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...Days at NBC Declining ratings and weakening demographics could spell trouble for network czar Jeff Zucker...
...thought we would be," says Zucker. A master salesman whose ability to massage stars' egos and broker deals with talent is legendary, Zucker takes a decidedly glass-half-full view of NBC's current stumbles. The hits of his competitors, he insists, are proof that the rumors of network television's demise are greatly exaggerated...
Defeat is something Zucker--who was a high-ranked junior tennis player and has twice beaten colon cancer--isn't used to. Ever since he embraced hard news and used stunts like outdoor concerts to turn Today into NBC's gold mine, Zucker has been the network's golden boy. From the time he got his start, doing advance research for NBC's coverage of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, "Jeff was tireless and energetic," says his boss Bob Wright. "In his kind of work, you have to anticipate everything and be willing to change on a dime. Jeff has that...
Despite having no background in prime-time entertainment, Zucker was dispatched in late 2000 to Burbank, Calif., to help re-energize the network, which had failed to recognize the explosive appeal of reality TV. Within a short time, Zucker was doing what many observers say he does best: putting a new spin on a proven concept and promoting the heck out of it. He generated two hits in the gross-out fest Fear Factor and The Apprentice. "NBC thought reality TV was beneath them," says Steve Friedman, Zucker's producing predecessor at Today. "[He knew] that you can never...
DROPPED. MISS AMERICA, from ABC, leaving the iconic beauty pageant without a network home for the first time since its first televised pageant 50 years ago. The move, a result of sinking ratings, has the potential to devastate the 84-year-old nonprofit organization, which was financially dependent on its income from the annual broadcast. Pageant officials say they are optimistic that the show will appear on another channel...