TV executive reminisces about industry’s golden days
When 70-year-old Fred Silverman, producer of television hits ranging from ‘All in the Family’ to ‘Three’s Company’ to ‘Cheers,’ was asked if he would consider running a network again, he didn’t miss a beat.
‘No,’ he said. ‘I’m too old and too wise.’
Silverman was the focus of Wednesday’s symposium, ‘From Test Patterns to Pixels: Envisioning the Future of Television,’ held in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. The daylong event included panels and speakers from the television field, many of whom, including Silverman, are Newhouse alumni.
The audience for the conversation between Silverman and ’60 Minutes’ correspondent Steve Kroft filled the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium. Their conversation began as a discussion about the different aspects of Silverman’s career.
‘Are you proudest of your success in the numbers business, because you were able to take these networks to No. 1?’ Kroft asked. ‘Or more proud of the programs and the legacy you have left behind?’
Silverman didn’t need to stop and think before answering.
‘I’m more proud of the programs. No matter what it is, ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ or ‘Roots,’ the thing that is gratifying is that they are on DVDs and they are still available,’ Silverman said. ‘There are scores of people looking at them at this moment, some for the first time. This is something I never expected. In commercial television, being successful means reaching a large audience and being number one.’
Their conversation progressed to a look at current network television, primarily at CBS, ABC and NBC – all of which he worked for, in that order. Kroft asked Silverman what obstacles network television faces today and about a recent lack of breakaway hits.
‘The broadcasting networks are struggling just to stay alive, not just from cable but from the Internet,’ Silverman said. ‘Everything they do is quite deliberate, and they have to be very conscious.’
Silverman said that today’s networks can’t take the same risks now, because too much money is at stake. In the 1980s, owners controlled networks, often personalizing content and management. But today, large conglomerates run the networks. Silverman said that change poses a problem.
‘There are now more three camera shows shot in front of a large audience,’ Silverman said. ‘That has become the law of the land, which is ridiculous. On drama, broadcast is playing it safe. How many ‘CSI’s’ can you put on? It’s the same plots recycled, with slightly different formats.’
Silverman said networks are investing a lot of money in shows but picking the wrong ones.
‘No one wants to take chances. If you want to go for a hit, you need to take a chance.’
Silverman went on to discuss the lack of hour-long comedy shows, including NBC’s new program called ‘The Jay Leno Show,’ which will air in the fall. He said the show opens the door for broadcast success because it will be low budget, directly related to the times and run every weeknight.
Before the event, students and faculty were encouraged to ask Silverman questions online. One student asked what Silverman would be doing if he were about to graduate college right now.
‘I would look towards the Internet,’ Silverman said. ‘It has nothing but growth ahead of it. The networks need to regain their equilibrium. On the Internet there are unlimited options. It’s a young person’s medium now, and it will continue to be.’
Following Kroft’s interview, a panel of multimedia communications experts, Silverman included, took the stage to discuss the future of television. The first question posed to the panel was how advertising will work with devices such as TiVo that can skip over commercials once a show is recorded.
‘There are different ways to do commercials now,’ said Walter Sabo, chief executive officer of Sabo Media. Sabo said ‘Dawson’s Creek’ is a prime example.
‘There wasn’t one second that wasn’t paid for before it went on the air. The clothes they wore to the computers they used,’ Sabo said.
Silverman also announced he will be teaching Newhouse students this fall in Los Angeles. He said it was good to be back at Syracuse and offered some advice for students.
‘In my career, I’ve learned the ability to identity programs that people would enjoy viewing, from experience, from what I learned here at the university,’ Silverman said. ‘You want to put shows on that you feel proud of, or at the least, you’re not ashamed of.’
