Nancy Dubuc Comes to Drexel...

When Project Runway went to Lifetime Television in 2009 I was incredibly pessimistic. Lifetime Television has always been a channel associated with the victimization of women portrayed in overly dramatic series and movies. Of course this is a stereotype of the channel’s content but it is a general understanding among audience members. When I watched the premier of the 6^th season my worries were confirmed, as the focus seemed to shift from the innovative designs to the dramatic personalities on the show. Since then I have stopped watching the show all together, I was never one for much television anyway.

Last March Nancy Dubuc took on Lifetime Television with plans to revamp its image. I attended a lecture hosted by Dubuc last week at Drexel University’s College of Media Arts and Design. Beyond being extremely accomplished and hardworking, Dubuc seemed very down-to-earth and personable. She discussed her work as the president of the History Channel where she has successfully managed to broaden the audience without sacrificing the interest of her original viewers. Shows like Ice Road Truckers and Pawn Stars have appealed to younger viewers and made them excited about history, which was her main goal all along. During the lecture Dubuc explained how her focus for the History Channel was to make it entertaining, because after all, television is about entertainment.

As for Lifetime Television, Dubuc wants to create a channel that empowers women. She hopes to create a channel where female protagonists act based on their own motivations rather than the dictations of men. Her solution is so obvious and yet not previously addressed. Of all channels, Lifetime which serves as the “women’s channel”, should of course promote female power and self-worth. Why would women want to watch them selves constantly behave as victims? To sum up her plans Dubuc showed the new promotion for Project Runway, which exudes sex appeal. Her ambitious plans mean exciting changes for women in television, and perhaps a revival of my addiction to Project Runway.