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The tumult and name-calling ended when the latest Nielsen report came in. By its own calculation, CBS had won for the 15th consecutive season—by .2%. "This is the greatest thrill of my 21 years in programming," crowed Mike. In his exultation he added: "I think I could have elected Humphrey." Over at NBC, Paul Klein snorted: "They didn't win the season. They won their season. This is what McLuhan called 'the dinosaur effect.' CBS has blown to its biggest size just before extinction." Industry evolution has indeed swung toward the Klein emphasis on demographics. In February, Dann's CBS superiors overruled him on the 1970-71 schedule, choosing to replace several of his high-rated hits with series that would probably get a smaller but more salable audience. And he seemed to be rebuffed again two weeks ago, when CBS President Robert Wood told an affiliates meeting that in the future, the network would "resist being sucked into the annual ratings rat race."
It is possible that Mike Dann will not be around for a rematch next year. He says that the years of 17-hour workdays and "all the press criticism" are beginning to get to him. He does not know exactly where he will go, or when. "It could be days, weeks, or even years," he said last week. All he really needs, as a sign-off, would be a truce luncheon and a first meeting with his NBC nemesis, Paul Klein. As might be expected, Klein has already vetoed any such possibility. "I don't want to meet Mike," he says. "I might like him."
* The numbers supposedly signify the percentage of TV-owning households tuned to each network during prime evening time. Each percentage point represents 1,175,850 viewers.