• by Paul Gough , May 21, 2004

The 2004-05 upfront sales pitch season offically ended Thursday night with Fox's glitzy, star-studded event. Here, in case you haven't beeen keeping score, are MediaDailyNews' grades for the major upfront sales presentations.

Fox

Just as last year, "American Idol" opened the show with another live, coast-to-coast singalong between former and current Idol contestants. Even before Entertainment President Gail Berman took the stage Thursday afternoon, Fox's impact was felt in its nearly 52-week schedule as almost every other broadcast network scrambled to try to prove it was moving in that direction too. Berman & Co. might have laid the revolution a bit thick--"There are no rules. This is Fox"--but you might forgive a little bragging. Fox is leading the pack here. Fox nimbly navigated a potential minefield in explaining its three separate premiere periods. Sales chief Jon Nesvig, bless his heart, only showed a handful of charts. And even though Fox has its own billionaire reality-show star in Virgin founder Richard Branson, Fox (thankfully) just ignored Donald Trump. But sadly, there were few yucks in its "American Idol" takeoff starring the ad sales crew.

Grade: B+.

UPN

"America's Next Top Model" is UPN's "American Idol," and the network wove the show--and scantily clad Tyra Banks--throughout the hour-and-a-half event Thursday morning at Madison Square Garden. An energetic Usher opened the show and introduced CBS/UPN chief Leslie Moonves. Moonves gave way to Dawn Ostroff. With a genuine potential hit on their hands in "Kevin Hill" along with two runs of "America's Top Model" and comedies that are really cooking, it's hard not to be optimistic along with them. Quick, well-produced show, although it fell a bit on the "America's Top Model" satire.

Grade: B.

CBS

Easily the gold standard of network upfront presentations, radiating class from the choice of venue (Carnegie Hall) to every well-chosen moment. And while CBS has been scored by NBC in the past, it punched back--hard-- this year, never missing an opportunity to beat up on the Peacock, Fox, and ABC.

Terrific production values, its musical number (courtesy of Beatles look-alikes) and its Les Moonves-in-a-bar scene far and away the best of the broadcast network's spoofs. A few too many charts. Capped with a performance of "The Who," which may skew older--but, like CBS, they know their business.

Grade: A.

ABC

Started slow, but built interest and laughs. No charts to show, as the numbers don't look so good right now. But for only 29 days in their jobs, network executives Anne Sweeney and Stephen McPherson acquitted themselves well. McPherson won points right away for dispensing with the usual network unveiling, instead letting the shows speak for themselves. Most of them did.

Gets points for keeping Disney lightning rod Michael Eisner out of the spotlight (only mentioned once, at the beginning), for being honest about how it plans to dig itself out of the hole it finds itself in, and for letting Jimmy Kimmel give his own network a sharp, sometimes savage beating.

Grade: B+.

Univision

While it lacked some of the energy and cohesiveness of recent year's past, Univision nonetheless delivered a convincing message that it will continue to dominate the fastest growing segment of the TV advertising marketplace. The big weakness was the incessant references to the "experimentation" of unnamed competitors.

Grade: B+

The WB

Last year's upfront presentation was a lot like its season: Not the best effort. This year's was much improved from the very beginning, when Lenny Kravitz and his band rocked the Garden. A silly but funny sequence featuring three WB sales executives. Contrite about its recent shortcomings, but also renewed its commitment to improving. Classy presentations of the cast. For once, no wayward actors.

Grade: A-

NBC

The longest upfront--a fact not lost on the other networks. Started with "The Apprentice"--and, by rough count, spent about 50 minutes explaining why Thursday nights won't be a disaster, but instead will be better than ever. Twenty-two minutes was showing the "Joey" pilot. While "Joey" seemed generally well-received, a "Father of the Pride" cut evoked nervous chatter and only polite applause. NBC's gambit of showing Siegfried & Roy blessing the picture may not have worked the way they wanted it to. Conan O'Brien roughed up NBC on going ahead with the show. The sales team's spoof (with Donald Trump) was funny, and tweaked Moonves and The WB. If NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker ever gets tired of running a network, he's got a future ahead of him as an on-air host.

Grade: A-.

MTV Networks

In just two years, probably the slickest upfront presentation in television: A strong, well-crafted message, original thinking, awesome spoofs, and a tongue-in-cheek delivery. A lot of networks, but it doesn't feel that way, even with a diverse celebrity list that included Muhammad Ali, Jon Stewart, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Willard and Nick Lachey, and Jessica Simpson. An odd moment or two, such as Walter Cronkite following a performance by Alicia Keys. Awesome performances by Sugar Hill Gang and Fleetwood Mac.

Grade: A.

TBS/TNT

Sweltering, uncomfortable venue. Solid show, making the most of "Sex and the City" with a smart, funny takeoff with the Turner Networks executive team and the "one television world" riff.

Grade: A-.

Bravo

Well-done presentation, with appearances by The Fab Five, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Cirque du Soleil. Channel eager to position itself as edgy. Dance performance left some in crowd scratching their heads.

Grade: B+

Lifetime

Entertaining, issue-oriented on the channel's 20th anniversary. Musical guest Ashanti drawn by Lifetime's activism, which plays a huge role in the channel.

Grade: B+

The Weather Channel

Bright, fun, surprising ... and with the exception of UPN's snagging of Usher, the only network to time its upfront to find a musical act (Maroon 5) climbing the charts. More of a party than anything else, TWC executives came in with one of the shortest upfront presentations this year--less than 20 minutes. Great food, fun surroundings, and genuine news for advertising planners and buyers: Addressable advertising.

Grade: A/A-.

Adult Swim

Cartoon Network picked a trendy downtown nightclub (The Knitting Factory) and an awesome DJ (Dangermouse) to kick off its first solo upfront. Also light on the presentation (more of a celebration), this one clocked less than 15 minutes and was hard to hear through the noise.

Grade: B.

Kids WB/Cartoon Network

Smart, fun, and held at midtown Manhattan's Chelsea Piers.

Grade: B.

Nickelodeon

Well-done, though a bit stagey--with performance pieces by preteens and teenagers talking about their "lives." Surprise performance by former "You Can't Do That on Television" co-star Alanis Morissette.

Grade: A-.