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As other networks branch out, TLC sticks with reality

Elevator doors open. And there they are — Stacy, Clinton and even Randy, cast members from TLC's “What Not to Wear” and “Say Yes to the Dress,” gazing out from life-size murals adorning the walls of the cable network's offices.

At every turn of the sixth-floor digs in the headquarters of parent company Discovery Communications, TLC's reality-show stars greet you.

Even the furniture in the waiting area — cupcake-shaped chairs tucked into a cake stand table — is a nod to Washington's sibling bakers and Jersey's pastry chieftain whose antics have gained a following for “D.C. Cupcakes” and “Cake Boss,” respectively.

Every colorful quirk of the decor reflects the network's dedicated exploration of eccentricity. TLC revels in documenting everyday people living life, no matter how bizarre or mundane.

It's a Wednesday morning in Silver Spring, Md., and Eileen O'Neill, president of TLC and Discovery networks, is ready to talk about vision. She makes her way into the conference room, where general manager Amy Winter is already seated.

Winter is the young, urbane optimist, O'Neill the thoughtful pragmatist. They epitomize TLC's target audience: women intrigued by the world around them.

“Whether it's something as controversial as polygamy or as amenable as a baker's shop, the aim is for the audience to come away with something of value and interest,” O'Neill said when asked about TLC's programming goals.

What separates TLC from other networks, Winter chimes in, is its “compelling characters” who “tell their stories in a very openhearted way.” Audiences tune in for the authenticity of those stories, for the reality.

Reality TV is at the heart of TLC's formula, as it is with much of cable television's, but a sea of change may be occurring: Competing networks such as Bravo and History are turning to scripted programming to appeal to an increasingly fragmented audience and to attract ad dollars.

Broadcast networks have long aired original scripted series, while cable channels were subsisting off reruns, documentaries and old movies. Many cable execs found the cost of producing scripted shows prohibitive, yet a few gave it a shot, with mixed results.

The popularity of cheaply produced reality shows gave cable channels little reason to diversify their lineup.

TLC launched in 1980 as The Learning Channel. One of its early successes was the 1997 docu-reality series “Trauma: Life in the E.R.,” which followed doctors and nurses in emergency rooms across the country.

“It became a catalyst for a fair amount of demographic change,” said John Ford, TLC's first head of programming. “It skewed female, which really caught us by surprise. We weren't as sophisticated in understanding the gender dynamics back then but learned a lot about our audiences.”

What TLC execs learned was how to capitalize on viewers' fascination with following people as they got married, had a baby, endured a makeover — lived life. This spawned “A Wedding Story,” “A Baby Story,” “What Not to Wear” and others.

When Discovery purchased TLC in 1991, the network was airing a mix of self-help shows, reaching roughly 15 million households and producing $13 million in revenue. By 2001, Discovery had turned the network into a $367 million operation that reached nearly 80 million homes, according to media research company SNL Kagan.

TLC's next big hit, “Trading Spaces,” which launched in 2000, lured viewers with the unpredictability of people's reactions to home makeovers led by their neighbors. But by 2005, “Trading Spaces” had lost about 40 percent of its audience and TLC had lost its luster.

“After the 'Trading Spaces' heyday, we started evolving The Learning Channel concept into a live-and-learn kind of thing,” Winter said. “We realized that people don't mind learning, but they don't want to be taught. We had a lot of experts on the air but shifted that to people whose life experiences have turned them into an expert.”

Winter pointed to the docu-series “Jon & Kate Plus 8” as an example of average people whose experience in raising eight children made them “a kind of expert in parenting.”

“Jon & Kate,” which debuted on TLC in 2007, became a ratings powerhouse, drawing 10.6 million viewers at one point, when the couple's marriage fell apart two years later.

In many ways, “Jon & Kate” set today's tone at TLC. During the show's five seasons, the network rolled out a string of family-centric docu-series, including “19 Kids & Counting” and “Sister Wives.” Each show delved into atypical families.

“Because there are so many media outlets, they needed to find a niche,” said Patricia A. Williamson, a professor in the School of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts at Central Michigan University. “TLC has reinvented itself so many times but seems to have found its stride.”

In reinventing itself, TLC has come under fire for airing shows such as “Toddlers & Tiaras” and “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding” that critics say are voyeuristic and border on exploitation.

“Those are worlds that exist with or without our camera there,” O'Neill said.

Many of TLC's competitors have embraced a similar view of building their schedules around common themes that in some ways speak to a brand identity. Bravo is where you go for fashion, food and to gawk at women with too much time and money. We TV is where you head to see overindulged brides behaving badly.

Williamson says networks with heavy concentrations in that type of format are challenged to keep it fresh.

“With some of these docu-reality series, they'll be hits for a season or two and start to wane in popularity,” she said. “It seems that TLC has realized that and has been cycling through new ideas.”

Still, being known for a type of programming doesn't preclude cable networks from branching out into new formats.

As much as viewers eat up reality shows, their appetite for well-executed, scripted shows is just as voracious. AMC proved that with the success of such original series as “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad.”

“High-quality scripted shows are always in high demand from advertisers,” said Todd Gordon, executive vice president and U.S. director at MagnaGlobal, an advertising firm.

The History channel made its foray into original scripted programming with “Hatfields & McCoys,” a miniseries that averaged 14 million viewers across its three-night run starting on Memorial Day. The channel is slowly diversifying its lineup. Plans call for History's first full-scripted drama, “Vikings,” to hit the air next year.

Bravo, for its part, is starting out with two scripted shows due out next year. The network that built the “Housewives” franchise is sticking to its lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-naughty theme. One show, “22 Birthdays,” follows wealthy families as they throw lavish parties, while “Blowing Sunshine” looks at the interactions of staff members and patients at a private rehab center.

It's not like TLC hasn't dabbled in scripted programming in the past, but those attempts have mainly been re-enactments in documentaries.

“We are always open to exploring different formats, as long as they fit our brand promise,” Winter said. “We just don't have anything in the works at present.”

For now, TLC plans to build upon its successful franchises. Winter said the network is expanding its Friday night block of wedding shows to Thursday. The network is also rolling out three more wedding shows next year, including “Maids of Dishonor,” a show about — you guessed it — troublesome maids of honor.

“TLC is parked in an area that is pretty versatile, has lots of potential and possibility for a wide audience,” said Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. “Even though they are a specialized network, they are specializing in an area that's viable.”

Cable station TLC has drawn fire for some of their reality shows, including "Toddlers and Tiaras."
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