Back on the Television Critics Association tour

PASADENA, Calif. — As the summer Television Critics Association press tour kicks off, those of us who write about TV for a living are about to come face-to-face with the people who run networks for a living.

It's always fun to go back and look at what they had to say six months ago. Mind you, they're all trying not to say something silly, and to couch their answers so they don't come back to haunt them. CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler, for example, used the phrase "never say never" in her answers five times.

The only real surprise is, combing through the transcript of ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson's press conference, I couldn't find anything worth mocking. It is, perhaps, a testament to his cautiousness and ABC's current success, but my hat's off to him.

Six months ago there was a bit of an anomaly, given that there were six broadcast networks then and there are only five now. (The WB and UPN are merging into The CW.) And, with 20-20 hindsight, it's quite obvious that then-UPN Entertainment president, now-CW Entertainment president Dawn Ostroff knew what was about to happen and her counterparts at the WB were not clued in.

• WB chairman Garth Ancier said the network was "important to Warner Bros. as an outlet. . . . In terms of the viability, it's just too important to the studio and too important to the stations to not go forward."

Well, not so much.

• "We have momentum," said WB Entertainment president David Janollari. "The new shows we're presenting will help keep that momentum going through the second half of the season."

The shows bombed. And the network itself is no more.

• "My theme for you this morning is going to be that stability is the first step toward recovery," said NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly.

In May, he unveiled one fall schedule and, a few days later, announced another with changes on five nights.

• "We're going to make a bold move Wednesdays at (8 p.m.) where 'Law & Order' . . . will shift out of its time period to create a platform for another new drama, 'Heist,' at (9) p.m.," Reilly said.

Bold? Sure. Stupid? Yes. The move lasted two weeks.

• NBC's Reilly said "The Apprentice" "will definitely be on in the fall."

No, it won't. It's scheduled to return in January.

• "We have a very patient attitude with the show," UPN's Ostroff said of "South Beach."

It was seven episodes and out.