2010: What A Difference A Year Makes

Programming is a personality-driven business and this year the most influential didn’t appear to have a lot in common on the surface: an African American woman, a goofy white guy and an octogenarian. But differences aside, TV in 2010 was ruled by Oprah Winfrey, Conan O’Brien and Betty White.

After Winfrey’s announcement that this season would be the last for her syndicated staple before moving to her OWN network on cable, syndicators began scrambling to come up with shows to take over her lucrative time slots across the country.

By December, Telepictures Productions and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution had the best claim to being Oprah successor with a new talk show featuring CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

A week after opening up sales of Anderson, stations from groups including Hearst, Gannett, LIN, Newport, Sinclair, Local TV, Hubbard, Fisher, Midwest TV and Smith got on board for the fall 2011 debut.

Of course there are also several established shows that will get the chance to fill Oprah’s shoes, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which WCVB Boston is moving from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

But not all the station groups are looking for syndicated product to replace the Queen of Daytime. Flush with ad revenue, stations all over the country are fighting to win viewers with new local programs. In Chicago, ABC O&O WLS, where Oprah airs at 9 a.m., made plans to replace it with locally produced magazine, Morning Rush.

Raycom has introduced own production, America Now comprising local news clips, and airs it on all 47 of its stations. Many of Belo’s 20 stations will lose Oprah next fall and, as of October, the station group too was leaning toward replacing it with local fare.

The opportunity to replace Winfrey’s syndicated powerhouse drew retired Warner Bros. honcho Dick Robertson and Rosie O’Donnell to partner on a new talk show that promises to feature the old Rosie in a “light, fun” format that “uplifts and inspires.” Somewhat ironically, however, rather than replacing Oprah, the show is joining Oprah. It ended up with a slot not on TV stations, but on OWN’s daytime schedule.

Talk is dominating the first-run marketplace for 2011 with Sony’s Lisa Oz and Tribune’s Bill Cunningham also vying for slots next fall in addition to Anderson. But figuring there is also room for a dating-reality show in late fringe or late night, CBS is hoping to catch the eye of broadcasters with Excused.

Meanwhile in cableland, Oprah and partner Discovery are betting big that OWN will be able to draw daytime viewers away from broadcast TV to watch a lineup of first-run talk shows, cooking programs and other material aimed at women. If OWN’s strategy works, it could whack TV stations’ ratings and ad dollars. And it may ignite an assault by other cable networks on broadcasters in a daypart where they haven’t had much luck so far.

The other big programming news this year, which involved both broadcast and cable, was NBC’s latenight kerfuffle over who would host the Tonight Show after it became painfully apparent that the network’s bold (stupid?) move slotting Jay Leno every weeknight at 10 p.m. was a flop.

When new Tonight host Conan O’Brien wouldn’t agree to give the desk back to Leno and left (after getting $30 million from NBC to vacate 11:35 p.m.), TBS jumped in and snagged the redhead.

As the New York Times asked and answered: “How did a channel like TBS — a cable channel without the prestige or marketing power of a broadcast outlet — manage to land Conan O’Brien’s show? Money and promises? No doubt. But TBS, which is owned by Time Warner, has something else going for it: a substantial and remarkably young audience.”

Also on cable, and it seemed, everywhere else on TV, was the amazing Betty White. After an appearance in a Snickers commercial during the Super Bowl, an online campaign to get her to host Saturday Night Live was successful (almost 500,000 website members) and when she appeared on SNL in May, the latenight institution enjoyed its largest audience in 18 months and won White an Emmy.

She then guest-starred on NBC’s Community and ABC’s The Middle, and landed a fulltime gig on the original sitcom Hot in Cleveland on TVLand alongside Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick. And to top off a remarkable year, on Monday the Associated Press named her 2010’s Entertainer of the Year.

Ratings for the Big Four broadcast nets declined 1% this year among adults 18-49, compared to declines of 5% or more four of the previous five years. Among households, ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC were even with last year.

Both Fox and CBS laid claim to winning the 2009-10 ratings race. Fox was tops among adults 18-49 for the sixth season in a row, while CBS won in average viewership for the seventh time in the past eight years.

And these days, broadcast includes more than just ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. Univision’s ratings and its influence have grown, culminating in this summer’s record-breaking World Cup. The network now regularly competes with the Big Four for the lead among 18-34s, and in September it beat all other broadcast networks in the coveted 18-49 demographic for the first time ever.

As the 2010-11 season got underway this fall, NBC introduced the most new shows since it had to fill the gaping 10 p.m. hole created when Jay Leno retreated back to late night.

Viewers of ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and CW had 26 new programs to sample when the 2010-11 television season launched, but there was the usual attrition. In the first seven weeks of the new season, five new shows got the ax, leading some observers to wonder if the networks aren’t patient enough. But many weaklings are hanging on in a generally anemic fall season, a stark contrast to last year, when new hits such as Fox’s Glee, ABC’s Modern Family and CBS’s The Good Wife and NCIS: Los Angeles built momentum.

