Resurrecting '7th Heaven' -- on the Cheap

RESURRECTING '7TH HEAVEN' -- ON THE CHEAP
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Brooks Barnes brooks.barnes@wsj.com]
The story of how "7th Heaven" was killed and buried and then exhumed and resuscitated underscores the new agility TV producers must have in the rapidly changing TV business. In the days of vertically integrated media companies, distribution via the Internet, DVDs and instant feedback from fans, shows must be much more nimble than in the past. Decades ago, new shows were given a season or two to find an audience. Nowadays, shows are lucky to get a few episodes to prove themselves, but new technology can just as easily change network minds. A big network show can be canceled and then brought back to life after selling well on DVD. (The animated series "Family Guy" is an example.) If writers launch a new story line fans don't like, they must quickly retrench or suffer the wrath of bloggers who can hurt ratings with negative buzz ("Desperate Housewives"). And shows must be able to expand or contract from a half hour to an hour and back with a week's notice to cover holes on the schedule ("American Idol"). The return of "7th Heaven" -- the series premiered to soft ratings on Monday, attracting about four million viewers -- also is an example of how networks can rein in escalating production costs. To make "7th Heaven" more affordable, the studio producing it, CBS Paramount Television, cut salaries for actors, producers and writers. Executives ordered that each episode be taped and edited in six days instead of seven, as in the past. Expensive outdoor filming at night? Forget about it. CW now has to pay only between $1.4 million and $1.8 million an episode to license the show, down from nearly $3 million an episode three years ago, according to two people close to the show. That price is about 70% below what the average hourlong show costs per episode.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115931596049875005.html?mod=todays_us_ma...
(requires subscription)