Changing the Broadway Season so that Tony Ratings rise?

[CapnHook]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 8:59pm

This is from Rosie's website:

"Q: Y do u think the Tonys should be in January?

A: i think the theater season should be changed
to run jan thru dec
so the tonys would be on in january
and not in competition with the play offs
the sopranos ect
it gets lost now
being on in june"

What do you think? Should we change the theatre season so that the Tonys are in January?

[Katurian2]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 9:00pm

No, because then it would be in competition with every other awards show

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 9:01pm

I think that the Tony Awards shouldn't be about ratings - it should be about artistic integrity.

Air it on PBS or some other channel that ratings don't matter to. Updated On: 5/29/06 at 09:01 PM

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 9:02pm

It would be wierd having the Tonys over break. I'm so used to the Tonys symbolizing the end of school and summer.

And very well said Yankee. It should be, but sadly nothing in the world is.

Updated On: 5/29/06 at 09:02 PM

[zbigner]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 9:10pm

Broadway is fundamentally different than the movies, television, and music in that it is distributed to a few thousand people at a time. As long as people have to go to the theater to see the shows, the Tonys will have low ratings. Millions of people watch the other awards because they actually know somethign about most of the movies, shows, and performers and in most cases have actually seen the nominated work.

The internet has made it a little easier for folks who aren't in New York to be informed about the season's shows, but it's still nothing like the other forms.

Zack

[CapnHook]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 9:17pm

If the Tonys did make the switch to January, do you think it would work? Would more people watch it?

[Joshua488]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 9:23pm

I don't think it would really matter. The number of people in America who regularly see a Broadway show is so much lower than the number of people who regularly watch a television show or see a movie. I just think that a large portion of America doesn't care. Why would you watch the Tonys if you had no interest in the Broadway community?

[Joshua488]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 9:23pm

Ooh, I'm sorry.
Updated On: 5/29/06 at 09:23 PM

[Joshua488]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 9:23pm

Wow, I'm really sorry! Updated On: 5/29/06 at 09:23 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 9:32pm

Hm. It's one of those things where I doubt it really matters. Yeah, sure it's at a bad time, but I'm sure moving it to January, they'd just find other excuses as to why it wasn't doing so well in the ratings. It's just not much of a draw. I didn't even start watching them until about two years ago. I think if they were more widley publicized. For instance, with the Grammy's and Oscar's so many people plug that show, like E! and so many magazines (EW) run special issues devoted to covering it. Where as, for the Tony's, they get like a small - not even full page - blurb in one of EW's issuses and that's it. It needs more exposure.

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 9:41pm

If the Tonys were on PBS, Liz McCann would have to build the set out of paper, and there would be no mics or an orchestra. Ad dollars are very important...

[Katurian2]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 9:44pm

lol- brilliant observation. Art for art's sake belongs back in the 19th century. Backing is everything nowadays.

[Act4ever]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 9:51pm

besides, the people who actually want to watch the Tony's will watch them regardless of when they're on.

[kasim]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 9:55pm

Well screw the TV ratings.

Personally i think having the Tony's around now probably help not only broadway in general but the shows since its the start of the main tourist season in NYC. It gives them a chance to heavily advertise as tony winner, tony nominee etc. It just wouldnt have the same meaning if it was 6 months later and it was like "last years tony winner"

[Yero]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 10:05pm

That blog hurts my head...

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 10:14pm

Kasim, shows use the Tonys in advertising no matter when they won the Tony. Avenue Q has it on their marquee still, after a couple years. It doesn't matter if its a week or 6 years, shows will always use it in their marketing.

I think it makese sense to have a season that runs for a year (Jan-Dec.) instead of it running like a school year.

[latheatrelover]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 10:19pm

I was thinking the same as Kasim. I would guess most on this board actually live in NYC or surrounging areas, so Broadway is an everyday thing for you. I live in Los Angeles, and I think like many tourists do (who are a major part of the income to Broadway theaters). I believe the Tonys in June get tourists thinking, "Hey, let's go to NYC for our vacation in a few weeks and see some shows," or else they act as a great commercial for shows coming to L.A. or wherever.

If they were held in January, the summer months would be several months away, and people would forget about them. It would be hard to keep the enthusiasm going from January to July after people have gone through winter, the Oscars, the Emmys, the Grammys, the Golden Globes, the People's Choice Awards, sports, taxes, etc. etc. If they were in January, some people in heavy snow or cold places might just say, "Why are we watching the Tonys? We're not going out anytime soon. Switch the channel."
Updated On: 5/29/06 at 10:19 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 10:38pm

Well obviously that's not working now, as people aren't watching the Tonys.

