‘Test of Fire’ Is Over, NBC Chief Says : Television: Robert C. Wright touts the network’s rebirth and tells affiliates not to dwell on past struggles and scandals.

The formal portion of the annual NBC affiliates meeting here began Monday with a painful look back at the past.

Robert C. Wright, president of the embattled network, faced about 600 attendees from the 208 NBC affiliates across the country and spoke of the struggles and scandals that have tumbled the network into an unenviable third-place position.

“This, in many respects, has been a very trying year for us,” Wright said. “We have had to undergo a lot of difficulties associated with the ratings decline.”

Not skipping a beat, Wright then took on one of NBC’s most damaging episodes of last season: the highly publicized staging of a vehicle crash on “Dateline NBC,” which led to the resignation of NBC News President Michael Gartner.

“We also had to go through a test of fire of sorts, one in particular, in an Indiana cornfield,” Wright said. “The ‘Dateline’ issue was an extremely difficult one. It was very hard for you, it was hard for me, it was hard for NBC News and all of the rest of the people at NBC.”

The convention center ballroom at the Grand Floridian Hotel fell silent as Wright continued: “It is an embarrassment. It is an embarrassment to the network, and it is an embarrassment to you--your general managers, your affiliated stations, your employees. For all those things, I apologize. I can say--at least I believe I can say--that we have gotten that behind us.”

With those comments, Wright declined to dwell further on the misfortunes of NBC. From that point on, he and other NBC executives enthusiastically touted what they called the rebirth of the network, to the apparent delight of the affiliates.

“We’re coming back,” said Pier Mapes, president of the NBC-TV Network, saying he was cautiously optimistic that the network’s performance in the May ratings sweeps so far could mark a return to its glory days in the 1980s, when powerhouse hits such as “The Cosby Show,” “Family Ties” and “Cheers” propelled NBC into first place.

The spirit of the executives seemed to inspire some affiliates, who expressed confidence in the leadership, the appointment of NBC News President Andrew Lack and the just-announced fall schedule.

“It was a positive thing to fess up to the mistakes,” said Michael Burgess, general manager of KOB-TV in Albuquerque, N.M. “Once you do that, you don’t have to dwell on it anymore.”

Richard Pearson, chief executive officer of KTSM-TV in El Paso, Tex., said the change in mood from last year’s affiliate convention to this year’s was dramatic: “There was really nothing to talk about in Burbank other than what everybody knew, that Johnny Carson was leaving. Everybody just sat there with their heads down.”

As the affiliates mingled, anticipation about the network’s future seemed high. There was little discussion about the bitter loss of “Late Night” host David Letterman to CBS, the departure this week of the popular “Cheers,” the overwhelming failure of last year’s fall schedule or the inability of the network to connect with its highly desired youth demographic.

The atmosphere seemed to be buoyed by the appearance Sunday night of John F. Welch, chairman and chief executive officer of General Electric, which owns NBC, and of Lack, who was hired in April to head up the news division in the wake of the “Dateline NBC” incident.

The affiliates also roared at the cozy, long-distance banter between “Nightly News” anchor Tom Brokaw and “Today” co-host Katie Couric, who appeared live via remote from Philadelphia, where she was interviewing First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Following the morning session Monday, Wright walked out among the affiliates, shaking hands and beaming. To one attendee, he said, “We’re off to a good start.”