Les Moonves, the embattled head of CBS, once told me: “The Tony Awards are part of this network’s heritage. The telecast is a money-loser for CBS, but there are certain things that are more important than making money. As long as I’m here, the Tonys will be here, too.”
But how much longer will he be there?
A blistering article by Ronan Farrow in The New Yorker added Moonves to the growing list of those tarnished by #MeToo allegations of sexual misconduct. CBS has hired lawyers to investigate, and Moonves remains in place pending the outcome.
But if Moonves falls, what will happen to the Tonys, always the lowest-rated of awards shows?Don’t panic, theater lovers.
Tony officials recently signed a deal with CBS to keep the telecast at the network for at least another 10 years, sources say.
Granted, if ratings fall through the root cellar, CBS could buy out the contract and unload the award show, but theater people aren’t losing sleep over that scenario.
The deal was completed before the allegations against Moonves surfaced.
CBS has its own reasons for hanging on to the Tonys.
“The ratings are s—ty,” a theater source says. “But the people who watch have money. CBS can sell ads around the telecast. And it’s in June. What else are they going to put on?”
Another person familiar with the deal says: “Les was — is, I should say — certainly our champion, but we’ll survive even if he doesn’t.”
Moonves supports the Tonys because he began his career as an actor, studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.
“Although I made my bones in television, the Tonys keep me attached to something I love — the theater,” he told me in 2016.
The low ratings never rattled him. And they’ve been pretty low. The telecast drew just 6 million viewers in 2017 when it was hosted by a pre-#MeToo Kevin Spacey.
The charming duo of Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban kicked the number of viewers up to 6.32 million this year, but that’s tiddlywinks compared to the Oscars (26.5 million), the Grammys (19.8 million) and the Emmys (11.4 million).
The hype surrounding “Hamilton” in 2016 attracted 8.7 million Tony viewers, but a cultural sensation like that only hits Broadway every decade or so.
Despite the deal, there could still be headaches for the Tonys should Moonves no longer head CBS.
‘Les was a great buffer between us and the special-programming brass.’
Network executives in charge of special programming are increasingly asserting more creative control over the telecast, much to the chagrin of Broadway producers, who are proprietorial when it comes to their big night.
“Les was a great buffer between us and the special-programming brass,” says a veteran producer. “If we had a real problem, we could go to him and he could smooth things over, often in our favor.”
CBS always pushes for more musical numbers on the telecast, even from second-rate shows that don’t nab major Tony nominations.
A flurry of musical numbers dilutes the power of the four shows nominated for Best Musical, producers grumble.
They were apoplectic in 2014 when Harvey Weinstein — the poster boy for #MeToo — muscled his way onto the telecast with a number from “Finding Neverland” a year before the show opened (and flopped) on Broadway. But Harvey delivered Jennifer Hudson, who sang the title song, and CBS likes big names on the telecast.
The Oscars sparked controversy this week by announcing a new category: Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film.
It’s a bald move to boost ratings by showcasing box-office winners regardless of artistic merit.
Imagine “Fast & Furious: The Musical” coming to Broadway one day — which isn’t as far-fetched as you may think. It probably won’t sweep the Tonys, but if it grosses $2 million a week, it could be nominated for the category of, say, Best Musical Based on a Franchise.
Will Moonves be there to hear theater producers scream?
You can hear Michael Riedel weekdays on “Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning” on WOR radio 710.