A Message From Lloyd Braun, ABC Entertainment Television Group

A wise philosopher once said that it takes a big man to admit when he's made a mistake. I'm not sure how tall this wise philosopher was, but I'm about six-foot-even -- a pretty average height by today's standards. And yet, today, I am a big man -- much larger than average -- because I'm willing to admit that I am wrong.

And the other employees at ABC -- men and women of various shapes and sizes and races and creeds -- they are all big men, too. And big women. Figuratively speaking, I mean. Because we, at ABC, have made a huge mistake. But more importantly, we, at ABC, are willing to admit it. And more importantly still, we're willing to do something about it.

For more than 50 years, when viewers have thought of ABC, they have thought of one thing -- entertaining programming, family-friendly shows, and a lineup of programs that make you laugh, make you cry, and most importantly, make you think. We've thrilled you with the adventures of Charlie's Angels, touched you with tales of loves lost and found on The Love Boat and tickled your funnybone with the madcap adventures of Balki and Cousin Larry on Perfect Strangers. We've brought a cavalcade of memorable characters into your home -- Fonzi, Coach, and, of course, Urkel. And as the fall television season dawned, we thought we had assembled a lineup that would only add to our great legacy -- whether it was the introspective family drama Alias or the wondrous digitized world of Dinotopia -- while bringing your family the characters you know and love, from the scruffy, disheveled Detective Sipowicz to the scruffy, disheveled Jim Belushi.

We still believe the prime-time schedule we rolled out last fall is nothing but entertaining, crowd-pleasing fare. Unfortunately, it will be entertaining and pleasing crowds on some other station. Or in most cases, not at all.

Here at ABC, we're pleased to be taking a bold first step into an entirely new direction. And all it took was a handsome Bachelor to show us the way.

The Bachelor -- which featured a young man who, despite his wealth and good looks, proved unable to find a wife without the help of television -- was a ratings smash for our network. Its subsequent sequels have proven that America just can't get enough of our sexy, sassy bachelors. Indeed, in an arid desert of low ratings and viewer indifference, The Bachelor has been an oasis, quenching our thirst for viewers and saving us from the heat stroke of declining ad revenues.

And that's when it hit us -- since The Bachelor has proven to be so successful and profitable, why not turn our entire prime-time lineup into an oasis? An oasis of reality television!

From this day forward, when you think "reality," you'll think ABC. Every program on every night we broadcast will examine the human condition -- our loves, our lives, our hopes, our fears -- through the exciting new canvas of reality television. You have my promise that the shows we'll introduce in the days ahead will offer the tension, drama, and memorable moments you've come to expect from reality programming along with the low production costs our investors have come to demand.

Why? Because reality TV is the future. Only here at ABC, it's the present, too.

We know that as excitingly bold as our decision is, that won't stop a handful of the more irresponsible TV critics from blindly lashing out at our master stroke. Well, people laughed at Columbus when he set sail for a new world. They mocked Neil Armstrong when he vowed to discover the moon. They jeered derisively when Hubert Humphrey twice ran for president. And these days? We all enjoy living in a new world, looking up at the moon and visiting the lovely domed stadium that bears Hubert Humphrey's name. Because these three great men understand what we at ABC have always known -- you can never taste success unless you're willing to risk total abject failure. Again and again and again.

But we're not worried about failure this time, because our team has assembled a lineup of programming that offers something for everyone. Whether it's programs about relationships or exciting new game shows that test the limits of human endurance, there's sure to be a reality show that will tickle your fancy, particularly if you're between the ages of 18 and 34.

So on behalf of all us at ABC, I hope you'll enjoy our new programming focus and commitment to entertaining this great nation. Because starting today at ABC, it's a whole new reality.

See where your favorite non-reality ABC shows have gone!