Remaking History
Inside Nancy Dubuc’s Drive to Attract A Larger — and Younger — Audience
By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 9/30/2007 6:00:00 PM MT
New York — Nancy Dubuc bluntly expressed her concerns about The History Channel’s performance and challenges at staff meetings this spring.
At a session on programming in April, History Channel’s then-new general manager pointed out that the network had just been beaten by one of its rivals in the primetime ratings.
“You all get the competitive numbers I get: Who won, what time slot,” Dubuc told staffers. “I think it was last week, Discovery won every time, every night of the week. Except for one time- slot, they won it all. And that’s a big deal.”
During a separate meeting on digital media, also at the network’s East 45th Street headquarters, Dubuc voiced her desire to see History Channel’s Web site revamped, to increase its traffic.
“One of my top concerns is it is not natural to play video on our site,” she said. “The video, I find it to be buried, and it needs to be everywhere. We need to be more creative about the jargon that we use, the language that we use, the presentation that we use.”
At the same time, at both of those staff meetings, Dubuc spoke with high hopes about a new series she was bringing to History Channel’s lineup.
“Ice Road Truckers will be the big thing in June: That’s our big bang,” she said at the digital-media meeting in March. “On a show like this, we want to marshal all of our resources.”
The rest is, as they say, history.
As it turned out, Ice Road Truckers was in fact History Channel’s “big bang,” the biggest hit in the network’s history, winning critical acclaim and typically drawing more than 3 million viewers to each new episode. This summer was History Channel’s best ever, in terms of viewership.
The record-breaking Ice Road — about gutsy truckers traveling over a temporary, dangerous ice road to deliver equipment to remote diamond mines in Canada — is the most notable achievement to date in Dubuc’s nine months as head of History Channel. She became the network’s top executive in January, replacing Dan Davids.
A&E Television Networks, the parent of History, brought Dubuc in to revive the network, in part to cast away once and for all the service’s outdated image as the World War II Channel or the Nazi Network. Those stereotypes of The History Channel stem from its long-ago strategy of airing military programming, much of it incorporating historical footage.
Dubuc’s mission is to rejuvenate History Channel’s program lineup with more gripping, contemporary shows, so that it will attract not only larger, but younger, audiences. Part of the network’s challenge is changing the negative perception of what exactly constitutes “history.”
The broadening is designed to overcome bad memories some potential viewers have about boring history classes and dull documentaries.
While AETN and History said that History Channel has a strong brand that isn’t “broken,” viewership had been going down when Dubuc was brought in.
In 2006, the network’s primetime household rating was a 0.9, a 10% decrease from the prior year, with homes tuning in slipping to 840,000 from 869,000, according to a Disney ABC Cable Networks analysis of Nielsen Media Research data. In 2005, primetime ratings were flat, at a 1.0, with a slight gain in homes, up 2%.
In terms of total primetime viewers, History Channel had hit a peak of 1,086,000 in 2005, then dropped to 1,033,000 in 2006, according to Nielsen. This year, through Sept. 23, the network is averaging 1,056,000 viewers.
| The History Channel’s History | |
|---|---|
| * Dubuc oversees The History Channel, History International, The History Channel en Espanol and Military History Channel SOURCE: SNL Kagan, Nielsen Media Research |
|
| Launch date | January 1995 |
| Distribution | 93.6 million U.S. households |
| Viewers | 1.1 million, primetime average, 2007 |
| Top Executive | Nancy Dubuc, EVP and general manager* |
| 2006 revenue | $512.9 million |
| 2007 revenue | $539.7 million, projected |
| 2006 affiliate fees | $203.6 million |
| 2007 affiliate fees | $215.1 million, projected |
| 2006 net ad sales | $286.0 million |
| 2007 net ad sales | $296.6 million, projected |
| 2006 monthly license fee | 19 cents |
| 2007 projected monthly license fee | 20 cents |
| 2006 programming spending | $185 million |
| 2007 projected programming spending | $197.9 million |
| Owned by: | A&E Television Networks, a venture of Hearst, The Walt Disney Co. and NBC Universal |
WOMAN VS. NATURE
With the action-oriented and danger-filled Ice Road Truckers, some TV critics wrote that History Channel was taking a page out of Discovery Channel’s book, aping its breakout hit Deadliest Catch, about perilous commercial crab fishing in Alaska.
