Trying to Cut Risks in a Gambling City

Executives such as CBS Television President Leslie Moonves have a say in what shows make the cut when networks announce revised prime-time lineups for the coming season next week. But so does Shannon Harris, a 27-year-old resident of Columbus, Ohio, who “had a little time to waste” during her vacation.

The same goes for a young couple from Edwardsville, Ill., who will contribute to making or breaking this year of certain TV producers and actors because, as one of them put it, “We were waiting to check into our room.”

The opinions of such folk are being dutifully recorded at Television City--the state-of-the-art research facility CBS recently unveiled at the MGM Grand Hotel, conveniently located just across from the Forever Grand Wedding Chapel.

A visit to Television City sheds light on a process that has traditionally been shrouded in mystery, if not alchemy. Thousands of people streaming into the 5,000-room hotel are greeted at the entrance daily and offered a $10 discount in the Television City gift shop--stocked exclusively with merchandise licensed by CBS parent Viacom--if they will “attend a free screening of a newly proposed or existing program and offer your reactions.”

The main activity currently is testing prototypes, or pilots, for new series, with roughly 600 people participating every day. People watch shows and register what they like or dislike by pushing green or red buttons, before filling out a questionnaire explaining in more depth what they liked and rating each of the characters.

Others participate in focus groups, analyzing a show as guided by a moderator. Rooms are outfitted with one-way glass, letting executives observe as people watch and discuss programs.

David Poltrack, CBS’ executive vice president of research and planning, said the network’s acquisition by Viacom made the venture possible. CBS shares signage with MTV and Nickelodeon along with other Viacom holdings, and conducting research for multiple networks enables Television City to remain operational 12 hours a day year-round. The retail store features monitors displaying ads for CBS programs and is currently chock-full of “Survivor” trinkets and T-shirts.

Networks have always done research using tourists to approximate a cross section of America, from people who attend tapings of “The Price Is Right” to those recruited along Hollywood Boulevard.

In April 1992, however, when civil unrest erupted after the trial of police officers accused of beating motorist Rodney King, CBS faced a dilemma. “We sort of panicked and said, ‘Good God, we’re not going to be able to find tourists. They’re all going to be hiding in their hotels,’ ” Poltrack recalled. “So we decided we better boost [the research effort in] Las Vegas, and what we discovered was that Las Vegas was much better than Los Angeles.”

Poltrack cites a variety of factors that make Las Vegas an ideal location for this purpose. The city attracts more families now to go with business travelers and entertainment seekers, representing all socioeconomic strata.

Moreover, Vegas is an atypical tourist spot. “People come for the night and try to figure out what to do during the day. This is a place where people have time,” he said.

Tourists Stand In for Nielsen Viewers

Each pilot is shown to small groups until the network completes two tests totaling 225 people each, creating a sample deemed representative of the U.S. in terms of age, sex, geography and education.

Poltrack realizes many in Hollywood chafe at the idea of vacationers in Bermuda shorts determining their fate, but he insists those polled represent the TV viewing audience and do a better job approximating an even more important group: those viewers monitored by ratings service Nielsen Media Research.

“The people who are going to resist participating in what we have here are probably not going to allow a [Nielsen] people-meter in their home either,” Poltrack said.

Last week, participants viewed a CBS sitcom candidate starring Ellen DeGeneres. The room accommodated 18 viewers of various ages and races, who pushed buttons and then spent about 10 minutes silently answering evaluation forms. (An older man bolted out of the room mid-screening; his wife later told staff he suffers from claustrophobia.)

The group answered questions about the likelihood of their viewing the show again (ranging from “make every effort” to “definitely not watch”), if they would watch the program in lieu of various existing series and how the program stacked up against other sitcoms--a key question to establish if the respondent is a harsh critic.

“Some people love everything, and some people hate everything,” Poltrack said. “If you love everything, I’m making you say, ‘Do you love this more?’ and if you hate everything, ‘Do you hate this less?’ ”

Children are free to watch Nickelodeon in a living room setting while their parents participate. And thanks to video conferencing, network executives can not only analyze the data but also see what’s happening within the rooms from offices in New York and Los Angeles.

Perhaps most significant, CBS tries to enlist those surveyed to join its “Entertainment Panel,” agreeing to be polled via phone and e-mail in subsequent months, with the chance to win a Sony Home Entertainment System as incentive.

“We’re getting several thousand people a week, so we’re going to build a database very quickly,” Poltrack said. “The ultimate goal is actually to have daily communication with our audience.”

The research serves various functions, among them forecasting a show’s commercial prospects--defined as whether it will attract an average, below-average or above-average share of audience.

A more involved aspect hinges on revamping shows, dropping characters or changing elements based on preliminary response. On one program, CBS culled 83 pages of comments from focus groups and surveys. “If someone says, ‘The language was offensive,’ we can check that against 83 pages of comments to see if others cited it,” Poltrack said.

A vintage example of a program being altered due to research involves the 1980s drama “Simon and Simon,” where focus groups liked stars Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker but little else. The message, Poltrack said, was “Keep the characters, lose the show,” and a re-shot pilot yielded a series that ran seven seasons.

More recently, the “Touched by an Angel” prototype initially featured a dog being brought back to life and angels sprouting wings. After negative testing, the show was reedited (and ultimately redone entirely), moving it from the “below average” to “above average” columns.

Producers Get Chance to Refine Shows

Though producers often resent such intrusions, Poltrack characterizes it simply as an opportunity to work kinks out of a program before delivering the finished pilot, thus improving the likelihood of success.

“They [producers] have the ability to tweak it,” he said. “This is a technique to allow the audience to tell you what they think of the product you’re giving them.”

Of course, viewers who watch enough television know the selection process is not based exclusively on merit. Said Jack Shephard, 73, of Lehigh Acres, Fla., who took part in a group along with his wife Jeannette, “I think they’re still going to put them on, regardless of what you say.”

To a point, Shephard is right. Programs get ordered for various reasons, among them being produced by a network’s sister studio, or because of commitments to big-name stars or producers that force a network to pay sizable financial penalties if the project doesn’t get scheduled.

Still, Poltrack stressed there are instances when “the testing exceeds the expectations of executives by a significant enough margin that [a show] gets on the air. That’s where the research pays for itself.”

Television City is operated by Paramount Parks, which also oversees “Star Trek: The Experience,” an attraction at the Las Vegas Hilton. CBS hopes to break even on the facility, which is perceived as offering intangible benefits, including promotional and public-relations value.

While it wasn’t clear whether those participating felt more kindly toward CBS, Shannon Harris’ husband Andre, 31, said he enjoyed helping decide which programs make the grade. As for representing the U.S. public, he said, “They picked the right town for it.”