Transcript: Scripted TV SOS!
Small-screen sizzle all but disappeared amid sports, stunts and live at the Upfronts
Sean McNulty (00:05):
Welcome to the Ankler Podcast. This is Sean McNulty of the Wake Up Newsletter here at the Ankler, here in New York City on Friday, May 17th. Which is now a lot quieter now that everyone's gone back to LA. I'm joined by two of those people and Richard Rushfield and Elaine Low. Who, I think, Elaine, are you still online to get into the Amazon Upfront? What's the mood of the attendees?
Elaine Low (00:26):
Oh, that line went around the block and blocked off a public school, I think. Those poor advertisers waiting in line, but I think they wound up getting a pretty decent show, despite being pretty crabby when we saw them that morning.
Sean McNulty (00:39):
Yeah, that place was packed, eventually. I have no idea if everybody got in or not, but that was definitely a sight to see. I put a photo in the Wake Up newsletter. But referring to the Amazon Upfronts this week, which Elaine and I covered, I think almost all of the upfront. So we'll dive into that shortly. And of course, a full food report, Sir Richard, we have you covered. Don't worry about that. Took some notes.
Richard Rushfield (00:57):
I was just asking how do they feed all those people?
Sean McNulty (00:59):
Exactly, yeah. We'll dive into all that, of course. But before we get started, just a reminder, you can catch the Ankler crew over on LA's number one NPR station, and Southern California Public Radio's flagship radio station. That's 89.3 LAist, throughout the day every Thursday as part of their Entertainment Thursday programming. During Morning Edition Air Talk and All Things Considered, and you can reach us here at the pod anytime at podcasts@theankler.com. We also met something called Stream Saver this week, which is not related to Flowmax. Then we had the streaming goddess of Venu, who graced us with her presence this week. So it's all about streaming bundles. We're going to dive into that fast-moving industry now and dive under the hood.
Elaine Low (01:36):
I think we're approaching SNL parody territory when it comes to the names.
Sean McNulty (01:41):
I would not be surprised, once people know a little more about these things, if that is not in the cards here in the future. But we'll dive into that and see. Well ones a sports focus streamer, sports is indeed the savior the town seems to be looking for. We heard a lot about it. Upfronts, which let's just dive right into it. Elaine, another God came down from the clouds to grace us with his presence this week at the Javits Center. We had a Bob Iger sighting in New York City. Have you recovered?
Elaine Low (02:05):
A surprise Bob Iger appearance, as he puts it for the first time in 30 years on that Upfront Stage.
Sean McNulty (02:12):
Yeah.
Elaine Low (02:12):
Which means the last time he was there was in 1994, as he said, when he was last head of ABC Entertainment.
Sean McNulty (02:19):
He showed a photo of his last time.
Elaine Low (02:20):
I know.
Sean McNulty (02:20):
And it had been a very nineties tie. That's all I'll say.
Elaine Low (02:24):
Well, first he had Emma Stone to come on and introduce him, and then he appeared himself, and I think took the audience quite by surprise.
Richard Rushfield (02:31):
Did he have a good excuse of where he's been for the last thirty years?
Elaine Low (02:36):
He was in line for the new Star Wars ride for a while there. That took up about three years.
Sean McNulty (02:40):
I think, he was busy cutting the programming from ABC Richard, because they only had 4.5 hours of scripted TV on their fall schedule. So I think he's been very busy finding cost savings at ABC.
Elaine Low (02:49):
Fall schedule. It feels so even antiquated to be talking about a fall schedule, given all of the Upfronts that you and I went to Sean. Where it was like TV. What's TV? It's TV, its streaming, it's movies, it's IP.
Sean McNulty (03:01):
I mean, there was no linear schedules even mentioned like Richard, I mean, even Elaine, this was the heart of what you did. You announced your fall schedules, and no one even did that. They didn't even bother.
Elaine Low (03:10):
What is this 2012, Sean?
Richard Rushfield (03:13):
And you waited to get the TV guide, Fall Preview Issue.
Sean McNulty (03:17):
Exactly. Richard knows.
Richard Rushfield (03:18):
Turn the line up.
Elaine Low (03:18):
I've heard stories of these, yes. This is only my second Upfronts, and so it's been a weird two years for me to have my first Upfronts. Last year, obviously, strike, big picket lines outside.
Sean McNulty (03:28):
Yeah, same here.
Elaine Low (03:28):
No talent on the stage. This year, it's all been interrupted by the streamers. You had Amazon and Netflix and YouTube in the big historically TV Upfronts week. So both very disruptive years.