“When you have a show like Deadliest Catch, which is a bit of a breakthrough … then sometimes that flavor gets into the culture and it turns up in other places,” said Discovery Channel president and general manager Jane Root. “We don’t worry about it too much.”
But Dubuc, 38, denies any imitation.
“One of the oldest stories in history is man versus nature, and we have been telling that story since we opened our doors 12 years ago,” she said.
History Channel is using more compelling, contemporary programming such as Ice Road Truckers to engage viewers, Dubuc noted.
“Everyone has to evolve their brand,” she said. “That’s just the nature of the beast of being in the business of brand-building. Some of the oldest and most successful brands of our time have all evolved.”
History Channel is part of a long list of programmers — such as MTV and Court TV — that have broadened the scope of their programming beyond their original niche in order to attract wider viewership, according to Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular TV at Syracuse University.
“This is how the business model invariably evolves for cable channels,” Thompson said. “The idea that pure niche programming could support these things — most of them decided that it, in fact, can’t.”
The trick in updating a cable network is the risk of alienating its core audience.
“Anyone doing these jobs is constantly reinventing,” Root said. “Something you have to think really hard about is that you’re not turning your back on the core of what you are. Discovery did that at one point in its history, and it wasn’t a good thing for us to do. And when I arrived, we did a pretty major course correction, and got back to our roots, got back to what we were really good at.”
Dubuc’s tenure so far has been marked by some fast decision-making and maneuvering, getting a series of successful shows on the air quickly. She doesn’t hog the credit herself.
“I’m very proud of the team’s nimbleness,” Dubuc said. “Our strength moving forward is going to be the way in which we are nimble, and we are aggressive, and we are competitive.”
In addition to Ice Road Truckers, this year History Channel has launched series such as The Universe, Cities of the Underworld and Human Weapon, with Jurassic Fight Club and Battle 360 on tap for 2008 .
These programs, a departure from the network’s past mainstays of specials and anthology shows, are part of Dubuc’s attempt to create appointment viewing at History Channel. The strategy is working: The network posted its highest ratings ever this summer, and just renewed The Universe and Cities.
While household ratings in primetime were flat at 0.9 this summer versus last, total average primetime viewers increased 11%, to 1.2 million, according to Disney ABC Nielsen data.
“Granted, Ice Road was a big game-changer for us,” Dubuc said. “But of six of our highest-rated series ever [in the 25-to-54 demographic], four of those six were through this team, [since] the beginning of this year. That’s a much bigger accomplishment than Ice Road any day. ”
Dubuc now also has her management team in place, recruiting two key executives who are veterans of one of History Channel’s more direct competitors at Discovery. They are David McKillop, as senior vice president of development and programming, and Chris Moseley, brought in as senior vice president of marketing.
“We have the right team with the right sensibilities heading in the right direction,” said Dubuc, who last month appeared more relaxed than she did in her spring staff meetings.
Moseley said one of the reasons she decided to join History Channel was Dubuc, whose straight-forward style she admired.
| History's Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Viewership peaked in 2005: | |
| Year | Average Viewers* |
| * Primetime, All Ages (Except Under 2) ** Through Sept. 23, 2007 SOURCE: Nielsen Media Research |
|
| 2007 | 1,056,000** |
| 2006 | 1,033,000 |
| 2005 | 1,086,000 |
| 2004 | 1,074,000 |
| 2003 | 917,000 |
| 2002 | 837,000 |
'SLOPPY SECONDS’
Dubuc is no stranger to revitalizing a network with sexy non-fiction programming. She had a prior life at History Channel, as director of historical programming, before moving over to its sister service, A&E Network, in 2003. There, she spearheaded the development of hit reality fare such as Growing Up Gotti, Dog the Bounty Hunter and Criss Angel Mindfreak.
