Ep 16. WJM Tries Harder

In The Mary Tyler Moore Show season 4 episode 16, titled "WJM Tries Harder," Mary Richards and her colleagues at WJM TV Station are under pressure to increase their ratings. To do this, they take a unique approach by creating a promotional campaign to promote themselves as the underdog news station.

The episode begins with Mary presenting an idea for a ratings-boosting segment to her boss, Lou Grant. Mary suggests that they do a piece on a group of older women who plan to climb a mountain. Lou thinks it's a ridiculous idea, so he puts the idea on hold.

Meanwhile, Murray Slaughter, the head writer for the news, is worried about their ratings. The rival news station, KVX, is beating them in the ratings game, and he believes that WJM needs to come up with unique and compelling stories. Mary then brings up the idea of doing a story on the city's "favorite person" contest. Lou approves the idea and assigns Mary to cover the story.

As Mary begins researching the story, she quickly learns that the contest is rigged. One of the contestants, an old friend of hers, is cheating by buying votes. Mary confronts her friend, but she refuses to stop cheating. Mary is left feeling disillusioned and unsure of how to proceed.

Meanwhile, the rest of the staff is hard at work coming up with new ideas to boost their ratings. Ted Baxter, the news anchor, suggests they do a segment on animal tricks, while Murray suggests they follow a group of firemen on their daily routine. Lou is unimpressed with their suggestions, and the team is left feeling discouraged.

However, they come up with a unique and daring idea: they will promote themselves as the underdog news station. They create ads that feature themselves as David taking on the Goliath of KVX. They also have Mary cover a local baseball game, and they do a segment on a group of young girls who are trying to break a world record by jumping rope.

Their new campaign is a massive success. People are tuning in to WJM in droves, and they soon beat KVX in the ratings. Mary is thrilled, but she questions the validity of their new approach. Is it ethical to promote themselves by playing the underdog? She expresses her concerns to Lou, who tells her that they did what they had to do to stay relevant.

As the episode concludes, Mary is left pondering the meaning of success. Is it about ratings and numbers, or is it about staying true to oneself? She doesn't have the answers, but she knows that she wants to keep striving for excellence in everything she does.

In "WJM Tries Harder," The Mary Tyler Moore Show addresses the pressure that comes with working in the media. The characters are constantly fighting to stay ahead in the ratings game, and their success is often tied to their ability to create compelling and unique stories. However, the episode also acknowledges the ethical concerns that come with playing the underdog and manipulating the audience to get ahead. Ultimately, Mary and her colleagues learn that success is about more than just numbers; it's about staying true to oneself and doing what feels right.