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In 1995, when Lifetime executives branded the cable network "Television for Women," they willfully excluded half of the population.
Ratings for the network were so low, executives gambled that catering to a loyal core audience was its only hope. The risky move paid off. "Our ratings went up instantly," says Jane Tollinger, executive vice president of Lifetime.
The network's focus on women's interests and issues has boosted viewership 72% since 1995, making it the leading cable network for women 18 to 49.
Lifetime has had company on the way up. Cable networks have make dramatic gains versus their broadcast rivals. In 1998, while 54% of viewers watched broadcast TV, nearly 40% watched cable. That is the closest the industry has ever been to broadcast, and ad dollars are following viewers. Part of the industry's success stems from a group of networks that struggled for years, but have managed to turn themselves around by learning the same lessons. In New York, the turnarounds include VH1 and Comedy Central as well as Lifetime. Although each focuses on a different audience, they have pursued similar strategies to grow dramatically.
Each network got new management with strong vision and professional business plans within the past five years. They all stepped up their investment in programming and became even more relentlessly focused on serving only a slice of the population.
Consider the case of VH1. When John Sykes arrived in 1995 as president, the network was floundering....