ABC Cites Advertiser Apathy, Ratings in Canceling ‘Soup’

ABC’s cancellation of “Chicken Soup” came not only as a result of disappointing ratings, but also because the audience it attracted, although large, was not desirable to advertisers, ABC Entertainment President Robert Iger said Wednesday.

Despite the fact that it was the highest-rated new series of the season, he said, the Jackie Mason sitcom was losing an unacceptable number of the viewers watching the show that preceded it on Tuesday nights--the top-rated “Roseanne.” Moreover, he noted, while its share of the total audience often dropped 11 percentage points below “Roseanne’s,” it was dropping by 17 to 18 points among younger viewers in the key age group of 18-49.

“That was a factor,” said Iger, who met with reporters Wednesday to discuss the television season. He said the network considered the notion of moving the show to a different time period but decided against it because it was difficult to find compatible programs.

A reporter suggested that “Coach”--the returning sitcom scheduled to replace “Chicken Soup” on Nov. 21--had not electrified the world its first time around last season and might be a temporary programming measure. “We believe in that show,” Iger responded testily. “I don’t view it as a stopgap measure.”

But he later indicated that the ready availability of “Coach” likely played a role in its scheduling. Reviewing the status of ABC’s mid-season backup shows, Iger said the network had four half-hour series waiting in the wings, none of which would be ready before January.

Iger portrayed ABC, currently running second behind NBC in the prime-time ratings, as a network on the go. He cited statistics to show that the network is succeeding in attracting the “key demos,” or demographics. ABC is No. 1 in attracting viewers aged 18 to 49 and viewers 25 to 54, he said.

“Our strength is still in the younger demographics,” Iger said. The network’s advertising sales force is telling him, “Give us demographics, Bob,” he said. In other words, don’t worry about scheduling programs that will draw the greatest number of viewers, just get the right viewers.

Turning to another topic, Iger said he has little day-to-day involvement with ABC’s new in-house production arm. Brandon Stoddard, the former ABC Entertainment president who heads the new ABC Productions, created a stir within the TV industry when he revealed several weeks ago that he was developing a program for rival NBC. Stoddard said he would keep information about that show, and any others he made for rivals, a secret from his ABC colleagues.

Iger maintained Wednesday that he doesn’t know what Stoddard’s NBC show is about.