[latheatrelover]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 11:08pm

First, you have to understand that it isn't the show itself that is ignored. It's theater.

Theater is an acquired taste. I love Broadway and the theater, so I watch and I come out when I can. Putting tons of stars on as the Tonys as hosts doesn't make it more exciting for me. However, the networks have tried this and it too fails.

The problem is that outside of NYC, and the small group of enthusiasts around the country, theater isn't important. I know those are shocking words for people in the business but its true. People go to movies because theaters are close and generally affordable. Live Theater is a "get dressed, make an evening of it with dinner, spend several days work income for tickets" thing to even people like me. The majority of America's only experience to theater is probably seeing little Harry perform in the school play, and they wouldn't be there even for that if he weren't their son. Even going to movies has become too much of a bother for many people, which is why Netflix is doing so well.

If America sees an award show for movies, they can go out and see it or rent it. If they see an award show for television series, they make a note to set the TIVO to tape an episode. But in watching the Tonys, they might be interested in a musical they see on the program (likely one they have seen no advertising on nor heard anything about prior to the broadcast), but it would mean a trip to New York or waiting years for it to come to their town via a touring company. It would mean as much to the average person not from NYC as watching the "2006 Pulitzer Prize Awards Show." The Tonys will always probably have low ratings.

And, another thing to mention, is that youth, on the whole, don't see things on the show they are interested in. But youth is probably the thing that is needed to keep the show alive. Shows like Rent really are rare. I am 51 myself but I have noticed that when I go to theater, the majority of people are elderly. It's what producers worry about, what to do when that audience dies? And except for someone like Julia Roberts appearing on Broadway, people of all ages who watch the Tonys see the people nominated and think, "I have never heard of them." They have no stake in it, the way they might if it is a favorite film of theirs that has been nominated or an actor they like on screen.

Switching it to January might diminish the audience for theatre even more (based in what I stated earlier about getting tourists interested closer to vacation time). And let's not forget that while to people like you and me award shows (any award show) are about the recognition from their peers, they are also a long commercial to get the average person interested in their product, whether it be a TV series, a record, a movie, or a Broadway show. And when you have their interest, the product better be accessible. For everything on that list, it is available locally or on Amazon or on eBay, but Broadway has to be travelled to in order to see it. It really is that. It's the only thing people have to generally go to another city to see. It would be probably the equivalent for you if there were no Tony Awards show in New York, but rather a show broadcast around the world about awards handed out in Chicago. Would you be as interested? I mean I love the show and that is why this year I am doing what I have always wanted to do, which is coming out to see the show in person and going to the gala afterwards. (Thank goodness for the latter, otherwise from where I am sitting in the audience I will be just seeing most of it on a large screen...which is like being back home watching it on TV. At least at the gala, I can wander about and see the nominated people.)

(By the way, I haven't even factored into any of my postulations above the cost of airfare, NY hotel costs, and theater tickets. All things the average Joe has to think about before seeing a show on Broadway. For myself, I hope to see 4 or 5 shows while in NYC, which means my average ticket, after airfare, etc. is costing me between $400-$500. And that's usually for a discount ticket. If that's not love for the theater, what is?)






Updated On: 5/29/06 at 11:08 PM

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/30/06 at 12:27am

latheatrelover nailed it perfectly.

You could put the Tonys on in the middle of a blizzard in January when the other networks are runninmg re-runs of their lowest rated shows and the numbers for the Tonys would not improve.

I used to worry. I don't now because as one CBS exec explained: the Tonys attract a small but unique audienbce that advertisers covet and can't reach through regular programming. That is why CBS wanted that extra hour back from PBS. (Though with commercials the extra hour becomes about 40 minutes more of program.)

Also the Tonys in June are shown outside of the maain season, after the May sweeps are over with, so the numbers even small ones don't hurt the network overall. If CBS ever did decide to drop the Tonys, PBS would probably pick it up but the coverage might be spotty as some stations would not run it or show it at odd times. (Look at our Buffalo PBS station showing teh Drama Desks at 2 in the morning!)

Finally it is a huge promotional tool for the summer tourist season, and probably the most vauluable national exposure new shows get.

THe first (or 2nd ) Sunday in June is just fine.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 5/30/06 at 12:36am

Ridiculous. The people who are going to watch the Tonys are going to watch the Tonys and the people who aren't, arent. No matter when it is.