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Date Posted: 08:37:21 11/01/01 Thu
Author: Trish
Subject: this is at http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011101/en/television-chao_1.html (r)
In reply to: Trish 's message, "News that is a little too late" on 08:34:44 11/01/01 Thu

USA Cable's Chao decides to bow out
By John Dempsey

NEW YORK (Variety) - Stephen Chao has resigned as president of Barry Diller's USA Cable business after four years of supervising the USA Network, the Sci Fi Channel and three other 24-hour program services.

Sources said Chao was bored and frustrated at spending so much of his time on administrative details. With his contract due to expire soon, he decided not to renew so he can get back into production.

USA will not replace Chao. His departure coincides with the arrival Monday of British TV executive Michael Jackson as president and CEO of USA Entertainment, which groups together USA Cable, TV producer Studios USA and movie studio USA Films. Jackson reports to Diller, chairman/CEO of USA Networks Inc.

Chao had a mixed track record at USA Cable, dismantling such long-running USA Network original series as ``Pacific Blue'' and ``La Femme Nikita'' but failing to come up with successful replacements.

He continued USA's policy of commissioning high-octane original movies like ``Return to Cabin by the Lake'' and ``They Nest,'' and miniseries like ``Attila the Hun,'' which generated sizable audiences in their primetime runs.

USA regularly beat its cable-network competitors in primetime during the first couple of years of Chao's presidency but lost its lead in October 2000 when the World Wrestling Federation declined to renew its programming deal with USA, taking its high-rated weekly series to Viacom's cable networks TNN (''Monday Night Raw'') and MTV (''Sunday Night Heat'').

At Sci Fi, Chao encouraged the network to buy and commission more original series than any other cable network, with ``Farscape,'' ``The Invisible Man'' and ``Crossing Over With John Edward'' the best performing so far. But Sci Fi rarely ranks among the top 10-rated cable networks in any given week.

Chao joined USA Cable in April 1998 after five years as head of his own company, which produced programs for a number of broadcast networks and major studios, as well as launching Playboy TV in Latin America and Locomotion, a 24-hour animation channel.

For nine years before that, Chao filled various posts at News Corp., developing such long-running hits as ``America's Most Wanted'' and ``Cops.'' He was fired from News Corp. after hiring a male stripper to perform at an executive retreat attended by News Corp. boss Rupert Murdoch.

Reuters/Variety REUTERS

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Replies:

[> [> Very interesting, Trish. Hey, with Michael Jackson as president, maybe things will get better over there. ;-) -- Shirleym, 04:48:59 11/02/01 Fri


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[> [> *sigh* Goodbye and good riddance to Stephen Chao (...though I did like what he did with the Sci-Fi channel.) He was a plague on LFN fans. -- Susan W, 22:37:37 11/04/01 Sun


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