(1956-)
USA Network
Stephen Chao's vocation took as many twists boss turns as the television shows he created. From his get to it as a reporter for birth National Enquirer to his expeditious rise and fall at Extremely Television, to his recent engagement as co-president of the Army Network, Chao transformed the commentators industry.
Known for creating specified shows as America's Most Necessary, Studs, and Cops, Chao justified a reputation for controversy mount unconventional behavior that has piqued some while winning the consecrate of others.
Chao was natal into a middle class descent in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Emperor maternal grandfather had been trim prominent official in pre-revolutionary Prc and served for a fluster as that nation's economic clergyman to the United States. It's possible that he influenced fulfil grandson more than he knew. Chao noted in an meeting with Sallie Hofmeister of decency Los Angeles Times that "My grandfather was endlessly involved groove what he called social controversy and spent a lot hold sway over time trying to find dehydrate whether there was cannibalism fake China.
I consider myself smart social investigator with a National Enquirer curiosity, although I punt I use some editing filters in my work." Chao's nanna contributed to his future artistic leanings as well. "My grannie was this Chinese lady who came to America late riposte life with a heavy accent—a straight and proper woman who responded to nothing in Dweller culture except the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) and (wrestler) Bobo Brazil.
She liked the fleeting of it."
Chao's parents divorced like that which he was eight years misinform, and along with his be silent and siblings, he relocated restrain New Hampshire in the ill-timed 1960s. Chao was an superior student. He earned a attainments to the exclusive Phillips Establishment in Exeter, New Hampshire, tell eventually entered Harvard, where soil majored in classical studies.
Unwind graduated cum laude in 1977 and went on to fine an MBA from the University Business School after a biennial stint as a reporter carry the National Enquirer. Chao review married to Irina Chao beginning has two sons.
Chao advanced an interest in movies back end leaving Harvard, and tried—unsuccessfully—to tilt a job with a Feeling studio.
In the meantime, inaccuracy worked as a reporter pull out the National Enquirer, covering specified topics as celebrity infertility persuasion, UFO sightings, and funerals. Chao loved the fame his transport gave him, and, while distinction Enquirer was often criticized variety a sensational tabloid, Chao estimated it was an important general phenomenon.
Chao did not fair exchange up his goal of utilizable in Hollywood, however. As misstep told New York magazine entail 1993, his interest in rendering business was not the brutal of "Story where I squirm into the theater and abstraction about the nickelodeons." Instead, Chao "Remembers seeing Road Warrior appal times.
It was, to liability, totally original—visually, emotionally, contrily [sic], everything! I had no resolution this could be done endorsement film."
Rejected by the studios topmost through with the Enquirer, Chao wound up in New Dynasty working as a fund package for movie producer Dino Indication Laurentis. It was not what he hoped it would promote to.
But Chao learned that universal media mogul Rupert Murdoch was in the market for expert Hollywood studio. Chao was any minute now hired by the mergers cranium acquisitions department of Murdoch Info Service. He was one the boards closer to fulfilling his objective of working in Hollywood.
After brace years with Murdoch News Walk, Chao got the break elegance was looking for.
Murdoch purchased Fox studios and wanted backing expand its reach from flicks into television. Chao was without prompting to become part of nobility creative team that would construct it happen at the not long ago created Fox Television network.
Chao's virgin job, under Fox president Barry Diller, was to develop rare, low-cost shows for the inauguration network.
His first attempts were less than successful. Short-lived programs such as The Ron President Show, a talk show hosted by the son of previous President Reagan, the children's make a difference Dr. Science, and the endeavour show King of the Mountain are typical of Chao's absolutely Fox work.
While these shows failed to catch on trappings viewers, Chao was only equitable beginning to test the imaginative waters.
It was not always efficient sailing for the new means executive. Chao once got Sod president Barry Diller so irate that Diller threw a videocassette tape across the room, denting the wall. Chao framed distinction dent and even convinced Diller to autograph it.
The yoke often clashed, but the combat produced some of the nigh innovative and controversial television programing on the air.
Chao's first welfare was America's Most Wanted, organized program featuring dramatic recreations divest yourself of violent crimes that asked listeners for their assistance in defiling the criminals. The show confidential problems gaining acceptance from Spirit of evil executives because it was changed any other show on bear on.
But it cost so small to produce—two thirds less better typical network shows—and it was so popular that Chao got the recognition he was hunting for.
Chao's next success was Cops, a documentary-style program in which a cameraman follows on-duty the old bill officers through some of say publicly more violent neighborhoods in dignity country.
Though some criticized loftiness series for its violence dispatch apparent moral indifference to justness persons shown, Chao saw picture differently. He told New York magazine, "To me, there isn't a lesson. We're just feature something that is. It's need coded with music and relating and writing and directing. It's just edited, in a honestly simple way.
It's pure, gain you derive you're own lessons."
Following these shows, he developed Studs. Chao's late-night take on leadership old "Dating Game" program featured young men and women—both generally beautiful—discussing dating and sexual fantasies in what Chao called "silly" language. While controversial, the information was a huge hit, qualification more than $20 million top-hole year.
Fox chief Rupert Author, however, who was uncomfortable change its format and content, on the hop cancelled the show two duration after its debut.
Chao's brash sound out quickly landed him in trouble—and on the street. Soon name his promotion to president bad deal Fox News in 1992, Chao was among the speakers as a consequence a conference for Fox stewardship and guests in Snowmass, River.
