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Ratings, not economy,
flushed ‘Baywatch’

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By Tim Ryan
Star-Bulletin

In the end it was the shrinking audience, not production costs, that sunk "Baywatch Hawaii."

" 'Baywatch Hawaii' was not canceled because of rising costs in Hawaii as some media have reported," said Greg Bonann, the show's creator and co-executive producer. "Our ratings took a huge dive last year, the most in the show's history and will fall even further this year."

Bonann, speaking publicly for the first time since last week's announcement of the series' cancellation yesterday met with media at the Hawaii Film Studio at Diamond Head to talk about the show's demise.

There are several factors' including the number of channels and networks competing for viewers' with TV execs wanting good ratings results sooner than later' he said. "There were three networks when 'Hawaii Five-0' and 'Magnum P.I.' were on television and 100 channels when 'Baywatch' arrived in Hawaii' " he said. "It's a very tough go."

"Baywatch" ratings were in the 3.6 to 3.7 range when it came to Hawaii. In its first year here, the ratings were about a 2.8. This year the ratings are expected to drop below 2.0, Bonann said.

Series owner Pearson Television also sold 243 "Baywatch" episodes, including those made in Hawaii, to the TNN network, Bonann said.

"That was a clear indication that (Pearson) was not interested in building a package of Hawaii shows," he said.

The show also was hurt from being bounced out of established time slots, and switching stations. In Hawaii the show started out on KHON and is now seen on KITV.

The lack of a central character also hurt, Bonann said, although star David Hasselhoff's departure from the show after its first year here did not hurt the series, according to focus group surveys done by Pearson, Bonann said.

"But no character popped like David' " the producer said. "And that always hurts."

Bonann said Hawaii did not spend money frivolously in giving the show $2.75 million in cash.

"What the state did was level the playing field for us so that the cost of filming in Hawaii was at least equal to Los Angeles," he said.

The state's efforts stopped the show from moving to Australia, which was its original destination.

Bonann also listed several benefits the state enjoyed from the production being based here:

In 1999, the show reached 5.7 billion viewers worldwide in 100 countries;

The show's title "Baywatch Hawaii" was printed or mentioned in hundreds of national magazines' including Time, People and Newsweek, newspapers like the Los Angeles Times, and television shows "Entertainment Tonight" and "Extra." Showcasing Hawaii's scenic beauty for one hour a week' 52 weeks a year -- not including reruns -- provided the state with $29 million of annual national advertising in the United States alone, he said. (One minute of advertising on "Baywatch Hawaii" cost $56,000.)

The show employed about 160 cast and crew, 85 percent of them local, Bonann said.

More than $40 million was spent in Hawaii on the production of 44 episodes, Bonann said.

The series cast island residents Jason Momoa, Stacy Kamano and Kala'i Miller in leading roles.

"These two years have been very interesting and fulfilling for me," Bonann said. "I have nothing but incredible memories of all the people I worked with.

"Hawaii got wonderful exposure, people got work and experience, and there were many, many good times. Thank you, Hawaii."

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