Commentary

There She's Not... Miss America's Lost Her TV Home

Beauty in beauty contests like "Miss America" isn't skin-deep, but it isn't much farther below a few capillaries either.

Certain institutions like "Miss America" with deep TV histories would be better served to put its story firmly in the history books. That's the conclusion of ABC who has decided not to renew the long-time beauty show. The same conclusion was drawn by the five other networks that, seemingly, don't want it either.

Broadcasting & Cable (B&C) needed nearly 2,000 words to explain why "Miss America" failed. I'll explain it in five: The show is not entertaining.

None of the major networks want the show for one simple reason: only 9.8 million viewers watched it last time - numbers that are sharply down over the last few years.

Should any primetime show of the four major networks pull that kind of data-with that kind of death-spiral ratings track -- they'll be gone quicker than you can say "skin."

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More shocking is that the show producers, the Miss America Organization, complain the show is in a bad time period on Saturday and that it gets no marketing support.

Gee. How many times have we heard that from about a million failed TV producers?

Viewers now have better alternatives when looking for beauty, sex, bikinis, and skin. Hot women in shows are surrounded by reality drama: UPN's "America's Next Top Model," CBS' "Survivor," Bravo's "Project Runway," or NBC's upcoming "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search."

Good reality TV has the right mix of drama and beauty - not someone of modest talent and beauty. The talent portions of "Miss America" don't work. "The Flight of the Bumble Bee" on a tuba in a bikini isn't enough in a racy Maxim-crazed, "Desperate Housewives"-lurking TV viewing public. (Though, MTV's "Punk'd" might consider a short pitch).

B&C did hit the right note when it quoted a former Miss America when she said "American Idol" contestants are far more talented than those on "Miss America." Not surprisingly, ABC moved to eliminate the talent part of the show and trimmed it to two hours.

"Miss America" is still trying to sell the idea that it is more than just a beauty pageant because, for example, it gives out $50 million in scholarships each year.

But its brand says something else. TV viewers care little about the education angle. "Miss America" is about sterile beauty, and not much else.

That doesn't make for intriguing - or even sexually tinged -- television.

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