HBO's Richard Plepler, who rose from top corporate communications officer and exec VP to the company's programming boss in a promotion that raised creative eyebrows, has decided to get some help from a source very familiar to him: The New York Times. Specifically, from Frank Rich, the NY Times' weekly Op-Ed columnist and formerly America's most powerful drama critic, who as of today keeps his day job in journalism but also signs on as HBO's creative consultant (press release below). Rich, who's about to turn 59, told me just now "it was not hard" to obtain the newspaper of record's permission to do the showbiz deal once it was agreed that he would no longer even mention HBO. "I am completely out of covering HBO whatsoever."
As Plepler told me this morning, "I'm a longtime fan of Frank's, and HBO's goal is to bring as many interesting voices and points of view to the table as possible. When you look at what Frank has done, and his sui generis talent, and his many relationships in the creative community, he has a very, very good instinct for quality. Because of that, he has a remarkable feel for what we see as a quintessential HBO brand." The details of Rich's deal, while confidential, sound typical for showbiz: a consulting fee combined with payments for projects that get made. Plepler made a point of stressing that while Rich will make suggestions, HBO execs "will have to make the final determinations of what fits and what doesn't."
Rich said that he and Plepler began talking around the first of the year about some sort of formalized relationship, and it took until now to firm up the deal. The journalist calls this "an unplanned and wonderful piece of serendipity where our interests merged. It's the start of a new chapter in my life that's fun, quite frankly. I've been stage and movie struck since high school. Both have been a passion of mine. And I've always been thinking I would love to be part of this world. At HBO I can do everything from a comedy to a docudrama at a high level where you don't have to answer to sponsors."
So the natural question is whether HBO programming will receive kinder treatment from NY Times critics because of Rich's involvement. Actually, just the opposite may be true: the newpaper, for instance, is notorious for panning books written by its staffers.
Also, it's interesting to note that another NY Times staffer has done showbiz work for HBO: TV writer Bill Carter, who in 1996 adapted his book about the late night war over David Letterman into the HBO teleplay Late Shift, but continued (and continues) to cover the pay channel. Carter also in 2002 adapted his book about Howard Cosell and ABC's Monday Night Football into the TNT teleplay Monday Night Mayhem but continued (and continues) to cover both the cable channel and ABC. More recently, TV sources tell me that Carter has been saying he'd like to write a sequel to Late Shift about Jay Leno's anticipated exit from NBC which he has been covering for the NY Times.
Here is the HBO press release about Frank Rich:
NEW YORK, May 23, 2008 -- Frank Rich has signed on as a creative consultant to HBO, it was announced today by Richard Plepler, co-president, and Michael Lombardo, president programming group and west coast operations.
In this capacity, Rich will both initiate and help develop projects at the pay-TV network.
"Frank is one of the smartest and most astute observers of popular culture and we are thrilled that we can call upon his judgment and superb instincts," said Plepler and Lombardo.
Added Rich, "To my mind, HBO has always been the gold standard for some of the best work in television. I'm excited to be a part of this collaboration."
Rich will recuse himself from writing about HBO and Time Warner in his weekly OpEd column, which is largely about politics and public affairs.
oh, wow, the scent of acrid desperation
rich has become a joke with his hysterical one-note diatribes in the nyt
Comment by whatevuh — May 21, 2008 @ 11:06 am
What does Frank Rich, a columnist know about cable televison and what the viewers want?
Comment by chuck — May 21, 2008 @ 11:12 am
Hmmm….
I don’t know if it’s such a smart move for HBO to ally itself with the sinking ship of the New York Times.
It’s declining sales figures, ad revenues, and the view many hold of the Grey Lady as the paper of record for Manhattan’s elite pied-à-terre set, shows a certain disconnect between HBO management and the general public.
And while the Park Avenue/Hamptons crowd have money, it’s the general public that can truly make or break a network by tuning out in droves.
Comment by Furious D — May 21, 2008 @ 11:25 am
Two fiftysomething white guys with no talent relationships or creative development experience hire a fifty-nine year old white guy with same to “consult”.
The cabal to replace Albrecht continues to curdle as it grows.
Comment by TSE — May 21, 2008 @ 11:36 am
It’s heartbreaking how far the NYT has fallen. The Op-Ed page is particularly unreadable, self-serving, shrill and corrupt. Remember when there was a balance of views, intelligently written, factually accurate, and you could learn something - even from someone with whom you disagreed?
Comment by sad — May 21, 2008 @ 12:07 pm
What a stupid move. You bring in an aging, white, left-wing apparatchik to “consult” on your programming - a guy with an obvious agenda, whose worldview stretches all the way from 40th street to 89th street on the West Side of Manhattan. A splendid way to broaden your programming and increase your audience.
