Rivals Are Incensed by Fox's Alternate Reality

[UpInArms]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/19/business/media/19network.html

Judging by the insults being hurled at this summer's gathering of television critics and reporters, some ambitious producer may soon be pitching a reality show about network executives duking it out in a sandbox - or maybe Malibu Beach.

NBC executives accused Fox of outright theft of their boxing reality series. ABC executives denounced Fox for stealing "plain and simple" their idea for a show about family swapping. Fox executives, including its reality chief, Mike Darnell, who appeared last week at the Television Critics Association conference in Los Angeles in a boxing robe and two-pound gloves, said they were anguished that competitors would call them such unkind names. Then they labeled the rival executives whiners and hypocrites.

<snip>

Though Fox tried to make light of the dispute, executives at NBC and ABC cannot afford to laugh. "Wife Swap," about families switching mothers, is ABC's best hope for a desperately needed hit. And NBC's boxing series, "The Contender," at more than $2 million an episode, is the most expensive reality series yet created. If the Fox show "The Next Great Champ" hampers NBC's chances, red ink may flow.

...more...

Liars and thieves?

[coloradodem2005]

1. I always thought Fox depicted an alternate reality.

Trying to pass it off as this one.

[madrchsod]

2. how about fox stealing cnn feed

of the shuttle disaster? chappelle is claimimg that the "wife swap" started on his show.i love when the sharks attack each other...

[Khephra]

3. I hate to tell these network chumps this

But the UK did a spouse swapping show even before Dave Chappelle did a skit on it. Claiming originality for that show just shows how much of an alternate reality they're in.

[KittyWampus]

4. How Much Longer Do We Give Reality TV?

at some point, the ratings will start to sink.

Wonder what genre will be next.

[Khephra]

5. Hispanic shows

(South Park joke from the "South Park is Gay" episode.)

[Kinkistyle]

6. In other news: they stole the boxing idea from Japan.

There was a show on in Japan called "Gachinko" 3 or 4 years ago that had a series of reality episodes about a bunch of young punks and ne'er-do-wells trying to make it as boxers and would be trained by a bad-ass pro-boxer. Chaos would ensue and it would be great fun watching the pro-boxer beating the crap out of these smart-mouthed quick-tempered punks. There were also episodes about people trying to make it as pastry-chefs, but that was not as interesting.

[buycitgo]

7. who watches that crap?

i've never watched more than a minute of any of those shows

that's all it takes to make me HATE every character I've seen

the only 'reality' shows I've seen are spoofs, like Chapelle's job on the one where they eat stuff, with that Joe guy

the crack addict falls asleep in a bed full of roaches and worms, then eats a pickled moose dick, or something

isn't Bush as much of a trainwreck reality show as one could possibly bear?

[nolabels]

8. I hardly watch Tee Vee anymore

Outfoxed examines how media empires, led by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, have been running a "race to the bottom" in television news. This film provides an in-depth look at Fox News and the dangers of ever-enlarging corporations taking control of the public's right to know.

http://www.outfoxed.org /



http://tvnewslies.org/html/uncovered.html

[sofa king]

9. Can I say something off topic?

The very reason why America is cursed with the plague of reality television is because it's supposed to be cheap and simple to produce.

So why in tarnation would some dumb assed network drop two million dollars per episode on a chump reality show?

[depakid]

10. The networks deserve each other

Pox on all their houses.

[leQ]

11. dont forget cheaters (n/t)

.

[daleo]

12. This is pathetic

Talk about dreck - it is hard to believe networks are stealing ideas this bad from each other. I guess it's our fault for spending too much time on the computer, leaving TV to be an even greater wasteland than it used to be.

[2Design]

13. well they have managed to turn me totally off to tv.....they haven't

put a nice entertaining show on in a long time.....

I like providence, northern exposure, ed, west wing. it usually takes me many seasons before I ever find them and then they go off the air...

Not much on....any more... spend all my time on the du