3.+Program+Scheduling

__ ** In this space include comments, questions, or points of discussion concerning strategies of PROGRAM SCHEDULING** __

It was made known across the country recently that the NBA lockout has ended and the league announced that it would start the regular season on Christmas Day. Originally, there were three match-ups set to be played on Christmas, with one of them being a rematch of last year's NBA Finals (Mavericks-Heat). Since the league announced the three games that were to be played on opening day, it has since changed and the league announced within the last couple days that there will now be 5 games played on Christmas day. Typically, Christmas games are aired on ABC, in partnership with ESPN's family of networks. Most seasons, ABC only airs a double-header on Christmas, but this Christmas could potentially be double that. It is doubtful that ABC will air 5 games on Christmas, but I know for certain they will air a triple-header, as per a league source. That idea became known before the league announced 2 more games would be added to the Christmas day schedule. It is unknown whether another game will be aired by ABC, making it a quadruple-header, but I think it may be possible. (Will Rettig 12/2/11) http://www.suntimes.com/sports/basketball/bulls/9181041-579/nba-gets-back-to-business-5-games-on-christmassource.html

I thought the music research study you conducted in class was very interesting. I liked seeing the data that we/you collected in numbers and on paper because I was able to somewhat easily identify what songs should still be playing continously on radio or not be. I thought the activity was useful and demonstrated how a program director of any radio station would actually decide which songs to play and how often they play. (sarah davis 11/28/11)

It is interesting that radio stations keep some artists in their lineup strictly to keep a good relationship with record companies. For example, if a particular radio station cuts both of Adele's songs from their lineup, Adele's record company may not give that radio station tickets to her concert when she come's to that stations time. I never realized how important maintaining relationships is in the radio business. (Peter O'Daniel 11/28)

After learning about the network-affiliate relationship in class this week, I think the benefits to being an affiliate far outweigh the drawbacks. Primarily because they are receiving high quality programming during the hours in which the most viewers are drawn to advertisers. The affiliates also get the first chances to purchase syndicated programs which already have successful track records. In addition to the benefits they also do have some power over networks when deciding whether or not they will air a network program. They have the ability to not feature a program that may be too extreme or racy for their community. (Elisa Silvestro 10/17)

There are a lot of factors that local Programming Directors have to consider when deciding on a syndicated program. First off they must examine their local target audiences in order to maximize viewership. According to Eastman 3, they must take into account potential advertisers, costs, and amount of episodes. It is also important that the programming directors take into account whether the show is first run or off network. (Allyson Testa 10/14/11)

I never knew that cable systems had to carry a certain number of broadcast stations. I always just assumed that they only carried NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox because they wanted to. I also never even knew about the must-carry rule. I thought that cable systems just had to pay for the rights to certain channels. I wasn't aware that broadcast stations could choose must-carry. I thought it was also interesting the way in which broadcast stations select which channel they can be on. Since most broadcast stations are always on a low station, usually no higher than 12, I thought that those were the stations they were always on. I also found out that cable systems have to carry all non-commercial broadcast stations. I thought they were only required to carry one and the rest they got on their own. A lot of this information was new to me but very interesting (Emily Terfehr 10/11/11)

A show on the bubble this fall TV season is NBC's //Free Agents,// according to [|TV by the Numbers]//. Free Agents// is a new half-hour workplace sitcom about PR executives at an advertising firm. The lead in show for //Free Agents// is another half-hour comedy, //Up All Night//, which is doing fine in the ratings. A possible cause of //Free Agents'// low ratings is its lead-out show, //Harry's Law.// According to [|TV by the Numbers] //Harry's Law// is more likely to be cancelled than renewed by May 2012. (Ava Cross 10/7/11)

Anchoring is a strategy in programming that has become more and more important as television technology has developed. Basically, the idea is for a programming director to choose a strong program to lead off the prime-time and act as an anchor for the rest of the programs to follow. The big four networks all utilize this technique because it is the only way to stay competitive. Here is ABC's anchor schedule: Monday: Dancing with the Stars, Tuesday: Dancing with the Stars, Wednesday: Modern Family, Thursday: Grey's Anatomy, Friday: 20/20, Saturday: College Football, Sunday: Desperate Housewives. This list of programming shows a strong program for each day of the week and therefore can hold down the rest of the programming, whether it be a new program or a program with a smaller niche market. (Ian Lefkowitz, 10/6/2011)

