Programming for TV, radio, and the Internet

Programming for TV, Radio, and the Internet

Programming for TV,

Radio, and the Internet

Strategy, Development, and Evaluation

Philippe Perebinossoff

California State University, Fullerton

Brian Gross

EF Education, Jakarta, Indonesia

Lynne S. Gross

California State University, Fullerton

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For

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Donny Sianturi

Paul Gross

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Ed Vane

Contents

About the Authors xv

Preface xvii

1 The History of Programming 1

The Need for Programming 1

The Early Days of Programming 2

The Beginning of Network Programming: A New Lease for

Radio 3

Radio’s Golden Age: The Advertising Agency Years 3

The Introduction of Television and Its Effect on Radio 5

Programming Cycles and Trends 6

Radio Redux: The Switch from Shows to Formats 6

Television’s Golden Age of Drama 6

Quiz Shows Take Center Stage 9

The Television Networks Take Over Programming 11

The Development of Public Broadcasting 12

The Financial Interest and Domestic Syndication Rule 13

The Rise of Independent Stations and Syndicators 14

The Explosion of Cable 14

Syndication in Radio 16

New Networks with Targeted and Niche Programming 16

The Quest for a Young Demographic 17

Viewing Patterns and Changing Audience Attention Spans 17

The Decline of Longform Programming 19

Supercharged Programming Choices: The Internet 20

New Media Recording Technologies 21

The Rise of Consumer-supported Media 22

The Video Game Explosion 23

Regulations 23

Globalization 25

Exercises 26

References/Notes 27

2 Sources of Television Programming 29

Beyond the Idea—into the “Deep Pockets” 29

Major Production Companies 30

Independent Production Companies 33

vii

viii PROGRAMMING FOR TV, RADIO, AND THE INTERNET

Foreign Production Sources 38

Networks 39

Stations 40

Buyers 41

Syndicators 42

Advertisers 43

In-House Production 44

Members of the Public 46

Newspapers, Magazines, and Books 46

Managers, Agents, and Stars 48

Exercises 50

References/Notes 50

3 Sources of Radio and Internet

Programming 51

Sources of Programming for Radio 51

Syndicator/Network Programming 52

The Purpose of Today’s Radio Networks/Syndicators 53

From Town to City to Metropolis and Syndication 54

Sources of Music Programming 56

Sources of News Programming 59

Sources of Talk Radio Programming 59

Sources of Other Programming 62

Sources of Satellite Radio Programming 62

Sources of Low-Power FM Programming 63

Sources of Internet Programming 63

Every Computer a Potential Source of Programming 64

Obstacles to Internet Mass Usage 64

Traditional Media Sources 64

Internet-Only Sources 66

Private vs. Public Sources of Programming 66

Exercises 67

References/Notes 67

4 Development 69

Television Development 70

Securing the Rights 70

Attaching a Star, Writer, or Showrunner During the Development

Process 71

The Role of Agents 71

Development Deals 72

Getting Ready for the Pitch: Creating a Log Line 72

Writing an Effective Log Line 73

Getting a Meeting 74

The Pitch Meeting 75

CONTENTS ix

“Laying Pipe” for a Pass 77

Fundamentals of the Deal 77

Public Television Development 78

Syndication Development 78

Station Development 80

The Pilot 81

Development Ratios 82

Testing 83

The Decision 83

Globalization 84

Radio Development 85

Developing a Format 85

Management and Consultants 86

Developing Programming 88

Profit and Other-Than-Profit Motives 89

Satellite Radio Development 89

Public Radio Development 91

Internet Development 92

History of Internet Development 92

Traditional Developers Adapt to the Internet 93

A New Venue for Independent Developers 95

Exercises 97

References/Notes 98

5 Testing 99

Television Testing 99

Awareness Testing 100

Sampling 100

Focus Groups 102

Minitheater Research 104

Cable-Based Research 106

Telephone Research 106

Station Testing 109

Public Broadcasting 109

Radio Testing 110

Sampling 110

Testing Methodology 111

Research Areas 112

Public Radio 114

Internet Testing 114

