PASADENA, Calif. (AP) – There’s a new boss in charge at the Discovery Network, and he’s anxious to get rid of mega-sharks, mermaids and man-eating snakes.
Rich Ross, a longtime Disney executive who began this week as president of Discovery Communications’ flagship channel, said he wants to broaden its appeal to reach more women and families. He has also been quick to make clear what he doesn’t want Discovery to be.
The network has been doing well financially but has been criticized, particularly by the scientific community, for some specials that have stretched the boundaries of truth. Most recently, animal rights activists were angered by the “Eaten Alive” premise of an explorer who would be swallowed by a giant anaconda. The reality turned out to be far less dramatic.
Discovery’s annual “Shark Week” the past two years have featured fanciful “documentaries” about megalodons. The network also aired a show, produced by sister channel Animal Planet, about mermaids and another about a supposed Russian yeti.
“Brands are all about trust,” said Ross, who is replacing former network head Eileen O’Neill and her interim successor Marjorie Kaplan, in an interview Thursday. “You can expand the universe of what people think you are, but there’s only so much elasticity. On Discovery, that’s why I talk about authenticity. Authenticity is job No. 1, 2 and 3.”