Hammer: USA to Push Into ‘Other Zones’

NBC Universal Cable Entertainment
and Universal
Cable Productions president
Bonnie Hammer spoke with
Multichannel News programming
editor R. Thomas
Umstead about USA Network’s 2010 ratings
win, the network’s fifth consecutive
yearly win among ad-supported basic networks.
Hammer is set to become chairman,
NBC Universal Cable Entertainment
and Cable Studios, once the Comcast-NBC
Universal merger is completed.

MCN: How has USA been able to maintain
its ratings momentum year to year?

Bonnie Hammer: I think it’s a combination
of a great team that’s consistently playing at
the top of their game together. We’re very,
very good at limiting risk because we all
work so closely together.

MCN: You mentioned limiting risks — will
USA ever go outside of its comfort zone of
developing light-hearted action shows with
strong characters and take a risk by producing
grittier or darker content?


BH: You will see a variety of steps at USA
pushing the envelope. You will never see
us giving up the baby with the bathwater,
but what you will see is very calculated attempts
at entering into other zones. We
have a couple of pilots like Legal Minds
that take us toward a little tonally edgier
environment. The hope is that it’s additive:
We will look to invite others in while continuing
on track with our more blue-sky
programming. We’re also starting development
in reality — it’ll be reality that lives in
an aspirational, upbeat way and it will be
character-driven, rather than competitivelydriven.
We’re also developing comedies to
air in 2012.

MCN: What changes do you see in the cable
programming landscape for 2011?

BH: I can’t speak for the whole industry, but
those of us on this side of the business who
want to produce fun, quality stuff , the challenge
and excitement is coming up with the
next great brand. Content is going to be the
game of the future and it has to play across a
whole lot of platforms.

MCN: How will your duties change with
your new role in NBC Universal after the
Comcast deal?

BH: Until the deal really closes, I don’t know.
I do know that I love my team so I’m going to
stay extremely close to the existing properties
that I have and try to happily and excitedly
embrace those other responsibilities
that have been given to me. I see my role
changing only in that it’s going to be embracing
more really talented people.