The year saw the end of CBS daytime staple, As the World Turns, which was replaced this fall by a new daytime talk show, The Talk.

Also ending a long run was Law & Order on NBC. It was canceled at the end of its 20th season, leaving it tied with Gunsmoke as the longest-running scripted show in television history.

Another exit from the airwaves, albeit temporary, was Simon Cowell, the acerbic Brit who helped give American Idol some of its sharpest — and nastiest — moments. He’s left the popular Fox show. But Cowell’s The X Factor, a show he created and is a hit in Britain, will join Fox’s schedule next year with Cowell in an on-air role.

The world of public broadcasting was rocked by the news in October that KCET, the Los Angeles PBS member station, decided leave the public broadcasting network and become an independent station, saying it couldn’t afford the PBS dues. Following KCET’s decision, KOCE will take over the noncommercial network’s primary affiliation in Los Angeles beginning Jan. 1.

Journalism

While the early bird may get the worm, early news apparently gets the viewers. Or so stations seem to believe. All during 2010, 4:30 a.m. replaced 5 o’clock as the de rigueur start of the news day. A rough estimate from TVNewsCheck‘s archives showed at least 50 stations moving to the earlier start during the year.

And a few even upped the ante to 4 a.m., like KENS San Antonio, Texas, and WXIN Indianapolis.

But the morning wasn’t the only daypart to get expanded newscasts. All across the country, more news was being added weekdays and on weekends. Again, the TVNewsCheck‘s archives turned up more than 40 stations either lengthening newscasts or creating new ones in timeslots that ranged from mornings to afternoons, to early evening to post-primetime.

That’s not to say, however, that some stations didn’t cut back. Among those that dropped some newscasts were KNBC Los Angeles; KOHD Bend, Ore.; WPIX New York; and WNOL New Orleans.

Some other stations, while maybe not cutting back news, did cut staff. Just two weeks ago, 27 positions at Fisher Communications’ CBS affiliate KIDK Idaho Falls-Pocatello were to be eliminated as a result of a shared-services agreement struck by Fisher and News-Press & Gazette Broadcasting, which owns KIFI, the market’s ABC affil.

Such consolidation of news is not usual, according to an RTDNA/Hofstra University survey. Nearly a third of the TV news directors surveyed said that they run local news on another local or nearby station.

The layoffs and furloughs that sweep through the business in late 2008 and much of 2009 abated this year, although they were some. Among those bucking the positive trend were  KCBS-KCAL Los Angeles; WKBW Buffalo, N.Y.; and WPEC West Palm Beach, Fla.

One way of dealing with the tight economic times that led to those cutbacks and budget tightening was the steady increase of backpack or one-man band journalism. According to RTDNA, three years ago, 22.3% of surveyed stations said they “mostly use” one-man-bands. Today, that percentage is up to 31.7%. And it’s also spreading to the networks.

E.W. Scripps CEO Rich Boehne said that one of his TV group’s top priorities is examining its newscasts to determine how to break out from the “plague of sameness” that afflicts the industry and reimagine what local news should look like.

In an effort to eradicate that plague, Tribune low-ranked CW affiliate in Houston, KIAH, is moving ahead with plans to air an anchorless newscast, even though the original impetus of the experiment, Chief Innovation Officer Lee Abrams, left the company in October.

It was an eventful year for the broadcast networks’ news divisions. Former Good Morning America producer Ben Sherwood was tapped to succeed David Westin as president of ABC News. And the network lured Christiane Amanpour away from CNN to be the new anchor of This Week.

Last month, CBS overhauled its Early Show, jettisoning co-anchors Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez along with weather forecaster Dave Price. The new anchor team is Chris Wragge and Erica Hill, who have worked together anchoring CBS’s Saturday-morning show.

Over at NBC, Gene Shalit, a mainstay on the Today show for four decades, left in November, saying: “It’s enough already.”

The networks evening newscasts continued to lose viewers, and those it has are getting older. NBC took the unusual step of having anchor Brian Williams recommend to viewers that they record the 6:30 p.m. newscast if they will not be home in time to watch live.

There were also cuts at the network news departments. Both CBS and ABC eliminated a significant number of positions at the beginning of the year.

Sales/Advertising

Station executives got more creative in accommodating regular advertisers during political season when campaign and issue advertising floods in and tends to wash out other advertising. Among the solutions were driving excess advertising to new local newscasts, multicast channels and the Web and communicating well with regular clients.

To make amends to regular advertisers who were shoved around to make room for the TV campaigners, KSNV Las Vegas is now offering a “local political rate card” discount to them. “We’re trying to issue our own stimulus package,” says GM Lisa Howfield.

