Struggling ABC replaces top entertainment executive, restructures management

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Posted 6:24PM on Monday, January 7, 2002

NEW YORK - ABC replaced one of its top executives, Stu Bloomberg, and restructured its entertainment division Monday in the midst of a disastrous television season that has seen viewership plunge by 21 percent. Susan Lyne, the chief of ABC's movies unit, was named ABC entertainment president. She'll report to Lloyd Braun, who was co-chairman of ABC entertainment with Bloomberg. Bloomberg had been in his job since 1997 and has worked at ABC for 22 years. ABC shot to the top of the TV ratings two years ago behind the stunning success of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." The network drove Regis Philbin hard, scheduling the game show four nights a week last year and cutting back on its development of new shows. "Millionaire" inevitably faded and, although it was cut back to two nights a week this season, viewers -- particularly young ones -- have fled. Returning shows like "Dharma and Greg" and "Spin City" also have dropped in the ratings. Bloomberg championed the relationship drama "Once and Again" -- even alienating Barbara Walters by moving her newsmagazine to make room for it on Friday nights -- and it hasn't caught on. Although shows like "My Wife and Kids" and "According to Jim" have been mild successes, ABC has developed no new hits since "Millionaire." Among total viewers, ABC is third, behind CBS and NBC this season. Its average prime-time viewership has dipped from 13 million last year at this time to 10.3 million this season, according to Nielsen Media Research. Especially distressing to ABC management is the network's slip to fourth place behind Fox among the advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-old age demographic. It was a solid second last year. Lyne, creator and former editor in chief of the movie magazine Premiere, has overseen the development of successful ABC movie projects like "Anne Frank," "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows" and "Oprah Winfrey Presents: Tuesdays with Morrie." ABC is likely to offer Bloomberg a deal to produce series for the network, an executive said. Bloomberg and Braun shared their job for more than two years. Bloomberg, who helped develop series like "Roseanne" and "The Wonder Years," was widely seen as the creative person and Braun the business mind. Lyne said she has concentrated on cultivating relationships with talented creators like Winfrey and Stephen King, and hopes to continue that in her new job. She also intends to continue developing family-oriented programming like "My Wife and Kids" and "According to Jim" that had been missing since "Roseanne" and "Home Improvement" went off the air. "What's important for us is a mix," she said. "If you look at ABC's history, what's made it a great network is a combination of good family programming, of commercial fare and powerful movies and miniseries that sometimes takes risks and have always been quality."