Old quotes haunt TV executives

LOS ANGELES — As television critics from around the country gather here for the latest edition of "Grill that Network Executive" — also known as the Television Critics Association press tour — it's time once again to look back a half year to see what those execs were saying back in January.

Yes, I'm picking and choosing. And I'm not picking and choosing to make these men and women look good.

But it's all in good fun. And it sort of sets the stage for the latest set of, um, exaggerations we're about to hear. Although some of those exaggerations will be coming from different people this time around. . . .

• "It's now been two years since Susan (Lyne) and I together have been given the task of turning around ABC's prime-time schedule," said then-ABC Entertainment chairman Lloyd Braun (who had been around for several years before Lyne was promoted to president of the division). "We've learned that we must have patience."

His bosses did not. Braun and Lyne were ousted in April.

• Regarding the series "Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital," Braun said, "We're very excited about this. This is our big event drama series for this spring." And Lyne added, "We think this is going to be real 'event' television."

"Hospital" bombed. And its failure was the last straw, ending Braun and Lyne's tenure at ABC.

• Then-WB chairman and CEO Jamie Kellner, who was about to retire, on his choice of Garth Ancier and Jordan Levin to run the network as, respectively, chairman and CEO.

"I feel very comfortable, by the way," Kellner said. "I think these people know exactly what they should be doing. And I'm glad Garth came back full time because I think he and Jordan make a great team together. And so I leave feeling the network is in great hands."

In a matter of weeks, the WB's corporate bosses at Time-Warner wanted Ancier to run the show and Levin to return to his job as head of the entertainment division; he quit.

• But Ancier and Levin were great buddies who planned to run the network together. "Garth hired me out of college and we've known one another now about —I don't know — 16 years or so and worked together most of that time. . . . It's funny to see slides shown that way, that have areas sort of cordoned off for everyone, because it never works that way," Levin said.

Not so funny now.