No, you're fired: Trump's American 'Apprentice' axed
Wednesday, 16 May 2007
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Donald Trump, the tirelessly self-promoting tycoon who popularised the catchphrase "You're fired" on his television show The Apprentice, may be close to discovering the pain and loneliness of rejection.
NBC television, which broadcasts his reality show which follows the exploits of a group of young entrepreneurs seeking the prize of an apprenticeship with Mr Trump himself, this week revealed its programming line-up for 2007-08, which made no mention of the show. There has been widespread speculation that The Apprentice is about to get chopped after struggling with its ratings.
Asked whether the show had been sidelined, NBC's entertainment president, Kevin Reilly, told reporters: "Not yet." He left open the option of a last-minute reprieve and said NBC would wait until other networks released their line-ups before making a final decision.
"Donald still wants to do the show. [Executive producer] Mark [Burnett] wants to do the show. We couldn't find the right spot for it. So we're going to regroup after everybody announces their schedule," Mr Reilly said. "We're going to look at everything in context and then make a decision. We want to stay in business with Donald. The guy has a certain magic. We love him."
The show, which featured Mr Trump dismissing unsuccessful contests with the words "You're fired", was originally a hit, earning more than 20 million viewers during its first season in 2004. But since then it has suffered a slow and steady decline to the point that its recent sixth season, set in Los Angeles, had just 7.5 million viewers.
Mr Trump has other joint projects with NBC. This spring the two parties announced a renewed deal to keep the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, of which Mr Trump is a co-owner, on NBC.
Mr Trump, 60, is rarely out of the headlines - a situation he clearly enjoys. He has recently been involved in a spat with the comedian Rosie O'Donnell, which was sparked when O'Donnell said Mr Trump was not an appropriate figure to offer moral advice to a Miss USA who had been accused of under-age drinking and drug use. Mr Trump responded by saying of O'Donnell: "She's not smart, she's crude, she's ignorant."
Mr Trump said he had yet to decide whether to pursue making a seventh series of The Apprentice. He told the New York Daily News: "The Apprentice has been and continues to be a great experience for me. Who would have believed it was going to be one of the most successful shows on television? Over the next couple of weeks I'll make a decision whether or not I want to do another season."
