[Chapter 744: The Moment of Truth]
While Eric enjoyed his vacation time in East Hampton, many others were far from relaxed.
September 17 marked the final day of New York Fashion Week.
In Manhattan's Bryant Park, Linda Evangelista had just finished her last show of the week. With her smoky eye makeup still intact, she hurriedly bid farewell to the event organizers and jumped into her car, urging her assistant to head over to the ABC headquarters on the Upper West Hydee.
With both America's Next Top Model and Project Runway set to premiere in the next two weeks, Anne Sweeney, the president of A&E Networks, had scheduled a discussion with Cindy Crawford about the final phase of promotional efforts.
Even if A&E's reform plans truly failed, it would hardly impact Firefly Group's hefty annual income of $20 billion. However, for Anne Sweeney and the staff she had brought into A&E, as well as for the production teams helmed by Cindy and Linda, the success of both shows directly tied into their future careers. Consequently, everyone was working diligently during this critical time.
About ten minutes later, in Anne Sweeney's office, Cindy Crawford was already seated, chatting softly with Anne. When Linda entered, they both stood up to greet her.
"Good afternoon, Anne. I'm so sorry I'm late."
"That's alright. You're not late at all," Anne responded warmly, giving Linda a hug.
Although Anne was known for her no-nonsense approach at work -- sometimes even ruthless -- she was incredibly friendly in her dealings. Given their similar ages, the three women had become quite good friends during this period.
After exchanging pleasantries, Anne picked up some documents and led the two women to a small conference room nearby.
As they gathered around a small meeting table, Anne started, "The basic situation has been outlined. Although the corporate headquarters did their best, the new season of Lifetime has only managed to reach 34.5 million subscribers, which is only a 3 million increase from last year. That's our entire audience base."
Cindy frowned slightly; this figure was only about one-eighth of the current U.S. population. Remembering some comments Eric had made earlier, she asked, "Anne, why was the increase so minimal? Isn't there interest from the operators regarding Lifetime's reform plans?"
"Of course, that's not the case. It's a complex situation. Take Time Warner, for instance; not only did they fail to increase Lifetime's subscriber base, but they're also cutting Lifetime's subscriptions by 800,000 this quarter. That's just the nature of the business. Since media regulations have loosened up, operators can now have their own cable channels, and the market is limited -- not every operator is eager to see their competitors' channels thrive," Anne replied, shaking her head. She continued, "However, the main factor is that Lifetime has had dismal viewership ratings in the past, which hasn't benefited the operators. That's why they've been lukewarm about Lifetime's reforms. So, it all comes down to the viewership stats of these two new shows."
Once Anne wrapped up her explanation, Linda glanced at Cindy and couldn't help but voice a question that had been haunting them all: "Anne, what do you think... our ratings will be?"
Anne hesitated, looking over the documents in her hands and then back at the two women. "Actually, that's what I wanted to ask you. These projects were conceived by Mr. Williams; didn't you talk to him about it?"
Linda shook her head. "We did ask, but he didn't respond."
Anne nodded with disappointment and flipped through the nearby files until she found one to hand to the two women. "For these two programs, the company signed floating contracts with the advertisers. According to the contract, the acceptable viewership threshold is 1.5 million, with a rating of 0.8. Based on those numbers, the average cost for a 30-second ad would be $50,000, with 16 minutes of ad time per episode, generating $1.6 million. Over 13 episodes, that just meets the production cost of $20 million. Then, with the operators taking a share and future syndication, we could break even."
Linda and Cindy leaned in to look at the documents. After a moment, Cindy looked up and asked, "And what was Lifetime's viewership last year?"
Anne hesitated again before saying, "In 1994, the peak viewership was for a TV movie called The Seventh Floor, starring Brooke Shields, and it attracted 2.21 million viewers. The average viewership during prime time for the entire year was 700,000."
"Less than a million?" Linda expressed her disappointment almost jumping out of her seat.
Anne nodded. She didn't mention that the 700,000 was just the prime-time average. If you averaged it over the entire day, the numbers would look far worse. Therefore, Lifetime's total ad revenue for the year was a mere $30 million -- less than what they received from the operators.
It was easy to see that boosting the viewership to 1.5 million, more than doubling it, would be no easy feat with the subscriber base unchanged.
Noticing the downtrodden expressions on the two women's faces, Anne, despite her own anxiousness, offered encouragement: "I don't think we need to worry too much. ABC had always undervalued Lifetime with a lack of marquee programming, so ratings were bound to suffer. That's not the case now. Just the production costs for the two shows you're handling exceed Lifetime's total programming budget for the past five years. Plus, with full backing from headquarters and Hearst in the promotional efforts, I have a lot of faith in our ratings."
Linda, ever optimistic, nodded at Anne's reassurance. "Anyway, it's his show. If it tanks, I can always go back to being a model. I won't starve."
Hearing Linda's cavalier dismissal, Cindy almost wanted to pinch her, her thoughts racing with disbelief. She turned to Anne and said, "Anne, you called us here to discuss promotional matters, right?"
Anne chose to overlook Linda's comments, smiling instead. "Yes, I spoke with ABC; Cindy, prepare for tomorrow's taping of The Late Show with David Letterman. Linda, your appearance is scheduled for next Wednesday."
