Customer Reviews

Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having worked a good portion of my life in 'local' television, it was most interesting to read about the so-called big boys of the networks. Anyone who has spent hours watching the 'tube' should get a real kick out of this. With all the egos involved, its amazing that there were no more bodies being loaded outside their headquarters daily. Ken Auletta had some marvelous sources to get so many things to write about. Somehow I know television will continue to survive despite some of the dim-wits who run things. I kept reading the book looking for solid broadcasters----there are many, but I was amazed at how little some of the bigger names failed to measure up. I am planning to read the book for a second time. Surely some of the big guys didn't say and do some of the things reported by Auletta. Now lets just make sure Peter Jennings tie looks nice, his head cocked just right and his million dollar smile continues to remind of his four marriages and his need for a personal pacifier. Right on Ken Auletta.

This is a snapshot of what happens when companies become too large and lose touch with changing demands in the marketplace. While this snapshot was taken a few years ago, its lessons are still pertinent. The networks have subsequently made a few changes, but the landscape in telecommunications remains unpredictable. For a reader interested in media history, the philosophical stance of various network executives is covered pretty well in narrative form. Since the book came out at the end of Brandon Tartikoff's successful programming ventures, a significant amount of the book is devoted to his style of management. Auletta identifies five dominant powers influencing the telecommunications industry: the networks, cable, independent and affiliated stations, the Hollywood studios, and the telephone companies. This book is well-researched and written. It provides insightful analysis and commentatary on the condition of the fifth estate as it was at the end of the 20th century.

An intriguing book for anyone interested in the volatile business of network television. Auletta clearly had inside access to the major players at the big three networks when all of them were changing hands during the mid 1980s. Auletta's account does a fine job of examining each network's unique culture, which could clearly be traced to the men in charge. The book details the inner workings of each network's news and entertainment divisions, and the uphill battle for viewers in a new era of competition. The first chapter includes an interesting story, followed by a keen analysis. The rest of the book continues that pattern.

If you have any interest in business, regulation, or mass media, this is a good book for you. Auletta takes his readers on a fascinating trip into the boardrooms of the three major American TV networks as they struggle through new ownership and invigorated competition. You will almost feel as if you are right there, and this book is quite suspenseful throughout. You'll get to know the major TV producers and network presidents, and you will swear you were actually in New York when these decisions were made in the late 1980's. _Three Blind Mice_ is well researched, and Auletta is careful to note what is speculation and what is fact. He has done a masterful job with the book, and I would encourage anyone to read it. Do not be put off by its length, for it is a wonderful, moving true tale.

If you are at interested in TV or the entertainment business, this is the first book to read. It is an extraordinary read. It is a bit dated now, but don't let that deter you. Auletta is an excellent writer and shows it here. It is long, but is as engrossing as any novel. With apologies to Bill Carter whose Late Shift is awesome, this is the 1 book to read if you want to learn about TV.

This book, which was received in excellent condition, tells the unbelieveable story of how the three major networks, ABC, CBS and NBC, were totally blind to the birth of cable and the growth of Fox. Their news departments had run the direction of the major networks and failed to see the inroads cable and non-network TV were making.

Ken Auletta, the New Yorker's communication writer, offers an in depth view into the 'good old days' of network TV in the 1980s, before ABC, NBC and CBS became "Desperate Networks." Auletta covers everything from corporate politics to the network's new owners. Despite being dated, this is the best book on the network TV business.

Great book, but this is a snapshot of a time. Everything's changed since then, so unless you're into historical documents rather than the era as it exists now, what's the point? This is before even the Internet became widepread. The whole world (and game) has changed, and so have the players. This has value now as a time capsule only.

Three Blind Mice is a very comprehensive look at the network television business from 1984 to 1991. During this time the monopoly that network television enjoyed for several decades came to an end. The three networks share of viewers dropped from 90% to 65%. Viewers had many more choices due to the growth of cable channels. On the business side the networks became part of larger companies or investors with more than television on their minds and hearts. The corporate culture invaded the two sides of network tv - news and entertainment, both of which felt they were not governed by the rules of business.

Ken Auletta writes in great narrative style as if he is and in many cases was in the room. He get's into the hearts and minds of the three leaders that are central to the story - Larry Tisch with CBS, Tom Murphy with ABC and Bob Wright with NBC. He does well to show their contrasting leadership styles and how they positively and negatively impacted their organizations. All three came in with strong preconceived ideas of what was woring with the business. However in the end the business changed them more than the other way around. He details the process of upfront advertising sales, the relationships with affiliate stations, and the nuance of programming/scheduling prime time through interesting narrative. Finally he shows great vision for the future that came after the Fin-Syn rules are dropped allowing networks and companies owning networks to own programming and sell to other networks.