Jackson again steals spotlight

During a week when news coverage of the Columbia shuttle tragedy gave way to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell’s presentation of the U.S. case against Iraq, the big ratings grabber in television turned out to be an interview with pop music oddity Michael Jackson.

ABC’s stellar ratings highlight the tension that exists between hard news and less consequential fluff, especially for major networks determined to reel in younger viewers during a month like February, one of the year’s three key sweeps periods.

The two-hour documentary by British journalist Martin Bashir, which ABC broadcast Thursday and followed with extensive coverage on the newsmagazine “Primetime Thursday,” averaged more than 27 million viewers, the biggest audience for any newsmagazine since Barbara Walters interviewed Monica S. Lewinsky in 1999.

Those results become even more impressive considering that the “20/20” installment ran opposite TV’s two most-watched series, CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and NBC’s “Friends,” which drew more than 25.6 million and 23.4 million viewers, respectively.

Notably, tune-in for the Jackson interview far surpassed Wednesday’s “60 Minutes II,” which included Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s first Western TV interview in over a decade as well as an exclusive talk with Powell.

Ratings for the CBS news program exceeded this season’s average, attracting an estimated 11.3 million viewers; however, it finished fourth in its time slot among adults ages 18 to 49, the demographic broadcasters use as currency when dealing with Madison Avenue media buyers.

In fact, based on Nielsen Media Research data, “60 Minutes” and NBC’s Emmy-winning drama “The West Wing” combined didn’t equal ABC’s staged reality show “The Bachelorette” on Wednesday within that younger demographic. The Jackson telecast nearly quadrupled “60 Minutes’ ” rating by that measure.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, many opined that news coverage would become more sober, but newscasts -- and TV ratings -- soon reverted to familiar patterns.

Donald Shores, professor of broadcasting at Pepperdine University’s Seaver College, suggested a sort of hard-news fatigue quickly sets in, causing viewers to drift back to more casual diversions.

“It seems that was too serious for us, and we need relief,” he said regarding the post-Sept. 11 focus on terrorism. “Our attention span is so limited these days. We’re conditioned not to stay with these things for too long.... What gets ratings is what holds our attention, and in order to hold our attention, we have to change subjects often.”

The cable news networks did experience a major ratings surge after the Columbia disaster, and viewing levels have remained elevated throughout the week for Fox News Channel and CNN as the aftermath of that event and Powell’s speech unfolded. Their aggregate prime-time audience of about 3 million viewers, however, remains a fraction of what the Jackson special amassed.

Given the magnitude of this week’s other news stories, “Primetime” executive producer David Doss was asked how ABC News justified devoting Thursday’s broadcast primarily to Bashir’s interview, which the network purchased from Britain’s Granada Television, reportedly for nearly $5 million. Doss compared TV news programs to newspapers, which can accommodate entertainment and sports coverage along with the news of the day.

“I actually think the public expects a newsmagazine to be on the news in a big way when a story hits critical mass,” he said. “The rest of the time, they probably look at it like any other entertainment program.”

Such competitive pressures could be seen locally this week as well, when most Los Angeles-area TV stations jettisoned much if not all of their Tuesday evening newscasts to cover a freeway chase. KCAL broadcast the slow-speed pursuit from roughly 8:50 until 11 p.m., then handed off to sister station KCBS-TV at 11 p.m.

Predictably, both Viacom-owned stations enjoyed strong ratings, and KABC-TV (which also carried the chase) and KCBS each handily beat the late news on KNBC-TV, which opted not to follow it.

Hal Fishman, who has anchored KTLA’s evening newscast since 1975, admits that he has misgivings about such coverage, though his station -- which, like the Los Angeles Times, is owned by Tribune Co. -- also televised the chase.

“It comes down to what the audience wants to see and what they need to see, what they ought to see,” Fishman said, noting that when stations cut away from such an event many viewers inevitably flip to competing channels. “We at times have to make a compromise, and that is what we do.... People want to see the chase, and if no one’s watching [our newscast], what kind of public service are we really performing?”

Despite attention to the Columbia investigation and possible war in Iraq, this month’s sweeps has also brought the customary assortment of high-impact pieces designed to attract younger viewers, such as KTTV’s multi-part series “Trading Faces,” following reporter Christina Gonzalez through the process of plastic surgery.

In addition to questions about the extent of Jackson’s plastic surgery, the ABC documentary focused largely on his unusual relationships with children -- his own and others. The special will likely be the week’s most-watched program.

Jackson’s ratings allure over time is well-documented. ABC recorded blockbuster ratings when Oprah Winfrey interviewed the reclusive pop icon in prime time a decade ago, and again delivered a vast audience two years later when Jackson and then-wife Lisa Marie Presley sat down with anchor Diane Sawyer.

Indeed, the singer has been such a reliable sweeps weapon that NBC’s “Dateline” had already announced its hourlong telecast examining him for Feb. 17, only to be trumped by ABC’s acquisition of the British production.

Jeff Fager, executive producer of “60 Minutes II,” conceded that newsmagazines, including his, have always balanced hard news with lighter stories. Although he was gratified by the modest ratings bump Wednesday’s broadcast had generated, Fager took greater pride in its journalistic merits, saying that news organizations have a duty to cover such stories that ultimately superceded any competitive concerns.

“The country’s about to go to war, and people want to know more about it,” he said. “It goes beyond the February sweeps. Covering an important story is what we do.”