Fox Network Plans Overhaul of Development, Programming

Calling the current method of creating new television shows a “dysfunctional, antiquated process,” Fox Entertainment Group President Peter Roth outlined plans to revise that system Tuesday.

Addressing a group of television critics in Pasadena, the executive reiterated Fox’s desire to spread the development and broadcasting of new programs throughout the year, as opposed to the annual crunch that takes place during the spring, when the networks “are all clamoring for the best acting talent.”

Altering the current system--a goal that various networks, including Fox, have articulated in the past--represents “a first step toward achieving better [shows],” Roth said.

Talk about “fixing” network television has gained some momentum during the last year, with viewing levels declining steadily and network profits dwindling, as programming costs rise while ratings diminish.

Concerned about dismal ratings this summer, Fox has touted the need to air more original programming during those months, saying viewers are “hungry” for such fare. Other networks appear to be emulating the strategy, despite mixed results for Fox’s new summer programs over the last two years.

Looking ahead, Fox will again stagger the introduction of programs for the coming TV season from August into November. Fans of Fox’s top-rated show, “The X-Files,” will wait until November for the sixth season to begin, after the network televises the major league baseball playoffs. Roth added that he believes the “X-Files” feature film, currently in release, “can only help” the series.

Fox’s most significant scheduling move--shifting the animated hit “King of the Hill” from Sundays to Tuesday nights--will get a jump on the season’s official start with new episodes to begin airing Sept. 8. Reruns of the program slide into its new time slot next week.

Roth also responded to charges leveled at Fox by Dave Chappelle, an African American comedian who publicly criticized the network for prodding him to integrate the cast of a new comedy series he was planning. Roth maintained that the network wants to attract black viewers but also hopes to attract the widest possible audience with its programs and was merely seeking to achieve that goal.

Chappelle and the show’s producers--resenting the inference that incorporating more white cast members was necessary to reach a broader audience--chose not to make the changes, and the show has since been scrapped.

Roth also defended charges that some new Fox programs feature excessively crude language or themes. The network established itself with boundary-pushing fare such as “Married . . . With Children,” and some critics have taken issue with its new sitcoms “Costello” and “Living in Captivity.”

“It’s not our intention to be crude, or return to a past that’s more lowbrow,” Roth said, reciting the network’s mantra to air shows that are “daring” and “distinctive.”