• by John Gaffney , July 16, 2003

Old Reality: Interesting that The Practice producer David Kelley took the opportunity of TVs LA press tour to praise and try to bury reality TV. According to The Washington Post, he told the gathered throng of critics and other journalists that he recognized that Joe Millionaire, in particular, could be a monster hit. But he also said: "There is an erosion of respect for the medium by its guardians." But Kelley should know as well as anyone that the guardians of the media are the people who have one foot in Wall Street and one foot in Main Street. Reality TV became a big audience grab, ad grab and moneymaker. Wall Street likes moneymakers, and for better or worse, network TV parent companies are beholden to Wall Street. The guardians let reality TV run a fairly disrespectful course until they figured out that the genre wouldn't work for the new fall season. Advertisers, who tired of the content environment, had a hand in that as well. Dramas and creative comedies like the ones Kelley turns out will win in the long run. But hot new runs like reality TV will always be around to compete.

New Reality: First hair gel, now this. Dennis Publishing has entered a licensing deal with San Ramon, CA.-based Z-Line Designs to produce Maxim-branded home office and entertainment furniture targeted for men in their 20's. My first reaction was that Maxim better watch out for spreading its brand too thin. But when I look at what Cosmopolitan and Better Homes and Gardens have been able to do with brand extensions it seems to me that these kinds of deals are a new reality of magazine publishing.

At The Buzzer: As reported in USA Today, a Pew Center For Research poll shows more than 50% percent of all Americans surveyed believe that the recent FCC deregulation would be bad for America. That's up from 34% in February. I'm starting to think that if more information about this issue reached the public when it should have - in January and February - it might not have happened.