Great opening line by Chicago Tribune television columnist Phil Rosenthal: "If the Walt Disney Co. tries to take ABC to Tomorrowland without asking its partners for
directions, it's headed for Fantasyland." According to Rosenthal, ABC affiliate stations and groups are watching with chagrin and, in some cases, anger, as the network proceeds to make one
announcement after another concerning its strategy for Web-based distribution. Reason: The network's partners feel they've been entirely left out of the decision-making process-- and it is
the stations, after all, most likely to be hurt when viewers turn toward smaller screens to get their fill of TV. Says Hearst-Argyle Television CEO and President David Barrett, "I am put
off by the condescending rhetoric that we get from some of the networks about how we [have] got our heads in the sand about the business." Barrett's stations, which are affiliated with CBS and
NBC as well as ABC, are in a number of large markets around the U.S. Pointing to other networks as better examples of how to work with affiliates, the Tribune's Rosenthal concludes,
"ABC has sacrificed diplomacy in the name of speed while rushing to exploit new [broadband] platforms."
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