Lack Preparing for Cable Launch

When Andrew Lack, a former CBS News producer, was named president of NBC News three years ago this month, the division’s reputation had been badly tarnished by a “Dateline NBC” crew having rigged a fiery truck crash to illustrate a story.

Today, not only has the reputation of NBC News been restored, but it is posting record profits ($150 million this year, according to sources). And NBC is preparing to spend well over $100 million, sources say, to launch MSNBC, the first broadcast network-produced competitor to CNN, on July 15.

“When I came here,” Lack, 48, recalled this week, “everyone told me that I had to kill ‘Dateline,’ put it out of its misery, or it would ruin me and NBC.” Instead, he decided to keep “Dateline” alive.

“The people here who rigged the crash had been fired, and I thought there were good people [on the show] and it was a newsmagazine worth saving.”

“Dateline NBC” eventually expanded to two, then three successful prime-time slots.

It hasn’t fared as well in its month-old fourth spot, on Sundays against “60 Minutes.” The CBS newsmagazine, reinvigorated by the competition and recent changes on the show, has bounced back to the Nielsen Top 10--although everyone at “60 Minutes” steadfastly refuses to acknowledge that “Dateline” has been a factor in their efforts.

“I have some very good friends at ’60 Minutes,’ but I wish they’d be a little more generous,” Lack said. “We’re building this little church next door to the Vatican. They just hate the fact that anybody would even dare suggest that we might drizzle on their parade, let alone rain on it.”

But he has larger matters to deal with at present. When NBC launches MSNBC, its 24-hour news channel, in July, the network will be the first broadcaster to test the size of the cable-news pie--and the traditional limits of network news. ABC and Fox have both announced plans to launch competitors to CNN by the end of this year, but they have not yet revealed their programming plans or what kind of distribution they’ll have on the crowded cable dial.

“I have a lot of respect for my competitors, but right now I’m focused on what NBC is trying to do,” Lack said. “I’m a dead man if we don’t have 24 hours of programming ready to go by July 15.”

Rather than being daunted by the programming challenge, Lack is enthusiastic about it.

“Going 24 hours a day represents a psychological shift for a network news division,” he said. “We’re going to be able to do things we can’t do on NBC, where we have a 22-minute evening newscast and are on the air with programming only a few hours per day.”

NBC has one significant advantage over the other potential challengers to CNN: a guaranteed outlet. NBC is converting its existing cable network, America’s Talking, which has 17 million subscribers, into MSNBC (the MS stands for Microsoft, which is a partner in the venture). Lack said that NBC has commitments from cable-system operators that will give the new channel more than 20 million subscribers when it begins.

“It would take years for a start-up cable network to accumulate that many subscribers in today’s crowded environment,” said Larry Gerbrandt, senior cable analyst with Paul Kagan Associates.

Instead of competing directly with the video wire-service style of CNN, Lack intends to create news shows that use the stars of NBC News to attract cable viewers. Tom Brokaw, Katie Couric and commentator Bill Moyers have all agreed to host a live, hourlong talk show one night a week on MSNBC. Lack said that Bryant Gumbel also has decided to come on board as a weekly host on the show, which will have viewer call-ins.

Although the anchors will be expanding their work load with the cable show, Lack said, “Asking them to do the show was not a long conversation--they’re enthusiastic about it. It will give them a chance to go one-one-one for an extended time with whoever they want.”

Will cable viewers relish the chance to see broadcast anchors as talk-show hosts? “They’ll be seeing four of the best TV journalists in the country engaging in smart conversation--I think that will be interesting to watch,” Lack responded.

Network news executives for many years have wanted to program an hourlong nightly newscast; MSNBC will give NBC that opportunity, albeit on cable. The 9 p.m. program, Lack said, will be “part nightly newscast, part ‘Nightline’ and part other elements,” using NBC correspondents as well as reporters and producers hired specifically for the cable network.

John Hockenberry, the former ABC and National Public Radio reporter who recently joined “Dateline NBC,” will anchor a magazine show on MSNBC, and other shows are in the works.

NBC correspondents also will file occasional online stories for people to read on their personal computers, Lack said.

“I’m hoping that [White House correspondent] Brian Williams will file a brief report online about some interesting behind-the-scenes detail from a trip with President Clinton--or [“Meet the Press” moderator] Tim Russert might talk about his interview with Ross Perot. It’ll be the reporting they’re not able to report.”

“NBC Nightly News With Tom Brokaw” has made recent gains in the ratings against ABC’s “World News Tonight With Peter Jennings,” the longtime front-runner in the network-newscast race. Lack said that he believes features such as “In His Own Words,” the unfiltered comments of a newsmaker or an ordinary citizen, were helping attract more viewers to the newscast.

But he acknowledged that he would like to do more to stretch the conventions of the 22-minute newscasts.

“All three network newscasts are strong, serious programs, but I think they’re all still too much alike,” Lack said. “It’s a difficult challenge: You have an obligation to bring people up to date on the way the world looks at that hour. But beyond that, what is discretionary? I’m constantly probing with the very talented people who do our show to think about ways we can fulfill that obligation and still expand our horizons.”