The prefect Frank Rich show will be about a gay couple in musical theater who get run over by Bush’s motorcade.
Comment by Norman Phillips — May 21, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
Has HBO corporate management made a serious blunder? Think about it. It’s move that could generare less veiwers,less revenue if Frank Rich is not creative with programming. And some are going to see a left wing agenda with HBO now that could be bad too.
Comment by chuck — May 21, 2008 @ 2:21 pm
Showtime really has HBO terrified, doesn’t it?
Comment by Rachel — May 21, 2008 @ 2:47 pm
What a stupid move. Makes no sense… in fact, the opposite of sense if that makes sense. eeesh!!!
Comment by Chris — May 21, 2008 @ 2:57 pm
Does Rich have dirt on Plepler or something?
Off topic, but per your late night reference, thank goodness Leno is almost out. His show is so toxic.
Comment by C. — May 21, 2008 @ 7:02 pm
They did it to neutralize him. Hollywood has been hiring critics for years to get them off their backs (Frank Nugent, James Agee, Pauline Kael, Richard Schickel, Paul Attanasio, Stephen Schiff, Paul Shrader, Jay Cocks) or to corrupt them. Sometimers it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. Some have talent and some don’t. Some were slipping material to the people they wrote about anyway.
Comment by Santayana — May 22, 2008 @ 12:12 am
Considering how vapid HBO has become it only makes sense that they would hire Frank Rich. Now they can join NBC as another unwatched, pious, left-wing, televangelist network.
Comment by savvydude — May 22, 2008 @ 12:14 am
Time to short Time Warner stock.
Comment by Brady Westwater — May 22, 2008 @ 12:26 am
Too late… no matter what he does I’m cancelling my HBO simply because there’s no new quality programming on it. Whatever happened to this network? It used to put out quality programming and that’s what I signed up for — not the movies.
Also, I know it’s politically ok, but how about leaving race out of this equation? I don’t think whether you’re white has anything to do with whether you’re a creative or talented individual, so how about easing up on the backhanded racism guys.
Comment by John E — May 22, 2008 @ 7:15 am
Lost all respect for Rich when he picked up a lit torch and became just another talking head with endless monotonous anti-Hillary ravings.
LOL, he’s been hired for his original and creative thoughts?
Comment by yikes — May 22, 2008 @ 7:27 am
And since Time Warner has its tentacles deep, deep, deep into the economic/political swamp, what, exactly does this leave Rich “permission” to write about? Legal can find a TW connection under every rock.
Didn’t HBO notice that no one paid for Times/Select…?
Uh, wouldn’t this have been a clue?
Comment by Spriggs — May 22, 2008 @ 7:46 am
hbo’s decision making post Sopranos has been head scratching
it was just @ 8 years ago that they were the envy of the tv industry…now showtime is a better version of hbo than hbo is lol
there isn’t even an argument that hbo leans to the left—now they’ve tipped over with the hiring of frank rich LOL
Inside The NFL was the only show I was really watching on there–and after that was unceremoniously cancelled, all I see are “America is eeevvelll” documentaries and movies, I’ve seen Recount, and no, that isn’t a pro Gore movie (sarcasm) (and yeah I know John Adams was an exception)—
I can always bit-torrent Entourage…cancelling my subscription to hbo today. there’s only so much smug Bryant Gumbel and Bob Costas I can take
Frank Rich as “creative consultant” HILARIOUS! wow, more “why is America so evil” programming…will make as much impact as Pauline Kael had at Paramount lol
Comment by drew — May 22, 2008 @ 9:23 am
WHY? Is the entertainment industry this devoid of compelling executives? What a give up, retread hire…can anyone site his last original, creative idea? Is HBO this disparate??? Pathetic!
Comment by robert — May 22, 2008 @ 4:44 pm
Hey, John - haven’t you heard? Racism lurks in every corner. Sexism, however, exists nowhere.
LOL.
Thus proclaims the tell-us-how-to-think-and-how-to-vote pundits a la Frank Rich.
Comment by disgusted — May 22, 2008 @ 7:18 pm
Damn, lots of hatred for a talented writer. (Did Drudge link here or something?) Frank Rich also wrote a cool memoir called “Ghost Light.” No idea what he’ll do with HBO, but it’s certainly an outside-the-box move. As for “sad,” uh, the Times is doing quite well financially, thanks. And you’re seriously claiming that the paper that has both David Brooks and Bill Kristol is lacking political balance? How many progressive columnists does the Wall Street Journal have? (Answer: zero.)
And Norman Phillips attacking someone for a narrow worldview and in the next sentence making an anti-gay remark.
Comment by Greg — May 31, 2008 @ 11:18 pm