Steve McPherson out at ABC
David
Steve McPherson resigning at ABC
BY JAMES HIBBERD
Steve McPherson is stepping down as entertainment president at ABC.
The executive reached an agreement to end his contract with Disney,
whose ABC entertainment division he has run for six years. Last year
he took control of ABC Studios as well, resulting in the departure of
Mark Pedowitz.
Though McPherson was credited for ordering last season's breakout
comedy hit "Modern Family" (which rival studio 20th Century Fox TV
produced) his track record for producing successful shows in recent
years has been modest. ABC routinely develops more shows than any
other major broadcaster, yet has had difficulty following up on aging
hits like "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" -- which
McPherson helped develop while president of Touchstone TV.
Last season, the network tied NBC in the ratings for third place, both
averaging a 2.7 among adults 18-49
Insiders also cited the famously temperamental McPherson's rocky
relationships, particularly with Disney/ABC TV Group president Anne
Sweeney.
McPherson's departure has been rumored for months, and event the most
consumer of publications began to suspect something was awry when the
executive canceled the network's traditional upfront press conference
last May.
WQ IV
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Well, this is good news. Maybe finally the network can begin to
emerge from the female-slanted programming rut it's been in since 2004
and start acting like a real broadcast network by throwing in a more
balanced mix of shows. Let's get some real shows back on ABC and
scrap the nightly soaps.
Now I'm just still waiting for Zucker to leave and then all should be
well with the TV universe again.