Harpo, Sony's 'Nate' Has Designs On Success

The most highly anticipated new syndicated show this fall is arguably Nate Berkus, the second show coproduced by Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures Television.

Stations that picked up the talk show, which debuts next Monday (Sept. 13), are hoping for the same ratings success enjoyed by the first offering from the Harpo-Sony collaboration, Dr. Oz. It emerged in its rookie season as the third most-watched daytime talk show behind only Oprah and Dr. Phil.

And like Dr. Oz, Berkus is hosted by a personality who was groomed for broadcast syndication during frequent appearances on Oprah. Nate Berkus, an accomplished interior designer, first began appearing on Oprah in 2002. And when he did, according to Harpo, viewership among women 25-54 rose by 20% above average.

Determined to meet the expectations, Executive Producer Terry Murphy is promising an upbeat, multi-topic hour.

“Our primary lens is through Nate’s designs, which gives us a lot of latitude,” says Murphy. “It’s not a narrow lens. It allows us to go inside the homes of women all over the country, including someone like Elizabeth Edwards, whose passion is design.”

The former wife of one-time presidential candidate John Edwards is the slated guest next Friday.

Nate’s principal outlet is the NBC O&Os. It will air at 2 or 3 p.m. on all 10 of the stations and will be Ellen’s lead-in on eight of those stations, including WNBC New York, WMAQ Chicago and WCAU Philadelphia.

“To be paired with Ellen in so many markets for a guy like Nate, who is funny and happy by nature, allows us to fit right into that franchise,” says Murphy, whose track record includes stints on shows like NBCU’s Jerry Springer. “The idea is: Here we are spending the afternoon together, so let’s have some fun.”

Nate was sold for two-year deals to stations on a cash-plus-barter basis, with a barter split of four national minutes and 10.5 local minutes, according to people familiar with those negotiations. Other station groups picking up the show include Belo, Hearst, Post-Newsweek, Fox Television Stations and Sinclair.

Nate is taping two shows a day in New York, not Chicago, where Oprah is produced. “Logistically, it didn’t make a lot of sense to be in Chicago,” says Murphy. “Oprah is in its last year and there’s only one control room. And part of Nate’s life is in New York.”

The Nate set, which Berkus helped design and which is only partially previewed in the show’s promotional spot, features a big fireplace and a huge window looking out to a garden. There is a marble staircase and two so-called living walls covered in plants.

“It’s gorgeous,” says Murphy. “It’s like nothing you’ve seen before. It’s not like somebody’s living room. But it’s so comfortable and livable, you just want to spend time there.”

The show’s structure is similar to Dr. Oz and CBS Television Distribution’s and Harpo’s Rachael Ray, whose hosts use medical issues and cooking, respectively, to get conversations with guests going on a broader range of topics.

Berkus will also interact with the studio audience by going into the audience to field questions.

Nate will have recurring segments, including big home makeovers like those he did on Oprah. In the Nate’s Crate segment, viewers get a huge package of gifts and decorating instructions delivered to their home or office by one of Berkus’ design deputies. In Curbside Pickup, Berkus will use found objects in his interior designs.

In Instant Design Studio, Berkus will design rooms in 3D on a computer. It will be a major focus of the premiere episode on Monday and will be available to viewers on the show’s website, TheNateShow.com.

“Only Nate has this,” says Murphy. “It’s a fascinating piece of technology. We’re also creating Nate’s Net. The idea is that bloggers all over the country will participate with us on certain segments and give advice.”