Last June, Dubuc was appointed senior vice president for nonfiction programming for A&E Television Networks, History’s parent. This January, she became History Channel’s chief.
Dubuc immediately asked for a list of the network’s Top 100 highest-rated shows, and bottom-rated shows of all time. One of the top performers was a Modern Marvels episode on the ice truckers in Canada. She turned that into the series, bringing in executive producer Thom Beers, the producer behind Discovery’s Deadliest Catch.
She and McKillop had their work cut out for them. At the April staff meeting on programming, McKillop discussed the ratings gains History’s rivals were enjoying.
“Creating a sense of urgency with the programming staff is the No. 1 step, and I think that’s no scare tactic,” he said at the meeting. “We need to make people understand that National Geographic [Channel] grew year-over-year 60% … TLC grew 15%, [and] projected Discovery is 11.6%. History had a negative 3.1%. That’s absurd. I know there’s lots of reasons — that we’re running repeats — but to me, that says it all.”
The History Channel had “become sloppy seconds” in primetime and needed to find ways to bring viewers to its nightly lineup regularly, he added.
The network succeeded in creating a new kind of destination programming, with fare such as Ice Road Truckers and Human Weapon, which has two hosts who travel around the world to learn about native martial arts. History Channel is drawing viewers on a repeat basis in part by focusing on people in those shows.
“Truckers is very specific to half a dozen of the truckers. It follows them home, talks about their families,” said Tim Brooks, Lifetime executive vice president of research and a TV historian. “You learn in the process a lot about how life goes on in that unusual part of the world, where it’s frozen half the year.”
The History Channel has a new series planned for next year, Battle 360. The World War II show is an updated take on military programming that will use computer-generated imagery to depict the U.S. aircraft carrier Enterprise fighting off the enemy from the air, the sea and beneath the sea .
“It takes the strength of our military programming to that next level, where we’re immersing viewers completely in the environment of an attack,” Dubuc said.
“Going forward, one of the really important attributes of our shows will be strong characters,” she said. “Those characters may be Alex, a truck driver [from Ice Road]; they may be the Enterprise, an aircraft carrier. But there’s a way that you can tell stories that bring out characters in a very unique and different way.”
Dubuc said she is introducing programming that appeals to viewers on an emotional level, with stories that “are really told with a lot of jeopardy, a lot of tension.”
According to AETN CEO Abbe Raven, Dubuc has proven that the essence of the History brand is spinning a good yarn.
“Nancy understands great storytelling greater than anybody,” Raven said. “History is filled with wonderful stories, and it’s a huge canvas. I believe she’s really the artist that can paint some wonderful stories on that canvas.”
Ice Road Truckers became The History Channel’s No. 1-rated show, attracting 4.8 million viewers for its Aug. 19 finale. Over its run, it averaged a 2.4 rating and 3.2 million viewers.
Dubuc’s goal coming to History Channel was to lower its median age by five years by December 2008. Since she started in January, the age has already dropped to 51 years from 52, and is closing in on 50, according to network officials.
35-TO-45-YEAR-OLDS
History Channel is courting the 35- to 45-year-old upscale viewer, according to Dubuc.
At the April programming meeting, McKillop had said it was crucial for the network to get new viewers to check out its programming.
“Everyone says it’s the Nazi Network because they haven’t sampled it in too many years,” he said back then. “We’ve got to find a strategic way to increase sampling.”
Human Weapon — whose two hosts travel the world to explore age-old, hand-to-hand combat arts — did just that, drawing in a whole new audience for History Channel, according to Dubuc.
