Digital Nation by Gary Dretzka

In the far distant dawn of the 500-channel television universe, long before niche and boutique cable programming emerged as viable alternatives to the Big Three networks, there were two premium-cable channels and no more than a handful of “superstations.” MTV and CNN had yet to emerge from the drawing board, and Fox Broadcasting was barely a gleam in Rupert Murdoch’s eyes.

Outside of rural and fringe broadcast markets, cable penetration was so miniscule as to be non-existent. It may have been fun to watch re-runs of bad black-and-white sitcoms, alongside goofy used-car commercials from L.A. and baseball games from distant area codes, but no one at CBS, NBC or ABC could imagine a day when such novelties would challenge the networks’ dominance. Nor did they foresee a time when the upstart industry would be in a position to afford to produce original entertainment offerings and compete for honors, come Emmy time.

Today, of course, that corner of the media landscape has changed dramatically. On July 15, when Emmy nominations are announced, the broadcast networks will struggle to keep pace with the cable and satellite services in most major categories.

Once again, HBO is likely to set the pace in the nominations derby. With the networks now far more concerned with creating ever more bizarre reality-based shows, than producing stimulating scripted programming -- and, of course, avoiding nipple slippage in prime time -- how could it not?

Although it’s been around nearly as long as HBO, and has produced much memorable programming, Showtime Networks has failed to keep pace with its slightly older premium-tier cousin in the annual race for Emmy gold. Launched in 1978 as an option to Home Box Office, the Viacom company filled its schedule with all the theatrical films, comedy specials and boxing matches that weren’t already claimed by the team at Time-Warner.

Twenty-five years later, both of the premium pioneers have evolved into successful multiplex services, with spin-off channels of their own. Besides Hollywood movies, HBO and Showtime offer a long menu of original dramas, sitcoms, mini-series and documentaries; no-extra-fee and pay-per-view sporting events; made-for-cable movies and straight-to-cable pick-ups; concerts and comedy showcases; and, of course, lots of soft-core porn. One thing that’s always mystified me, though, is Showtime’s inability to market its own product, and, thereby, reap the benefits of a shelf full of Emmys and Golden Globes.

As HBO made headlines with such inventive original programming as Dream On, The Larry Sanders Show, The Kids in the Hall, Tales From the Crypt, Miss Evers’ Boys, The Late Shift, The Josephine Baker Story, Barbarians at the Gates, Breast Men, And the Band Played On, Band of Brothers, Don King: Only in America and this year’s Emmy candidates Sex and the City, Carnivale, The Sopranos, Deadwood and Angels in America, Showtime’s publicity department seemed to be out to lunch. Indeed, it seemed as if very little effort was made even to inform subscribers -- myself included -- when their favorite series were about to enter a new season.

It wasn’t that Showtime didn’t offer some worthy programming of its own, or win some awards along the way. Subscribers got their money’s worth frrom such originals as It's Garry Shandling Show, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, The Passion of Ayn Rand, Noriega: God’s Favorite, Bastard Out of Carolina, Losing Chase, Lolita, Death of a Salesman, Beggars and Choosers and Bleacher Bums. This year’s Emmy potential candidates include The Lion in Winter, Queer as Folk, Street Time, The L Word, Coast to Coast, Resurrection Blvd., The Chris Isaak Show, Soul Food, Dead Like Me and Spinning Boris.

Nevertheless, just as quality motion pictures aren’t always rewarded with Oscar nominations, excellence in television is often ignored by Emmy voters. Like Miramax, however, HBO decided long ago not sit back and wait for nominations to fly its way, like so many bees to honey. Long ago, Time Warner executives backed up their publicity department’s hard work with the money necessary to mount serious awards campaigns, come time for Emmy and Golden Globe races. Viacom, on the other hand, didn’t seem to think the expense required to mount an awards campaign would translate into new subscriptions to Showtime.

This year, however, Viacom appears to have decided to make its presence known with TV academy members.

In addition to agreeing to foot the bill for dozens of strategically placed “consideration” ads, and the tens of thousands of screeners necessary to influence voters, it hired veteran publicist Richard Licata as executive vice president for entertainment public relations. While at Rogers & Cowan, Licata helped plot what the Hollywood Reporter suggested was, perhaps, “the biggest single upset in Emmy history”: Michael Chiklis winning the statuette as outstanding lead dramatic actor, for FX’s The Shield. He also played key roles at Fox Broadcasting, MGM and HBO.