To stagger the promotional window for both reality shows, America's Next Top Model was set to air on Tuesday, September 19, while Project Runway was set for the following week, September 28, on Thursday.
After successfully managing ABC's late-night news show, Nightline, ABC lured David Letterman from CBS, seamlessly taking over the crown of the talk show slot.
During this time, Firefly and Hearst utilized their respective channels to ramp up pre-release promotional efforts for both America's Next Top Model and Project Runway, with Yahoo hosting quite a bit of relevant news. However, since neither show had yet proven its viewership potential, unlimited investments weren't practical. Thus, seizing the opportunity to promote before the shows kicked off by appearing on a primetime talk show was deemed the most effective strategy -- and indeed, the last resort.
Both women had previously participated in talk shows, especially following their success at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, which led to numerous invitations. Therefore, they weren't unfamiliar with this world. After discussing some details, Anne accompanied them to ABC's production department to consult with David Letterman's team.
...
Amid the busy flurry of activity, the two days flew by in an instant.
On September 19, the months of hard work were about to be validated.
For countless ordinary individuals, Tuesday remained just another day.
Most students were wrapping up their summer vacations, savoring their last days off; young professionals completed another day at work. Because it was a weekday, few ventured out for entertainment. After dinner, people sat down in front of their televisions -- some alone, some with partners, and others with children.
They were unaware that at the ABC headquarters in Manhattan, many anxiously awaited the day's new viewership data. Just then, one of them might recall the ads for America's Next Top Model they had recently seen in newspapers, magazines, or on television, leading them to grab their remotes, remembering they had Lifetime in their cable package and decide to tune in for a glimpse. As for those without access to Lifetime, despite their fondness for fashion, they shrugged off the disappointment. Those indifferent to the fashion world felt no loss; after all, there were plenty of television programs to keep them entertained.
For any television program, success hinged on appealing to viewers' tastes and tapping into their emotions.
To meet this challenge, Eric exerted significant effort.
For a modeling competition show, young women who loved fashion and held dreams of the runway surely wanted to see something transformative -- a plain, unremarkable girl suddenly showered with glamor in front of everyone. If there were a term to describe it, it would be "a ugly duck turning into a swan."
Thus, the theme of the first episode of America's Next Top Model was crafted precisely around that transformation of a duck into a swan.
...
At 8 o'clock, after the final commercial break, the Lifetime logo flickered to life once again as the title sequence for America's Next Top Model appeared.
A dazzling array of stunning fashion photographs flashed by, accompanied by Cindy Crawford's voice.
"People always ask me, 'Cindy, how does one become a supermodel?' Each time, I patiently guide them, saying, 'You should do this; you should do that.' Until one day, it hit me, what if I could share everything I've learned through a television show, reaching out to all those girls dreaming of becoming supermodels? So today, welcome to America's Next Top Model.
Through our selection process, we've chosen thirteen girls from across the United States. Some hail from small towns in the West, others from the City of Angels, with confident Southern girls and gentle Northern ladies. Over the next two months, I'll put them through rigorous training based on various standards, selecting the next rising star of the modeling world. The girl who ultimately triumphs will secure a modeling contract with Elite agency, a $100,000 endorsement deal with CIRL, and many more opportunities in the future.
Well then, let's get started!"
As the stylish presence of Cindy burst onto the screen, the television showcased audition reels from girls across America.
...
Meanwhile, in an apartment in Midtown Manhattan, time raced by. Alice and Charlotte, who had randomly crossed paths with Eric, had since parted ways, with Alice now moved in with her boyfriend.
Her boyfriend, Scott, a Morgan Stanley financial analyst, was reluctantly pulled into watching this reality fashion show, which failed to pique his interest. The initial scene with Cindy was eye-catching enough that he indulged a bit, but as the mundane girls appeared on screen, he couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Ha! Alice, you think these ugly ducklings could become supermodels? It's a joke! If they can, then you might as well become a world-famous model."
Alice, watching those commonplace girls on screen, felt a twinge of disappointment. She had always admired Cindy Crawford and had only tuned in today because she'd heard about Eric's involvement with the show. Thus, when Cindy declared her aim to turn these ordinary girls into supermodels, her disillusionment spiked.
Most of the girls on the TV screen, while fitting and not unattractive, lacked even a hint of the radiant supermodel aura Cindy exuded.
When Scott picked up the remote to change the channel, Alice thought for a moment and pressed down on his hand. "Scott, just wait a bit longer."
Scott, being somewhat considerate, followed her lead but added one last comment: "Fine, but I'll treat this as a joke."
...
Meanwhile, in households across the country tuned into America's Next Top Model, many shared Alice's mindset, with some already changing the channel in disappointment.
Yet, the program rolled on.
The fortunate girls began to gather in the fashion capital of New York, each distinct in personality, background, and life experiences. Clever camera work slowly made viewers forget about the plain little ducklings, as they either saw reflections of themselves or were drawn in by curiosity and voyeuristic tendencies. Gradually, many forgot their initial letdown and became engrossed in the unfolding drama.
*****
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