Upfront Week 2012: Rating the Networks' Upfront Extravaganzas - Ed Martin

As upfront week began I found myself wondering if the annual extravaganza of presentations and parties had any value anymore because anyone who was receiving alerts from certain Web sites or was actively engaged on Twitter already knew which shows each network was renewing which ones they were cancelling and which pilots they were picking up and why With the exception of a few scheduling questions there was simply nothing left to learn So what would be the point of sitting through all of those presentations and why would the networks want to continue spending vast fortunes to put them on Indeed Conan O39Brien at the Turner presentation was moved to suggest that next year the whole thing shift to SkypeBut as the week progressed I realized yet again that when it comes to clarifying a network39s brand message generating excitement for its future plans and showcasing its talent there is nothing quite like the upfront experience As overloaded as it is especially with so many cable networks squeezing into the mix the week takes on its own unique momentum and if one paces oneself and moves through it the rewards far outweigh the drawbacksOverall it was a good week for broadcast and cable networks alike at least in terms of getting their messages out to advertisers and the press What follows is my annual hindsight critique of all the upfront action But before jumping in I39d like to acknowledge the tremendous amount of work that goes into producing all of these presentations Even the smallest upfront event is a massive undertakingEach network has been assigned a Jack rating after a collective assessment of its overall presentation clarity of messaging program positioning star power and infotainment valueThe ratings are as follows5 Jacks Excellent4 Jacks Very Good3 Jacks Good2 Jacks Fair1 Jack Poor0 Jacks Worse than badCBS 5 Jacks Anyone who might wonder why CBS usually takes top honors for the week need only have walked through Carnegie Hall before its presentation even began to understand why it remains the network to beat for upfront effectiveness For the better part of a halfhour before the show started a vivid display of glamorous and exciting images and videos featuring all of CBS39 stars filled the massive screen above the stage It was so wellconceived and executed that it was mesmerizing to watch The rest of the presentation was similarly impressive from the usual opening remarks by CBS chief Leslie Moonves to the boundless enthusiasm of CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler to the introductions of cast members from almost every new and returning CBS show who were seated in the audience An opening video in which quot2 Broke Girlsquot stars Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs in character as waitresses Max and Caroline struggled to make their way to Carnegie Hall and distribute their cupcakes ended with Dennings and Behrs dashing down one aisle handing out their sweet treats They were joined onstage by CBS Network Sales president JoAnn Ross also in a waitress uniform who remarked quotSorry we don39t deliver We overdeliverquot There was also a performance by rapper and quotNCIS LAquot star LL Cool J and classical opera singer Danielle de Niese an appearance by Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning CBS has the big game next season an appreciably fast presentation by Tassler of the network39s new fall shows and a fine party afterwards When it comes to generating firstclass upfront excitement nobody does it better than CBSFox 4 Jacks Fox39s presentation was well done as always but for the first time in longer than I can remember I felt that the network didn39t maximize its talent base quite as effectively as in years past which is why it has dropped one Jack from last year There were no performances by anyone from quotGleequot quotAmerican Idolquot quotThe X Factorquot or quotSo You Think You Can Dancequot A closing song from Mary J Blige seemed awkward and out of place even if she had been a mentor this season on quotIdolquot Nor were there any particularly heartfelt moments the likes of which Kiefer Sutherland could be counted on to deliver during his run on quot24quot But Fox opened the show in traditional grand fashion by having stars from its shows assemble on stage Bringing in Ryan Seacrest to host was a smart move and the disarming charms of quotNew Girlquot star Zooey Deschanel were nicely showcased in a funny little routine with new Fox star Mindy Kaling The big announcement that Britney Spears and Demi Lovato are joining quotThe X Factorquot had everyone talking even though the two young women didn39t do very much when they were brought out on stage with Simon Cowell and LA Reid Everything moved along crisply and efficiently and afterwards Fox kept its reputation intact by throwing the biggest and best party of the week at Central Park39s Wollman Rink CBS and Fox both get special credit for throwing postpresentation parties and giving everyone a chance to mingle with talent and executives alike especially because ABC NBC and The CW chose not to do soThe CW 4 Jacks In some respects The CW39s annual upfront presentation is relatively modest compared to the other broadcasters perhaps because the mininetwork only programs 10 hours of primetime a week But it always puts on a grand show nevertheless and this year39s was somewhat more important than usual in that it marked CW Entertainment president Mark Pedowitz39s debut as an upfront host He did a fine job but how could he not He was surrounded by stunning vertical horizontal and curved video screens that were dazzling to watch as they flashed images of current and future CW talent across the stage area of the New York City Center Most of the clips he introduced played well And his audience was charged up at the start thanks to a powerhouse performance by Flo39 Rida The CW brought out almost all of its stars at the end of the show leaving many of us in the audience