska
• Big Dream Shows
• Cloud

…and if you can explain this one, you’re in on the secret….

• “Bevel-edged Approach”

See you on the road, at a conference, or in your office.  Thanks for a great couple of weeks everyone!

After self-medicating in a half-gallon of Edy’s Peppermint Chip and a piece of leftover pumpkin pie, I started flipping through channels, angry and annoyed that I no longer had a connection to my beloved Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, and that cute little Giada DeLaurentis. What was I going to do?

But… well… I’m learning to adjust.

As I flipped through the channels, I started to realize that there were more than a handful of ways to get my food fix. I didn’t need a network devoted to it – I could catch food shows on practically every other channel. Here’s my current list of non-Food food favs:

- Travel Channel (which is owned by Scripps but miraculously is still on the air) could moonlight as Food Network, with seemingly endless marathons of MAN VS FOOD, BIZARRE FOODS, ANTHONY BOURDAIN, and that super catchy CHOWDOWN COUNTDOWN special.

- TLC doesn’t always focus on food, but they sure do focus on the repercussions of eating too much of it.

- Bravo’s created a new brand with TOP CHEF – unfortunately, there’s so much fashion on the channel that it turns me off from eating any of the delicious recipes

- Lifetime – I swear, everytime I turn that channel on, I’m watching some made-for-tv movie about eating disorders, so that totally counts.

- WE – Hello, you can’t have a great wedding without some amazing food! Can you zoom in again on those shrimp cocktail, please?

And that’s just the beginning – it’s very clear that food is a genre that permeates across all genres and all demographics. But… there is something that’s just so comforting about a cold day, warm blanket, and Paula Deen deep-frying her butter. So, while I know I can survive, I have one message for Cablevision and Scripps: Can’t we all just get along?