SILVERMAN ON THE BENEFITS OF BEING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE; And why you'll see an updated version of 'Knight Rider' but not 'B.J. and the Bear'.(The Upfront)(Interview)

Advertising Age, May, 2008 by Steinberg, Brian

Byline: BRIAN STEINBERG

The hard sell of the upfront marketplace is typically the realm of the ad-sales executives, who guide the nitty-gritty of the negotiations behind the scenes after the entertainment presidents do the soft sell by putting on a show. This year, however, one of NBC's entertainment executives is already out doing deals.

Ben Silverman, co-chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, was already known for his knack for building entertainment concepts and weaving marketers into them when he ran his production shop, Reveille. Now he's doing the same for the Peacock Network. Mr. Silverman discusses results he's seen from NBC's decision to unveil its 2008-09 programming schedule ahead of rivals and explains why shows from the...

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