|
List Price: $25.95Amazon.com's Price: $18.43 You Save: $7.52 (29%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Now!
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 384.550650973
EAN: 9780061340994
ISBN: 0061340995
Label: Harper
Manufacturer: Harper
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 400
Publication Date: October 01, 2007
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: October 16, 2007
Sales Rank: 447759
Studio: Harper
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
In the mid-1990s, two major Hollywood studios, Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures, each launched their own broadcast television network with the hope of becoming the fifth major player in an industry long dominated by ABC, CBS, NBC, and, more recently, Fox. Despite the odds against them, the WB and UPN went on to alter the landscape of primetime television, only to then merge as the CW network in 2006—each a casualty of conflicting personalities, relentless competition, and a basic failure to anticipate the future of the entertainment business.
Unfolding amid this backdrop of high-stakes business ventures, fanatical creative struggles, and corporate power plays, Season Finale traces the parallel stories of the WB and UPN from their prosperous beginnings to their precipitous demise. Following the big money, big egos, and big risks of network television, Susanne Daniels, a television executive with the WB for most of its life, and Cynthia Littleton, a longtime television reporter for Variety, expose the difficult reality of trying to launch not one but two traditional broadcast networks at the moment when cable television and the Internet were ending the dominance of network television.
Through in-depth reportage and firsthand accounts, Daniels and Littleton expertly re-create the creative and business climate that gave birth to the WB and UPN, illustrating how the race to find suitable programming spawned a heated rivalry between the two but also created shows that became icons of American youth culture. Offering insider stories and never-before-published details about shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson's Creek, 7th Heaven, Gilmore Girls, Smallville, Felicity, Girlfriends, Everybody Hates Chris, and America's Next Top Model, Daniels and Littleton provide an exhaustive account of the two creative teams that ushered these groundbreaking programs into the hearts, minds, and living rooms of Americans across the country.
But in spite of these successes, the WB and UPN unraveled, and here the authors elucidate the corporate miscalculations that led to their undoing, examining the management missteps and industry upheaval that brought about their rapid decline and the surprising teamwork that united them as the CW. The result is a cautionary and compelling entertainment saga that skillfully captures a precarious moment in television history, when the dramatic transformation of the broadcast networks signaled an inevitable shift for all pop culture.
Average Rating: 
Rating: -
This book provides a really interesting look into television's recent history, from the beginning of UPN and the WB to their merger to create the CW. Some people may find it a little dry about the making of the sausage that is network programming, but if you're curious how network TV is made, this is the book for you.
I only found two things that really bug me about this book. The first is nothing the author could have gotten around: it's a lot more about the WB than UPN, since she worked ... Read More
Rating:  -
I ordered this book because of a fondness from my youth for the WB network. Not having cable can certainly limit your options. I hopped on board once Dawson's Creek and the like were starting to steam roll forward, and like many else, grew up and moved on from most of the WB's shows before many of them even finished their run. The premise of this book excited me for the most part (I was never particularly drawn to any UPN programming), and I read through it within a few days.
While I do not ... Read More
Rating: -
Still, it left me skeptical. This book purports to be an expose of both "netlets," but it's really more a valentine to one. How much you like it will depend a lot upon your stomach for network politics.
I can see a lot of television executives, or would-be examples of the same, finding it valuable. But as someone who's just a fan of good television drama and comedy, I found it a quick yet staid read.
It's worth a skim, especially for those with a keen interest in the whys ... Read More
Rating:  -
This book came completely unexpected, but should be become a vital addition into any library of television history. The authors delve into the agonizing yet somewhat ridiculous corporate wranglings, deals, double-deals, backstabbings and outright stupidity between two rival networks. Their bad timing was incredible; it seems at times that both networks are hanging on by a string...and yet...out of the chaos came some of the most genuinely wonderful shows that were very reflective of their generation. I will ... Read More
Rating: -
Though I usually don't enjoy books about TV shows I don't watch, I was quite pleasantly surprised in reading Season Finale.
The authors strike just the right balance between 'breezy' and 'hard facts' to make this a fascinating and fun read.
The story of UPN's launch party in New York alone is worth the time! Highly recommended!
Television Show
Collectibles
Movie Searches
|
|
|
Search for posters,
art prints, photos, collectables, merchandise, toys, t-shirts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Join the Nielsen//NetRatings Research Panel and you could win a new car, a dream vacation, a dream home makeover or $50,000 Cash!
TV Guide
Program listings, celebrity profiles, industry
gossip, movie reviews, puzzle.
More
Entertainment
& TV Magazines
This site is
Hosted
by Bluehost
Read
my Bluehost Review
Original Superhero & other designs for t-shirts, bumper
stickers, prints, mugs, and other cool merchandise. |
|
