ABC Tells Affiliates Plans for Revamped ‘Night’

ABC, faced with unwillingness among affiliates to carry its struggling “Into the Night With Rick Dees” program, confirmed Wednesday that the network would begin rotating guest hosts after Dees leaves the show later this summer. Dees had said Tuesday that he was stepping down as host after nearly a year of low ratings.

And in an unusual arrangement, ABC said that it will begin developing a replacement show by testing a variety of prototypes on ABC affiliate WTNH-TV in Hartford, Conn., by leasing out the midnight-1 a.m. time period on the station. The network has contracted with more than a dozen performers and producers to try to come up with a substitute for “Into the Night,” which has a production order through October.

ABC disclosed its plans at the annual convention of its affiliated stations at the Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

“We quietly had a dozen different things under development in the event Rick decided it wasn’t going to work,” said Phillip R. Beuth, president of early morning and late-night entertainment programming for ABC. “It was Rick’s decision. He wanted to preserve his equity in the show.”

Dees, along with talent agents Sandy Gallin and Jim Morey of Gallin-Morey Associates, own and produce “Into the Night.” Beuth said Dees would relinquish his hosting duties sometime between July 15 and Aug. 1. The show premiered July 16, 1990.

He said that ABC had lost between $8 million and $10 million on “Into the Night” during its first year and that revamping the show until a permanent format and host could be found would cost another $1.5 million to $2 million. No guest hosts for Dees have been set yet.

Beuth said he had a brief “what if” conversation with Charles Joffe, David Letterman’s manager, about the possibility of the comic coming over to ABC to host a late-night program. Beuth said, however, that Letterman was under contract to NBC and “nothing ever came of it. He’s a real prize and NBC would never let him go.”

The arrangement with WTNH-TV in Hartford will run until the first week of September, during which time more than a dozen different performers and formats will be tested, Beuth said. The station was chosen in part because of its proximity to New York City, thus making it easier for access to talent and stars.

Each host and production outfit will be given a one- or two-week tryout period to test their concepts. Among the people participating in developing a late-night replacement are Guardian Angels founders Curtis and Lisa Sliwa, who will do a “street-type” interview program; the Chicago comedy company Second City Television; Spy magazine, and the comedians Joy Behar and Kevin Meaney.