Video: Tightening the Belts at ABC

At least one kind of expensive program, however, is on the endangered list: the mini-series. Though ABC is going ahead with production of War and Remembrance, a 30-hour sequel to The Winds of War, such lavish projects will become rarer, Stoddard says. The network is also looking to save money by producing more shows in-house, as it does with Moonlighting, the successful romantic comedy starring Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis. Though the series is one of the most expensive on TV, ABC, as the show's owner, will be able to recoup much of the cost through sales of reruns in syndication.

ABC's new frugality could have other consequences for programming, not all of them bad. ABC programmers may be less apt to cancel a series that is struggling in the ratings, figuring that it is cheaper to stick with a show already paid for than to scrap it and start over. In the past such tenacity has yielded late-blooming hits like NBC's Hill Street Blues and Cheers. The cost-cutting mentality also may boost the amount of news and information programming, which is usually less expensive than entertainment shows.

Even disgruntled ABC staffers admit that many of the recent cutbacks have been justified. ABC-owned and-operated stations, for instance, were regarded by many as oversize and appropriate targets for trimming. As the TV environment grows more competitive, ABC's moves may begin to look prescient. "All the networks are going to have the same problems," says Richard MacDonald, a media analyst for First Boston. "It's just that ABC is taking the lead." Cafeteria dining, it seems, may soon be the rage all along Broadcast Row. --By Richard Zoglin. Reported by Kathleen Brady/New York and Michael Riley/Los Angeles