ABC Ready to Face Affils
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -- ABC's top brass are preparing to work a tough room today as they gather with ABC affiliate station managers for a daylong meeting at a hotel outside Chicago. Top of the agenda for ABC Television Network president Alex Wallau is securing affiliate clearances for the new hourlong late-night series hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, to run from 12:05-1:05 a.m. starting in January. With ABC's late-night block set to run 30 minutes longer than the previous combo of "Nightline" and "Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher," network brass have to convince affiliates that it'll be worth their while to make room for the additional half-hour. Affiliates, meanwhile, are focused on the protracted negotiations with the network over an extension of the deal under which affiliates contribute about $45 million a year to help defray the estimated $550 million yearly cost of the network's NFL rights package. Affiliates want to tie any new deal to a quid pro quo involving limitations on how much and how often ABC can repurpose its primetime programming on cable networks, an issue that all of the major broadcast networks are grappling with these days. ABC's previous three-year agreement with affiliates, which did include limitations on network repurposing, expires this month. Hanging over all the discussions at the Westin O'Hare Hotel outside Chicago will be ABC's deep Nielsen slump in the post-"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" era. "We're coming in with open minds to talk to them, to listen to them and address their concerns," Wallau said. "It's good for us to have an opportunity to get across to them what we're doing in a positive way to address their concerns." Wallau noted that a significant portion of the meeting will be devoted to details about ABC's new program slate and marketing and promotional strategies for the fall. For all the issues on the table, however, Bruce Baker, executive vp at Television and chairman of ABC's affiliate board of governors, said he believes most affiliates are ready to get behind the network's fall campaign and work with top brass in devising a solution to the NFL contributions, repurposing and other divisive subjects. "Affiliates approach each new season with a degree of optimism," Baker said. "This year is no different."
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -- ABC's top brass are preparing to work a tough room today as they gather with ABC affiliate station managers for a daylong meeting at a hotel outside Chicago. Top of the agenda for ABC Television Network president Alex Wallau is securing affiliate clearances for the new hourlong late-night series hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, to run from 12:05-1:05 a.m. starting in January. With ABC's late-night block set to run 30 minutes longer than the previous combo of "Nightline" and "Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher," network brass have to convince affiliates that it'll be worth their while to make room for the additional half-hour. Affiliates, meanwhile, are focused on the protracted negotiations with the network over an extension of the deal under which affiliates contribute about $45 million a year to help defray the estimated $550 million yearly cost of the network's NFL rights package. Affiliates want to tie any new deal to a quid pro quo involving limitations on how much and how often ABC can repurpose its primetime programming on cable networks, an issue that all of the major broadcast networks are grappling with these days. ABC's previous three-year agreement with affiliates, which did include limitations on network repurposing, expires this month. Hanging over all the discussions at the Westin O'Hare Hotel outside Chicago will be ABC's deep Nielsen slump in the post-"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" era. "We're coming in with open minds to talk to them, to listen to them and address their concerns," Wallau said. "It's good for us to have an opportunity to get across to them what we're doing in a positive way to address their concerns." Wallau noted that a significant portion of the meeting will be devoted to details about ABC's new program slate and marketing and promotional strategies for the fall. For all the issues on the table, however, Bruce Baker, executive vp at Television and chairman of ABC's affiliate board of governors, said he believes most affiliates are ready to get behind the network's fall campaign and work with top brass in devising a solution to the NFL contributions, repurposing and other divisive subjects. "Affiliates approach each new season with a degree of optimism," Baker said. "This year is no different."