CBS at TCA: "18-49 Is Not the End All It's Made Out to Be," Says Nina Tassler - Ed Martin

CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler took the stage Sunday morning at the Summer 2012 Television Critics Association Tour carrying a cuddly stuffed monkey that was wearing the quotducky tiequot seen this season on the network39s quotHow I Met Your Motherquot This was the first time I can recall a network president starting a session off on an overtly humorous note since Jeff Zucker walked out on stage during NBC39s executive panel during the July 2001 tour wearing a flack jacket with the Peacock39s logo on itZucker39s visual was designed to cut the tension in the room as he was at the time still relatively new to the role of network president and had been on the receiving end of much negative press about his reliance that summer on lowbrow reality programs to boost ratings Tassler on the other hand was just having fun with some of her competitors39 experiences during this tour amp8211 especially the endless copy generated around NBC39s cocktail party which featured as its main attractions Crystal the Monkey from quotAnimal Practicequot and Gov Sarah PalinquotIt39s been a TCA full of cell phone announcements from the stage monkeys Sarah Palin renegotiationsquot Tassler noted referring in order to NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly calling Mariah Carey on his cell phone during Fox39s executive session to confirm that she was joining quotAmerican Idolquot the adorable Crystal the cameraready Palin and the quotModern Familyquot cast39s widely publicized salary issues quotI couldn39t resistquot she added with a smileAfter pointing out the monkey39s quotHIMYMquot tie Tassler said quotI think he39s hungry so I39m going to send him backquot With that a CBS page whisked the little guy off stage The monkey returned for photo opportunities at the CBS party that nightTassler is known for her energetic stage presence but even that enviable skill doesn39t always guarantee a lively executive session at TCA tours amp8211 especially when they are scheduled early on the Sunday morning following the annual Television Critics Association Awards ceremony and after party So bringing out the monkey amp8211 which I39m told was her idea amp8211 was a brilliant move It in fact woke up the room and set a positive tone not only for the session to come but for the entire day which concluded with one of the best parties of the tourNot that there was any need for positive reinforcement as Tassler made immediately clear quotWe39re No 1 in viewers We39re No 1 in upfront revenue We39re No 1 in Emmy nominationsquot she happily declared quotWe were No 1 last season in 25amp820954 We beat ABC and NBC in 18amp820949 for the sixth straight season And we grew our audience in both viewers and adults 18amp820949quotquotWhile we enjoy winning in all the categories 18amp820949 is not the end all it39s made out to bequot Tassler continued quotWe sell more advertising against 25amp820954 than we do against 18amp820949 and it39s worked out pretty well for us Last season we introduced two breakout hits in the No 1 new drama 39Person of Interest39 and the No 1 new comedy 392 Broke Girls39 We39re excited about what these two shows can do in Season 2 I39m also really proud of the environment we39ve created for launching and sustaining hit shows from development to scheduling to marketing to current programmingquotWhen a producer comes through our doors they know the bar is high They know it39s competitive They know it39s hard to get on the schedule But when they do they are given the best chance for success If you look at this year39s schedule 80 percent of our returning scripted shows have already been sold into syndication That39s really good business for CBS It39s really good business for our studio partners and our content creators In fact in the last three years we39ve had a freshman show sold into syndication before the second season even started 39NCIS LA39 39Hawaii Fiveamp8209039 and 392 Broke Girls39 That39s even better businessquotPerhaps it was Tassler39s infectious enthusiasm Maybe it was the monkey But the session that followed can only be described as a dream for any network entertainment president many of whom have at one time or another expressed great reluctance when confronted with the demands of appearing before the TCA membership for approximately 35 minutes twice a year There were no confrontations no awkward discussions of serious issues and no uncomfortable silences In fact the entire day played out that way The greatest urgency was reserved for questions about the likelihood of a possible ninth season for quotHow I Met Your Motherquot which is about to begin its eighth and CBS39 plans this season to minimize the damage done in the fall to its Sunday night series especially the semiserialized quotThe Good Wifequot by football overrunsIn response to queries about quotHIMYMquot Tassler said quotWe39ve got a great relationship with executive producers Craig Thomas and Carter Bays and certainly they have a very strategic wrapamp8209up to the show That would be finally identifying the mother in the show39s title They know we want the show to come back next year We are having conversations right now about extending it amp8230 We39re in early conversations and we39re pretty optimisticquotAs for football overruns quotWe39re developing new SMS texting technology to make sure our audience knows that the show is going to be delayedquot Tassler explained quotFor us anyway having NFL overruns it39s great All of our numbers are up on Sunday night as a result of it But between texting between online notifications between Facebook technology literally we do everything possible and will continue to do everything to make sure that the audience knows that quotThe Good Wifequot and quotThe Mentalistquot will be on later as a result of itquotSo at the end of the day we are continuing to develop and create new ways of notifying viewers when the show is going to be premiering later that nightquot she concluded quotWe are very sensitive to how it impacts the audience of the showquot

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CBS at TCA: "18-49 Is Not the End All It's Made Out to Be," Says Nina Tassler - Ed Martin

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