In the executive offices of the four major networks, sweeping changes are taking place and billions of dollars are at stake. Now Bill Carter, bestselling author of The Late Shift, goes behind the scenes to reveal the inner workings of the television industry, capturing the true portraits of the larger-than-life moguls and stars who make it such a cutthroat business. In a time of sweeping media change, the four major networks struggle for the attention of American viewers increasingly distracted by cable, video games, and the Internet. Behind boardroom doors, tempers flare in the search for hit shows, which often get on the air purely by accident. The fierce competition creates a pressure-cooker environment where anything can happen . . . NBCs fall from graceOnce the undisputed king of prime time, NBC plunged from first place to last place in the ratings in the course of a single season. What will be the price of that collapseand who will pay it? CBSs slow and steady race to the topUnlike NBC, CBS, under the leadership of CEO, Leslie Moonves, engineered one of the most spectacular turnarounds in television history. But in this ruthless world, youre only as good as last weeks ratings . . . .ABCs surprising resurrectionLost and Desperate Housewiveshave brought ABC the kind of success it could only dream of in the past. So why dont the executives responsible for those hits work there any more?The End of the News As We Know ItIn a stunningly short period of time, all three of the major network news anchorsDan Rather, Tom Brokaw, and Peter Jenningssigned off, leaving executives scrambling for a way to keep network news relevant in an era of 24/7 information.Crazy Like FoxTheyre outrageous, unconventional, and occasionally off-putting, but more and more people are watching Fox shows. Most of all they keep watching American Idol. How did Simon Cowell snooker himself into a huge payday? Stay tuned . . .
