Fox Counting on Berman’s Flair

More than three years after joining the Fox network, Gail Berman is finally flying solo.

Whether she soars or crashes may depend on whether she is able to demonstrate business acumen on a par with her widely regarded skills as a creative executive.

The surprise announcement Monday that Fox Television Entertainment Group Chairman Sandy Grushow was leaving to start his own production company -- and would not be replaced -- upends the power grid at Fox. It places Gary Newman and Dana Walden in charge of Fox’s TV production operations. Meanwhile, it leaves Berman, president of Fox Entertainment, in charge of the network.

Although all three will see their jobs expanded with Grushow’s departure, it is Berman who may have the most to gain -- and lose.

Grushow’s exit comes at crucial time for the News Corp.-owned network, which has had such a hit-and-miss season that even corporate Chairman Rupert Murdoch has voiced dissatisfaction. “The O.C.” and the soon-to-end “The Simple Life” have been winners, while “Skin” and “The Next Joe Millionaire” are among those that haven’t fared as well. In large part, Fox is pegging its hopes for the rest of the season on the return of “American Idol.”

When Berman joined Fox as president of entertainment in July 2000, she became the fifth person to hold that position in six years.

Well-known for her creative bent and a direct but warm approach, the 46-year-old distinguishes herself from other network executives because she spent most of her career on the production side of the house. Under the new structure at Fox, Berman will oversee marketing and promotion, as well as programming and scheduling. She will report directly to Fox Group Chairman Peter Chernin.

In an interview Tuesday, Berman said that she and Grushow “operated very well together.” But she noted that “he had veto power over me and that will be different now.”

Network executives and producers said Berman’s most daunting challenge would be to reconcile seemingly conflicting visions over Fox’s schedule.

“There seems to be two Fox networks,” said Judd Apatow, producer of the network’s “Undeclared.” There is “the Fox network that puts on shows like ‘The Simpsons’ and ‘King of the Hill,’ and the Fox network that thinks their audience is a 14-year-old boy with ... an addiction to reality television.”

“On many occasions, Gail and Sandy did not share the same point of view, and you never knew whose opinion you had to listen to in any given situation,” Apatow added. “It can only be healthy for Gail to get an opportunity to put her stamp on the network with a much lower level of interference.”

With the TV industry entering midseason, and all of the networks struggling for viewers, Berman said the trick would be for Fox to strike the right programming balance -- a mix of lower-brow fare and higher-end drama and comedy.

“This schedule should be a success with ‘American Idol’ and ‘Simple Life’ on one hand and shows like ‘24’ and ‘Arrested Development’ on the other,” she said.

For his part, Grushow called Berman “very easy to work with and somebody who is easy to root for.” He noted that Berman would now have to become more involved with day-to-day marketing duties. “I have no doubt she is going to rise to the challenge,” Grushow said.

While Grushow acknowledged Tuesday that he and Berman did not always agree, he touted their collaboration.

“When I hired Gail, I knew I was bringing in a creative person into the sandbox with me,” he said. “There is no question that, occasionally, the box felt crowded for both of us. But in the end, I knew we made a great team.”

One senior industry executive said Berman has a penchant for taking risks, calling it a “swing for the fences” strategy. He explained that unlike most network executives, who follow a “program-to-the-audience-you-already have” model, Berman’s “instinct is to look for an idea that resonates and creative talent that she thinks can pull off something new and different.”

Before she joined Fox, Berman ran Sandollar Television, where she shepherded “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” into cult status and placed “Roswell” on the WB. As president of Regency Television, a joint venture with Fox, she guided “Malcolm in the Middle,” the 4-year-old Fox series that nabbed the highest premiere numbers since “The Simpsons.”

“I love television,” she said. “What I love about Fox is that it’s for young adults. So I have to stay vital and vibrant to give people what they want. I’m willing to go where that takes me.”

Even if that means being present for the shooting of the wedding scene for Fox’s new reality show “My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance.”

“Oh man, wait ‘til you see it,” Berman said. “Oh my God, it’s wild. I couldn’t watch. I had my hand in front of my face.”

Although her days are likely to start even earlier than her current 4:30 a.m. wake-up time -- and may be more stressful -- Berman said her staff can count on her to retain her creativity.

Competitors are certainly anticipating more of the same.

“Gail has a strong flair for doing something different,” said Jordan Levin, president of the WB, which is owned by Time Warner Inc. and Tribune Co. (publisher of The Times).

“While that may not always lead to short-term success,” said Levin, “it changes something that helps in the long term.”

Times staff writer Elizabeth Jensen contributed to this report.