“The average age [of Human Weapon’s audience] is about 40, and it’s a non-core viewer, which is what we want to do, to attract those people who don’t watch the network on a regular basis,” she said.
History Channel has been criticized for getting a bit afield with some of its new shows.
For example, at the Television Critics Association tour in July, the first question about Human Weapon was from a TV writer asking, “What exactly does this have to do with history?”
And at least one of History Channel’s cable affiliates has raised the same issue about Ice Road Truckers. Peter Smith, senior vice president of programming and product development at cable operator Broadstripe (formerly Millennium Digital Media), was a vocal critic of the reality shows that A&E began airing, such as Dog the Bounty Hunter. He doesn’t want to see History Channel go the same route.
“Ice Road Truckers, while I’m not sure what it has to do with history, [is] a little more mainstream than Dog the Bounty Hunter,” Smith said. “My concern has been, in trying to appeal to a younger demographic, they [A&E] risk losing some of their traditional core audience. … The same could be said of History, but one series doesn’t make a trend, and I’d like to see what they do when they go forward.”
Dubuc and Moseley both maintained that History Channel hasn’t strayed “off-brand” with shows like Ice Road Truckers. First of all, History Channel’s core viewers watched Ice Road, according to Dubuc.
She said what has changed is the way that History Channel is presenting these man-versus-the-elements tales.
“Every generation has their way in which they want to be told stories, that sort of taps into the emotional zeitgeist of a generation,” Dubuc said. “One generation may embrace an academic behind a desk telling them what’s right and wrong. The next generation may want a working-class guy telling them what it was like to experience that.”
At the TCA tour, Human Weapon’s executive producer, Zak Weisfeld, defended the program as history-related, saying, “The role of martial arts in a lot of cultures is really fundamental to how they see themselves and even how they were created.”
Human Weapon capitalizes on the popularity of martial arts in pop culture, and is a show that appeals to men, who are being underserved on broadcast television, according to Shari Anne Brill, Carat USA’s director of programming services.
“They’re [History Channel] really bringing in more action-oriented programming, and giving males, in particular, a destination or programming alternative to network television,” Brill said, adding that Human Weapon “gives you a sense of the roots of hand-to-hand combat around the world.”
In terms of History Channel’s distributors, David Zagin, AETN’s executive vice president of distribution, said that network officials — himself, Raven and Dubuc — have made presentations about the network’s new programming to numerous cable operators, including Comcast and Cox Communications.
“There were some questions as far as the ties to the historical context, and when we walked them through something like Ice Road Truckers, and the multiple generations that have been doing this they [the operators] understood what we were getting at,” he said. “We were ahead of the curve in providing the context to our programming, and that alone eliminated any concern our affiliates had about any of the programming direction for History.”
Comcast and Cox officials couldn’t be reached for comment last week.
Jerry McKenna, Cable One’s vice president of strategic marketing, doesn’t have any problem with History Channel’s changes.
“I have not felt to date that they’re straying from where they position themselves as a history network,” he said.
History Channel has several marquee specials and a major marketing initiative slated for the rest of the year. The specials include Columbus: The Lost Voyage on Oct. 8; Lost Book of Nostradamus on Oct. 28; and 1968 With Tom Brokaw late this year.
“Having Tom Brokaw associated with our brand is an honor,” Dubuc said. “There are a lot of 30-year-olds out wishing they had lived in 1968. Our challenge is to tap into that nostalgia, the fantasy they have about that time. ”
And — fulfilling Dubuc’s desire to “take more of an ownership” of Veteran’s Day — the network has created a “Take a Veteran to School” initiative for affiliates, which will run from mid-October to Veteran’s Day, Nov. 12. Some 25 History affiliates are participating in the grassroots program, where local vets — living links to history — are being invited to speak at schools.
“Obviously, we feel the need to sort of top ourselves and to continue the momentum that we’ve realized,” Dubuc said.
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