VIEWPOINTS : CBS : How Can CBS Cut Static, Get Programmed for Success?

CBS, once called “the Tiffany of Broadcasting,” has been tarnished in recent months. A year ago, the network began sliding into second place and it may be headed toward third in the ratings this year. Profits are down and hundreds of broadcasting jobs have been cut in recent months.

The myriad of problems at CBS didn’t sit well with Laurence A. Tisch, the New York investor and self-made billionaire who recently bought nearly 25% of CBS stock. And two weeks ago, the festering turmoil in the top ranks of CBS became a widely reported public sore. Chairman Thomas H. Wyman was ousted, reportedly because of his rift with Tisch and because he sought a potential buyer for CBS without approval from the board of directors.

In the wake of Wyman’s removal, Tisch has joined company founder and broadcast pioneer William S. Paley at the helm of CBS. Company directors have formed a committee to search for Wyman’s successor. The winning candidate faces the challenge of boosting morale, cutting costs and attracting new talent to CBS.

The Times invited a variety of observers in or near the broadcasting industry to provide some insights into the beleaguered network--and to offer some advice.

I’ve worked for CBS for a long time, and certainly when William S. Paley was running the network, it had a great mantle of quality and success. It was always the “class” network. It would be wonderful to have that come back to CBS.

How to do it? I would like to see 50 episodes of “Dallas” each year! But I’m not a programmer, I’m a supplier.

My dealings with the network on “Dallas” have been sensational. I think that, more and more, the networks seem to be moving toward giving the producers and creators a better ambiance to work in. They are laying back and offering their help but not necessarily forcing it down your throat. There was a time when the networks controlled all the casting and hiring. My own feeling is that I would like to at least have the right to be wrong first.

Still, the bottom line is that television, as much as we try to make it an art form, is a business.

The networks run in cycles. One or two key shows are generally decisive as to where a network ranks. It would give CBS an encouraging boost on Thursday nights to get “The Cosby Show,” which is now on NBC.

It would be interesting if CBS chose a chief executive who had experience in the actual making of television as opposed to an advertising time salesman or a business executive, who tend to look at television from one particular point of view. It would be interesting if it were someone from programming. I would also like to see someone who has been in battle with a television show.

Maybe Lee Rich (chairman and chief executive of MGM/UA Communications)?

I think everybody is kind of excited that Paley is back in a hands-on position. Those were the glory days of CBS. I do know that just his being there seems to make everyone feel a little better.