After reading about all of the different scheduling techniques I learned how important it is to analyze the competition. Programming is much more important than the program itself, but when it is scheduled it almost just as important. Even if a network has a great program it may not reach anywhere to as close as many viewers if the correct technique is not used when scheduling. (Peter O'Daniel 10/4/2011)

I have noticed that similar shows tend to be back to back but I didn't realize the order of the shows was so important, like the lead off. Programmers believe in starting with a big hit and following it with a new show, which is what they are doing for Glee, following it with the New Girl, a new show. I don't understand what anchoring means but I find the strategy tentpoling to be very odd since I feel that viewers wouldn't stay around after a bad show was over if they were dissatisfied. In class we talked about how the roast of Charlie Sheen was playing at the same time as Two and a Half Men, which I'm assuming is a style of blunting because fans of the show will be split between the premiere and wanting to see Charlie Sheen in his only TV appearance in the near future. (Elizabeth Tippet 9/30/11)


 * Elizabeth--Tentpoling is not as preferred a strategy as hammocking but sometimes is necessary if you don't have enough highly-rated programming to do the hammock. Dr. P 10/1/11

After discussing in class on Wednesday different scheduling strategies, I came across this article below. The article states how ABC uses the hammocking method for their new comedy show, Suburgatory. ABC placed Suburgatory in between two very popular shows, The Middle and Modern Family. I watch both The Middle and Modern Family, so I ended up watching the premiere of Suburgatory and actually thought it was a pretty good show. According to the article, Suburgatory ended up getting decent ratings. ABC did a good job placing these shows together. (Samantha Boden, 9/30/11) http://www.headlineplanet.com/home/2011/09/29/suburgatory-ratings-look-okay-happy-endings-not-so-much-revenge-down/

After discussing the fall Primetime TV grid in class today, I noticed that the networks did a good job scheduling their lead off shows this week. On Tuesday night, Glee was a lead off show on FOX at 8pm which kept me intrigued enough to watch the new show The New Girl right after it, which was really funny. Also, Monday nights programming on the CW got me too. I began to watch the lead off show, Gossip Girl and only that show, but ended up continuing to watch Hart of Dixie. I wasn't planning on watching that new show, but since it was on right after Gossip Girl I felt like I should just stick around and check it out. Both The New Girl and Hart of Dixie were really good and I liked them. (Rachel Schmitt 9/28/11)

On page 130 of the Eastman reading from today, the strategy of anchoring via the anchor show is discussed. Anchoring is a basic programming strategy used by all schedulers. It is defined by beginning an evening with an especially strong program (the anchor show). This program is also known as the ‘lead-off,’ this first prime time show “sets the tone for the networks entire evening," Schedulers still believe that this move can win or lose a whole night and in turn affect the ratings performance for the entire week, but adhere less strictly to it today. I decided to try and detrmine the anchor shows for CBS. __CBS__ Monday: How I Met Your Mother Tuesday: NCIS Wednesday: Criminal Minds Thursday: Person of Interest Friday: CSI: NY Saturday: Crimetime Saturday Sunday: The Amazing Race (Alyssa Rossman-Rorman, 9/28/11)


 * Alyssa, nice job. To me, the weak one is Thursday, as //Person of Interes//t is actually a new show that premiered in September. Dr. P (10/1/11)

I think successful audience flow is less than likely in the NBC primetime lineup on Monday nights that schedules //The Sing-Off// from 8:00-9:30 followed by //The Playboy Club// at 10:00. I wouldn’t infer that these shows are targeting the similar demographics and psychographics; therefore, I doubt that //The Sing-Off//’s programming would be in line with the target audience //The Playboy Club// is trying to reach. Consequently, I don’t presume audience flow from //The Sing-Off//, which is mainly described as a family show, to lead to additional viewing of //The Playboy Club//. (Carly Leonard, 9/28/2011)


 * Nice catch, Carly. Absolutely different psychographics. We should watch to see if the ratings drastically change across the evening. However, could there be a "blunting" strategy that NBC is doing trying to attract someone from ANOTHER network on Monday night at 10pm...particularly I'm thinking males here. What do you think? Dr. P (10.1.11)

After researching Two and a Half Men I saw that the new episodes are always scheduled for Monday's at 9 PM. Wouldn't that be a bad time to schedule Two and a Half Men because Monday Night Football starts at 8:30 PM and the demographics for the two programs are very similar? (Peter O'Daniel 9/28/2011)


 * Demographics are similar...but how are the //psychographics// different? Dr. P. 10/1/11

