LET'S GET EASTENDERS BACK ON BBC AMERICA!


Editorial by Larry Jaffee


It's been nearly four years since BBC America pulled the plug on EastEnders. We fans made quite a stink at the time, but it fell on deaf ears. It wasn't for lack of trying on our part.

Since then, the channel has not been exactly household news. With the exception of The Office, nothing on its programming schedule has caught the fancy of the American public.

In February a new president of U.S. operations took over: Garth Ancier, a seasoned commercial television executive, most recently served as chairman of the WB network. He previously was entertainment president of NBC entertainment. His stamp on BBC America doesn't yet seem evident.

I'm hoping that Ancier—who's an American by the way—didn't come in with the preconceived prejudices of his various British predecessors, none of whom was able to elevate the network beyond a blip on the ratings.

So, what has happened since BBC America killed EastEnders?

Well, fans in New York and Washington, D.C. reversed public television cancellation decisions by raising tens of thousands in a matter of weeks. That's no easy feat. If anything, we proved at least on a local level that viewers of this special show will put their money where their mouths are and represent a desirable demographic that you would think BBC America would covet.

Now it's time to demonstrate our power on a national and international level. The time is never better to do so.

On 2 July, John Smith, chief executive of BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the British public broadcaster, told the New York Times that the organisation was ready to take on debt for international expansion.

"In the United States, the position of the BBC's brand is quite unusual," Smith said. "It commands a great deal of respect, but when you ask people, 'What else does the BBC do, in addition to news?', it just doesn't command the same level of knowledge."

Perhaps the BBC should follow the lead of CBS, which on 7 June reinstated production of Jericho three weeks after it cancelled the apocalyptic drama series.

A "sustained and creative protest" by fans of the first-season series led the network to order seven new episodes for broadcast late this year or early in 2008.

In a letter to Jericho fans that opened with "Wow!," the president of CBS Entertainment, Nina Tassler, praised the "'impressive and probably unprecedented display of passion"evident in the effort to save the series. Tassler added that the series could be extended further if fans help recruit more viewers. The letter is posted on the message board at CBS's Jericho website.

The reversal, and Tassler's reaction, were in response to a campaign that led to thousands of pounds of roasted nuts being sent to CBS executives by viewers of the show. The nuts were a reference to the first-season finale, in which a character uses a somewhat outdated expression to refuse his enemy's suggestion that he surrender.

The expression led to a "Say 'Nuts' to CBS" campaign that Tassler told the New York Times was "creative, sustained and very thoughtful and respectful in tone."

Debbie Gilbert once suggested that a teabag would be a good metaphor to mount a protest, and I can't think of a better low-cost item with historical U.K./U.S. significance that speaks volumes about EastEnders fans' grievances regarding the cancellation.

The Walford Gazette urges to send your teabags to: Garth Ancier, BBC America, 747 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017.

Seasoned TV Pro

Ancier is one of only two executives in the history of television (Fred Silverman being the other) to head three different U.S. broadcast network entertainment divisions: NBC, Fox and WB. His prolific career includes experience as president of production at Walt Disney Television; and creator and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning talk show Ricki Lake.

During the late 1980s, Ancier was a founder at the creation and launch of Fox Broadcasting Company, serving as that fledgling network's first president of programming. He developed and scheduled a new brand of television programming that set pop culture trends for years with hits such as The Simpsons, Married…With Children, In Living Color and 21 Jump Street.

Ancier returned to The WB as co-chairman in September 2003, after his initial tenure as the network's top programmer from 1994 until 1999.

One of the key architects of America's fifth broadcast network, Ancier developed and overseen production of key hits like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Dawson's Creek, 7th Heaven, Charmed, Angel, The Jamie Foxx Show, Steve Harvey and Felicity.

Ancier's network television career began in 1979 when legendary NBC Entertainment president Brandon Tartikoff hired him as a program associate. He rose quickly through the ranks and ultimately supervised production of the network's top comedies including The Cosby Show, Cheers, Family Ties and Golden Girls.

You can see why the BBC recruited Ancier for its U.S. operations.

Let's demonstrate to him the power of EastEnders fans.




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