Upfronts 2013: NBC Affiliates on Board With Network's Prime Plan

Stations put Blacklist on short list, like the family ties with Michael J. Fox

By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/13/2013 3:34:04 PM

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While NBC's primetime has yet to show it's on solid footing, the network's affiliates liked what they saw in the upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall, and feel NBC is on the right path to prime success. With the Roots providing the musical backdrop, Bob Greenblatt, NBC entertainment chairman, and Jennifer Salke, entertainment president, showed off the new slate.

"NBC is obviously focused on building upon its success this year," said Jordan Wertlieb, affiliates board chairman and executive VP at Hearst Television, mentioning Revolution and Chicago Fire. "It's nice to see procedural dramas at 10 p.m. With so much delayed viewing (via DVR), it's important to capture as much audience flow in and out of a time period as possible."

Wertlieb singled out rookies Ironside, a drama featuring Blair Underwood as a streetwise detective in a wheelchair (Raymond Burr starred in NBC's first Ironside decades ago); and The Blacklist, a dark drama starring a creepy James Spader. He said the latter, sliding into a post-The Voice slot on Mondays, offers viewers two hooks each week: the relationship between protagonist bad guy Spader and a young female law enforcement official, and a mystery to solve.

Brian Lawlor, the Scripps senior VP who passed the affiliates board chairman torch to Wertlieb a year ago, said it was the best NBC upfront presentation he'd seen in years. "There were three real solid dramas and three really funny comedies," he said.

Lawlor notes that Greenblatt started essentially from scratch on primetime a few years ago, and has made substantial strides a night at a time: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and, with any luck, Wednesday. "They laid out a plan and they've followed it," says Lawlor. "They've tried to build strategically and now it's paying off."

The Michael J. Fox Show, starring Fox as a WNBC New York anchor overcoming challenges brought on by Parkinson's Disease and his overbearing family, was deemed best of the comedy bunch. Fox has goodwill with affiliates dating back to his role on Family Ties in the mid ‘80s. "Everybody loves Michael J. Fox," says Diane Kniowski, vice president and general manager at WOOD Grand Rapids. "They always will."

It's understandable if some NBC affiliates walked out of Radio City with some skepticism. After all, they're shown a long lineup of sizzle reels each May, many which look to be the one to yank NBC out of the primetime cellar, only to see the large majority of the programs disappear by the following May. Last year, for example, the comedies Go On, Animal Practice and Guys With Kids drew high marks. None of them will see a sophomore season, while Animal Practice did not make it out of October.

Several NBC affiliates around the nation are losing their longtime leads in the lucrative late news race as NBC continues to find its footing in prime.

"It's a lot easier to lead an audience that's already there straight into late news," says Kniowski. "It's a lot harder to get people to turn the channel."

Wertlieb noted that NBC has three seasons: a fall featuring Sunday Night Football, spring, and a summer campaign featuring popular reality and, this year, the Olympics. It is currently competitive in two of the three and -- if anything shared at its upfront presentation can stick -- NBC can be competitive in all three.

"There's a lot to be optimistic about," said Wertlieb.