A&E's Bob DeBitetto is Keeping the Creative Juices Flowing

amp160Since taking over the helm of AampampE Network Bob DeBitetto has introduced programming that has brought AampampE39s median age from 62 into the mid40s That39s considered a nearly impossible feat in TV but it39s also a dual edged sword On the positive side ad revenues are up But younger audiences are also more likely to use DVRs to skip commercials they switch channels more frequently and they expect online content extensions quotThe TV business isn39t an easy gamequot says the general manager of AampampE Biography Channel and Crime ampamp Investigation Channel But he adds quothow lucky am I to be in the TV industry when it39s the most dynamically changing industry in the world We all have a lot to learn but we39re learning at the same timequotquotWe managed a risky strategy of pushing the envelope while being respectful of our brandquot Bob told me during our Lunch at Michael39s quotWe had a very specific planquot that included original nonfiction programming Criss Angel Mindfreak Dog The Bounty Hunter Intervention Gene Simmons Family Jewels Dallas SWAT acquisitions of great dramatic series CSI Miami The Sopranos and planned for next year a major TV event and at least one original dramatic series Bob39s plan for the future includes a quotpowerfully articulated repositioning that emotionally and attitudinally defines our DNAquotBob and quotspecific plansquot did not necessarily go together when he started out after graduating from SUNY Stony Brook and traveling far from home to attend law school at UCLA quotI had seven majors at Stony Brook and spent most of my time booking concerts and listening to rock n39 rollquot he laughs quotI wasn39t especially entrepreneurial I just loved music And going to law school helped me avoid being asked what I was going to do when I graduatedquot UCLA attracted him since he was certain quotlaw school would be boring so I should at least go to Southern Californiaamp8221To his surprise Bob enjoyed law school finding the philosophical discussions engaging and he was recruited by an entertainment law firm where he was working when introduced by a colleague to Disney The studio was looking for an inhouse attorney and Bob39s timing was perfect quotIt was the beginning of a magical decadequot Bob reminisces quotIt was like a MASH unit of talented people who had a great time and achieved great successquot Working with Jeffrey Katzenberg Bill Mechanic Chris McGuirk and Rich Frank Bob was promoted from inhouse lawyer to business affairs to financing acquisitions and coproductionsAfter Katzenberg left Disney Bob joined Hollywood veteran Amy Pascal to launch a new film studio for Ted Turner which had only a short lifespan after Time Warner acquired Turner quotMy career path wasn39t exactly planned up until thenquot Bob admits quotBut my parents instilled in us that we should get the best education we could and to be as creative as we could be in everything we didquotGrowing up in Westchester County Bob was a fan of iconic variety programs like Sonny ampamp Cher and The Smothers Brothers provocative series like All In the Family and he quotnever missedquot Saturday Night Live quotTelevision was more risktaking thenquot he recalls quotThere was a fearlessness as television tackled the divisive issues of the day The environment in TV today is less receptive but as the political climate changes these lessons from the past aren39t lost on mequotWhile Bob believes you can39t underestimate the importance of new media he points out quotwhen you are a mature TV network with access to 90 million households nightly it gives you a real advantage and ability to have relevance We can39t lose sight of TV39s power and instantaneous reach The new platforms support and help us create sustainable program franchises that appeal to younger audiencesquotquotThree years ago AampampE was 21 ranked network among adults 18 to 49 and today we39re 6quot Bob says proudly But he asks quothow do we capitalize on this and establish a clear brand with this audience We need to translate to viewers and advertisers what our original and offnetwork programs have in commonquotThe Sopranos39 acclaimed final two seasons including the controversial finale will run over 20 straight weeks as a major AampampE event next year quotGreat stories well toldquot was instilled in me at Disneyquot Bob comments quotThat39s been our strategy for offnetwork program acquisition and now we have several concepts for original dramas in development targeting at least one original series next summerquot AampampE is also producing one of next season39s biggest TV events a remake of the classic 1971 Michael Crichton thriller Andromeda Strain with executive producers Tony and Ridley Scott The fourhour miniseries features Benjamin Bratt Eric McCormack Ricky Schroder Andre Braugher Daniel Dae Kim Lost and Christa Miller ScrubsBob also has responsibility for The Biography Channel which he believes has exceptional online applications and extensions as does sister network The History Channel AampampE Networks also owns the Crime ampamp Investigation Channel in the UK Hong Kong and Australia and Bob says the company is exploring launching it as a nonlinear broadband channel in the USBob and his wife Caroline Rogers live in Manhattan but he says he is quothopelessly confused I love New York but I also love LA and my teams are on both coasts New York amazes me and experiencing Manhattan has been a real benefit quotOne of the best parts of New York is the art museumsquot Bob effuses quotIn LA you need a parking reservation to go to the Getty New York gets the creative juices flowing like no where elsequot Surrounded at Michael39s by industry celebs Charlie Rose Peter Price Mark Rosenthal with Universal McCann39s Nick Brien Mediaedgecia39s Andrew McLean Time Warner39s Ed Adler and many others Bob quietly confided that not only are his programming juices flowing but he39s thinking about again taking up painting after a several year hiatus It39s a little known fact even among his close friends and colleagues that Bob is an accomplished abstract impressionist having studied privately in Los Angeles with UCLA professor Joseph Blaustein quotSomeone saw my doodling and said I should either get therapy or take art lessonsquot Bob smiles quotYou need to find something to lose yourself in where everything else melts away especially if you want to stay creativequot

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A&E's Bob DeBitetto is Keeping the Creative Juices Flowing

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