Speed Hoping Tow-Truck Reality Show Catches Eye Of Viewers

Speed TV is "changing gears on weeknights," as the net's new strategy "is to air what it calls automotive lifestyle programming in prime time," according to Jon Lafayette of TV WEEK. Speed VP/Programming Robert Ecker said that the Fox-owned net "plans to air 10 one-hour episodes of  'Wrecked,'" which "focuses on a sometimes risky life at a family-owned tow truck company in Chicago." Ecker: "We have discovered over the course of time that while there are race fans, there are also people that have a love affair with the automobiles but are not necessarily interested in racing." Ecker indicated that "Wrecked" is the net's "most ambitious and expensive programming effort to date." SNL Kagan Research Senior Analyst Derek Baine said that "rising programming costs have kept Speed’s cash flow flat at about $60[M] since 2004, which is very low for a network of its size." But Ecker said that Speed is "betting 'Wrecked' has varied appealing aspects that should attract viewers and generate return on investment" (TVWEEK.com, 3/9).