New Network Bosses Sketch Different Plans for the Future

The new entertainment presidents at the NBC and Fox networks have much in common. Both are 39 years old, cut their teeth at cable TV channels and assumed their positions in the last few months after a relatively successful predecessor was abruptly ousted.

They expressed different visions of the future, however, in separate sessions addressing a group of television critics assembled for a semiannual gathering in Pasadena.

Doug Herzog, who started at Fox a mere week ago after introducing “South Park” to Comedy Central and “The Real World” to MTV, maintained that Fox must offer programming that fits its brand--distinctive fare that’s “a little more adventurous, a little more edgy” and wouldn’t readily be found on ABC, CBS or NBC.

NBC counterpart Scott Sassa, who spent several years overseeing Ted Turner’s various entertainment networks, outlined a desire to broaden NBC’s audience profile, in a manner that at least tacitly seemed to acknowledge some merit in criticisms leveled at that network in the past.

Herzog sounded much like the executive he replaced, Peter Roth, in saying Fox programs must be “fresh, distinctive [and] different,” noting that the renegade image cultivated in the network’s youth with programs like “Married . . . With Children” and “In Living Color” gives Fox the most clearly defined personality among the major broadcast outlets.

By contrast, Sassa championed the need to expand beyond the image NBC has established with a horde of sitcoms featuring lovelorn yuppies in urban settings. His long-term goals for NBC include showcasing more ethnic diversity (“People like to see people like themselves on the air,” he noted), toning down the emphasis on sex and recognizing that New York is “not the only place”--all complaints registered by critics about the recent glut of NBC shows resembling “Friends” and “Caroline in the City.”

Sassa also cited a goal of introducing more programs featuring traditional families, noting that “Mad About You”--a series limping toward the end of its run this spring--is the only NBC comedy fitting that mold of two parents with children.

The executive stressed that the shift would not be radical but rather reflected a question of balance.

“In some cases, we use sex to get an easy laugh, or an easy promotional hook. We just need to be careful with that,” he said, noting, “We could use a few more words between ‘Hello’ and ‘Will you sleep with me?’ ”

NBC’s stated aims regarding sexual content actually predate Sassa’s arrival. Sources say the network has previously talked to some comedy producers about curbing the amount of sexual humor, feeling the shows had gone slightly overboard in that direction.

Both new executives inherit some thorny scheduling issues. Fox will preview the animated comedy “Family Guy” after the Super Bowl in two weeks and has stated plans to launch that show and “Futurama”--another animated program from “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening--in March. Both shows covet the Sunday berth between “The Simpsons” and “The X-Files,” Fox’s two most popular series.

“Every single prospective show on Fox wants to be on Sunday at 8:30, so we’ll probably have to wrestle for it,” Groening told reporters Saturday.

For his part, Sassa has several holes to fill in NBC’s lineup and a shortage of backup programs, meaning the network will have to rely in the near term on specials and stunts to plug those gaps.

NBC did say the Kirstie Alley comedy “Veronica’s Closet”--once expected to be pulled from Thursday nights--is now scheduled to remain in the spot between “Frasier” and “ER” through the remainder of the season.

After various disappointments during the fall, the new year has brought NBC one pleasant surprise in the form of “Providence.” The family drama made its debut to a vast audience Jan. 8 and, based on preliminary data, dropped only 16% from that premiere Friday, again dominating its time period.

January has smiled on Fox and CBS as well, with strong openings for “The PJs” and “60 Minutes II,” respectively. Those results highlight the major networks’ unique ability to attract millions of viewers.

“Forget about NBC,” Sassa said, regarding “Providence.” “I think this is a great thing for broadcasters.”

NBC also expects to benefit from the return of NBA basketball next month, even in the wake of the league’s labor strife and superstar Michael Jordan’s retirement. Sassa noted that NBA ratings slipped a mere 5% in 1993 when Jordan took his hiatus to pursue a short-lived career in baseball.