Life’s Big Events as Seen by Cameras

Prince Andrew’s 1986 marriage to Sarah Ferguson may have ended in divorce, but their televised nuptials--a ratings success--had a lasting effect.

The royal wedding’s huge ratings illustrated a valuable point for TV executives: Young women like to watch real people get married on television.

That sparked the idea for the Learning Channel’s “A Wedding Story”--a daily half-hour “lifestyle documentary” series that chronicles the days leading to a real-life couple’s wedding and the ceremony itself.

While trying to come up with programming that would differentiate the Learning Channel from its sister station, the Discovery Channel, Chuck Gingold, senior vice president for TLC daytime programming, figured it was the perfect opportunity to implement an idea he has had since 1986.

In the five years since “A Wedding Story” was first shown, its ratings have tripled and its success spawned three more shows in its image: “A Baby Story,” “A Dating Story” and the soon-to-begin “A Makeover Story.”

For the first quarter of this year, ratings have increased 229% compared with the same period two years ago among women 18 to 34, Gingold said. In the last two years, overall ratings have increased 83%.

Among women 18 to 34--a demographic group coveted by advertisers for their buying power--the “lifestyle documentaries” have developed a steady following that has helped put TLC on the map. Mention any of the three shows to a fan and stand by for the gushing.

“There’s always a happy ending,” said Laurie Kracko, a 21-year-old senior at the University of Hartford. “I got hooked [on “A Wedding Story”] my freshman year. I see stuff that I would love to do at my wedding. I even tape it sometimes.”

“I’ve watched them for four years straight,” said Jennifer Scavetta, a 23-year-old production assistant at ESPN in Bristol, Conn. “I love them.”

Scavetta used to rush home from high school to catch “A Wedding Story” with her mother.

“Of course girls love it because of the fact that it’s many girls’ biggest dream and the most important day of their lives,” Scavetta said. “You become part of these people’s families. I cry when the babies are born.”

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The three series make up the bulk of TLC’s weekday programming schedule: “A Wedding Story” comes on at noon, 12:30, 3 and 3:30 p.m.; “A Baby Story” at 2, 2:30 and 4 p.m.; and “A Dating Story” at 1, 1:30 and 4:30 p.m.

Each half-hour program features interviews with the couples reminiscing about how they met and why they fell in love. That segment is interspersed with pictures of them and interviews with friends and family, who talk about why the couple is perfect for each other.

In the case of “A Dating Story,” the prospective couple is introduced by a friend who explains why he or she thinks the two will get along. The soon-to-meet couple talk about past relationships and bad luck they’ve had in love. In some cases the men and women travel coast to coast to meet each other.

Each show follows the couple’s preparation.

“A Wedding Story” tracks the couple at rehearsal dinners, beauty salons and then the ceremony.

“A Baby Story” focuses more on the emotional side of the birth rather than the physical, but there isn’t much “A Baby Story” doesn’t show. Viewers are taken into the delivery room to see the birth firsthand. Doctors and nurses are interviewed throughout the labor to update viewers on the mother’s progress. Before the birth, couples are shown at Lamaze classes, preparing the nursery, and explaining the new addition to their other children. Some fans say one draw of “A Baby Story” is its tendency to show less-mainstream approaches to birth--such as those at home with a midwife, or in a birthing pool at a hospital or at home.

Many loyal fans of “A Wedding Story” agree they watch it to get ideas for their own weddings. Christine Settino, a 23-year-old elementary school teacher in Windsor Locks, Conn., is getting married in June 2001 and watches the show for the different styles of wedding dresses and ceremonies, even though her fiance thinks it’s silly.

“It’s just the whole marriage thing; people get really into it,” Settino said. “Everybody’s always had a fascination with weddings.”

Kracko, who leaves her dorm room television tuned to TLC to catch all the shows while doing classwork, says she enjoys the fact that there’s always a happy ending.

“You know what’s going to happen and it’s happy. [“A Wedding Story”] shows you a diverse group of people, and there are all types of religions and traditions.”

When “A Baby Story” started three years ago, it was hard to find pregnant women willing to give birth on national television. Producers spoke at Lamaze classes and hospital tours to entice women to appear on the show. Now they can barely respond to all the requests to be on. Only women from Southern California are selected, because the timing of labor is so unpredictable and that’s where the company that produces the show is located.

“I think people watch the show because it demystifies the whole birth process and allows you to identify with someone going through the process,” said Tara Sandler, executive producer. “It’s also a pretty incredible keepsake to have a half-hour TV show that’s on your pregnancy and the birth of your child.”

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At any given time, there are 10 women working with the show who are about to give birth. In the past three months, 21 births have been recorded. The eight producer-directors wear beepers around the clock and can be summoned at any time to a delivery.

“I hear Lamaze instructors say, ‘You should watch “A Baby Story” because it’s the best way to prepare,’ ” said Kristine Davis, a supervising producer. “In some ways I’m surprised by the show’s popularity, but it’s in line with the whole intrigue of looking into people’s lives; it’s the whole voyeuristic thing.”

Producers say that with so many requests to be on the show, they have to be picky about whom they select. First they conduct a phone interview, then a producer meets the family and videotapes them while asking questions about why they want to participate.

“We’re looking for a happy, committed couple, and this baby is a blessing to them,” Sandler said. “They’re committing to a pretty long time, but no one has backed out yet. Some people think if they do the show it will bring them closer together.”

Couples who appear on the show get a videotape of their appearance but are not paid.