Broadcasting & Cable talks to Twentieth TV president Bob Cook about "Geraldo at Large's" plan for larger ratings:
Following the old-school television strategy of going local, Twentieth has taken the show on the road, shooting episodes in different markets and touting Rivera to local media.
“Just like when you are selling records, if you make local appearances, you sell more,” says Twentieth TV President Bob Cook.
Twentieth, also tasked with prepping My Network TV for launch, began the Geraldo strategy during February sweeps, with Rivera hosting shows from Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Tampa, Fla. In each city, two shows were shot—one that ran nationally and another that ran locally—and all provided extended local coverage...
...internal research shows viewers want to see Rivera more involved in stories and spending less time behind a desk. “The more we can get him showing up on scene, shoving a microphone in someone’s face, and then giving his commentary, that plays,” says Cook. “I don’t think we’ve done that as well as we might have.”
While the show has trended up slightly from its October 2005 premiere week (from a 2.2 rating to a 2.5 the week of Feb. 27) and is above the 2.3 A Current Affair was doing when Geraldo replaced it, Cook sees room for improvement: “I’d like the numbers to be better, but it is growing enough where we are encouraged.”
I'm for this--as a huge Geraldo fan, I know that nobody gets in your face with a mic like Geraldo Rivera. But he's still only human, and it makes me feel a little better to know that I'm not the only one who should be cited for serial Blackberry assault and battery (although when his Blackberry goes in the drink, the water's a lot more glam than my kitchen sink.)
