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"If you're fighting Mike Tyson," McPherson said, "you don't run into the ring and take a big swing at him."

McPherson spent the past four years heading Touchstone, which creates programming for sale to ABC and other networks. ABC is routinely criticized for being offered last season's reality hit, "The Apprentice," and passing on it, but many in the industry believe NBC always had the inside track on the show. However, no one disagrees on this: When McPherson was at Touchstone, the company created a procedural crime drama and offered it to corporate cousin ABC, which passed, scared off because it was penned by an unknown writer.

CBS, however, picked up the show, and the top-rated "CSI" franchise was born, spawning "CSI: Miami" and "CSI: New York," which will make its debut on CBS this fall. (ABC also passed on "The Cosby Show," which went on to be an eight-year hit for NBC, but NBC passed on ABC hit "Rosanne.")

When McPherson took the job in April, his first call was to "CSI" producer Jerry Bruckheimer. "I told him how much we [ABC] want to get back in business with him and then I asked for 'CSI' back," he said, laughing. "I said I just need one."

CBS's Moonves responded: "Unfortunately, in network television, you only get one chance to say yes or no. Fortunately, ABC said no and we said yes."

Moonves praised his new counterpart at ABC.

"He clearly knows how to develop hit shows, and it all starts with that," Moonves said. "He's opinionated in a good way. The worst thing you can be is wishy-washy."

McPherson said that when he was running Touchstone, it was sometimes hard to tell who was in charge at ABC. "As a studio guy, you weren't quite sure who you were selling to," he said. "Who was going to be at the end of the line on the creative side?"

Susan Lyne, who then was president of ABC, did not return calls for comment. Lyne's peers at the other networks considered her a creative programmer with good instincts who was sometimes hamstrung by having to share authority with ABC chairman Lloyd Braun. Both were fired in April.

McPherson and Sweeney are making other breaks with the ABC of the past. Since the demise of "Millionaire," ABC executives have said the network was only "one hit" away from turnaround.

When McPherson and Sweeney took over, however, they realized the damage was more extensive.

"We both believe it's never just one hit," Sweeney said in a recent interview. "It's about three or four shows. It's about building nights."