tele chap 9 txtbk

- Network program costs #1-#5 most expensive types of tv programs to produce

1. lavish, multi part network miniseries 2. movie of the week 3. adventure, myster and drama 4. situational comedy, if it is a hit, the cost increases greatly because of star salaries 5. reality

The Network Programming Ground rules o Created because the fcc feared the big three networks would create a monopoly in entertainment production. Limits network participation in the ownership of programs produced for them and in subsequent syndication. Rather than buying the shows, the networks pay licensing fees to production companies to show them. o These rules were abandoned in 95 because cable had gained enough viewers to ensure there would be no monopoly, thus networks are allowed to own shows and sell them in to syndication

- Financial interests and syndication rules

Types of Syndicated Programming Programs that make their debut in syndication, without a prior network life o Cheap, easy to produce programs designed to be strip-programming o Game shows and talk shows (Oprah, wheel of fortune, Judge Judy)

- First-run Syndication:

o In the late 70s, a new generation of TV anchors emerged who were younger, sexier, dressed more modern. o First women anchors emerged, anchors began talking to each other on air. People began calling it ___ o Had more sensational and violent content than traditional newscasts, and had higher ratings

- Happy Talk

Types of Syndicated Programming : mainstay of program schedule for pay-cable stations like HBO, but many regular cable stations have syndicated movies as well o The backbone of syndication o Stations acquire rights to movies under license agreements, usually 3-6 years with up to 6 showings of the movie

- Movie Packages

term used to describe when major networks pay stations a fee for broadcasting their programs because of the wider audience they reach (can range from 500-10k per hour)

- Network compensation:

Types of Syndicated Programming : Old network programs that are still popular (Seinfeld) o Packaged similar to the way motion pictures are, usually about 6 runs/6 years of an episode o At least 100 episodes of a show are needed for it to launch in to off-net syndication (the ideal number is 130) o Stripping: scheduling a syndicated show to run in the same day-part each weekday

- Off-net Syndication

The Network Programming Ground rules o Implemented by the FCC in 71, restricted the amount of time an affiliate could accept from a network, only allowing networks to control ¾ prime-time hours. o It tried to encourage local production, but stations just bought syndicated programming for this time-slot o This allowed independent stations to compete with affiliates for this hour o FCC got rid of most PTAR requirements in 96

- Primetime Access Rule

Barter Syndication

- Syndicator provides the program to the station for free or a very low cost, in return, the station gives some of its ad time to the syndicator, who can place their own ad their or sell it to a major advertiser - This is a result of the high price of syndicated shows, station buyouts, and increased competition from cable. - Cash sales of syndicate programs have gone down due to economic downturn - In barter syndication, the more markets the syndicator reaches, the better, 80% of the nation's markets is considered good, 90% is great

- Network Seasons

- Two seasons, the fall premiere season (late sept-mid dec) and the second season (jan-may, this is when networks replace low rated programs with special and news series) o Seasons used to be very distinct with premieres on the same week for each network, but networks have incorporated more variability recently. Seasons have shrunk recently, and seasons have less episodes

- Cost per episode of Seinfeld in cable syndication:

1 million

- Number of successful new tv series each year:

1-3

The TV News Team - Structure: o Large market stations can have over ____ employees in the news dept o Major Networks have many employees, but have been trying to make their staff more lean the past few years (CNN has _____ employees worldwide)

100, 4,000

- % of americans who say they would pay for news online (2009):%

19

- Roughly _____ stations are affiliated with each of the big four networks

200

- Local TV ad revenue fell ____% in 09; this had a significant impact on the revenue most newscasts generated from their stations

22 percent

- Avg number of americans who watch the nightly news on one of three broadcast networks (2010):

22.3 million

- As a result of the coverage of these big events and others in the 60s and 70s, TV news (network and local) grew and became a profit center for tv stations, accounting for as much as _____ of all ad revenues

33%-50%

- Number of new program ideas pitched to TV networks each year:

5k

- % of americans who cite network tv as biased politically (2009):

60%

- % of americans who use tv as their primary source of local news (2009):

64

- Number of prime-time broadcast and cable shows canceled in the 09-10 season:

84

- Audiences tend to continue watching one station until a program they don't like comes on - Programmers try to put together consecutive programs that will hold audiences (one program leads-in to another)

Audience Flow

- The opposite of counterprogramming, when a station goes head to head with another station, both are trying to attract the same audience

Challenge Programming

- A technique wherein the programmer decides to go for an audience different from the audience that competing stations are trying to attract

Counterprogramming

- When two tv stations develop cooperative ventures, usually between local news leaders at network affiliates and independent stations - With the increase in online news, it is a smart business move - Television news outlets are also coventuring with news/talk radio stations

Coventuring

- News coverage of this event was with portable cameras, satellite relay systems, color, videotape replay - This marked the era when one generation of TV reporters who had been trained in radio/print journalism gave way to a new generation of all TV reporters (Tom Brokaw, Liz Trotta- first women to cover war on TV) - TV News coverage of this event gave Americans lasting images of war

Television News in Vietnam

Dick Wolf, Jerry Bruckheimer, Dreamworks, chuck lorre, are all examples of

independent producers

events that marked the beginning of TV news reign (1960s-70s)

kennedy assasination, civil rights movement, one small step, vietnam

o Cost of production is usually ______ for cable programs

lower

emerged in the mid 70s when portable cameras became available, on the scene events could be recorded and easily edited

o Electronic News Gathering:

The Syndication Market - There are two primary buyers for syndicated programming

o Local TV: 1.4k local TV stations obtain syndicated programming to fill time without network/local programming o Cable Networks: ad supported services are main buyers (TBS, USA, TNT)

: the use of mobile trucks mounted with satellite communications equipment to report local, national, and international events

o Satellite News Gathering