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Within the executive offices of the four major networks, sweeping changes are occurring and billions of dollars are at stake. Now Bill Carter, bestselling writer of The Late Shift, goes behind the scenes to reveal the inner workings of the television set industry, capturing the real portraits of the larger-than-life moguls and stars who make it such a cutthroat business.
In a time of sweeping media change, the four major networks struggle for the attention of American viewers increasingly distracted by cable, video gaming, and the Internet. Behind boardroom doors, tempers flare in the search for hit shows, which often get on the environment purely unintentionally. The fierce competition creates a pressure-cooker environment where anything can happen . . .
• NBC’s fall from grace—After the undisputed king of prime time, NBC plunged from first place to last place in the ratings in the course of an individual season. Exactly what will be the price of that collapse—and who'll pay it?
• CBS’s slow and steady race to the top—Unlike NBC, CBS, under the leadership of CEO, Leslie Moonves, engineered one of the most spectacular turnarounds in television set history. But in this ruthless world, you’re only as effective as last week’s ratings . . . .
• ABC’s surprising resurrection—Lost and Desperate Housewives—have brought ABC the sort of success it could only dream of before. Why don’t the executives accountable for those hits work there any more?
• The finish of the news as we know it—Inside a stunningly short period of the time, all three of the major network news anchors—Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, and Peter Jennings—signed off, leaving executives scrambling for a way to keep network news relevant in an era of 24/7 information.
• Crazy Like Fox—They’re outrageous, unconventional, and occasionally off-putting, but increasing numbers of people are watching Fox shows. Primarily they keep watching American Idol. How did Simon Cowell snooker himself into an enormous payday? Stay tuned . . .
In Desperate Networks Bill Carter digs deep inside the industry, delivering utterly irresistible “dish” that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s the perfect book to learn when there’s nothing on TV.
