Fat, Happy and Bland

Prime time, profit entertainment programming is dedicated to pleasing the majority of viewers and by and large not serving that minority of people whose tastes are more highly developed ... We find that there is too little experimentation [on network television]. We find too much concern for playing it safe. We find a need for more diversity.

Had that unexceptionable judgment been made during a panel show on public television, it would have been regarded as old hat. But the commentator was Roger Grimsby, and the program was ABC News Closeup. Last week the documentary series examined the entertainment side of TV--what most viewers watch most of the time. While Closeup did not raise any startling new criticism, it did give its prime time, national audience an informative look at how network executives search out the lowest common denominator to keep ratings fat and sponsors happy.

The networks lately have shown increased willingness to examine TV's flaws in public. Still, documentaries in the expose vein -- regardless of the specific subject -- have problems on network TV. Says Av Westin, executive producer of the Closeup series: "Sponsorship has been slack. It's not an easy sell." In the New York market last week, Closeup's commercial slots were filled with public service announcements and plugs for upcoming ABC shows. And, though ABC showed spunk in airing the program, it did so on Labor Day. Any subsequent Monday evening would have assured a larger audience.

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