Fox adopting concept of ‘year-round programming’

Echoing the sentiments of rival NBC executives that the traditional rollout of new network schedules in the fall may be an outdated strategy, Fox Entertainment President Gail Berman announced Friday that her network would start unveiling new shows soon after the official season ends in May.

“Viewers can expect new programming from Fox in June,” Berman told a gathering of television writers in her first press conference since taking sole charge of the network following the recent resignation of Fox Television Entertainment Group Chairman Sandy Grushow. She said Fox is now in the business of “year-round programming,” a move that has become necessary with cable networks, video games and other technologies eating into the viewership of broadcast television.

“With the changes in the marketplace, we have to compete for viewers,” Berman said. “There is no more free lunch in this game,” she said, referring to networks typically using the summer months for reruns and other low-profile shows before launching the fall season, usually in September.

Jeff Zucker, president of NBC’s entertainment, news and cable group, said earlier this week that his network would begin its fall season in August, immediately after NBC’s airing of the Summer Olympics. Zucker said he wanted to take advantage of the millions of viewers tuning in the Olympics.

Berman said she was also considering ABC’s planned tactic of launching new series with shorter original seasons without reruns or preemptions.

Two Fox series starting production next week that may start airing in June are “The Casino,” an unscripted series based at Las Vegas’ Golden Nugget casino from “Survivor” creator Mark Burnett, and “The Jury,” a courtroom drama from Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana, the team behind HBO’s prison series “Oz.”

Berman also noted that Fox has struggled this season with the failure of several high-profile series such as “Skin” and “The Next Joe Millionaire,” and the continuing battle to attract viewers to the critically acclaimed comedy “Arrested Development.” But she said the network was poised for growth in the coming months with next week’s return of “American Idol.”

Saying she expects the third season of the talent show to perform well, Berman acknowledged its importance to Fox: “It’s very important

And even though some critics have already expressed skepticism, Berman was optimistic about the prospects for “My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance,” which debuts Monday following “American Idol.” The unscripted series has a practical joke premise pitting a bride-to-be and her overweight, uncouth “fiance” -- actually an actor who’s not only fooling her horrified family, but also the woman herself.

“It’s a wild, fun show,” said Berman, adding that she didn’t feel the series crossed the line into bad taste or inappropriateness.

Other Fox series scheduled in the next few months include:

* “Forever Eden,” touted as the “first open-ended unscripted soap opera” (March 1).

* “Cracking Up,” a comedy from Mike White (“School of Rock”) about a graduate student who lives with a wealthy dysfunctional family (March 8).

* “Wonderfalls,” about a Niagara Falls tourist-shop clerk who can communicate with inanimate figures (March 12).