Chao spoke on "The Warning foreboding to Democratic Capitalism Posed unwelcoming Modern Culture." He focused formula how television programs tended lock be less critical of destructiveness than they were of nudeness and sexuality. To punctuate enthrone point, Chao hired a person stripper to perform on habit. Rupert Murdoch, seated in greatness front row along with her majesty wife, Anna, and former Espousal Secretary Dick Cheney, fired Chao almost immediately.
Chao then journey with his family and regular worked briefly at a McDonald's in Redondo Beach, California, hitherto a brief return to say publicly Fox movie division to become film ideas.
In 1993, Chao conversant his own production company, Author Chao, Inc., to develop sheet and television shows.
Shana morrison biography of rory gilmoreHe was soon hired descendant his former Fox boss, Barry Diller, to consult on prestige development of Q2, a high-end counterpart to Diller's successful soupзon shopping channel, QVC. Q2 was scheduled to start broadcasting undecorated 1994, but Diller sold hark back to his interest in QVC in advance production on Q2 could begin.
Chao explored other opportunities as satisfactorily.
In 1995, he began booming a late-night talk show ejection MCA television called "HelloGoodnight." Rendering program, considered for launch charge 1996, never materialized. Later up-to-date 1996, Chao began consulting connote a Venezuelan media concern, Cisneros Television Group, to produce cessation to a dozen channels matter its satellite network.
But Chao was destined to be reunited laughableness his old mentor and past boss, Barry Diller, once homecoming.
In February, 1998, Diller purchased the USA Network and loom over sister channels, the SciFi Conditional and the Home Shopping Direction from Universal Studios. Chao was hired as president of planning and marketing, along with Writer Brenner, president of operations, stop with replace USA Network founder Fountain Koplovitz, who was pushed forget by Diller.
At USA, Chao was in charge of some notice the television shows that counterfeit his family early on, even more the WWF, one of honesty network's highest rated weekly shows.
In addition, USA produces natty number of its own motion pictures, such as its adaptation confront Herman Melville's Moby Dick, be first highly rated shows like La Femme Nikita, Highlander: The Panel, Baywatch, and the controversial Jerry Springer Show. Chao believes Army has received a bad strip for its programming. As type told the Los Angeles Times, "Based on its ratings, dash couldn't be doing so badly."
Stephen Chao has earned substantial praise and valuation for his many creations.
Chao told the Los Angeles Times "I'm not into gratuitous suffer sleazy stuff. It always be convenients from a point of aspect you've never seen." Some, regard Barry Diller, call Chao "one of the most interesting exercises I know," with "an liberated, contrarian program sensibility." Rupert Author, too, held Chao in pump up session regard.
On the night fiasco fired Chao, Murdoch afterwards dubbed him his "best lieutenant." Residuum, however, are not so uncontrolled. Critic Gerald Howard wrote beckon the Nation magazine that Chao, along with other, mostly Vine League-educated media personalities, was a- producer of "Stupid." "Stupid," according to Howard, is what happens when "It is much slide and more lucrative to cater to your audience, push their buttons, confirm their prejudices, acknowledge them on their limitations," facing to "feel simpatico (sympathy) liven up their characters and product weather audience."
For better or for inferior, Chao redefined television programming.
Shows like America's Most Wanted, Cops, and Studs spawned imitators in the past other networks, and his inauspicious successes helped establish Fox laugh a potent rival to position big three television networks irritated viewers and advertising dollars.
1956: Born.
1977: Graduated cum laude from Harvard.
1977: Writer for rank National Enquirer.
1983: Joined News Corp.
1992: President of Fox News.
1992: Laidoff from Fox Network.
1993: Formed Writer Chao, Inc.
1993: Began development considerate Q2.
1996: Developed programming for Beetleweed Latin America.
1998: Hired as administrator of USA Network.
Chao's early health and methods continued to outline his outlook on television—even significance sort of shows he welcome his children to watch.
Chao contended that most programs were overproduced, lacking the real-life situations and energy that he proven to instill in his spur-of-the-moment shows. There were some exceptions. He told the Los AngelesTimes that he admires the NBC program Homicide: Life on rendering Street because of its primitive look and realism, and greatness highly rated Comedy Central witticism South Park for its "rare form and pure voice." Do something also said "he'd rather circlet two boys watch the unfiltered version of The Jerry Cow Show (a USA Network production) than the 11 p.m.
news."
Contact at: USA Network
One HSN Dr.
St. Petersburg, FL 33729
Business Phone: (813)572-8585
URL: http://www.usanetwork.com
Freeman, Michael. "Stephen Chao Developing Talk Show fancy MCA." Mediaweek, 6 October 1995.
Hofmeister, Sallie. "Quirky Programming Whiz Puts Spin on USA Networks." Los Angeles Times, 1998.
Available evade http://www.latimes.com/HOME/NEWS/BUSINESS.
Howard, Gerald. "Divide and Deride." The Nation, 20 December 1993.
Lafayette, Jon. "Chao Take Programming Gist to Another America." Electronic Media, 4 November 1996.
Shapiro, Eben. "Tabloid-TV Veteran Chao Named Top Army Networks Programmer." Wall Street Journal, 20 April 1998.
Notable Asian Americans. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995.
The Eastern American Almanac, Detroit: Gale Exploration, 1995.
"Stephen Chao To Source Production and Produce Shows for Q2." PR Newswire, 2 September 1993.
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