CBS
Building a competitive prime-time lineup is never easy. Just ask NBC. But the strength and consistency of the most watched network, CBS, shows it can be done, year after year, thanks to its steady diet of scripted comedies and dramas, top-notch reality, and the granddaddy of newsmagazines, 60 Minutes, which has been anchoring Sunday for 35 consecutive years. Once upon a time, CBS was perceived as the quintessential broadcast dinosaur, delivering a dwindling number of adults 18-49, the target audience advertisers crave. But by peppering the lineup with younger-skewing favorites like Survivor, The Amazing Race and the CSI franchise, while remaining loyal to its core older base, there’s something for everyone on CBS. In fact, CBS is the only network not to be negatively impacted by the recent sitcom drought, thanks to the strength of its Monday lineup. It is the only network to still deliver a respectable-sized audience on Friday since it actually still programs original shows on the night. Much credit goes to CBS honcho Les Moonves who has wielded a steady and firm hand over all the programmers in charge of the network for the last decade. Funny, when you think about it, CBS really is a dinosaur in its mass appeal—it just happens to still be thriving. —Marc Berman
