Due in part to the recent news regarding NBCU and USA Network, I’ve decided to take a deeper look into the background and mindset of Bonnie Hammer. That’s always been my MO, I carry a big shovel and I dig deep, it’s in my nature to be informed and satisfy a thirst for knowledge. Bonnie Hammer, 59, is the President of NBC Universal Cable, graduated from Boston University College of Communication and has a master’s degree in Media Technology from the University’s School of Education. OK, she is educated, “book smart” as is justifiably assumed given her credentials. Having said that, it doesn’t always mean much relative to being “street smart” in coming from behind the education screen and experiencing firsthand the environment of that in which you are educated, to be schooled in the trenches to the point of earning respect. Sometimes there are variables that stand in the way of that, perhaps it is money, quest for power or bad judgment. Bonnie Hammer is ranked as number 47 out of 50 according to Fortune’s “Fifty Most Powerful Women”. Merriam-Webster defines “powerful” as follows: 1: having great power, prestige, or influence 2: leading to many or important deductions. “great power”, let’s take a look at that, with power comes responsibility and more often than not power wins over rationale in overcoming selfishness and blind sightedness. In other words, having an ideology fueled by power wherein a person becomes a legend in their own mind. For example, I went back 11 years and found an interesting piece of information that explains Bonnie’s grand plan for the viewers of any network she is involved with. Here is the reference to what will follow:

“The current generation of boys will not have this inspiration from science fiction, at least from science fiction on television and in movies. That’s because there is an undeclared war on real science fiction on TV and in movies. The former Sci-Fi channel, now “Syfy”, is a good example of what has been happening to science fiction on television. In 1998 Bonnie Hammer took over the Sci-Fi channel and declared that “more female viewers were needed”. Over the next several years, the Sci-Fi channel became increasingly feminized losing many of its traditional male viewers in an attempt to go after women viewers. This included making the logos “warmer and more human” because the logos before were “too male and too dark”. The biggest change was in the feminization of the programming shown on the Sci-Fi channel. The re-imagined re-delusioned Battlestar Galactica is a good example. (Many of you might not be aware but there was an original Battlestar Galactica series shown in the late 70s.) While the original series had its problems, it was more standard science fiction with men doing and accomplishing things. The new series instead had lots of relationship drama, men whining, and men generally unable to find their way out of a wet paper bag. The new Battlestar Galactica was so feminized that one of the main characters from the original series, Starbuck, (who was a man) was turned into a woman. When Bonnie Hammer first heard about this, she clenched her fists in the air and yelled, “Yes !”. There’s so much more that can be said about this, but rather than write pages and pages more, everyone should read what Dirk Benedict, the original and only Starbuck had to say about it in a piece called, Lt. Starbuck…Lost in Castration. (Run, do not walk to that webpage. It’s that good.)”

http://www.actusf.com/spip/breve-4001.html

And this is an expose’ written by Dirk Benedict formerly of the original “Battlestar Galactica”. It is rather long but I urge you to read it, it is stunning in its forthrightness and candidness, it blew me away:

Lt. Starbuck … Lost In Castration.

Vincent is a strong man, tall in stature, commanding in his space, and all of that is translated onto his character of “Bobby Goren”, who also happens to be intelligent, self-assured and intense. All of these factors do not fit into the puppies and kitties world Bonnie Hammer is living in, and it is quite obvious that she is intimidated by men to the point of wanting to “feminize” them. This is her way of using her power as a network executive for her own agenda in “softening” men so she can feel stronger as a woman. She is in need of that control. Quite frankly, I would much rather have Vincent walk away than have Bobby turned into a pansy.

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Also, have you read this great essay by Michael Hirschorn on ‘quirk’?

it was fun. complements your thoughts some.

http://www.amazon.com/Demographic-Vistas-Television-American-Culture/dp/0812215605/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253297594&sr=1-3

You have probably already heard of this, but it’s a gem:

David Marc discusses the creators (culture makers from back in the day) of 60s and 70s crime and sitcom programming, as well as their own particular metaphysical checklist. Examples are Quinn Martin and Paul Henning. They ensured a certain style in their hits such as the Hillbillies, Barnaby Jones, etc.

I have the book in storage, otherwise I’d give you the exact page – but there is actually a table that lists precisely the same ‘grammer’ you list here for USA.

It was riveting, tremendous, a gem. This post here reminded me very much of that book.

If you haven’t come upon it, you might like it, because I just discovered this site (Scouts seem an awful like like early adopters to me) and Marc’s book is about how TV is the cultural maker and surface symbol of our democracy. In other words, how TV and its creators are culture makers, and then discusses very accessibly their templates.

Give it a look someday.