• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, August 10, 2010

In the world of road cycling, it's customary, if not gentlemanly, to wait for your opponent if he has an unfortunate incident not related to his actual fitness level -- that is, if he has a flat tire, or another mechanical accident.

It's kind of a weird formality. But the thinking is that your opponent will do the same for you some time down the road -- literally.

I'm wondering if this should be applied to television. Maybe a TV executive has fallen on hard times unrelated to his actual working performance.

Competing networks should wait... and wait... under order is restored. It's only fair. 

Strip away all the stuff that doesn't matter, and judge a TV network, a show, an executive just on their fitness and performance level. Drugs? No problem. If laws are broken, someone needs to pay. Criminal behavior? Give everybody some due process. Just tell the kids not to look up to any of these guys.

Sport doesn't equate exactly to commerce. But TV executives can consider producing a TV show as one big marathon performance full of heavy lifting and hard-breathing cardio.

During a key moment in the recently completed Tour de France, Andy Schleck, a top contender for the overall yellow jersey title, launched an attack on key mountain stage. Right on his heels was Alberto Contador, the 2007 and 2009 Tour de France champion -- and Schleck's main competitor.

Almost immediately into his attack -- about fifteen meters in -- Schleck suddenly slowed. His chain had come off. Seeming not to know this, Contador, the former Tour de France champion, passed Schleck.

There was big controversy. Should Contador have waited? Did he know Schleck was in trouble? No matter. Days later Contador won his third Tour de France.

If NBC messed up by hiring a big-picture independent producer as its prime-time entertainment leader, if the head of ABC's prime-time efforts -- after six years on the job -- suddenly leaves under mysterious circumstances, all this equates to a flat tire, in my book.

Networks should pause, and do the sporting thing: Wait for that network to catch up -- or at least be on the same playing field.  Of course, you would need a TV commissioner to rule on such events. In the past I've recommended veteran TV executive Garth Ancier for the job.

In road cycling, if you are in a "break" with, say, five or six riders, you need to work at dual purposes:  You need to work together -- hopefully as equally as possible -- to stay away from the much bigger and generally stronger 150-plus rider peloton.

You don't want to be a "wheel-sucker" -- just getting the benefit of a draft in riding behind another cyclist. You work together until you get close to the finish line. Then it's every man for himself. The result? You get a real good race.

Some executives have floated the notion that TV networks need to work together in the future -- say to promote each other programming -- all because of an decreasing supply of on-air ratings points, on-air still being one the most effective tools for TV programmers. Cable networks already do this.

As in cycling, TV executives can help each other in other ways -- hiring each other, helping develop projects, and generally being chummy.  (Isn't that what we all what from our TV programmers -- more chumminess?) 

It's a sport, after all. I'll take all of this. And maybe we'll get better TV shows -- and maybe better-rated TV shows.

If not, you can always throw some nails on the road -- and attack like crazy.