COMM 180 SURVEY OF BROADCASTING AND CABLE

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COMM 180 SURVEY OF BROADCASTING AND CABLE

• Dr. George W. Crawford

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TV PROGRAMMING

• Quick Facts
• TV is the most credible news source 50
• Internet is the most credible source 1
• Cost of a TV newsmag episode 900K
• Cost of an ER episode 13M
• Number of new program ideas 10K/year
• Number of successful new shows 1-3/year

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Networks Four Plus Three

• At one time there were three CBS, NBC, ABC
• In the 80s one more FOX
• The 90s added Paramount (UPN), Warner Brothers
  (WB), and PAX

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Network Affiliates

• The big three have about 200 stations
• As does FOX
• Cover almost all of the US
• The three dwarfs have about 100 stations
• Only cover about 90 of US homes
• As a result

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Network Affiliates

• Get network compensation based on coverage area,
  market size, and popularity.
  
• Networks want to reduce compensation and make
  affiliates share in programming costs.
  
• Affiliates can either take a program or reject it.

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Network Affiliates

• Affiliates give networks access to audience.
• National advertisers pay more for large audience
  or a special profile audience.
  
• Money and profits are the key.

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Network Programming

• There are rules
• Seasons
• Major studios and independent studios
• Deal and deal makers
• And there are major costs who pays ?

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Network Programming

• The rules
• Mainly done by the FCC
• 70s Financial interest and syndication rules
• Abandoned in the mid 90s
• 70s Prime-Time Access Rule
• Also abandoned in the mid 90s

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Network Programming

• The Seasons
• Used to start in September/October and start
  again in mid-January/February
  
• FOX changed that to one rolling season
• 39 week season has shrunk to 10 or less
• Its the costs driving the process.

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Network Programming

• Major Studios and Independents
• Household words Columbia/Tri-Star,
  MCA-Universal, Twentieth Television, Disney
  
• Usually not so famous Carsey-Werner (Cosby),
  Dreamworks (Spin City)

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Network Programming

• Deals and Deal Makers
• There are commissioned programs and there are
  concept programs.
  
• Concepts are given a treatment and pitched to
  the networks usually as a step deal.
  
• 10000 ideas 500 possibles 35 pilots 12 new
  shows (10 cancelled) 2 survivors

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Network Programming

• Major Costs Who pays? And how much?
• Miniseries - 5M/hr
• Movie - 4M/show
• Adventure/Mystery/drama - 3M/show
• Situation comedy - 1M/show
• Reality/Newsmagazine - 900k/show

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Cable Network Programming

• Theatrical Motion Pictures TNT
• Cable-Original Movies - 6M HBO
• Cable Series The Sopranos - HBO

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TV Syndication

• Largest segment of programming - 5B
• The Market Local TV and Cable networks
• After its old almost anything is available
• Types of syndication
• Movie Packages quality gets more
• Off-net Syndication Off the network need
  100
  
• First Run Syndication

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Local TV Programming

• Local news and newsmagazines to replace the
  networks versions Why ?
  
• Usually an alternative in the big cities.

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Programming Strategies

• Need to define the potential audience that will
  be available for time periods.
  
• How does the audience match against the available
  programs ?
  
• What is the audience flow ?
• Can counterprogramming be used ?
• Or should challenge programming be used ?
• Bottom line maximize those income dollars.

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HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

• We are done with Chapter 9.
• Start reading Chapters 4 and 8 on radio. We will
  be looking at them in the next three days.
  
• Exam 2 will be on Friday, Nov. 8th.
• Make up several essay questions for the exam.
  This will be due next Monday.