ABC Daytime Unveils Plans to Make "The View" More Interactive

ABC Daytime has announced plans to make its female-targeted talk show, "The View," more interactive, when it returns from summer hiatus September 8th. "The focus of the 2009-10 season of 'The View' is to make the show more interactive with a less formal, more contemporary feel" the show's executive producer, Bill Geddie, said in a prepared statement. "The end result will be a show that is raw, while still being relevant."

According to ABC Daytime, the new season will concentrate more heavily on cross-promotional opportunities with the show's official Web site (http://www.abc.com/theview). Camcorder-taped pieces with each of the show's co-hosts, and "exclusive backstage access" content--including interviews with guests, co-hosts and staff--filmed prior to the live broadcast will all become an "integral part" of the show's daily content, the broadcaster says. "The show's Web site will be as inclusive and as varied as the show itself," Geddie promised.

In addition, ABC Daytime says, audience involvement will play a "pivotal role" on the show. The studio audience will announce who is on the program in the show's "cold open," and will also close the show. Viewers at home, meanwhile, will be able to submit videos with questions for guests and hosts or suggesting "hot topics," and will also be able to appear on the show via Skype (note: Skype will also be used for special guest appearances). In addition, viewers will be provided with what ABC Daytime is calling "backstage passes" (presumably virtual) that will allow them access to events being filmed for the show, according to the broadcaster. "We will go back to showcasing the green room during the live broadcasts," Geddie explained. "It was always designed to be a part of the show."

ABC Daytime also plans to make "video exclusives" currently featured on the show's Web site--including "What I'm Wearing" with Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck; "An Inside View," a daily video blog from executive producer Geddie; and exit interviews with celebrities and guests leaving the studio--regular features on "The View." According to the broadcaster, "the show has developed 'ViewTube,' used to brand anything featured on the show filmed outside the studio walls." "There will be more emphasis on behind-the-scenes, comedy and overall spontaneity," Geddie explained.