Character Studies Boost ‘Biography’s‘ Ratings
There is a large framed poster hanging over the desk of Nick Davatzes, the boss of cable’s Arts & Entertainment Network. And every time he enters his Manhattan office, it serves to remind him who the real boss of A&E is.
On this poster is the word “Biography,” printed in elaborate and elegant script. Above it hovers the likenesses of people - Queen Elizabeth, John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway - who have helped make this nightly series A&E’s top-rated show and one of the more notable successes on cable television.
Indeed, in the fragmented world of cable TV, where audiences are usually measured in the hundreds of thousands rather than in the millions, “Biography” is an undisputed phenom. So far this year, its ratings are up nearly 20 percent, and 1.5 million faithful tune in each weeknight at 9 to catch a portrait of some heralded - or not so heralded - individual.
“Biography” has become, far and away, the signature show of A&E. Born 12 years ago after the merger of two failing arts networks, A&E was envisioned as a somewhat less tony (and more commercial) counterpart to PBS. Despite an occasional blockbuster like “Pride and Prejudice,” A&E is mostly the repository of network reruns (“Quincy,” “Law & Order”), highbrow British mysteries (“Cracker”) and specials (the supernatural are preferred subjects); to many viewers it is just one thing: “Biography.” The show is a one-hour look at the lives of famous (or infamous) subjects, which range from the feuding hillbilly families the Hatfields and McCoys (the highest-rated “Biography”) to Jim Carrey.
And wherever success lurks in TV land, you can be reasonably certain that “exploitation” is not far behind. Over at A&E headquarters, they prefer to use the more polite term “brand extensions” - marketing buzzwords that typically refer to offshoots of toothpastes or cereals rather than TV shows. A “Biography” Web site (http:/ /www.biography.com) was launched early last month, where the hardcore “Biography-o-phile” can download bios on some 15,000 people (or browse “Biography” games or “Biography” message boards). Biography magazine, full of profiles and interviews, will launch in January. “Biography” home videos are being sold in bookstores, with audiotapes to be available in January. Oh, yes, there’s more: A book series (in conjunction with Random House) is in the works and so are “Biography” movie dramatizations, as well as a “Biography” fall series for kids (called “Biography for Kids,” natch).
Oh, yes, there’s much more: The apogee of all this activity will be a cable channel. The Biography Channel, with a likely launch date sometime late next year or in ‘98, will be wall-to-wall “Biography.” Twenty-four hours a day - 365 days a year.
Ridiculous? Or brilliant? In fact, Davatzes says it is merely logical. One of the more durable series on TV, “Biography” actually began as a syndicated series back in 1961, when it was hosted by Mike Wallace who was trying to reignite a stalled career. A revival in the late ‘70s was hosted by David Janssen.
A&E launched its version in 1987, with Peter Graves and Jack Perkins as hosts. “We had in the back of our mind that we were looking for an anchor series, where people could say, ‘Tonight on A&E … this is what’s on,’ ” Davatzes says. ” ‘Biography’ was that choice.”