Trump Moves on From ‘Apprentice’ Show
Donald Trump has called it quits on his once popular reality show, “The Apprentice.”
The real estate mogul said Friday that he’s moving on and plans to work on a different TV venture. The move came as NBC last week unveiled its 2007-2008 prime time programming schedule, which didn’t include “The Apprentice.”
Known for its innovation in product placement, “The Apprentice” became a fashionable place for marketers to pitch their brand names and products in a reality style setting. The show, which debuted as No. 1 in 2004 averaging more than 21 million viewers, pitted young entrepreneurs against each other in weekly challenges to compete for a real-life job with The Trump Organization.
During reach episode, Trump narrowed down his pool of candidates using the popular catch phrase, “You’re fired.”
“The Apprentice” pulled in top-name marketers, including Burger King, American Eagle Outfitters, Procter & Gamble, Staples and 7-Eleven, among others, to sponsor each task. The companies often followed up their appearances with a consumer promotion or sweepstakes.
The Dial Corp. was one of the last sponsors. As part of its deal, candidates created a 60-second spot for the Renuzit brand (PROMO Xtra, April 17, 2007).
“The Apprentice”, produced with Mark Burnett Productions, was to appear for one season, but was extended to six because of its popularity, according to Trump Productions.
Ratings and interest dropped in the sixth season, which ended in April. That season, which was filmed in Los Angeles compared to its original New York location, was moved to a new night, Sundays, and later time slot at 10 p.m. The season finale drew in nearly 8 million viewers, compared to the first season finale, which brought in 41.5 million viewers.
Details of Trump’s new TV project were not disclosed.
“It looks like viewers will have to wait to see what Mr. Trump plans for the future,” a statement from The Trump Organization, said. “But if Mr. Trump’s past TV success is any indication of the future, then one can anticipate that millions of ‘Apprentice’ fans will be migrating to his new venture.”
Trump will continue his relationship with NBC to broadcast the Miss Universe and Miss USA beauty pageants through 2010.
Already, others reality shows are looking to take the place of “The Apprentice” with a twist. Joel Comm, producer of “The Next Internet Millionaire,” is launching an Internet reality show he said hopes takes the place of Trump’s series.
“The Next Internet Millionaire,” a venture between InfoMedia, Inc. and Deluge Films, is an online show where 12 people travel to Colorado to perform tasks and compete for $25,000 and the chance to do a joint project with Comm himself. Like “The Apprentice,” the business-oriented show is seeking sponsors and offers product placement deals.
“We’re open to pretty much anything a sponsor wants to do,” Comm said yesterday.
An opening casting call runs through June 6 at NextInternetMillionaire.com. Episodes, which will range from 25 to 45 minutes, will debut live Aug. 15 every Wednesday on the site.
The goal behind the show is to expose people to Internet marketing niches through entertainment.
