Spring is here and NBC can learn something from baseball. When you've been in last place for as many seasons as NBC has, you need to learn something, too. As Nikki Finke reported recently, the Peacock Network is even getting its tail feathers kicked by Univision. It's time for spring training.
NBC's problem is getting new shows to stick. Rookie entries like Kings and Chopping Block delivered more dismal numbers. The NBC lineup contains a lot of veteran players who are looking old in the tooth or former all stars like ER that are retiring. NBC can't a get a hit and remains stuck in the basement.
Now think about how baseball deals with its roster of talent. They don't just take a promising kid out of high school, throw millions of dollars at him and immediately toss him into the lineup at Fenway Park. They have a farm system of AA and AAA leagues where players get a chance to advance based on their performance. It's a learning system that treats players like a long term investment.
NBC Universal is wasting it's biggest resource - the farm team of cable networks it owns such as Bravo, USA and the recently renamed SyFy, formerly The SciFi Channel. These networks have been successful - SyFy is coming off it's best year ever - and produced some highly rated, well reviewed shows like Battlestar Galactica, Monk and Real Housewives
Maybe it's time for NBC to start using it's strengths in cable to build a great primetime lineup. Developing shows with the lower production costs and enhanced creative freedom that cable brings is cost effective. A successful cable show already has a built-in audience, experienced crew and a working production pipeline.
When a show on an NBC cable property hits, give them a shot at the big leagues. Don't screw up something good by changing everything. Take the shows that work, give them a slightly bigger budget and about 25% more bam - higher caliber guest stars, prizes or production values.
NBC is in a unique position to do this because of the resources it has and a strong NBC is good for all the cable networks down the line. Right now, it's all hit or miss. There's no development taking place where it counts; in front of an audience. The stakes are so high that shows in primetime are usually given just a few episodes to prove themselves or vanish forever.
In fact, if they wanted to be ultramodern they'd take advantage of this internet thing and start a Triple-A league on their Hulu platform. Launch a whole bunch of ultra-low cost shows, try to build an audience and then move the ones that make it up the food chain.
And remember that the farm system works both ways, too. Struggling players are sent down to the minors, too. Instead of killing a show and losing all the investment, how about moving it back if it doesn't work in primetime?
I could drop the baseball analogies and throw in a lot of geek jargon about Niche Culture and The Long Tail that nobody at NBC but Jimmy Fallon and ?uestlove would probably understand but the big point is that what NBC is doing isn't working. Times have changed but there's still hope. Moves like the Leno primetime shuffle shows that there are willing to take big risks.
Given the trouble they are having, banking on talent you already have doesn't really seem all that risky, does it?.
Full disclosure: Lee Stranahan is in a low level position of no importance as a graphic artist for an NBC owned show in Burbank. Until this Thursday, anyway; then he's moving to New Mexico to make movies and teach seminars.