Film, Radio and TV - 28 A |
Television Programming - I
The players are primarily the New York network executives who decide what programs should and should not be on U.S. networks, on what day they should be scheduled, and in what time slots. Added to this are target audience demographics (characteristics such as age, race, sex and economic level), program promotions, and advertiser appeal. Each of these factors is crucial for having a successful show and a successful season. In this module, we'll look at the strategies for this high-stakes business game. We'll also provide some insight into why some programs succeed and some disappear from television after a short time -- and even why many programs that are developed are never aired. |
Probably the highest stakes "game" in the world is television programming.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are won and lost each year.
Considerations In TVShow Success and Failure First, we'll discuss some scheduling and success factors for prime-time dramatic shows and sitcoms. But, even before we get to that, you'll want to consider your own perspective on "good" and "bad" shows.
You Are Probably Abnormal!
This is the LCD or lowest common dominator network target audience we discussed in a previous module. But, don't despair; that's probably good. (Who wants to be "average," anyway?) If you are in college and of college age, that makes you "non-normal" in itself. Most TV viewers do not have a college education, and they are older than you are. That means that they will probably like and dislike different things in life -- including TV programs. Viewers who say, "That program is terrible, why does it stay on TV?," or, "That was such a great show, why isn't it on any more?", aren't taking this into consideration. The Program Managers of TV stations where I've worked often scheduled programs they didn't personally care for -- but the ratings showed that a large share of the audience did like them. So, if they wanted to keep their jobs....
Even so, for some time to come network
television -- ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC -- will dictate the success or failure of TV
series -- including much of the programming that ends up on the cable and
satellite channels in the form of off-network reruns.
Zeroing In On Your Target Audience For example, if you are scheduling a program for a network or local station that's opposite "Monday Night Football" (an extremely popular TV series with men, in case you've just arrived from another planet), you will probably not chose another program that appeals to men. Unless you have something that will draw more men than the major football teams -- and that would be difficult -- you would probably be better off scheduling a program that appeals to women who aren't interested in football. This technique is referred to as counterprogramming.
A show that has commercials for expensive cars, designer clothes, exotic vacation spots, and upscale restaurants will have to appeal to an audience that can afford these things. If you are trying to sell designer jeans, you don't want to buy commercial time in a show that appeals primarily to an older audience.
Scheduling Strategies When a station or network schedules a number of programs consecutively that have a similar demographic appeal, this is referred to as stacking. Often, networks will stack a series of sitcoms together, assuming that audience flow will hold viewers for several hours. Rather than switch channels between two strong shows (and maybe join a program in progress on another network, or be forced to tune away from it before it ends) audiences tend to stay with the network, even if they try to do something else during the interval, like going to the kitchen and fixing themselves a ham sandwich. This, of course, helps the new or weaker show
-- and may result in it "catching on" and becoming popular in its own right. Somewhat related is the concept of tentpoling, or using popular, well-established TV shows scheduled in pivotal time periods to boost the ratings of the shows around them.
Hotswitching where programmers eliminate any pause between the end of one program and the start of the next one -- generally at the top of the hour. The idea is to immediately get viewers involved in the next program before they are tempted to switch channels. Cross-programming involves the interconnection of two different shows. The story line of one program continues into a different program, generally with a mixture of the key people appearing in each. Bridging is used when one TV program intentionally extends beyond the normal end point of programs on the other channels. With these programs already underway when the first program ends it discourages the audience from changing channels and joining another program "in progress."
Theming, when a block of shows -- maybe even a whole week of shows during a certain time period -- all center around the same theme.
Stripping is when episodes of the same syndicated series are scheduled Monday through Friday at the same time. Not having to wait an entire week to see the next episode of a series (as they would with first-run network series) is an attractive option to many viewers. Marathons are popular on some local stations and on cable and satellite channels such as A&E. For example, a half-dozen episodes of Law and Order, Stargate SG1, CSI, or even the old The Twilight Zone series might be scheduled with the potential of holding loyal fans for several hours. Marathons often take place on weekends and during holiday periods when viewers are apt to have more time to watch TV.
Stunting For example, you may find that a key person in a dramatic series gets married, has a baby, gets shot, or whatever. In the early 90s, it was discovered that weddings could boost a show's ratings by about three points -- so a lot of people in dramas suddenly got married. Another stunting technique is to have a famous person appear in an episode -- typically, a famous actor, political figure, athlete, or singer. In each of these cases, "the event" is heavily touted in promos (on-air promotions for the show). And then there are "reunion shows" that bring back the casts of popular series of the past for a special show. Over the summer, the secret as to "who shot J.R." was afforded It was rumored that the tabloid press offered a six-figure sum to anyone with the series who would reveal the killer's identity before the new season began. However, several versions of the subsequent episode were filmed and no one knew for sure which version would air. When the series did start again, more people were watching in the United States than voted in the previous presidential election. And, in case you're wondering, a girlfriend, not to be confused with his wife in the series, shot J.R. -- and he lived. (How else could the series continue?) Today, of course, we commonly see such "cliffhangers" at the end of seasons. |
By this I mean that your taste in television programs probably doesn't coincide with that of normal (average) U.S.
network viewers. 
Because the major networks with their LCD target demographics are
continuing to lose audience share, the LCD factor isn't as significant as it
once was. 
the game. The same goes for television programming.
Deciding on a target audience also involves your advertisers.
audience flow will tend to bring up the new or weak show through what is called the hammock effect.
higher security than classified nuclear documents, which only intensified the mystery.
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