feeling somewhat frustrated that we wouldn39t have the opportunity to talk with any of them Too bad they didn39t give the superpopular casts of quotThe Vampire Diariesquot and quotSupernaturalquot a few moments of their own on stage earlier in the presentation I think it39s time for The CW to bring back its postpresentation lunch and extend the alltoobrief momentum it always generatesTurner Networks 4 Jacks If the venue The Hammerstein Ballroom were a nicer one this joint presentation by TNT and TBS might have hit the big 5 on the Jacks meter Regardless this was a breezy and highly impactful affair from the clips to the assortment of impressive stars including the casts of quotDallasquot quotMajor Crimesquot quotSouthlandquot and quotCougar Townquot to amp8211 at last amp8211 the elimination of the inane banter between those stars on the stage Turner Entertainment Networks president Steve Koonin was once again the biggest star of all opening the presentation by wheeling out an antique overhead projector on an especially squeaky cart to ensure that the show would go on even if another power surge lead to multiple equipment failures as legendarily happened last year As always Turner gets extra credit for remembering that journalists play a key role in getting out early word about their upcoming series and schedules once again hosting a grand postpresentation lunch for press and talent only at Del PostoUSA Network 4 Jacks After a spectacular upfront presentation and party last year that came earlier in the season USA decided to move into the already crowded big week itself taking the Thursday afternoon slot that once belonged to Fox It was a risky gamble that paid off No matter how eventweary the advertisers and journalists in the audience might have been the overall response to USA39s grand presentation and pleasant party at Lincoln Center39s Alice Tully Hall was extremely favorable The network stuck with what worked so well last year having the stars of its many series guide the audience through the presentation without a single executive stepping foot on the stage The talent also worked the party afterwards like true professionals quotBurn Noticequot star Bruce Campbell took the stage at the end and pumped up the exhausted audience when he noted quotI39m the last presenter at the last upfrontquot He then offered to buy everyone in the auditorium a cocktail and send the bill to NBCU Cable Entertainment chairman Bonnie Hammer Erykah Badu closed the show with a performance that had many USA stars on their feet Christopher Gorham Mark Feuerstein Callie Thorne Sarah Shahi Piper Perabo and the peerless Mr Campbell can really bust a moveNBC 3 Jacks NBC returned to the majestic Radio City Music Hall after two years in an unremarkable ballroom at the midtown Hilton Hotel and its presentation was much better for it But in making this move it also dropped the relatively intimate postpresentation luncheon with its executives stars and showrunners that had been one of the best such gatherings of the week which cost it a halfJack in these rankings There was much to get excited about during the presentation itself including the controversial opening remarks about audience measurement by NBC Broadcasting chairman Ted Harbert that had everyone talking a performance by quotSmashquot stars Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty of their series39 signature song quotLet Me Be Your Starquot a hugely entertaining sizzle reel at the start starring Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon and a moving rendition of quotI Believe I Can Flyquot by newly minted quotVoicequot champion Jermaine Paul But something about this event overall felt a bit flat It might have been the delivery by NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt and NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke who seemed somewhat dwarfed by the cavernous Radio City stage Or maybe it was their failure to introduce any of the dozens of stars seated in the audience after showing clips from their series Instead we saw them on screen simply sitting in their seats some of them in dark shadows They weren39t even asked to stand and wave CBS and Turner were infinitely better in handling their star introductions And where the heck was brand new quotAmerica39s Got Talentquot judge Howard Stern on the radio maybe Had he been there I39m certain people would still be talking about whatever he had to say Oh well at least we had Crystal the monkey star of the upcoming sitcom quotAnimal Practicequot and the fall season39s most exciting new talentABC 3 Jacks Even watching online it was easy to see that ABC made an effort to improve on its rather bland upfront presentations of recent years This year39s show was all very formal and complete from the opening remarks by DisneyABC Television Group president and Disney Media Networks cochair Anne Sweeney to ABC Entertainment president Paul Lee39s cheerful introductions of the network39s new shows to the many clips from all of them ABC even brought stars back to its presentation having cast members from quotRevengequot quotOnce Upon a Timequot and quotModern Familyquot appear on stage As always Jimmy Kimmel was on hand to entertain at halftime in comically rude fashion quotI39m sick of itquot he said of the upfront quotI39m sick of new shows I39m sick of the old shows I39m sick of research I39m sick of demographics I39m sick of Anne I39m sick of Paul and I39m getting sick of you the audience I hate to say it but how many times do I have to tell you this is bullshit It39s an upfront so I39ll be up front We don39t know what we39re doingquot To be honest I think that after ten years Kimmel39s upfront appearances are getting old I39m still a fan of his and of his show but it39s time for ABC to find someone or something new to liven up this allimportant event

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Upfront Week 2012: Rating the Networks' Upfront Extravaganzas - Ed Martin

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