Plaza (NBC)

Plaza (NBC). Plaza was a daytime talk show and variety show broadcast on the NBC television network from 1989 to 1990. The program was part of a broader effort by the network to revitalize its afternoon schedule with a live, studio-based format that blended celebrity interviews, musical performances, and audience interaction. Hosted from NBC Studios in Burbank, California, it aimed to capture the energy of a public gathering space, as its name suggests, but struggled to find a consistent audience amidst competitive daytime television programming.

History

The show was developed by NBC executives, including Brandon Tartikoff, as a strategic replacement for the long-running game show Super Password. It premiered on September 4, 1989, directly competing against established hits like The Oprah Winfrey Show and Donahue. Despite a significant promotional push from the network, Plaza faced immediate challenges in the Nielsen ratings, failing to attract a substantial viewership. Its cancellation was announced in early 1990, with the final episode airing on March 30, 1990; its time slot was subsequently filled by a revival of the classic game show Classic Concentration. The brief run of Plaza is often cited as an example of the difficulties networks faced in launching new daytime franchises during that era.

Format and programming

The format of Plaza was intentionally fluid, designed to emulate the spontaneous feel of a town square. Each live episode typically opened with the host's monologue before segueing into a mix of pre-taped segments and studio interviews. Regular features included celebrity guest chats, performances by musical acts like The Pointer Sisters or Ricky Van Shelton, cooking demonstrations, and lifestyle advice segments. The set was designed to resemble an urban plaza, complete with faux storefronts and an open area for the studio audience. This eclectic, magazine-style approach was intended to offer something for everyone but was criticized by reviewers for lacking a coherent identity compared to more focused contemporaries like Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.

Notable hosts and personalities

The primary host for the majority of Plaza's run was actor and television personality Michael Young, who was best known for his role on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Young was joined by a rotating panel of co-hosts and contributors, including NBC News correspondent Dennis Murphy and entertainment reporter Katie Wagner, daughter of Robert Wagner. Frequent guest hosts filled in, and the show featured interviews with a wide array of celebrities from film and television, such as John Ritter, Morgan Fairchild, and Alan Thicke, as well as musicians like Sheena Easton and political figures including First Lady Barbara Bush.

Cultural impact and legacy

While Plaza itself had minimal cultural impact due to its short lifespan, it is remembered within the context of NBC's programming history as a notable daytime failure. The show's inability to secure ratings contributed to ongoing instability in NBC's afternoon lineup during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is occasionally referenced in media retrospectives about defunct television talk shows or the competitive battles between CBS, ABC, and NBC. The Plaza name was later reused by NBC for a set of production facilities, NBC Studios at Rockefeller Plaza, but the show itself left little enduring pop culture footprint compared to its successful rivals.

Technical specifications

Plaza was broadcast live from Studio 3 at NBC Studios in Burbank, California, a facility also used for shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. It was produced and transmitted in the standard NTSC analog format of the era. The production utilized multiple Ikegami television cameras and a traditional television studio control room for switching. As a live program, it relied on a Sony VTX system for the playback of pre-recorded video packages. The audio mix was handled through a Yamaha console, with live music performances being a regular technical component of the broadcast. Category:1989 American television series debuts Category:1990 American television series endings Category:NBC network shows Category:American daytime television talk shows