Page 53 - Abc Network News Today

A new era-of-technology and competition is forcing network heads to resalmon how they do business. >> new networks, ge buying nbc, capital cities abc and loews tisch brothers buying cbs and all want their moneys worth. >> well now have the strongest network. well have a stronger defense piece. this is going to be one dynamite company. >> theres a danger that news will be mixed up with the rest of television and considered just another profit center. >> late 1920s, to early 1980s, the sense was w...

Felt that if we didnt, we were going to, you know, kind of get swept out. >> ah, you son of a -- >> so i came up with the notion of doing a cops show that was r-rated. when abcs broadcast standards read other script they went berserk. ♪ oh-oh >> i was sitting with a pad and pencil drawing pictures of breasts to try to show them what we would show and what we wouldnt show. grown-ups sitting in a room, you know, doodling. >> then we started on the language. >> we heard some reporter call the low...

Original programming for cable, but they were airing movies. so, we needed to compete and i felt that if we didnt, we were going to, you know, kind of get swept out. and so i came up with the notion of doing a cop show that was r rated. when abcs broadcast standards read our skipt, they went berserk. >> i was sitting with a pad and a pencil drawing pictures of breasts showing them what we would and wouldnt show. grown-ups in a room doodling. >> then we started in on the language. >> we saw the l...

Whole lot of original programing for cable, but they were airing movies. so we needed to compete and i felt that if we didnt, we were going to kind of get swept out. so i came up with a notion of doing a cop show that was r rated. when abcs broadcast standards read our script, they went berserk. >> i was sitting with a pad and a pencil drawing pictures of breasts to try to show them what we would show and what we wouldnt show. grown-ups sitting in a room doodling. >> then we started on the langu...

Tgif was on abc on friday and it was their block of family-oriented comedies. >> i cant take it. i need the cake. >> it was not sophisticated television. but these were shows that people adored. [ laughing ] >> cbs. >> cbs was in a really bad spot. they had just fallen apart over the early part of the 90s and had gone through a couple different network executives. >> but then suddenly they had this hit with an unknown comic. this was the year of seinfeld, no hugging, no learning and this was a s...

Community. >> her name is marla. im seeing a woman. >> in the 90s, gay characters were always secondary or third. there was never a gay character that was the lead of a show. >> so, you want to go look at apartments tomorrow. >> sure. >> ellen degeneres, the comedian, was about to come out. she does it on "time" magazine, yep, im gay. but she decided the character ellen plays on tv will also come out. >> its reprehensible that abc, who is owned by disney of all companies, is going to feature ell...

>> im 35 years old. im so afraid to tell people. im just -- susan, im gay. >> ellen coming out was a huge moment for me personally because, you know, i was a closeted gay guy. gay child at that time. and it was the bravest thing i saw. >> that felt great. that felt so great. >> initial reports suggest abc made a bundle on ellens highly publicized outing on national tv last night. it was accompanied by coming out parties all around the country including one in birmingham, alabama, where the local...

Movies. so we needed to compete and i felt that if we didnt, we were going to kind of get swept out. so i came up with a notion of doing a cop show that was r rated. when abcs broadcast standards read our script, they went berserk. >> i was sitting with a pad and a pencil drawing pictures of breasts to try to show them what we would show and what we wouldnt show. grown-ups sitting in a room doodling. >> then we started on th nguage >> we heard it with the brains of a flea and the balls of a moth...

Also come out. >> disney of all companies are beginning to feature ellen is coming out of the closet. it wont be long before you know what, bestial and who knows. >> we were getting bomb threats and plaque for thinking of having a coming out with ellen. >> im 35 years old, im so afraid of telling people, i mean this isnt -- im gay. >> ellen coming out was a huge moment for me personally because, you know i was a closeted gay guy, gay child at that time and it was the bravest thing i saw. >> it f...

Freezer. >> no. >> this part in television where we realized we were in the right place at the right time. >> lets see how you like this naughthty boy. >> you certainly associate nbc of the 90s will having extremely successful sitcoms, but they werent the only net work that found their way to having some success. tgif was on abc on friday and it was their block of family oriented comedies. >> i cant take it, i need that cake. >> it was not sophisticated television, but these were shows that peop...