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Byline: Marla Matzer Staff Writer

Viewers and the media weren't the only ones who noticed a distinct lack of diversity in the television fall season lineups. Apparently, advertisers also recognized the lack of programming aimed at and containing depictions of families, minorities and older people.

Earlier this month, a group of 11 major corporations - including AT&T, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble and Sears - announced an agreement with the WB network to fund the development of scripts for potential TV pilots that are ``family friendly.'' Ameritech, IBM, Nationwide, Pfizer, Warner-Lambert and Wendy's round out the list of companies in the Family Friendly Programming Forum.

The group is putting about $900,000 into a ``pilot script development fund for potential drama and comedy series'' that the WB will consider adding to its lineup beginning in fall 2000. The average pilot script costs roughly $60,000 to $70,000.

The pact does not guarantee that any of these pilots will ever become series, and the corporations do not gain any control over or stake in the shows themselves. But it seems to be a clear statement by advertisers that they haven't been the ones behind the saturation of sexy programs aimed at teens and young adults - a number of which, ironically, are on the WB.

WB spokesman Brad Turrell insists the network carries a broader range of programming than it is often given credit for. ``The reality is, we have a very balanced lineup,'' Turrell said. `` `Dawson's Creek' get a lot of press, but we also have shows like ... `7th Heaven.' '' Turrell said the latter show has one of the most evenly split audience demographics of any show, making it especially attractive to advertisers who market to a broad family audience.

Defending themselves against criticism that their lineups are top-heavy with sexy and youth-skewed shows, the networks have all claimed that they're only giving advertisers what they want. The advertisers are now making it clear that they would welcome a better range of choices on TV.

``As much as we hear people say that we're dictating what is on television, saying we need particular (demographics) ... it's just not the case,'' said John McKeegan, a spokesman for Johnson & Johnson.

McKeegan said Andrea Alstrup, the ad director of the New Brunswick, N.J.-based personal care giant (which produces such products as Band-Aid bandages and Johnson's Baby Shampoo), formed the coalition of advertisers out of personal interest. ``She was not all that crazy about some things she'd seen on TV and felt like there were not a lot of options for us to advertise on family-friendly programs,'' McKeegan said.

Certainly, all of this has a promotional value for a company like Johnson & Johnson. The firm is leveraging its association with family programming through a year-long cross-promotion with TV Guide. The forum's members may partly be hoping to gain some good publicity through these actions.

But, good press aside, the move is a small step in part of an overall trend among advertisers, who want more control over what they're paying for.

``I think it's a step in the right direction. I just would have liked to see them (advertisers) take it a step further,'' said Heidi Sinclair, co-founder of Beverly Hills-based Brand X Media. Sinclair's firm is not involved in the WB deal but is working with other advertisers to create ``branded'' programming that will give the sponsor ongoing control over broadcast shows.

This desire is becoming more urgent with the fragmentation of the TV audience, along with new technology that threatens to render traditional commercials obsolete. Digital video recorders, available now for about $500 plus a monthly ``service'' charge, allow consumers to digitally record shows for viewing at their leisure. The big catch for advertisers: These boxes, marketed under the names TiVo and Replay, let viewers skip commercials altogether.

Sinclair said younger networks such as the WB and UPN are generally known to be more receptive to novel financing arrangements such as this one, as well as ``branded'' programming. For example, this year UPN is renaming its weekly movie night for a single sponsor, ``Blockbuster Video's Shockwave Cinema.''

Turrell said he wouldn't be surprised to see other TV outlets follow suit if the WB's arrangement pays off in terms of a hit show or two. ``This deal, simply, allows us to develop more shows,'' Turrell said. ``The more shows you develop, the more chances you have at creating a hit ... TV is a hit-driven medium. One hit can make a huge difference for a network, and that's ultimately what we hope to get out of this''