Strategic Public Relations Comp Exam Research Paper Student ID: 6860-0435-05 4/4/2018 I. Background ABC Network ABC’s history begins in 1926 when the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) was founded to establish a radio broadcasting network nationwide. Due to NBC’s surplus of affiliates, it divided its programming into two, the “Red” and the “Blue” networks. NBC sold its less profitable network (Blue) to Edward J. Noble in 1941 after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced companies could only have one radio network. Noble initially renamed the blue network the American Broadcasting System before changing it to the American Broadcasting Company, Inc. (ABC). In 1948, ABC began focusing on television but was unsuccessful until United Paramount Theatres (UPT) bought it in 1953. The merger financially helped ABC but not well enough to compete with the live programming of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and NBC. In 1986, Capital Cities Broadcasting acquired ABC1 and then in 1996 Disney merged with Capital Cities/ABC.2 ABC Television Network currently features many shows in the category of drama, comedy, reality, daytime talk shows, late-night talk shows and news programming. Their big hits include “Modern Family,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “The Bachelor/Bachelorette,” “General Hospital,” “The View,” “The Chew,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and many more. The Oscars, The American Music Awards, The Billboard Music Awards, and the Country Music Awards 1 Erickson, H. L. (2017, August 17). American Broadcasting Company. Retrieved March 25, 2018, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Broadcasting-Company 2 About - Leadership, Management Team, Global, History, Awards, Corporate Responsibility. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2018, from https://www.thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/ 1 are notable award shows for the network.3 Episodes can be viewed on the television, ABC.com, or the ABC app.4 ABC Studios ABC Studios is a worldwide leader in entertainment content through development, production, and distribution over various platforms of broadcast, cable and, on-demand. They are ABC Entertainment Group’s key content provider. Their hits include “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Designated Survivor,” “Once Upon a Time,” “Scandal,” and several other shows picked up by the various other networks.5 ABC Network and ABC Studios are segments of The Walt Disney Company’s international entertainment and news television properties, owned television stations, and radio that comprise the Disney|ABC Television Group.6 The Walt Disney Company is publicly traded and is referred to as DIS for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).7 II. Business Goal Since Disney|ABC Television Group is a subdivision of The Walt Disney Company, they aspire to be a significant producer and provider of entertainment and information in the world.8 III. Statement of Problem or Opportunity A public relations campaign will be developed based on ABC’s pilot Grand Hotel from Executive Producer Eva Longoria. The show is a drama telenovela adaptation about 3 Company information. (n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2018, from http://abc.go.com/info 4 FAQ & Support - ABC.com. (n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2018, from http://abc.go.com/faq 5 Disney | ABC Television Group. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2018, from https://www.disneyabcpress.com/disneyabctv/about-us/abc/ 6 https://www.linkedin.com/company/abc-television 7 DIS : Summary for Walt Disney Company (The). (2018, April 03). Retrieved April 03, 2018, from https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/DIS?p=DIS 8 About - Leadership, Management Team, Global, History, Awards, Corporate Responsibility. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2018, from https://www.thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/ 2 a luxury hotel, the mystery behind the family that owns it, and a murdered staff member. Factual information will be used to create the PR plan since the pilot’s script has been read and the cast members are known. The filming for the pilot just wrapped last week, and the studio and network are preparing for Upfronts mid-May. Upfronts will determine whether or not the show gets picked up. For the sake of this campaign, the show will be picked up, and the network will begin preparing for the show’s fall premiere after the Disney|ABC upfront day on May 15, 2018. Considering ABC hasn’t officially come up with a premiere date and day, Sunday, September 30, 2018, has been hypothesized taking into consideration ABC’s Fall 2017 series lineups, premiere dates and a statement made in an interview. ABC Studios is producing Grand Hotel, and the show will air on ABC Network. The production also includes Actor and Director Eva Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, which is a company that produces television, film, and documentaries.9 Eva is one of the show’s executive producers. The other member of production is Beta Film Gmblt, a leading global distributor of TV license rights with clients in more than 165 companies.10 IV. Situational Analysis a. Strengths 9 UnbeliEVAble Entertainment. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2018, from https://www.linkedin.com/company/unbelievable-entertainment/ 10 PROFILE. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://betafilm.com/en/profile.html 3 1. The Walt Disney Company- ABC is part of The Walt Disney Company, which is an enormous and well-known company with an abundance of financial resources.11 2. Strong brand recognition- ABC is considered a major TV network that’s easily recognizable. 3. Diversity on screen- ABC provides diversified shows to cater to other races and nationalities (i.e., Black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat). 4. Fox Acquisition- Disney has recently acquired Fox, which includes Fox-owned cable networks. Fox used to be a competitor.12 5. Global- ABC Network has a global audience since it provides content for audiences worldwide. 6. ABC on cable- ABC is included in TV subscription service.13 7. Various viewing options- ABC television shows are available on live TV or on-demand (DVR, ABC website, ABC app, Hulu, or on your television providers website/app). b. Weaknesses 1. Limited TV Providers- Some people don’t have a television provider to view TV shows on the ABC website or app, or their provider isn’t included on the list of verified providers for ABC. A 11 DIS Income Statement | Walt Disney Company (The) Stock. (2018, April 03). Retrieved April 03, 2018, from https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/DIS/financials?p=DIS 12 Gartenberg, C. (2017, December 14). Disney has acquired 21st Century Fox's film and TV studios in a landmark deal. Retrieved April 04, 2018, from https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/14/16735502/disney- fox-deal-film-tv-studio-acquisition 13 FAQ & Support - ABC.com. (n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2018, from http://abc.go.com/faq 4 participating TV provider is required to view the most recently aired full episodes.14 2. No predominantly Hispanic shows- ABC currently has two shows with Hispanic leads, but none with a mostly Hispanic ensemble like how the Black-ish cast is primarily black and the Fresh Off the Boat cast is mainly Asian. c. Opportunities 1. Increase in cultural diversity- Currently seeing a rise of people of color in film and television. 2. Gran Hotel viewers- Grand Hotel is an adaptation of the Spanish television show, Gran Hotel. Viewers may want to see a different spin on their beloved show. d. Threats 1. New show success rate- Approximately 65% of new television shows fail the first season.15 2. Competition- Other major television networks (i.e., CBS, NBC, The CW, etc.) 3. Scheduling conflicts- There’s a possibility that some ABC shows air the same time as other prominent shows. 14 FAQ & Support - ABC.com. (n.d.). 15 Ocasio, A. (2012, May 17). TV Success Rate: 65% Of New Shows Will Be Canceled (& Why It Matters). Retrieved April 02, 2018, from https://screenrant.com/tv-success-rate-canceled-shows/ 5 4. A decrease of watching in real time- Due to peoples’ busy schedules and the availability of streaming, society doesn’t watch TV shows the moment they air. 5. Content everywhere- Society is being so overwhelmed with the surplus of creative material that there isn’t enough time to watch everything. Viewers will choose what they like the most and stick with it. e. Strategic Implications ABC is a prominent television network that has the financial resources to put together an excellent campaign for Grand Hotel. The television industry is currently seeing a rise in racial diversity on the television screen, even if it’s a slow rise. Although ABC already has TV shows that cater to different ethnic audiences, they presently have nothing on air that has a predominantly Hispanic ensemble. During any season, ABC competes against other networks and their air schedules, the increase in streaming instead of viewing in real time, and the abundance of content readily available to viewers. That combined with only 35% of shows making it to their second season makes it difficult for a television show to stay afloat. VI. Research a. Research Goals 1. To learn about members of cast and production, their credits, and social media standings. It is essential for the publicity 6 department to know who they’re working with to understand how to use them for the publicity of the show. 2. To understand the traditional publicity operations for a new show. There are industry norms that should be included for promoting a new show. 3. To understand how ABC handles publicity for their new shows. Although there are industry norms, each network may execute their PR differently. Understanding how ABC publicity department operates for new shows is imperative to promote Grand Hotel as realistically as possible. 4. To obtain knowledge about the shooting of Grand Hotel.