After reading Eastman, I learned about the term, "hammocking". The hammocking strategy is utilized by networks and progam directors who want to boost ratings for a new series by airing it in between 2 popular shows. I recently have noticed this strategy being implemented into primetime television because CBS airs 3 shows on Monday nights from 8-9 PM. The first show is a highly successful series, How I Met Your Mother. Next, is the new series, 2 Broke Girls. Rounding out the hammock is the popular series Two and a Half Men. This is a great hammock strategy because the first and last shows are greatly successful and will bring over their audiences to the new series. (Sarah Davis 9/27/11)

(Edit: I moved this to go under Sarah's comments because they relate to each other.) As I said in class this morning, it is interesting to see the hammock strategy CBS is using on Monday nights. They play the following shows in this order:

"How I Met Your Mother" //"2 Broke Girls" (NEW SHOW)// "Two and a Half Men" "Mike & Molly"

While "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two and a Half Men" are well-established shows that have similar a similar target audience, "2 Broke Girls" is completely different. From what I saw this past Monday, it doesn't relate to either "Mother" or "Men." It's target audience is probably women 18-34. The two main characters are young females in a big city who work together and share an apartment. While I understand that this is a hammock, I don't think putting "2 Broke Girls" in the time-slot that it is in was a good programming decision. I do not see it appealing to the audiences of the other shows and I do not think it will do well. (Austin Morse, 9/28/2011)


 * Austin, this is a good observation...however, I must say that often times the comedy blocks focus more on the psychographic of "likes sitcoms" more than demographics...at least that's my observation. Now, another way to make the demographic flow make more sense //might// be that //HIMYM// appeals to both males & females...and if both sexes are watching it then they think that the men might stick around through //2 Broke Girls// as they wait for the male-targeting //2 1/2 Men . (Dr. P 10.5.11).//
 * And, sorry to say, but it is looking like it's working. CBS just ordered it for the rest of the season Here's the story.

In class we've discussed day parts and how programmers schedule shows in order to attract a certain type of viewer. For decades most broadcast networks have offered primarily soap operas during the daytime day part. However, this year many of the networks have chosen to cancel their soap opera lineups in favor of "more programming that is informative and authentic and centers on transformation, food, and lifestyle — cornerstones of programming that resonates with daytime viewers as evidenced by the success of // The View //.” ABC was the most recent network to cancel their soaps. Both "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" were cancelled and will be replaced with two lifetime shows. The reason for these cancellations is mostly because the large cost of production. With such a long history of soap opera content on daytime television, and many loyal soap opera fans it will be interesting to see what kind of audience these new lifestyle shows attract. http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/04/14/abc-cancels-all-my-children/ (Elisa Silvestro 9/26)

I found an article touching on what we discussed a little in class today about the syndication of American television programs sold network by network in other countries. The article states that programs such as Two and A Half Men, CSI, and Grey's Anatomy are extremely valuable to European broadcasters. The ad revenues for the shows helped European broadcasters in across 21 territories reach 5.9 billion dollars. Warner Bros. was the top distributer for imported programming, and CBS and Disney followed in second and third. According to a report, Italian, French, and German channels generated the highest value from the dramas while the U.K more often producers and exports their own content. This demonstrates how well syndication of U.S programming works internationally. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/two-a-men-csi-helped-237225 (Elisa Silvestro 9/19)


 * Fantastic article, Elisa. Thanks for the link!!! [Dr. P., 6/25/11]

We've been talking about TV program scheduling, but this past summer I interned for a top 40's radio station and got to job shadow a woman who works in the programming department for the station. I got to learn a lot about what she does on a day to day basis and she showed me the software on her computer where she can physically pick which songs will be played next and the future order. She told me when picking songs she has to take into consideration the type of song and what would flow together nicely for the listeners. For example, she told me putting a country pop song right after another country pop song and then throwing in some Black Eyed Peas followed by Bon Jovi would not be a good idea. The songs have to have some type of flow to them or else you risk losing listeners. She also showed me how she has to send the playlists to the DJ's prior to them being on the air. It was funny to think that back in the day DJ's had to physically pick songs and discs out for the entire time they were on the air, whereas, now a days it's all done digitally and prior to their show. (Rachel Schmitt 9/13)
 * Rachel--Sounds like a great experience in your internship. And, you are 100% right...the concern that a PD has over the "flow" of the programming is arguably GREATER for a radio programmer because the feel of the programming changes about every 3-4 minutes rather than every half-hour. We''ll certainly be talking more about radio programming in greater detail...around Thanksgiving time. Dr. P (9/18 )