The Television Bureau of Advertising got a new leader this year (Steve Lanzano, the former COO of Havas’ MPG North America), a new name (it’s now just TVB), a new logo, a new tagline (“Local Media Marketing Solutions”) and a relaunched website.

Also promoting the power of TV stations was Nexstar. The station group will more than double the number of spots outlining the strength and value of local TV advertising. It’s also providing stations with tool kits to create targeted hyper-local promotional messages.

And there was a major change at Fox. After 43 years of selling radio and TV commercials, Fox ad chief Jon Nesvig called it quits. He was succeeded by the network’s Eastern sales chief, Toby Byrne.

ABC created a new local ad inventory system that lets TV stations buy more local commercial time to sell to local advertisers. ABC says the new effort, the Inventory Exchange System, will allow TV stations to add more local inventory for stations in high-demand selling periods: end-of-the-year holidays, end-of-month car sales and major political elections.

Ratings came under fire. In November, the Media Rating Council revoked its accreditation for Nielsen’s 154 diary-only local TV market reports, effective with the 2009 audit period.

A new entry in the TV measurement arena picked up steam this year as Rentrak announced deals for clients and data that will let it offer national audience measurements powered by data from Dish Network’s homes across every TV market.

In October, TVB took issue with a Nielsen report that had spot revenues were down 3.25% through the first half of this year to $10.3 billion — findings TVB said conflict with many other media research reports, as well as TV station group earnings reports — with the latter two showing revenues generally pacing up around 20% or more versus a year ago.

New Media

For years, many local TV websites were just promotional vehicles, featuring smiling anchor photos and broadcast schedules. No more. The latest RTDNA/Hofstra survey found that local news is now front and center on TV sites, including the websites of many stations that don’t even have news on the air. But while there’s been progress on the content side, the research suggests local TV still has a long way to go when it comes to the business side of the Web.

While the number of people sitting in front of the tube at 10 or 11 p.m. has declined consistently over the past decade and the form itself seems an antiquated aspect of the popular culture, the audience for TV stations’ local news output has expanded. More people are seeing content from local TV outlets than ever, most of it in short bursts and much of it away from the television screen.

Stations across the country were reordering and relaunching their websites to offer improved navigation, more video and photo content, enhanced social media tools and better design.

Among the groups revamping their local strategies with overhauled or new sites were NBC, CBS, Gannett, Meredith, Scripps, Hubbard, Belo and Univision.

Many of these station efforts involved creating hyperlocal sites to cover various areas of their DMA. TV stations, with their newsrooms and strong and trusted brands, are in the perfect position to be hyperlocal online leaders.

All these efforts were helping station bottom lines. An RTDNA/Hofstra University survey found that more TV station websites are turning a profit in 2010 and many sites are increasing their content while eliminating site elements that may not be working well.

This year, stations also were discovering, and trying to capitalize on the growing value of social media to their businesses.

The number of social networking initiatives at stations soared over the last year, according to an RTDNA/Hofstra survey, with 76% of responding stations integrating social media on their websites and 68% incorporating it into their storytelling.

There was a new development in new media, one that broadcasters didn’t care for. For $4.95 a month, a startup called ivi began streaming all the TV stations in New York and Seattle online in the fall and later added stations in Chicago and Los Angeles.

CEO and founder Todd Weaver believes the service is legal under existing copyright law, but the networks, studios and sports interest vehemently disagree. Anticipating problems, Weaver asked a federal court in Seattle to bless the service. The copyholders, meanwhile, asked a federal court in New York for an injunction. Both sides are awaiting word from the courts.

Another such service is FilmOn. Backed by British billionaire Alki David, the streaming service debuted in September with the all the network O&Os in Los Angeles as well as some cable networks and international channels. The service was offered in two tiers, basic for $9.95 and $24.95 for all-in premium.

But it didn’t last long. In November, a court issued a temporary restraining order preventing FilmOn from streaming broadcast stations. This week, in a YouTube video, a combative David accused plaintiff CBS with promoting piracy of music, movies and TV shows through CNET.

Sezmi announced this week that it would be shutting down its Select Plus wireless cable service, a $19.95-a-month offering comprising 23 popular cable networks delivered via leased broadcast digital spectrum. Going forward, it will focus on its Select service, which combines local broadcast signals with access to online video via a “personalized” interface and high-capacity DVR for $4.95 per month.

With the rapid takeoff of Apple’s iPad, a growing number of stations are introducing apps to stream to the new devices.

Click here to read Part I of our Year in Review, which covers the happenings in business, retrans, management, multicasting as well as regulatory and legal developments in Washington and elsewhere.

Click here to read Part III of our Year in Review, which covers 2010’s top trends in technology.

Click here to read Fade to Black, our remembrance of some of those who died in 2010.