Movie City News spoke with Licata last week, during the lull between the voting deadline and July 15, when nominations will be announced.

MOVIE CITY NEWS: So, it took Showtime 25 years to figure out it had an image problem?

RICHARD LICATA: The two people who had the vision to change the face of this network were (Showtime chairman and CEO) Matt Blank and (Entertainment president) Bob Greenblatt. One of the best decisions Matt has made was to bring in a guy like Bob Greenblatt, who comes from an environment like Fox, and, from his producing days at the Greenblatt Janollari Studio -- with Six Feet Under -- knew the HBO sensibility. He knows the value of marketing and promotion. Showtime could toil until it turned blue, on creative stuff … but, if you don’t tell people you have it, what good is it?

MCN: How did that manifest itself, when it came time to change the Emmy strategy?

RL: We were very aggressive this year. We had the best Emmy box in the industry.

MCN: Did you have to start from scratch?

RL: To be fair, they did mail out tapes and DVDs in years past, and take out some ads. But there wasn’t a selectivity and a focus. It was like throwing a lot of stuff out there to see what would stick.

Let’s say they’d made 16 movies one year. They’d send out screeners on 13 of them, and all 13 would get an ad, even though the budget didn’t grow with the number of movies. And, that cut down on the impact.

What we did this year was sit down and evaluate which shows had a buzz, got good critical notices and could compete in the prime-time Emmy competition. It was hard … like being forced to pick out your favorite child. Those were the shows we decided to make the tapes for, and around which to develop a campaign.

MCN: How many made the cut, then? I’m guessing Queer as Folk, Street Time, Soul Food…

LR: This year, it came to nine pieces of product. Yes … Queer as Folk was one of them, but Soul Food was in its final season, and it had never gotten any Emmy attention. In my experience, if you aren’t nominated in the first couple of years, you’re off the radar screen with the TV academy. Soul Food was a really good series, but I made the decision to maximize the potential for getting nominations. Same with Street Time and Resurrection Blvd.

MCN: I thought Street Time was every bit as good as “The Wire” -- which opened at about the same time -- but it suffered from a lack of exposure to critics and non-subscribers.

LR: I liked the show, too, but it never caught fire on the network. Ironically, though, the same was true with The Wire, on HBO, which had a similar feel.

MCN: Your job doesn’t begin and end with the Emmy nominations, does it?

LR: No, I’m in charge of all the publicity and promotion for the entertainment division. The important thing for me to get out about these Emmy campaigns is that, as much as they’re about trying to get the attention of the Emmy members, they’re also for branding the network.

MCN: You had to hit the ground running, then.

RL: I came in as they were launching The L Word, which turned into a much bigger phenomenon than anyone at this network anticipated. It’s the highest-rated show on the network, and the media attention has been overwhelming.

The second season isn’t going to start until February, but, already, Entertainment Weekly has contacted me about doing a cover. That’s unheard of for Showtime.

MCN: Yikes, lesbians!

LR: Well, it’s got its got seven gorgeous women, and the whole lesbian thing is hip and cool right now.

MCN: Branding was what HBO did so well.

LR: I started HBO’s Emmy campaign, back in 1987. But, remember, it took a couple of years to take off. Even so, people were getting the tapes and watching the programming. Eventually, they started to respond.

But, it all takes money. Right now, we’re taking those baby steps. But, when you have someone like Bob Greenblatt, who knows how to program a network, at some point, it has to fly.

MCN: Where was the turning point at HBO, in terms of winning the respect of Emmy voters?

RL: It was The Josephine Baker Story, in 1991, and, before that, Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story. Back then, the event movies got all the attention. Simon Wiesenthal was nominated in 1989 for best drama special. It also won an Emmy for writing, and Ben Kingsley was nominated as best actor.

MCN: With the kinds of actors and behind-the-camera talent being attracted to these television projects, HBO made it impossible for voters to continue to ignore cable programming, then?

RL: They could have, but they didn’t. The talent drove people to their television sets, and what they saw wasn’t cheap looking or like what was available on cable access. So, they stayed for more.

MCN: Josephine Baker must have been a harder sell than Simon Wiesenthal, though.

RL: I always felt as if we were the Avis out there, always having to try harder, so we developed a marketing plan for Josephine Baker. I remember going to the gym the night before we had a preview of the film at the Directors Guild, and hearing a couple of the guys there discuss their plans to attend the screening. That was a surprise.

