Television Programming

 The most important part of programming is
understanding the audience.
 Quite simply, audiences want to be
entertained and they want to be informed.
 These two elements comprise the whole of
programming

Programming is a unique product in that it is
used to lure the attention of consumers so
advertisers can show those consumers
commercial messages that help sell other
products.

 Its ease of delivery allows it to be
simultaneously delivered to nearly every
consumer
 Television beckons a national audience through
▪ Broadcasting
▪ Cable
▪ Satellite Delivery
 The low cost of programming to viewers is key
to creating audiences large enough to sell to
advertisers

Audience Habits
Cost
Compatibility
Talent Availability
Differentiation
Trendiness
Novelty

Hammocking
Blocking
Compatibility
Ranking
Inherited Viewing
Competition

Clutter
Location
Position
Construction
Distance
Familiarity

Tolerance levels
Audience Share
Genre Trends
Design Styles
Technology
Stock Values

 Target a demographically desirable audience.
 Choose appropriate programs for that audience.
 Evaluate reasonable costs for program types and time
slots.
 Evaluate competition to determine scheduling
strategy.
 Make sure a program fits with neighboring programs.
 Employ talented performers who are liked by the
public.
 Hire producers/directors/writers with a record of
success.
 Deal with currently topical subject matter.
 Emulate comparable high-rated series.

Broadcast Network programs
Syndicated Programs
Local programs
Homemade programs

 Off-Network Series
 Two and a Half Men
 King of Queens
 Bones
 First-run syndicated series and specials
 Oprah
 Entertainment Tonight
 Feature Films

 Yet, it is possible for some
programmers to start small and
build a national audience.
 Say thank you to OprahWinfrey for
giving hope to newcomers.
 She started at a small station doing a
local talk show before achieving
national television prominence and
creating her own production company.
Each network will review two
thousand program ideas a year.
About 250 of these will be
judged good enough to go on
into the script form. About
thirty or forty of the scripts will
move along into pilot
production.About ten pilots
will make it into series form.
Perhaps two or three series will
survive a second season or
longer. Each year, program
development costs $50 to $60
million. In other businesses it is
known as Research and
Development. In television it is
called failure, or futility, or a
wasteland.
--Gene Jankowski,
Former president of CBS

 Situation Comedies (or Sitcoms)
 Dramas
 Action-Adventures
 Dramatic
 Talk
 Magazine
 Reality
 Games
 Children’s
 Animation
 Live action
 Reality
 Theatrical cartoons
 Weeklies
Sample of Syndicated
Programming Types
 Off-Network: Friends, Frazer,
King of the Hill, Two and a Half
Men, The Office
 First-Run: Oprah, Entertainment
Tonight, Jeopardy, Wheel of
Fortune
 Feature Films: all theatricals
that leave movie theaters and go
into syndication

The Executive Producer
 Oversee on-air talent, directors, writers,
technical crew, line producers, production
managers, production assistants, and
researchers.
 Deal with talent agents, personal managers,
union officials, the press, and lawyers.
 Answerable for everything:
 Program concept
 Program content
 The tone or mood of the program, and
 Overall production
 Responsible for “fixing” or improving a
program that is not delivering satisfactory
ratings.
 Responsible for delivering program on time, on
or under budget, and is directly accountable
for contacts with the production company and
syndicator that finance the program.
The Production Company
 Finances and produces television programs
 Hires the producer and the staff
 May propose program ideas or finance
producers who bring the ideas
 Based on a pilot or merely a written
presentation, the production company sells
programs directly to broadcast or cable
networks or, alternatively, strikes a deal with a
syndicator.
 Sometimes the production company is the
syndicator itself and distributes the programs
it has created.

The Syndicator
 All syndicators, also called distributors, supply
programming to local stations on a market-by-
market basis throughout the nation.
 Unlike a network, a syndicator does not have a
single “affiliate” in any particular market.
 Instead, syndicators sell their programming to
any and all stations in a market.
 Depending on the kind of programs offered by
the syndicator, certain stations in a market
may be more frequent customers than other
stations.
 Syndicators “sell” or license for a fee, the
telecast rights to a program to the local station
for a certain term and for a set number of
plays.
 During the license term, the syndicator grants
the station exclusive rights to broadcast the
program then rights revert back to the
syndicator.
The Rep Programmer
 Outside party in the syndication mix or chain.
 Works for the national sales representative
firm that sells national advertising time for the
station.
 The rep programmer acts as an ally and
consultant to the station.
 Reps work for station representatives, or
national sales organizations selling commercial
airtime on behalf of local market television
stations.
 Rep also provides additional services to client
stations including marketing support, sales
research, promotion advice, and programming
consultation.
 Helps stations improve programming
performance in terms of audience delivery,
increased advertising rates and increased
profitability.
 Services are includes in reps sales commissions

TELEVISION or RADIO
STATION
Syndicator
Producer/
Production
Company
National
Advertising
Rep
Program

The program director is the station executive
primarily responsible for developing the
program schedule, establishing a relationship
and conducting business with the syndicator,
managing the station’s program inventory,
dealing with viewers and community interest
groups, and generally implementing and
overseeing the station’s programming policies.

