Fox Pulls Execs From NATPE Panel
By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/28/2006 1:10:00 AM
In step with Fox’s marked silence in the wake of the cancelled O.J. Simpson special and book, the network has pulled reality head Mike Darnell from a planned panel discussion at the National Association of Television Programming Executives (NATPE) convention in January.
Darnell was scheduled to be the subject of a chat hosted by Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman.However, NATPE has now been informed the duo will not be taking part in the panel, a decision the network confirmed on Monday.
The chat was booked long before the recent rabid controversy over Fox’s scheduling - and subsequent cancellation - of the Simpson special.
In an interview last week, NATPE president and CEO Rick Feldman had indicated he would press Beckman to discuss the Simpson special with Darnell.
“I am going to talk to Preston and make sure he doesn't avoid the tough questions,” Feldman told B&C last week.
