Wednesday, May 16, 2007

CBS bringing Congress to prime-time sked!

This is stunning and encouraging news.

It seems CBS television is taking over operation of C-SPAN -- which has offered live coverage of the U.S. House and Senate, etc., for a quarter century -- and apparently will make public-service broadcasting the mainstay of its network sked.

Finally, sanity reigns in network television, and ordinary Americans will get a prime-time education in How Our Government Works.

Kudos to CBS!

From Variety, the show-biz daily:

CBS is ready to unleash a reality take on "Lord of the Flies," quietly wrapping filming on a new skein in which a group of 8- to 15-year-olds will create their own society.
Tom Forman, showrunner on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," is behind the 13-episode project, tentatively titled "Kid Nation."

Eye is expected to unveil the show Wednesday at its upfront presentation. It's unclear if "Kids' Nation" will land on the fall sked, but it wouldn't be surprising if it did.

Project was originally pegged for a summer debut but was held for the 2007-08 season after CBS execs became excited about its breakout potential. Eye's other reality staples -- "Survivor" and "Amazing Race" -- have been greenlit for two cycles and one cycle, respectively.

CBS reality guru Ghen Maynard has been feverishly working on nearly two dozen unscripted concepts for the Eye and cousin net the CW.

With "Survivor" and "Amazing Race" both aging, execs at CBS have made finding the next big reality hit a huge priority. Effort begins in earnest later this month with "Pirate Master," premiering on the same date "Survivor" originally bowed.

As for "Kid Nation," skein will follow 40 kids for 40 days, observing them as they attempt to build a new society from scratch.

Rather than surviving on an island, the kiddies relocated to Bonanza City, N.M., a ghost town abandoned more than a century ago. Prodigal children live without parental supervision and modern comforts.

Goal for the kids is to build a functional society. They have to pass laws, choose leaders and build an economy. People familiar with the project said the kids may also be given choices between things they need (food and supplies) and things they want (think Nintendo Wii).

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