In light of his comments on the Conan-NBC dust-up, it is becoming clear that Dick Ebersol is perhaps the most aptly named NBC executive.
“What this is really all about is an astounding failure by Conan,” Ebersol told the New York Times in a lame attempt to control the carnage created by NBC management’s latest late-night screw up.
You see, it’s O’Brien’s fault NBC is in this mess. Don’t blame us because Conan isn’t broadly appealing, Ebersol argued, all we did was “bet on the wrong guy.”
Um, excuse us, but aren’t Ebersol and NBC boss Jeff Zucker paid to make programming bets? Aren’t they precisely the people who should be blamed for making the wrong ones? By the way, Dick, nice job on all that red ink soon to be spilled on your Winter Olympics bet. Who should be blamed for that one, Shaun White?
Ebersol’s comments are not just ruthless, they’re disingenuous. He knows better than anyone that lead-ins are important, yet O’Brien’s pointing out that his show suffered from the low viewership of NBC’s primetime schedule is somehow all of a sudden a “specious argument.”
It was obvious to everyone except, evidently, NBC brass that O’Brien’s sarcastic, waspy brand of ha-ha wasn’t going to play well in the flyover states. The fact that Ebersol-Zucker were convinced that it would speaks to an arrogance and Ivory Tower mentality that suggests the two need to leave 30 Rock every once in a while. Ebersol also apparently forgot that NBC repeatedly said leading up to O’Brien’s debut that he didn’t need to match Leno’s “Tonight Show” ratings because he did better among younger viewers.
No wonder O’Brien is posting his best ratings during the mess-up — people are rooting for him.
Fashion upgrade
Bigger isn’t always better — especially when it comes to fashion.
Increasingly, giant apparel companies are creating tiny collections to build cachet with small but influential cliques of discriminating shoppers.
Timberland in fall 2008 launched a higher-priced line of shoes and boots called Abington, named for the New Hampshire company’s predecessor, which operated in the early 1900s. While Abington’s looks are “rugged,” they’re crafted from pricey leather procured from a Chicago tannery, and cost about 50 percent more than Timberland’s regular lines, says Andy Richard, senior director of merchandise for North America.
“This is not for the mass-market consumer,” Richard says. “It’s more about marketing and product development than about generating revenue.”
The idea is to attract a new breed of shoppers who are educating themselves online, says Minya Quirk, of Capsule, a fashion trade show that will take place in The Puck Building this week.
Nike is also getting in on the act, selling $240 sweatshirts and hoodies under the “loopwheelers” brand. They’ll sell at trendy downtown boutiques like Steven Alan and Aloha Rag.
“This gathers more hype, which we call ‘brand heat,’ around our collections,” says Aaron Delguzzo, US Account Manager for Nike’s pricey Sportswear line.