Post by Erika on Mar 4, 2010 20:40:00 GMT -5
How Television Works.
Warning there might be some inaccuracies in here - I don't work in the television field - but I do understand the basics of the business and am passing that knowledge onto you all - because it's CONFUSING.
Television is brought to you by networks – networks are either Broadcast or Cable. What is the difference?
BROADCAST NETWORKS & Local Affiliates: (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CW.)
The Broadcast Network is a parent company. The parent company decides on the programming to go onto their local affiliate networks.
Example – ABC airs & produces LOST, Castle, and Flash Forward. These shows air on their network.
(Just to further confuse matters, Broadcast networks can also produce series that end up airing on competing networks – such as Fox Produces “White Collar” but it airs on NBC/UNIVERSAL run cable channel USA. Result – Fox gets a cut from the programming that airs on a rival network.)
Each network relies on Local Affiliate Stations to run their programs. When a local affiliate signs up to cover the Broadcast network’s programs – they’re in for the whole schabang… they run the full night time programming, soap operas, and late night. On the weekends if the Broadcast networks have rights to sporting events (baseball, NASCAR, the Olympics, etc) the affiliates will air those also – sporting events bring in big money, it’s why shows sometimes get pre-empted for sports.
Local affiliates sell ad space during the episodes (your local ads that show up in the middle of your programs) – this ad space helps to support the local affiliates and keep them on the air.
Local affiliate stations also share in the revenues that the network earns from their corporate ads.
Broadcast/Affiliate Relationship Result – if a show is performing well – the network will make money from the network & their own ad generators. The better a show performs, the higher rates that they can charge. If ratings are low, usually ad rates are low, and nobody sees a profit.
Local Affiliates & Syndication Programming – None of the Broadcast networks schedule entire days of programming. Local Affiliates survive and thrive because of their own news hours that they provide local viewers in the morning, afternoon, early evening, and late night.
They also have the option of picking up syndicated programming to run during off hours that they do not have programming for.
Original Scripted Syndicated Programming – includes LEGEND OF THE SEEKER is a brand new syndicated series which in essence would be considered new, original scripted programming for a local affiliate to air.
Local affiliate stations find this kind of original syndicated programming appealing because it can bring in nice ad revenues for a show that is fresh and not a repeat. FOX and the CW only offer 2-3 hour blocks of original scripted programming in the evening which leaves the late night hours, and hours on the weekends for the local affiliates to fill w/ other programming.
Currently these are the local Affiliate networks that air LEGEND that are NOT a part of the TRIBUNE network of stations:
Cable Programming
Cable is the second way that people can view TV programming. Cable itself is divided into 2 areas – subscribed and Premium paid subscribed programming.
Cable which was created in the 80’s offers a different business plan to broadcast television. Rather than relying on a network of affiliate stations to air their programming, they cater to cable & satellite providers to offer their channels in their subscription packages. By removing the affiliate stations, cable networks only have to share small costs with the different providers and do not have to share ad revenue with their affiliates.
SUBSCRIBED Cable Channels Your SUBSCRIBED channels are those that are included with your cable or satellite
subscriptions that you pay for on a monthly basis. These channels are ones that you do not have to pay additional upgrade costs on a PER channel basis in order to view them.
Subscribed Cable channels create & purchase their own programming & also have time in their schedules for including syndicated programming.
Standard & Upgrade Cable Channel examples: TNT, FX, SyFy, USA, Chiller, and Sleuth.
Examples of Cable Syndication: TNT and their LONG partnership/history of running “Law and Order” reruns, TNT also airs Supernatural and Charmed. SyFy airs “Ghost Whisperer” reruns on Monday nights.
PREMIUM Cable Channels – your premium cable channels are those that you have to pay extra in order to view them on a month by month basis. Premium channels offer exclusive sporting events (usually boxing or wrestling,) first run TV films, and now original programming.
PREMIUM CHANNELS: HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz
These channels do not run syndicated programming, only original programming such as “True Blood” and “Spartacus.” Premium channels make money when people pay to subscribe to their networks.
LEGEND OF THE SEEKER
Currently LEGEND OF THE SEEKER is most widely broadcast on a network of local affiliate stations that are run by the Tribune.
