Prime Time for Exec at ABC

Stephen McPherson’s first job in Hollywood was as a driver for a television production executive. Now, more than a decade later, he’s in the driver’s seat again -- this time as president of prime time for Walt Disney Co.’s banged-up ABC network.

McPherson’s ascent through the harsh world of TV politics speaks loudly to two of his distinguishing qualities: his creativity and compet- itiveness. Disney is hoping he can draw on both to revive the fourth-place network and defuse shareholder anxiety that has rocked the Burbank conglomerate’s executive suites.

McPherson, 39, emerged as a victor this week in one of Disney’s most dramatic housecleanings. Two top executives -- ABC Entertainment Television Group Chairman Lloyd Braun and entertainment President Susan Lyne -- were essentially pushed aside after the network’s ratings again lagged behind those of CBS, NBC and Fox.

McPherson, who oversaw Disney’s successful Touchstone Television Studios, is seen by many inside and outside the organization as the right man for the moment, a demanding executive unwilling to mince words. He also has an eye for good shows.

It was McPherson who saw promise in a crime drama called “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” When Disney rejected “CSI” partly on grounds that the series would not sell well overseas, McPherson predicted that it would be a hit and spawn spinoffs.

“This is a franchise show,” he said, according to one executive who heard the refrain.

CBS agreed. Today, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” is among television’s top shows, as is “CSI: Miami,” both generating hefty ad revenues for CBS. Next fall will see the premiere of “CSI: New York.”

“He was the first champion of CSI,” said Jonathan Littman, president of Jerry Bruckheimer TV, the studio that created the series. “He saw the potential of the show and tried like hell to get ABC to pick it up.” But when that failed, Littman said, “he completely championed the sale to CBS.”

While heading Touchstone, McPherson, who declined interview requests Wednesday, sometimes battled with Lyne, Braun and other ABC executives, according to sources within Disney. Generally, he believed that the network wasn’t always adequately promoting or protecting Touchstone shows. He was particularly unhappy with the Thursday time slot given to “Threat Matrix,” a $2-million-an-episode thriller that aired this season.

McPherson believed that facing brutal competition from CBS and NBC, “Threat Matrix” never had a fighting chance. The show fizzled in the ratings.

McPherson’s reputation for sharp instincts gained more traction with the success of the critically acclaimed comedy “Scrubs,” which was sold to NBC. The sale was especially important to Disney because it was trying to convince the creative community that Touchstone was open to selling shows to networks other than its own.

McPherson also has received high marks for his dealings with actors, writers and directors -- the talent.

“When I’m talking to Steve, I feel like I’m dealing with a guy, not some agent or lawyer or someone who’s manipulating an agenda,” said comedian Jim Belushi, star of ABC’s “According to Jim.” “He’s a straight-up guy. There’s nothing wishy-washy about Steve, and you always know where you stand.”

That kind of bluntness can rub some folks the wrong way. As a result, McPherson has a reputation as being temperamental and overbearing.

McPherson wasn’t the first person approached by the Disney brass.

They first had discussions with Mark Shapiro, an up-and-coming executive who has made his mark creating original programming for ESPN. But the talks fell apart, sources said, after Shapiro insisted on being ABC’s No. 1 programmer, leaping ahead of Lyne, who was still in the mix. Shapiro could not be reached for comment.

McPherson sealed the deal after meeting with Chief Executive Michael Eisner late in the week, sources said. He convinced the embattled Disney boss and ABC’s new head, Anne Sweeney, that one person should be in charge of prime-time programming at ABC.

Former NBC entertainment President Warren Littlefield, who worked with McPherson, said ABC had landed a good right-hand man for Sweeney.

“One thing endearing about Steve is that there is a child who is very much alive inside, and I mean that in the most positive way. He’s very comfortable in the sandbox of ideas,” said Littlefield, who has a drama in contention for a fall slot on ABC.

In a Hollywood-style twist, one of McPherson’s chief rivals will be a former frat brother from Cornell University.

NBC’s president of prime-time development, Kevin Reilly, who graduated about a year before McPherson, recalled a Squaw Valley skiing trip the pair took back in the ‘80s. He said they talked about trying to make their mark one day in the entertainment business.

Reilly arrived in Los Angeles first and was hired in 1987 as a publicist for Universal Pictures. But when McPherson arrived a few years later, the economy was slumping and entertainment positions were scarce. That’s when McPherson took the driving job for producer Tony Thomas, although not for long. Within a few months, McPherson was working as a development executive inside Witt-Thomas-Harris Productions, which produced “The Golden Girls” and “Empty Nest.”

“I always thought he would succeed,” Reilly said. “He’s decisive and tenacious, and a real competitor.”

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Times staff writer Richard Verrier contributed to this report.