NBC: Our Programs 'Suck'

NewsMax ^ | 11/4/03 | Limbacher

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

As Americans continue to find better things to do than consume the latest slop the networks are dumping into the troughs, the TV media have railed at Nielsen Media Research for supposedly undercounting viewers. But one sane voice at NBC takes at least partial blame.

The fall season is bombing because "some of the programming just sucked," NBC entertainment chief Jeff Zucker said today in New York in a speech to the International Radio & Television Society Foundation.

"Our programming is not that good, and the Nielsen sample is bad. End of story," Zucker said.

He admitted that "Coupling," canceled after a mere four episodes, was his biggest mistake of the year.

[Dustbunny]

There is little on TV that is worth wasting our time watching.

[martin_fierro]

NBC: Our Programs 'Suck'

Literally and figuratively.

My sister-in-law sells ads for NBC.

She asks me what I think of their programming.

I tell her.

It only makes her mad at me.

[jennyp]

"Our programming is not that good, and the Nielsen sample is bad. End of story," Zucker said.

And then they went and cancelled Boomtown! Geez! That was one of the more intriguing dramas on the air.

[Simmy2.5]

Basically given up on network television (only exception, Alias...and maybe 24 if I ever remember to watch it). Now, mostly cable for me.

[squidly]

Aside from sports, I haven't had any use for the Big 3 networks for years.

[freemama]

Let her know the only thing this midwestern middle aged housewife will watch on network TV is ER. And even that has gotten to sexualized for my tastes.

I watch nothing while the kids are up. Then I zoom through both Hannity and Scarborough on the Replay TV before the local news at 10.

So little time, but then again, so little worthwhile TV to watch anyway.

[gcruse]

The NFL and JAG. All else has been cable for years.

[Naspino]

Let her know the only thing this midwestern middle aged housewife will watch on network TV is ER. And even that has gotten to sexualized for my tastes.

ER made its foray into politics a long long time ago. I stopped watching it after the first season I think. My new rule is to not watch any show that makes even a single political statement in line with the party of Peace.

[isthisnickcool]

This is my favorite TV program besides most anything on FOX.

[smith288]

I would be happy if all the programming was straight hidden camera shows like Scare tactics, punk'd and trigger happy tv.

I love those candid camera shows that show natural instinctual reactions.

[pabianice]

What's "NBC"?

[Republican Red]

I use to be a fan of ER on NBC.

I have watched the emergency room drama for years. Every year it has gotten worse. I know there are some questionable actors in the show but I like doctor type shows.

This season the premier episode was set in Africa during some god forsaken uprising. The show was very graphic and very anti-American. They actually had a line about no one in America caring about the wars in Africa because "there's no OIL in Africa". The show is suppose to be about an emergency room in Chicago. What the heck are the doctors doing fighting a damn war in Africa?

They took a perfectly good show and through the years ripped it apart. They threw in the main woman doctor in a lesbian relationship, they threw in the obligatory racism charges every chance they got, they delved into most of the DNC talking points about health care... but still I watched. I watched until this year. I haven't turned it on since that epidode.

And they actually wonder why the ratings are down?

[stainlessbanner]

1. Overkill on Reality TV
2. Non-humorous sitcoms
3. Too many CSI and Law & Order shows

There is absolutely no creativity on the big networks any more.

[stainlessbanner]

Tonite's episode: Paul Sr. yells at Paul Jr. for not building a bike on time, but Jr. gets it done at the last second.

Tomorrow's episode: Paul Sr. yells at Paul Jr. for not building a bike on time, but Jr. gets it done at the last second.

[suzyq5558]

I have not watched abc,nbc,or cbs since around 1985 i think. i just turned the tv off one day and started reading and painting and other things.
when my hubby brought home a dish a few yr.s back i started watching again but it's the sattelite programing TLC, discovery, CTV, history. ive still not watched the alphabets andi dont plan on it ever. they stink!

[Wright is right!]

"He admitted that "Coupling," canceled after a mere four episodes, was his biggest mistake of the year."

Well, duh. They took a Beeb show that had spicy double-entendres, clever writing, an odd charm and an appealing cast - and took out the charm, the appealing cast, changed the double-entendres to blunt-force dirty lines and used hackneyed writers. And they thought that'd work?

The reason this keeps happening is that there is a good-sized group of writers (typists) who have been around so long the entire bunch has become incestuous. But they ARE the IN group of writers, and no matter what the subject matter, this same group of writers is hired to do just about every genre that comes along. It's a group (maybe a 100 or so of them) that are in the A-list - which is more aptly called The Liberal-Supported Writers Group. They are all more or less continuously employed, despite the dreck they churn out, because that part of the industry is so closed off and no one in it will ever allow another member to go without a paycheck. So someone who writes for CBS on one project gets hired for another one at ABC, and when that doesn't work, they get picked up out of sympathy by some crew head at NBC. They never admit that their shows stink, just that "Nielsen had a bad sample." So failed writer after failed writer keeps getting hired, and predictably turn out more failures. But they all take care of each other.

Get fired at ABC? No worries, mate, CNN will pick you up. It's the same, ya see, in the news bidness as well. Aside from the anchor talent, look at the lineup of network reporters. Half of them are now at different networks than when they started.

Michael

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I don't think I watch a single thing on NBC, primetime or otherwise.

[martin_fierro]

They don't even have NFL Football, fer crissakes.

[isthisnickcool]

LOL! True true true!

I'm more interested in watching them fabricate the stuff than anything else. I used to race motorcycles. We built or modified our own frames, engines, etc. So it's fun to watch them even though the bikes are not what I'd call racing machines.