25 janeiro 2008

'Miss America' gets some TLC

By RICHARD HUFF

Friday, January 25th 2008, 4:00 AM

Can TLC, the network that has aired programming to help homeowners and the homely, save Miss America?

Viewers will answer that question tomorrow night at 8 when TLC debuts a remodeled "Miss America Pageant" - the latest in multiple makeovers to the show in recent years, all in an effort to save the storied ceremony.

"We're trying to make the contestants real, and relatable, and make their style and fashion more relatable to younger viewers," said Brent Zacky, TLC's vice president of programming.

TLC will produce the pageant in Hi-Def for the first time, and, in another twist to get viewers involved, they've added to the mix a 16th finalist to be selected by the home audience.

TLC picked up the rights to the show last year after CMT bailed early on a multiyear contract to carry the pageant. The CMT deal came after "Miss America" was not televised in 2005 and after the organizers had trouble finding a home when ABC, the last broadcast network to carry the event, passed as well.

CMT moved the show from its longtime home in Atlantic City to Las Vegas, where it will be held tomorrow night.

TLC has been promoting the show with the tag line "The Pageant ... like you've never seen it before."

The network started a run-up to the awards four weeks ago with a series, "Miss America Reality Check," designed to get viewers closer to the contestants, or to make the "Pageant Patties," as one woman on the show called them, look real.

"The tradition of Miss America is very important," Zacky said.

The reality show had the women going through a boot camp of sorts, and getting beauty and style advice while bonding.

"Our viewers have gotten to know these women for four straight weeks," Zacky said. "They've gotten to know them in a much more personal way, in a format that appeals to a much younger audience."

How much of that audience follows along is the big question. "Miss America Reality Check" averaged 1.35 million viewers in its first telecast Jan. 4, and last week averaged 989,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research figures obtained by the Daily News. Of course, those figures do not account for repeat telecasts - a big factor in the cable world.

TLC's Miss America pageant also comes at a time when ratings for the show - and all pageants - have dropped. Last year, the show averaged 1.64 million viewers. In 2004, it averaged 7 million on ABC. And in 1997, it averaged 12.2 million. For comparison, NBC's "Miss Teen" last year averaged 4.31 million viewers, "Miss Universe" 7.23 million and "Miss USA" 7.39 million.

Clearly, "Miss America" has been hit the hardest, and given the trend, the folks at TLC have their work cut out for them.

TLC's Zacky said he doesn't feel like the future of the show is riding on his shoulders.

"The future of the program," he said, "is bigger than any one person."

http://www.nydailynews.com/

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