After talking about programming and how the big broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS) fill about 70% of their affiliated schedules, I was following ABC's affiliate in Indianapolis, WRTV-6 and looking over their program schedule. This is the schedule for Friday, Sept. 16. http://www.theindychannel.com/tvlistings/index.html (Will Rettig 9/16)

Here is an example of how current events can affect the television ratings. When Hurricane Irene was traveling up the Eastern Seaboard networks like NBC increased news programming hours featuring reporters in the areas with rising floodwaters. The Weather Channel's ratings are always significantly higher when a natural disaster like a hurricane is approaching. The channel was also able to sell many storm related ad spots from home improvement stores and insurance companies. (Elisa Silvestro 9/12) http://www.adweek.com/news/television/viewers-spend-weekend-glued-weather-channel-134493
 * And, one of the strengths that TWC has is it's saleability as a "DVR-proof" source of programming. I mean, think about it...who would time-shift The Weaver Channel? Dr. P 9/18

Not too long ago, the NFL lockout that lasted all summer finally came to an end. In just a few days, the NFL regular season begins and with all the hype surrounding the return of professional football, ESPN took action. On Monday, September 12, ESPN will air a doubleheader of NFL Football, something that rarely happens. The first game is New England at Miami, airing at 7pm in the eastern time zone and 4pm out west; the second game is Oakland at Denver, airing around 10pm in the east and 7pm in the west. In this scenario, Monday Night Football will be twice as fun this week. (Will Rettig 9/7)

Here is something we talked about in class. Talk about program scheduling genius... Comedy Central is going to air the Roast of Charlie Sheen the same night as the premiere of Ashton Kutcher on Two and Half Men. // (Austin Morse 9/7) // @http://www.adweek.com/news/television/comedy-central-says-sheen-roast-schedule-deliberate-133182

One example of program scheduling that has become traditional and based off of previous success is NBC's Thursday night comedy lineup. Thursday night sitcoms dominated the ratings from 1980s all through the 1990s with programs like Cheers, Seinfeld, Frasier, and Friends. NBC even developed specific Thursday night slogans like Must See TV and Comedy Night Done Right to make their Thursday night lineup synonymous with comedy. Even though today Thursday nights for NBC are not the same ratings powerhouse as they used to be, program directors are still airing comedy lineups from 8-10 probably because they know viewers still recognize and remember NBC's Thursday nights as traditionally comedic. (Elisa Silvestro 9/7)

This Sunday September 11, 2011, marks the official ten year anniversary of one of the most tragic days in American history. Television Programers make it impossible for any media consumers to forget the terrible acts that happened ten years ago. This Friday they are airing a history channel program talking about the days after. Followed by a few programs on Saturday, and a long list of programs on Sunday. Programmers hope people will use their free Sunday to learn more about the tragic events. Although all of the programs are based around 9/11 almost all of them take an interesting spin on the disaster. Including the making of the 9/11 memorial, 102 minutes that changed America, and Portraits of Resilience. Even though 9/11 is a day to commemorate the heroes and mourn the people who died, there will always be programming scheduling competition. http://www.aoltv.com/2011/09/09/9-11-anniversary-programming-schedule/ (Allyson Testa 9/9)

I never knew how many different strategies there were in dealing with programming. After being in this class it completely has changed the way I watch and perceive TV. Lately, I have been watching a lot of Grey's Anatomy, which has forced me to turn into other ABC shows. It was not until recently that I started ABC using the blocking strategy by placing medical shows with other medical shows. (Ex: Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice) According to the Eastman reading //"//**//Block://**placing a new program within a set of similar dramas or sitcoms filling an entire evening, a venerable and respected practice. The risk within this strategy is that the new comedy may lack the staying power of its “protectors” and damage the program that follows. The theory of blocking is that an audience tuning in for one situation comedy will stay a second, a third, and a fourth- if the sitcoms are the same general type. Works best during the first two hours of prime time but typically loses effectiveness later in the evening." Another strategy that stood out was the hammcock stragtey. Once again according to Eastman https://resources.oncourse.iu.edu/access/content/group/FA11-BL-TEL-T344-6264/Lecture%20Slides/10413-FallPrimetimeSked.pdf In the link above it's a schedule that confirm two of many strategies. (Casey Walter 10/28)
 * //Hammock://** moving one of a part of established series to the next later half hour and inserting a promising new program in the middle time slot can take advantage of audience flow from the lead-in program, automatically providing viewers for the intervening series. (Also called a sandwich, which the new show as the filling)