Testing (Or Not) Simulcast Content 115

Testing Archived and Independently Produced Content 115

Testing User Friendliness 116

Does the Research Work? 117

Exercises 120

References/Notes 121

x PROGRAMMING FOR TV, RADIO, AND THE INTERNET

6 Elements of Successful Programming 123

Television Programming 123

Programming Objectives 124

The Search for a Successful Formula 130

Industry Professionals Weigh In 132

Key Elements for Success 134

Radio Programming 150

Programming Objectives 150

Fundamental Appeals to an Audience 151

Qualities Tied to Success 153

Internet Programming 155

Freshness 155

Targeting Content 156

Consistency 157

Innovation 158

Branding 158

Exercises 159

References/Notes 160

7 Influences on Television Programming 161

External Influences on Television 161

Station Influence 162

Advertisers 163

The Family Friendly Programming Forum 164

Pressure Groups 165

The Religious Right 167

Timing 168

The Media 169

Academic and Nonprofit Studies 171

The Government 171

Internal Influences on Television 178

The Sales Department 178

The Finance Department 179

The Broadcast Standards and Practices Department 180

The Top Management 184

The Promotion, Marketing and Research Divisions 185

Exercises 186

References/Notes 187

8 Influences on Radio and Internet

Programming 189

Influences on Radio Programming 189

Internal Influences on Radio 189

External Influences on Radio 193

CONTENTS xi

Influences on Internet Programming 202

Internal Influences on Internet Content 202

External Influences on Internet Content 205

Exercises 212

References/Notes 213

9 Scheduling Strategies for Television 215

Television Scheduling 215

Fitting the Show to the Available Audience 216

Dayparting 216

Launching the Show: The First Strategy 218

Tentpoling 221

Hammocking 221

Counterprogramming 222

Bridging and Supersizing 225

Blunting 226

Stacking 228

Stunting 229

Crossprogramming 230

Theming 231

Stripping 232

Changing a Show’s Time Slot 232

Overexposure 233

Rerunning and Repurposing 234

Boosting the Audience in Sweep Periods 235

Patience 236

Exercises 237

References/Notes 238

10 Scheduling Strategies for Radio and

the Internet 239

Commercial Radio Scheduling 239

The Clock 239

Dayparting 243

Launching 244

Satellite Radio Scheduling 244

Public Radio Scheduling 245

Internet Scheduling 247

Exercises 249

References/Notes 249

xii PROGRAMMING FOR TV, RADIO, AND THE INTERNET

11 Program Evaluation 251

Television 251

Nielsen 252

Commercial Radio 261

Arbitron 262

RADAR 263

The Internet 264

Do the Ratings Work and Do Samples Sample? 267

Variables That Affect Rating Accuracy 267

Rating Techniques 269

Studies and Investigations 269

Programming Aberrations 270

How Programmers Should Use Ratings 270

Exercises 272

References/Notes 272

12 Changing and Canceling Programs 273

Television 273

Unsatisfactory Ratings 273

Exhaustion 274

A Lack of Focus 275

Social Changes 276

Aging Demographics 276

The Wrong Time Period 277

Excessive Relocation 277

A Lack of Awareness 278

Bringing on the Understudy 278

The Desire for Something New 278

Programming Options 279

Giving a Cancellation Notice 283

Radio 284

Adjusting Program Elements 284

Network Changes 286

Dealing with Unwanted Changes 287

Internet 288

Is It Worth the Trouble? 288

TMI: Too Much Information 289

Facelifts and Add-ons 289

Exercises 290

References/Notes 290

13 Programming Ethics 291

The Meaning of Ethics 291

Ethics and Illegality 292

Ethics in Programming Decisions and Business Practices 294

Ethics and Lying 295

CONTENTS xiii

Ethical Guidelines 297

Considering Ethics 298

Case Histories: Actual Incidents 298

Checkbook Journalism 299

Make the Deal, but Don’t Close It 300

An On-Air Murder Confession 300

Sex in Public Places 301

Sharing the Wealth 301

Who Is to Blame? 301

Anonymous Complaints at E! 301

A Suicide on TV 302

Images of the Iraqi War 302

The Right to Privacy 303

First Amendment vs. the Sixth Amendment 303

Entertainment Programming Ethics 304

A Series of Ethical Dilemmas 305

References/Notes 307

Glossary 309

Index 317