A&E is wrapping up the best year in the network’s history among all key demographics, ranking number 5 in adults 25-54 and 6 in adults 18-49. This achievement will mark the fifth straight year of growth for the twenty-four year-old network.

Among all ad-supported cable networks in 2008, A&E ranks number 5 in adults 25-54 (up from number 7 in 2007) and number 6 in adults 18-49 (up from number 8 in 2007), finishing ahead of other top ten networks including SCI FI, Lifetime, Discovery and Spike in both demos. With just two weeks left in the year, A&E is averaging 690,000 adults 25-54 impressions in prime time, an 8% increase from 2007. Among adults 18-49, A&E has also climbed 8% over 2007, to 665,000 viewers.

“2008 was marked by the strong performance of A&E’s unparalleled slate of real life programming, the introduction of first class original scripted drama and a comprehensive repositioning of the network around Real Life. Drama,” said Bob DeBitetto, President and General Manager of A&E and BIO. “It has truly been a remarkable year for A&E, with strong growth throughout the year against a very competitive landscape. This performance gives us great momentum as we look to ‘09 and the imminent launch of our second scripted series, ‘The Beast’ starring Patrick Swayze, in January.”

In a few short years, A&E has risen 10 spots in adults 25-54 (from #15 to #5) and an amazing 15 notches in adults 18-49 (from #21 to #6), making A&E the fastest climber among the major cable networks. Among the target demo of adults 25-54, A&E has finished among cable’s top ten networks for 28 consecutive months.

In 2008, eight original series have averaged near or above one million viewers in the adults 25-54 and 18-49 demographics and a record nine series have performed at least 25% stronger than A&E’s prime average in adults 25-54, up from five in 2007.

2008 marked A&E’s reintroduction of first-class original scripted drama beginning with the two-night epic event “The Andromeda Strain,” produced by Ridley and Tony Scott, which averaged 2.7 million viewers adults 25-54 and 2.4 million adults 18-49, ranking as the #1 cable mini-series on the year and garnering 7 Emmy® nominations.

The first scripted drama in six years, “The Cleaner” staring Benjamin Bratt premiered in July. In its first season, on a weekly three telecast cume basis “The Cleaner” averaged 4.2 million total viewers, 2.4 million adults 25-54 and 2.2 million adults 18-49 in primetime. “The Cleaner” has become A&E’s number one original drama in network history among adults 18-49 and 25-54, roughly doubling the audience of the previous two series in those demos.

In addition to receiving its first Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Reality Series in 2008, the Real-Life series “Intervention” grew its audience by 56% over last year, averaged 1.4 million adults 25-54. The sixth season premiere on December 15 became the series’ best season opener in series history among all key demos. The episode averaged 1.6 million adults 25-54, 1.7 million adults 18-49 and 2.2 million total viewers.

In 2008, eight original series have averaged near or above one million viewers in the adults 25-54 and 18-49 demographics and a record nine series have performed at least 25% stronger than A&E’s prime average in adults 25-54, up from five in 2007.

2008 marked A&E’s reintroduction of first-class original scripted drama beginning with the two-night epic event “The Andromeda Strain,” produced by Ridley and Tony Scott, which averaged 2.7 million viewers adults 25-54 and 2.4 million adults 18-49, ranking as the #1 cable mini-series on the year and garnering 7 Emmy® nominations.

The first scripted drama in six years, “The Cleaner” staring Benjamin Bratt premiered in July. In its first season, on a weekly three telecast cume basis “The Cleaner” averaged 4.2 million total viewers, 2.4 million adults 25-54 and 2.2 million adults 18-49 in primetime. “The Cleaner” has become A&E’s number one original drama in network history among adults 18-49 and 25-54, roughly doubling the audience of the previous two series in those demos.

In addition to receiving its first Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Reality Series in 2008, the Real-Life series “Intervention” grew its audience by 56% over last year, averaged 1.4 million adults 25-54. The sixth season premiere on December 15 became the series’ best season opener in series history among all key demos. The episode averaged 1.6 million adults 25-54, 1.7 million adults 18-49 and 2.2 million total viewers.

Shortly after I came into AA, I heard about the “three things everybody should have” if they were to stay sober:  A sobriety date, a home group, and a sponsor.  I got all three pretty quickly and my life has been improving ever since.  I intend to write a little about each one in separate entries, but today, I want to address the importance of having a sponsor.

I’ve heard people say that the first 164 pages of the Big Book don’t say anything about sponsorship, but that’s because at the time it was written, there were only two groups; Akron and New York, and the purpose of the Book was to carry the message of AA to a world that, up until 1939, hadn’t heard yet about the ray of hope that had broken through the dark clouds of alcoholism.  There’s plenty about sponsorship in the personal stories in the second section of the Big Book and in other AA literature.  Taking on a sponsor represents a further surrender.

It’s an admission that, on our own, running our own show, we didn’t do such a good job and that perhaps, in the new sober life, we ought to be willing to listen to another voice.  The Big Book says, “The alcoholic is an extreme example of self will run riot, though he usually doesn’t think so.”   Having given up on self as the answer to my problems, and come into AA, I knew I was going to need a lot of help.  I admitted that I didn’t know a thing about staying clean and sober, so it only made sense that I allow someone to guide me through the !2 Steps, and through the rough patches that would inevitably come up as I began the scary, unfamiliar, journey to wholeness.

The basic requirement for a sponsor is that they themselves have a sobriety date, a home group and a sponsor, and that they have taken the 12 Steps.  Practical experience has shown that taking the !2 Steps alone, is just another “half measure.”  We need direction from another source.  A source with sober experience and knowledge of AA literature. Reading the Book with a sponsor is a revelation.  Alone, I might have missed many of the suggestions and instructions, which are vital to recovery.

The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions says that even people of high spiritual development make a habit of consulting with others.  Maybe some day, I’ll be one of those people of “high spiritual development,” but in the meantime, I’ll continue to rely on the loving guidance of another sober alcoholic.  Someone who isn’t emotionally involved in my life that can provide another perspective on whatever problems and difficult situations that arise.  I often don’t see the way I can apply AA principles to these matters, but my sponsor always does.