question archive It's been called one of "the entertainment industry's biggest programming disasters
It's been called one of "the entertainment industry's biggest programming disasters
Subject:BusinessPrice: Bought3
It's been called one of "the entertainment industry's biggest programming disasters."35 Jay Leno moved from host of the "Tonight Show" to his own talk show, "The Jay Leno Show," which aired at the 10 p.m. weeknight time slot. Conan O'Brien was brought on as Leno's replacement on the "Tonight Show," which has always aired after the local news. The Jay Leno-Conan O'Brien fiasco started with a decision by NBC executives to save some money by giving Leno one of the oldest formats in TV programming: a comedy-variety show with a comedian, a stage, guests, and in-show ads. But that decision was also a radical experiment based on a single show airing every single weeknight during prime time on a major broadcast network. This format was cheaper to produce for an entire week than 60 minutes of the pricey scripted dramas that are usually broadcast during that time period. Jeff Gaspin, chairman of television entertainment at NBC Universal, said, "I don't think it's wrong to take chances! Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don't." And this decision was not working. It all started to reveal when ratings for Leno's talk show were low and continued to sink. One media analyst said, "Nobody's happy—the talent isn't happy, the advertisers aren't happy, and the audience isn't happy." Local network affiliates that rely on that 10 p.m. slot to lead people into the late local news rebelled. Those affiliates threatened to replace Leno's show with other programming. But that wasn't NBC's only problem. O'Brien's "Tonight Show" also was doing poorly in its time slot, losing resoundingly to "Late Show with David Letterman" on CBS for the first time in 15 years. NBC executives continued to struggle with decision making. It took nearly two weeks of a very public spectacle for them to craft a solution in which Leno returned to his gig at the "Tonight Show" and O'Brien left with a $40 million agreement to walk away from "his dream job." And so the curtain closes on a story NBC executives wish had never been written.
1. Would you characterize television programming decisions as structured or unstructured? Explain. (10 marks)
2. Evaluate Jeff Gaspin's statement, "I don't think it's wrong to take chances! Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don't." What does it say about his decision-making style? (10 marks)
Section B
3. What types of planning do you do in your personal life? Describe these plans in terms of being (a) strategic or operational plans, (b) short or long term plans, and (c) specific or directional plans. (10 marks)
4. Read out the mission statement of Amazon as given below, list down the components mentioned in the statement. Also identify the missing components, if any. Give a brief feedback on how well the mission statement is written. (10 marks)
"To be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices."
