As ABC has now learned, there are no roses for those ultimately forced into doing the right thing. No next dates or final proposal for a network that choose to overlook domestic abuse charges.
As ABC cancelled the newest season of the "The Bachelorette," one must ask, what were the producers thinking? Did they assume recent allegations against Taylor Frankie Paul would not go public? Did they not think internet trolls would find the years-old police report? Were they unaware there was a video? Or did they assume that, once it did go public, it would just boost ratings and ultimately boost ad revenue?
ABC in Crisis Mode
Regardless of what they were thinking, the big question now is what does the network do next? Tens of millions of dollars in ad revenue has to be refunded, and some contestants are now threatening lawsuits.
ABC screwed up. And it can’t blame TMZ for first airing the Paul video. It can’t blame Hulu for streaming Paul's "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" episode despite the incident. The network only has itself to blame, either for failing to do its own due diligence or for overestimating just how much viewers are willing to accept from reality TV. Domestic abuse is just a bridge too far, even for the most dedicated "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" fans.
So what are the next steps for ABC?
Apologies
Apologies are worthless at this point. ABC can issue all the statements it wants, but the public needs to see actions. And a heartfelt statement to execute better will fall flat. Consumers have heard numerous apologies from celebrities and companies before, and their trust in legacy media is lower than it has ever been.
But they do need to admit why the organization made such a bad mistake. How did it overlooked such charges? Did it complete a background check? Why didn’t the show know (or care) about accusations that already in the public record? ABC must tell all it knows, no matter how bad, to reclaim trust.
[Editor's Note: As of press time, ABC does not list "The Bachelorette" as a show on its ABC Entertainment press site. "The Bachelor," "Bachelor in Paradise," "The Golden Bachelor" and "The Golden Bachelorette" are currently listed. Nor is a press release regarding the cancelation available.]
Actions
Then ABC needs to get proactive with the groups that matter most to it—its advertisers and die-hard "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" fans. The biggest problem may lie with its advertisers—those who put millions into a new season, who now can’t be made whole with a simple refund. Relationships are broken. The advertisers will need new, high ratings to invest in, probably at discounted rate. So ABC’s ad department needs to be creative across all its platforms with offers that advertisers simply can’t refuse.
Next comes a plan for repairing the relationship with those dedicated fans loyal to the "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" franchise. Those fans may be disappointed in an entire season being canceled due to poor management and will still crave new content. Hopefully, someone at ABC is already producing some “best of” clip shows and new reunion episodes as the network fast-tracks a new season with a squeaky-clean bachelor or bachelorette leading it.
Reputational Damage
This embarrassing situation is yet another exhibit of why viewers are leery to trust legacy media. It’s another knock against ABC and the media industry in general. It’s another proof point in questioning the industry's judgment and honesty.
It’s hard to believe that media integrity is now jeopardized by a Mormon housewife who threw a chair at her baby daddy, before going on national TV to date a few dozen men for viewers' entertainment and online gossip, but it is. ABC rode the "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" to the top of the ratings. Now it has to weather a public storm because of its fantastic neglect or untouchable ratings ego—time will reveal more about the casting process. And no statement, no apology, no donation to a domestic abuse charity will wipe away that video or that child crying.
Dr. Patrick R. Riccards, author of "Strategic Strikes: Mastering Your Communications in the Cage Match of Public Opinion," is the founder and CEO of the Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement.