Conan O'Brien by Chris Haston/NBC
If the annual spring ritual known as the network television upfront soon disappears, historians will say the end began on May 12, 2008 as ad agency execs marched into something called the NBC Experience.
NBC decided to dump the traditional Radio City Music Hall stage show in which new programs are announced, schedules are analyzed and stars are paraded out. Instead, ad buyers snaked through the NBC Experience Store in Rockefeller Plaza where they were bombarded with images and from numerous NBC Universal properties. Late Night host Conan O’Brien described it as “the epilepsy hut.” He joked that the next NBC upfront would be held at a falafel stand on 49th Street.
The 100-day writers' strike provided an excuse for NBC to try this glitzy experiment (its actual fall line-up was announced a month ago, but look for changes once the other networks weigh in with their schedules this week). The development season was delayed, and many pilots for the fall season were not ready to be screened. But the network had its own reason to trot out some new smoke and mirrors. With another fourth place finish in the ratings this season, the message about prime time would not have been good. So why not dazzle the crowd with the stuff that is working in the NBC Universal family — USA Network, the Sci-Fi Channel, Bravo, CNBC and the Today Show? Heck, even MSNBC has a good story to tell lately. And let’s just say you don’t have to know Spanish to enjoy looking at the newscasters from Telemundo. There was even a room to watch trailers from upcoming theatrical films from Universal. I guess some of those films will be on TV eventually right?
Sure NBC wanted to divert attention from its problems with this approach. But after experiencing the Experience, you could see that television really has changed forever. The strike has disrupted the cycle of new shows being developed in the spring and launched in the fall. Yes, the increase in choices is diminishing broadcast network ratings. But more alarming is the generation of viewers who are watching what they want when they want it through digital video recorders and the Internet. We're headed for the day when a prime time schedule that demands viewers show up at a designated time will be a relic of the past. At the NBC Experience, that day got a lot closer.
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