The next night, when I got to the theater, the first thing I saw was a crowd of people, who hadn’t RSVP’d, fighting to get into the screening. The police were called in, and I felt responsible for this mess. Fortunately, someone at the Directors Guild knew someone at the Writers Guild, and we were able to get another print of the film over there.

When Lynn Whitfield won the Emmy, as outstanding actress in a special or mini-series -- and we received several other nominations -- that really got HBO going.

MCN: So, what movies did Showtime put its muscle behind this year?

RL: The Reagans, The Lion in Winter and Spinning Boris.

MCN: Did you do any niche marketing or highly focused campaigning … for Queer as Folk and The L Word, for example?

RL: No, we sent out tapes to the 12,000 members of the TV academy, and did an ad campaign. Before the launch of the fourth season of Queer as Folk, we did a six-city tour of the country, and that generated a lot of publicity We hope that will resonate with the voters, especially with the gay men who live and work in the community.

MCN: Queer as Folk can’t be the easiest show to promote.

RL: Well, it is explicit. But, it’s also become a very textured show … with compelling characters and storylines. The two lead guys are in a committed relationship … and, in a couple of weeks, and this was scripted before the San Francisco mass marriage thing, two of the other guys are going to get married. But, even after four years, a lot of reporters are still afraid of the show.

MCN: The new season of FX’s Nip/Tuck is going into areas previously uncharted by basic or basic-plus cable.

RL: They’re doing a great job over there, making what, in effect, are pay-TV-quality series for basic cable. The Shield is as good as it gets.

MCN: How does an Emmy campaign differ from an Oscar campaign?

RL: It’s targeted at a larger voting body … 12,000, compared to 5,000-some in the motion-picture academy. They’re both terribly expensive, although it’s probably safe to say that more money is spent on promotional materials for a television campaign, while the movie studios spend more on parties and special events … although, I guess, that’s begun to change.

Moreover, the whole process is kinder and gentler on the television side of things. There is a real sense of camaraderie and healthy competition. There’s a sense that the right shows will be selected.

MCN: And “consideration” ads aren’t handed out like peanuts at the circus?

RL: No, I’m not aware of any ads that are contractually mandated.

MCN: What about screeners? Jack Valenti’s concerns over piracy don’t seem quite as pressing, when anyone with a VCR or TiVo already can record a show at home.

RL: We send out VHS screeners, primarily because a lot of the membership still doesn’t have DVD equipment. It would be much cheaper if they did, or if we could find out exactly how many had VCRs and how many had DVDs. With that information, the networks literally could save hundreds of thousands of dollars each.

MCN: Who determines the finalists?

RL: All members vote in the best series, special, reality show categories, while the actors vote to nominate actors and directors vote to nominate directors, and so on. After the nominations have been announced, there are voluntary judging panels that vote for the Emmy winner.

MCN: How has the DVD industry -- especially the almost-overnight release of complete-season packages -- impacted the way publicity and marketing people do their jobs?

RL: Well, it’s just one example how the technology has changed the way consumers watch television. I use my TiVo to program my own network. The whole notion of having a box-set of DVDs, right there, underneath the TV set, with a whole season of your favorite television shows, is another example.

For some shows, it helps if the voter has a backlog of shows to watch. If someone is being asked to judge the third season of a show like The Shield, it can be helpful for them to refer back to what happened in the second season., and see if it’s been creatively consistent.

MCN: So, what are the Emmy chances for Seymore Butts, and Family Business? Maybe a technical award for advances in procto-videography.

RL: Yes, yes (laughs).

MCN: The premium networks seem to hope their M-rated shows will fly below the radar of critics. I don’t think HBO ever sent out a tape of Real Sex or G-String Divas, and, as far as I know, Seymore Butts (Adam Glasser) has never been invited to the critics’ tour.

RL: HBO wanted to keep Real Sex under the radar, big time. They’re looking for the Tiffany image. I told Bob Greenblatt that I didn’t think we should hide Family Business. It’s an interesting show.

MCN: It’s got everything, doesn‘t it?. It’s a workplace show, a relationship show, a Jewish-mother show, there’s romance, humor, attractive characters, it’s sexy and Adam’s a charismatic guy. What else do you need?

RL: (silence).

MCN: OK, skip that one. Any other professional secrets?

RL: No, it’s a very competitive environment, and you have to be aggressive. We all work very hard to get the media to pay attention to our products and to maintain our credibility with them, in the process.

Most of all, though, you have to have the goods. And, that’s what we have.

- by Gary Dretzka

July 7, 2004

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