On February 20, 07 Alex Wallau, the president of ABC, came to speak to my comm. 310 class about Television . Specifically he discussed how much TV programming has evolved and where it is headed. Mainly his focus was on ABC, the number one top rated Network channel. He presented many interesting points about Homosexuality in the media, the coverage of the Iraq War, advertising and other areas of discussion.
Mr.Wallau was questioned about the sexually explicit content on ABC. Specifically, two shows – Brothers and Sisters AND Desperate Housewives. Brothers and Sisters featured two homosexual males engaging in multiple “meaningful” kisses. This is not something the network had agreed with 5-10 years ago. However, Wallau said that the content on their shows is regulated strictly in order to ensure a positive advertising arena. Desperate Housewives has also been criticized lately as being too prevocative. Wallau said that until advertisers start complaining the show would continue as is. He also stated that the show is not at 6 o’clock but at 9oclock and is for an adult audience.
Wallua also talked about the unstable situation in Iraq, which restrains ABC’s ability to report first hand. The network is unable to send reporters there to document the occurrences so they must depend on other sources. However these sources do not provide enough information on the war. This is an area the Network lacks in.
The whole class was very interesting but the most interesting point was in regards to diversity. More than ever, ABC features shows with diverse characters. For example, Lost and Grey’s Anatomy have one of the most diverse castings in network television. An African American wrote Grey’s Anatomy, the number one show on television. Wallau stated that the reason for its diversity is that she wrote the story so that the 1st 2nd and 4th ranking doctors are Black. The show also features Hispanics and Asians. Lost also is a very diverse show. According to Wallau that was because it is so convenient that people with different races and ethnic backgrounds to be on a plane together. Unlike comedies, which Wallau said are the hardest genre to create a diverse cast for.
Overall, the president of ABC, Alex Wallau was a very interesting and informative speaker who related to our class well.
