CBS' Nina Tassler on TV Violence: "Nothing That is On the Air is Inappropriate." - Ed Martin Live

Pasadena CA Not surprisingly the first question directed toward CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler during her session Saturday at the Winter 2013 Television Critics Association tour was about her network39s approach to responsible programming in the aftermath of the mass murders last year in Aurora and Newtown Violence in the media has been the dominant topic at this tour eclipsing just about everything elsequotI don39t think there39s anyone on this planet whose life hasn39t been changed andor affected by the recent course of eventsquot Tassler said quotI39m a parent I39m a mother What happened has shaken me and all of us to our corequotTo the extent that the people we work with have a renewed sensitivity towards what we do amp8211 absolutelyquot she continued quotWe are parents and we respect the jobs that we have we respect the relationship we have with our audience So I can only tell you that in looking at our pilots first and foremost it is picking and selecting the very best material we can We are fortunate in that we have an extraordinary roster of allstar players developing pilots for us this year They too have a similar level of awareness and sensitivity The reality is that we have to pick the best material We have to continue to make decisions about supporting great quality shows on televisionquotNothing that is on the air is inappropriatequot Tassler insisted More than one critic in the room would later grumble otherwise mainly because of the more extreme episodes of the network39s longrunning procedural quotCriminal Mindsquot which has on occasion veered into exceedingly twisted and depraved territory with its storylines about serial killers and other reallife monstersWhen one critic suggested that the issue for parents is not so much the intensity or appropriateness of violent content but rather the sheer volume of violent material Tassler gently asserted that parents must play a role in what their kids watchquotThe conversation that we are now a part of that all media conglomerates are a part of it39s an ongoing conversationquot she replied quotSo I think for parents and I include myself in that there is comfort to be taken There is a level of communication going on right now that is certainly dealing with how we39re going to handle the situation In terms of parents and their concerns about content on television ultimately that39s still our decision That39s still my decision What my child does or doesn39t watch is my prerogativequotOur shows are appropriately rated on television We provide that for our audiences and for parents As to the extent that there will be further conversations and discussions about helping educate parents as to the kinds of controls that are available absolutely we39ll be a part of that as wellquotOnce the violence issue was addressed it was on to programming matters as usual Tassler was brimming with facts and figures about CBS39 many successes this season from the growing audience for quotElementaryquot and quotPerson of Interestquot to quotThe Big Bang Theoryquot scoring the highest ratings of its six seasons and passing quotModern Familyquot as television39s top comedy in the 1849 demographicWhen a reporter asked about problems concerning audience measurement in the multiplatform environment amp8211 the other issue that has come up repeatedly during this tour though a distant second behind violence on television Tassler was happy to note that quotRight now our core business our ad supported business is still doing very well We39re very successful in that business model Once the measurement expands and we are accurately recording we39ll see what the ad model is and how that flourishes and how it growsquotWe39re looking for that ancillary revenue that will come from a good strong measurementquot she continued quotLive 7 adds approximately 3 million viewers per show that39s a pretty hefty numberquotBut CBS isn39t getting paid for Live 7 the reporter assertedquotNo we are notquot Tassler agreed quotUltimately we will be And you know when CBS Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves is on a mission he usually accomplishes that And he is on a mission to get this donequotTassler informed the group that the network39s big new midseason drama quotGolden Boyquot which will tell the story of a young beat cop39s meteoric rise to police commissioner over a period of seven years and ideally over seven reallife seasons has been altered a bit to reflect the strong chemistry in the pilot between the show39s stars Theo James and Chi McBride quotIt39s turned into a twohander between these two actorsquot she explained quotIt39s extraordinaryquotTassler also announced a summer series based on the Stephen King novel quotUnder the Domequot about an idyllic small town whose residents are suddenly trapped beneath a giant invisible barrier of some kind A preview reel for the series seemed to play very well but one critic was moved to ask if the townspeople in the show try to escape their new prison simply by digging an underground tunnelquotYou know it39s not too early to have that addressedquot Tassler replied amid gales of laughter She later said she would like to see quotDomequot become an ongoing summer series for the networkCBS offered only an abbreviated day at TCA turning over its afternoon to cable sibling Showtime But it packed a lot into its morning In addition to Tassler39s press conference there were sessions for the new drama quotGolden Boyquot the new reality series quotThe Jobquot from executive producers Michael Davies and Mark Burnett and the upcoming Grammy Awards which will be hosted once again by rapper and quotNCIS LAquot star LL Cool J The morning ended with a panel for the 201213 broadcast season39s most successful new hour drama quotElementaryquot Series stars Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu were on hand to talk about the fast success of the show and the special episode that will be telecast immediately following CBS39 presentation of Super Bowl XLVII

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CBS' Nina Tassler on TV Violence: "Nothing That is On the Air is Inappropriate." - Ed Martin Live

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