Inside Move: Who's behind 'Frasier' buzz?
Speculation over show's possible net-jump out of hand
Consider the case of NBC's hit laffer "Frasier," which is up for license renegotiations later this season. Industry execs have been musing over the possibility of the Paramount-owned series potentially making a corporate synergy-type move over to Viacom sibling CBS for months, even though serious negotiations won't even begin until early next year. And as it stands, sources say NBC's exclusive negotiating window lasts through the end of February.
For some reason, however, three publications --the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times -- all felt compelled to weigh in on the rumor Dec. 7. This, even though nothing had happened.
"On the one hand, the concept of a show potentially jumping networks is big news, especially with the vertical integration angle. (But in this case), there was clearly no news," said one industry insider close to the situation. "There was no event or new development or flashpoint here that would suggest a story should be triggered."
So what happened?
"It was clearly a case of people with financial interests involved manipulating the media," said one insider.
Publicity reps for various parties connected to the negotiations report that the first flurry of calls from reporters checking into the situation came within one hour Dec. 4.
None of those pubs printed anything, until Inside.com on Dec. 5 posted a report predicting that the pricetag on "Frasier" could go as high as $8 million an episode-- a huge jump from the show's current $5 million pricetag. On Nov. 7, the N.Y. Times, the Journal and the L.A. Times followed suit.
In the end, few predict that NBC will lose "Frasier," or that the price could get up that high. The only beneficiary of the way-too-early speculation may be Paramount, which could reap the benefits of a potential bidding war.
Whatever the reasons behind the stories, one source believes the intent of tipsters is clear: "Everyone seems to have the same goal: Make the negotiations difficult for NBC."
Another laments what he believes is the pack mentality behind last week's stories.
"The emergence of Internet news organizations has created an environment in which the need to be right is outweighed by the pressure to be first," he said.
