Television Today and Tomorrow: It Won't Be What You Think / Edition 1

by David C. Fuchs, Gene F. Jankowski

Overview

Gene Jankowski and David Fuchs predict a bumpy road ahead for the information superhighway, and the major TV networks, they say, are abundantly healthy and will remain so well into the next century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195111293
Publisher:	Oxford University Press, USA
Publication date:	11/28/1996
Edition description:	REPRINT
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.47(d)
Lexile:	1200L (what's this?)

About the Author

Gene F. Jankowski is Chairman of Jankowski Communications Systems. He served as President and Chairman of the CBS Broadcast Group from 1977 to 1989. David C. Fuchs, now retired, was Senior Vice President, Corporate and Broadcast Affairs, of the CBS Broadcast Group.

Editorial Reviews

"A thoughtful, intriguing set of predictions of how it might work in the future."—Jeff Sagansky, Executive Vice President, Sony Corporation

"Anyone betting heavily on the 'information superhighway' should consider this bottom-line view."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Jankowski, former president and chairman of the CBS Broadcast Group, and Fuchs, a former senior v-p there, here present a comprehensive history of TV, new developments in the industry, and what they predict the future holds: network TV will better than hold its own. They point out that cable TV ``began life as a reception improver, not a maker of products.'' They also demonstrate that CBS's and NBC's ventures into cable have been unsuccessful and a drain on their resources. Network balance sheets are examined, showing why, in 1991-92, ABC finished third in the ratings but made a profit, while CBS was rated first yet had a loss. We also learn that news programs such as 60 Minutes and 20-20 are popular with producers because of their low production costs; the importance of NFL football, whose defection devastated CBS, which lost many affiliates to the fledgling Fox network; and why Fox has had a bigger competitive impact on the other networks than all of cable combined. FCC regulations are scrutinized, as well as the impact of PBS and whether television remains a ``vast wasteland.'' This textbook on how TV works will appeal most to those involved in the industry. Photos not seen by PW. (May)

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