 For most stations, the money spent annually
to acquire syndicated television shows is their
single largest expense.
 The station that buys a syndicated program
that turns out to be a dud, or the station that
overpays for a syndicated show, may be in
financial trouble for years to come.
 The station that makes several mistakes (not
uncommon) has serious problems.

 PROGAMTYPE: Off-network situation comedy
 EPISODES: Minimum of 96, maximum of 168 if the
program runs seven years on network
 RUNS: 6
 YEARS: 3 to 5 (depending on number of episodes
produced)
 START DATE: Fall 2010
 FORMAT: Cut for 6 ½ minutes
 PAYMENT: Cash
 DOWN PAYMENT: 10 percent
 PAYOUT: 36 equal monthly installments
 ASKING PRICE: $12,500 per episode for the first
five network years plus an additional 10 percent
per episode beginning with the sixth production
season with a maximum of eight production years.
Title
Description of the
program
Cast, host, or other
participants
Duration
Number of episodes
Number of runs
Start and end dates
Commercial format
Price
Payment method
Down payment
Payout

 Determining Need
 How well is the station’s current schedule performing?
 Has there been audience growth, slippage, or stagnations
since the previous ratings report? Since the same period a
year ago?Two years ago?
 Is current programming delivering targeted audience
demographics that advertisers and the reps want?
 Are older shows exhibiting signs of age?
 What schedule changes has competition made?
 What programs are on the shelf and can they be used to
replace weak programming.
 Selection Options
 Do nothing at all.
 Change the batting or programming lineup (swap shows).
 Go to the bench. (Use “on the shelf” programming).
 Hire a new player. (Buy a new show!)
Each programming
decision is different from any
other. Each show is different;
each deal is different.
Markets and competitive
situations differ; corporate
philosophies and needs not
only differ but may also
change over time.
The personalities and
opinions of the syndicator,
the station general manager
and program director, and
the rep programmer all enter
the decision.
The basics of the
decision-making process
involve an assessment of
need and an analysis of
selection options.

The Art of the Deal
 Highest purchase price offered
 Size of down payment
 Length of payout
 Ability to make payments
 Best time period
 Strength of station
 Most compatible adjacent programming

 Cash
 Barter
 Cash-plus-barter

Network carriage is
important in giving a
program high visibility, but
syndication is where the
profits lie…

 6 to 9 a.m.
 9 to 12 noon
 12 noon to 4 p.m.
 4 to 7 p.m.
 7 to 8 p.m.
 8 to 11 p.m.
 11 to 11:35 p.m.
 11:35 to 2 a.m.
 2 to 6 a.m.
 Early morning
 Morning
 Afternoon
 Early fringe
 Prime access
 Prime time
 Late fringe
 Late night
 Overnight

 Morning: (9 a.m. to 12 noon)
 Talk shows—Live with Regis and Kelly
 Game shows—Let’s Make a Deal
 Afternoons: (12 noon to 4 p.m.)
 Talk shows— Bonnie Hunt, Rachel Ray
 Court shows—Judge Joe Brown, People’s Court
 Early Fringe: (4 to 7 p.m.)
 Strong Shows with popular personalities—Oprah, Ellen, Dr. Phil, Judge Judy
 Prime Access: (7 to 8 p.m.)
 Game—Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy
 Magazine—Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood
 Late Fringe: (11 to 11:35 p.m.)
 Counterprogramming to network newscasts—The George Lopez Show

 Here is a look at the arguments currently in
vogue when the topic of ethical standards are
discussed:
 It’s just entertainment.
 If you don’t like it, turn it off.
 Parents have the responsibility to monitor
programming.
 Censorship, even voluntary censorship, violate First
Amendment rights.

 Innovative deal structuring
 Syndicators and stations will become more creative.
 Syndicators will make deals more attractive to stations while still finding ways
to increase their revenues.
 Cost control
 Syndicators and stations share the common goal: the need for efficiency,
streamlining, mutually beneficial dealing, and utilizing all assets.
 Consortiums/coproduction/coventures
 Station groups will continue to join forces with one another in noncompeting
markets to develop and launch first-run programs to meet specific station
needs.
 Syndicators will join these coventures.
 Coproduced shows will get a better chance at succeeding because of
cooperative promotion.

 Cable
 Increased cable penetration by syndicated programs.
 Cable and broadcast have created coventures.
 Increased role of reps
 As costs escalate and programming ventures become riskier, the
programming reps expertise becomes more valuable.
 To control costs, many stations have eliminated the program director position
and are using rep programmers instead.
 Increasing role of networks
 With the demise of the FCC’s financial and syndication rules, the networks
have become actively involved with the production and distribution of
syndicated shows.

Television Programming

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Television Programming