Bravo takes a hit while Runmay keeps moving

Project Runway started last night, and it looks like it will be another good season. 

Knowing I have another Runway enthusiast in the office, I was eager to hear her thoughts on last night’s season opener, so I swiveled around in my chair to get the scoop. She told me what she thought, and then became the fifth person to tell me the rumor that Bravo is trying to sabotage this season in an effort to send the show off to Lifetime slightly damaged. Bravo is getting bad press for no reason.

First of all, it will never work. Grey’s Anatomy and American Idol both recovered from their worst seasons with higher ratings and great seasons that followed, because these shows all comes with a loyal and addicted fanbase. And even if Bravo somehow manages to do its worse, Runway’s cult-like fan base will tune in just as eagerly to Lifetime next year with out a second thought. 

Which brings me to my next point: what is the worse they can really do? The Bravo network changed the airtime of the show from 10 to 9, and the new season received far less annoying reminders that the season was beginning. News flash Bravo – most fans of the show have Tivo or DVR and they had the new season set to record automatically so their was no need for the reminder, and the time change will not matter to people who probably don’t watch it until an hour after it airs anyways. 

What’s next? Bravo will cut back on their excessive reruns? Again, not really a low blow. Ultimately, there is little that can be done to bring down the good Runway name. The least they can do is minimize any sort of bad press over it, because the ultimate lesson here is that rumors create bad press if they are spread enough, and the truth no longer becomes the point.