Executive Shake-Ups at Center of Showcase

A gathering of television critics in Pasadena over the last week to preview new programming has failed to reveal any over-arching truths about the country’s general mood, as reflected in its TV viewing habits, since the events of Sept. 11.

The semiannual event has, however, provided insight into the desperate state of the television business, demonstrated by the war of words and even a pair of dueling lawsuits flung back and forth among the broadcast networks, which also watched two top programming executives leave their jobs just days prior to their networks’ scheduled question-and-answer session with reporters.

Network executives have been seemingly hard-pressed to explain how the frantic nature of their competition in recent months or such executive tumult benefits the television audience; still, they have freely admitted that they are scrapping to reach every eyeball they can as if their lives (or at least careers) depended on it, because, in fact, that appears to be the case.

So it was that ABC officials spent their day with visiting reporters and TV critics Sunday not so much promoting their midseason programs as explaining why the person who supervised development of them wasn’t on hand.

Stu Bloomberg, co-chairman of ABC Television Entertainment Group, lost his job due to the network’s sluggish ratings performance last week. Susan Lyne--previously ABC’s head of movies and miniseries--was named to succeed him, albeit with the lesser title of president. On Friday, UPN also confirmed that its chief executive, Dean Valentine, is leaving.

Such changes have become an almost annual occurrence. NBC enacted the same scenario a year ago, when Jeff Zucker replaced Garth Ancier in its top entertainment post, just as Fox Entertainment Group President Gail Berman was a new arrival six months before that. The most obvious parallels are between Zucker and Lyne, both former journalists (Zucker the producer of NBC’s “Today” show, Lyne an editor of Premiere magazine) who will migrate back and forth from New York to handle their new duties.

ABC Entertainment Television Group Chairman Lloyd Braun, who survived the shake-up that resulted in Bloomberg’s exit, acknowledged Sunday that ABC is “in the midst of a very disappointing season” and failed to generate new hits while “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”--which propelled the network into first place two seasons ago--was “blazing hot.”

Still, Braun suggested that ABC is assembling the building blocks that could spur a recovery. Among them are the sitcom “My Wife and Kids” and new series “According to Jim” and “Alias,” all of which have been renewed for next season, ABC announced. Braun also tempered past comments that cast doubts on “Millionaire’s” future, which had angered host Regis Philbin, saying that ABC is simply trying to ascertain the most effective way to program the series next season.

Lyne, less than a week into the job, was somewhat circumspect in her remarks, saying she hopes to attract top talent by creating “an atmosphere where people can do their best work.” She also expressed ambitions to develop projects that will appeal to a mass audience, given that ABC has struggled with critically acclaimed shows such as the since-departed “Sports Night” and current drama “Once and Again,” whose future Braun declined to discuss.

ABC also fielded several questions second-guessing the network’s decision to pass on a 25th anniversary special commemorating the network’s landmark miniseries “Roots,” with the special to play on NBC this Friday.

“We just didn’t feel creatively what we heard was very strong,” Braun said in regard to the prime-time special pitched to the network, saying ABC planned a three-part series on “Good Morning America” regarding the program. ABC also announced that the network has ordered a show for this spring featuring comedian George Lopez, a rare prime-time series featuring a Hispanic lead. All of the networks, and ABC in particular, have been pressured by interest groups regarding their levels of minority representation both on air and in their executive ranks.

Perhaps foremost, the press tour has demonstrated the brass-knuckles tactics networks are using to amass ratings at the expense of competitors, from NBC’s decision to run a Playboy playmate edition of its stunt show “Fear Factor” opposite Fox’s coverage of the Super Bowl halftime show to the lawsuits over ABC and Fox’s similarly themed quiz shows “The Chair” and “The Chamber,” respectively. Fox moved to rush its program on the air Sunday with little promotion to undermine ABC, whose series premieres Tuesday.

Asked to justify such stunts, Zucker stated last week that NBC was simply “having fun” with its scheduling ploy, while Braun noted that the networks are “in a very, very competitive business.”

The producers of “The Chair” sued Fox earlier this month, alleging that they had pitched their series to the network, which bid for the rights before ordering a similar concept appropriating elements of the show when it lost out. (Both series feature contestants being confined and monitored while they answer questions.)

Fox filed a countersuit Friday, denying those claims while contending that producers of “The Chair” were waging “a campaign” against their show that included sneaking onto the closed set to obtain information about the series. The attorney for producers of “The Chair,” Steve Marenberg, called the countersuit “a classic tactic to obscure the focus of the real dispute, which is that they appropriated elements of our show.”

Few major themes have emerged from the first of these events to follow the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, though there has been considerable talk about “comfort food” programming and the hunger for nostalgia, as evidenced by CBS’ ratings success in November with “I Love Lucy” and “The Carol Burnett Show” specials.

Still, executives struggled to identify a shift in viewing patterns, as many pundits anticipated, in the wake of those attacks. However, media-buying firm Initiative Media presented its own study last week on post-Sept. 11 media trends, which found people to be more bonded to their favorite shows and exhibiting a heightened interest in news while gradually drifting back to usual patterns.

“People are seeking closure now. They really want to return to normal,” said Stacey Lynn Koerner, Initiative’s senior vice president and director of audience research.

ABC News’ Barbara Walters addressed reporters Sunday, saying she was “surprised and disappointed” when ABC moved “20/20” out of its Friday slot in September. The series returns to that night this week, with correspondent John Miller joining Walters.

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Times staff writer Greg Braxton contributed to this story.