WASHINGTON — For most of its 21-year history, Lifetime made itself the top-ranked cable television network for women by focusing on heartwarming programs that stirred no emotional reactions more powerful than a good cry.
But in the last few years, faced with ratings problems, the cable network has embraced an idea that commercial television has traditionally shunned: the political arena and social-cause campaigns as a way of wooing viewers.
And it's a strategy that seems to be catching on as cable networks, especially niche marketers, struggle to attract viewers in a crowded field.
More than 3.2 million viewers last year watched Lifetime's "Baby for Sale," which focused on adoption racketeers. The cable network teamed up with New York state authorities and federal officials to push for legal changes. In fact, it delayed broadcasting the program to give New York Gov. George E. Pataki and others a chance to pass a law making it a felony to charge an excessive fee for an adoption. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) introduced legislation in Congress to make baby brokering a federal crime.
Even more viewers watched Lifetime's recent original movie on sex slavery. Starring Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland, "Human Trafficking" attracted 5.5 million viewers when it aired in October, becoming the highest-rated original movie on ad-supported basic cable in 2005. Again, Lifetime supported lobbying in Congress for changes.
Said Lifetime Senior Vice President Trevor Walton, "Networks have enormous amounts of power."
Some networks have long been aware that there's ratings gold in programs that focus on popular issues. Fox's "America's Most Wanted" has dominated its time slot. Host John Walsh was known for spearheading a campaign against child abductors after his son Adam was abducted and killed in 1981. He also lobbied Congress to close loopholes in the child predator registry.
MTV, the music video network, registered 20,000 voters in 2004. Its "Choose or Lose" slogan promoting voter registration became the cable network's most recognized slogan, helping to make MTV the highest-rated network for viewers 12 to 24 years old.
"This is what our audience expects of us," said Christina Norman, MTV's new president. "We shed light on the issues that impact their lives."
And the children's cable network Nickelodeon has earmarked $28 million and 10% of its airtime to health and wellness messages to combat childhood obesity.
