TWELVE REASONS WHY NBC IS A LAST-PLACE NETWORK

[TMC1982]

Twelve Reasons Why NBC Is a Last-Place Network

In 1976, NBC unveiled a new logo to replace their ubiquitous peacock. It was fancy-looking N made up of two trapezoids, and it cost more than $600,000 to develop. Thing is, a Nebraska PBS affiliate already had a similar-looking logo — which only cost $100 to design. To avoid a lawsuit, NBC paid a $1 million package to the Nebraska station, along with another $55,000 to, according to Mental Floss, "pay for the costs related to not only the legal battle, but the development and implementation of a new logo."


Moral of the story: NBC has been a screw-up for years; it's only become particularly noticeable in the network's awkward post-"Seinfeld"/"Friends"/"E.R"-era. And that sucks, because they've aired some of the best TV shows of all-time. That's why they're so easy to pick on: we tease because we love. Here are 12 reasons why NBC is in last place amongst the Big Four, with some helpful advice, too.


NBC would also like me to remind you to WATCH "SMASH," THE MONDAY AFTER THE SUPER BOWL, in case you haven't seen the ads for the show every three seconds for the last two months.

#12. Karma


#11. Dane and Whitney


#10. “The Firm”


#9. Reliance on Scripted Imports


#8. Yanking Around “Grimm”


#7. Lack of a HUGE Reality Show


#6. "Knight Rider"


#5. Jeff Zucker


#4. XFL


#3. Pulling “Community”


#2. "The Jay Leno Show"


#1. Still Pretending "Friends" Is On

 

[jayn_j]

I am starting to think that NBC's strategy is a lot more involved. Yes, their broadcast is crap and non-competitive. Their cable stuff is first rate and consistently at the top. What would their ratings be like if NBC were airing Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, etc?

By putting the resources into USA and Bravo, NBC is able to break free from the affiliate model. They control the advertising revenue and don't have to answer to anyone on policy or content. They are also able to run short seasons with fewer reruns. It avoids the sweeps game as well.

All in all, NBC could very well be several years ahead of the other networks.

 

[KyDave]

I would swap #2 and #1. That 10:00pm Jay Leno stunt was an incredible failure that they perhaps are STILL trying to recover from.

 

[danristheman]

NBC ratings are so bad they get beat by PBS.

Dan Rose

 

[rockymtnhigh]

NBC ratings are so bad they get beat by PBS.

Dan Rose

You need the drum roll sound effect

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[riffjim4069]

Wait...I thought The Biggest Loser, besides being NBC's broadcast moniker, was already a HUGE reality show.

Seriously, it's a shame what has become of the Peacock Network.

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[Pepper]

What, nobody mentioned that abomination that is the fourth hour of "Today"? Not that the other three hours are much better.

 

[TNGTony]

The most idiotic statement in the article is: "Ratings don't mean as much as they did even 10 years ago."

Ratings are a measurement of how many people are watching the show when the advertisers want their commercials to be seen! The ratings now include DVR views within 24 hours of broadcast which was a tremendous leap for Nielsen. I've mentioned this before: advertisers (the ones who pay for the programs we watch for "free") want to know how many people are watching their commercials and pay for the number of eye-balls watching their commercials. They also pay for specific times. An advertiser paying to get their message out about a weekend sale on a Thursday program doesn't care that the program was watched on Sunday evening! Their commercial was not targeted for that time slot!

The other issue is advertisers want to know what kind of impact a particular campaign has on sales. The shot-gun approach doesn't work as well when you are trying to see how many people respond to a particular set of ads targeted for a specific audience at a specific time.

In order for "Ratings don't mean as much as they did even 10 years ago" to be true, the advertisers would have to go to a totally different marketing style. Advertisers are NOT amenable to change. So Ratings are still king. If you can't deliver the eye-balls to the program, no matter how many critics like it, it will not survive long. That is unless the network is willing to stand by the program gambling the short term loss will snow-ball into long-term win. The examples held up are always programs like Seinfeld. But these are very rare occurrences. Not because some networks don't try to breathe life into shows, but because there are very few shows that will gain audience after the premier. If the numbers hold steady, they stand a shot. If the numbers decline after the premier, they are dead! It won't matter how many online blogs say it's the best show ever made! Good words don't pay for TV productions.

Looking strictly at numvers, I am surprised "The firm" wasn't pulled off the air in the middle of the third episode... and I mean mid-sentence in the middle of the show replaced with a re-run of Emergency! Very few people would have noticed!

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I don't think there is anything I am recording on NBC at all, now that Chuck is done. I ceased watching The Office a long time ago, and 30 Rock is horrible (IN MY OPINION, I know, people love it or hate it, but I hate it x10).

 

[dfergie]

The Voice & Tonight Show are my only timers besides Grimm ...

 

[Mr Tony]

the only thing I watch on NBC is sometimes the 6:00 local news.....

 

[dfergie]

I watch the "local" (300 miles away) also... plus Brian Williams...

 

[televisionarchives]

It goes back and forth. NBC will make a comeback.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Eh... I doubt it. Hasn't been Must See TV in what, a decade?

 

[televisionarchives]

Perhaps Bob Hope said it best. He was on the old Donny and Marie show back in the 1970's and Donny hit a golf ball on the show and it disintegrated after he hit it. Bob then said " Look how it disappeared, where did you get that golf ball from , the NBC Programming Department?"

 

[Stargazer]

Some networks have been out of the running for a decade or longer in the past and made comebacks. I believe NBC will in the future. It is not a matter of if but a matter of when. The only way I think it will not make a comeback is if the other network ratings drop as well which would go to the cable stations or on demand content.

I do not think ratings are as important as they used to be just for the simple fact that this is paid television that we are talking about here. Before cable/satellite was popular it was all free on an antenna and only the network stations. They relied on advertisement for their income so it was extremely important back then. Now they get money from us subscribers whether we watch them or not especially since they require a bundle. All they need is one decent station in a bundle of junk to get a deal. They do not have the incentive to bring quality television like they used to to the extent that they used to. They just do what they can get by with I feel in some cases.

 

[TMC1982]

Network Status Update: Are Things Looking Up for Last-Place NBC? -- Vulture

Bottom line: It's easy to make a case that things at NBC are hopeless. Just take a look at how few shows it has near the top of the Nielsen ratings, or how on some nights Peacock programs end up drawing a smaller audience in key demos than a half dozen or so cable shows airing on the same night. And it's distressing when a good show like Bent debuts on NBC and is seen ... by virtually nobody. The hole Jeff Zucker and Ben Silverman dug remains deep. And yet, NBC still seems in much better shape than it was in eighteen months ago: People are talking about (some) of its shows, and the team running the network is infinitely more competent than its predecessor. Sure, some people got bent when NBC seemed to give up on Bent without trying, but look at how hard Greenblatt tried to save Prime Suspect last fall. Or his laser-focused attention on Smash, or the fact that Awake will get to finish out its thirteen-episode order without being yanked. The slate Greenblatt will unveil next week is the first to be fully formed by his team. Once we see how viewers respond to those shows, we'll know for sure whether NBC is on the comeback trail.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I am looking forward to the Olympics on NBC.

 

[KE4EST]

NBC used to be my favorite, but it has not been in years, don't watch anything on it. Except for the 6 and 11PM news as ice said. We have the best news and weather on our local NBC affiliate.

 

[dfergie]

Actually I believe ABC came in last this year...