As of right now, these stations that are airing season 2 of LEGEND, will not be airing season 3:
The show also airs on WGN America which is a cable channel also run by the Tribune.
How to Keep SEEKER on the air:
We need to find competing networks in the major markets where SEEKER will be pulled from the Tribune affiliates and convince them to pick up the show. This means we need to track down the FOX LA station, Fox in NYC, etc, to see if they would be interested in adding SEEKER as original programming that they could air in their off Broadcast Network hours.
The CW has been great because they don’t air original programming on the weekends. However, we’re losing them in several key markets. Now it is possible that the local Fox stations will be interested in airing the show, but they maybe they couldn’t because the Tribune stations had local rights. This is why we need to track them all down and start spamming them w/ letters and emails.
CABLE – we need a big cable channel to pick up the show for syndication. If we could get SyFy, TNT, or maybe even Chiller to agree to air it, we probably won’t lose much in the way of ratings, and 2.5+ million a week is usually fantastic for ratings on Cable. Since they won’t have to produce the show, it should be easier to convince them to pick up the show rather than say trying to get them to pick up a series that a Broadcast network is pushing aside (examples: Dollhouse, Terminator the Sarah Connor Chronicles. TSCC cost upwards of $3 million an episode to produce – standard cable network shows usually max around $1.5 million.)
Since ABC would be footing most of the production bill – the cable channels would just have to share their ad rates to air it. This is however why it's important for us to buy the DVDS and episodes on iTunes & Amazon Unboxed - that money goes directly back into ABC's pocket to help them to continue to fund producing the show.
Questions?
Warning there might be some inaccuracies in here - I don't work in the television field - but I do understand the basics of the business and am passing that knowledge onto you all - because it's CONFUSING.
Television is brought to you by networks – networks are either Broadcast or Cable. What is the difference?
BROADCAST NETWORKS & Local Affiliates: (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CW.)
The Broadcast Network is a parent company. The parent company decides on the programming to go onto their local affiliate networks.
Example – ABC airs & produces LOST, Castle, and Flash Forward. These shows air on their network.
(Just to further confuse matters, Broadcast networks can also produce series that end up airing on competing networks – such as Fox Produces “White Collar” but it airs on NBC/UNIVERSAL run cable channel USA. Result – Fox gets a cut from the programming that airs on a rival network.)
Each network relies on Local Affiliate Stations to run their programs. When a local affiliate signs up to cover the Broadcast network’s programs – they’re in for the whole schabang… they run the full night time programming, soap operas, and late night. On the weekends if the Broadcast networks have rights to sporting events (baseball, NASCAR, the Olympics, etc) the affiliates will air those also – sporting events bring in big money, it’s why shows sometimes get pre-empted for sports.
Local affiliates sell ad space during the episodes (your local ads that show up in the middle of your programs) – this ad space helps to support the local affiliates and keep them on the air.
Local affiliate stations also share in the revenues that the network earns from their corporate ads.
Broadcast/Affiliate Relationship Result – if a show is performing well – the network will make money from the network & their own ad generators. The better a show performs, the higher rates that they can charge. If ratings are low, usually ad rates are low, and nobody sees a profit.
Local Affiliates & Syndication Programming – None of the Broadcast networks schedule entire days of programming. Local Affiliates survive and thrive because of their own news hours that they provide local viewers in the morning, afternoon, early evening, and late night.
They also have the option of picking up syndicated programming to run during off hours that they do not have programming for.
This type of syndicated TV includes:
Talk shows (Regis and Kelly, Oprah, etc,)
Judicial shows (Judge Judy,)
Game shows (Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy,etc)
Previously run TV series (Friends, The Simpsons, Law and Order, etc.) The network that originally produced the series gets a cut of the ad revenue generated from rebroadcasting the episodes – this is usually agreed upon before the series goes into syndication.
Original Scripted Syndicated Series : Legend of the Seeker
Original Scripted Syndicated Programming – includes LEGEND OF THE SEEKER is a brand new syndicated series which in essence would be considered new, original scripted programming for a local affiliate to air.
Local affiliate stations find this kind of original syndicated programming appealing because it can bring in nice ad revenues for a show that is fresh and not a repeat. FOX and the CW only offer 2-3 hour blocks of original scripted programming in the evening which leaves the late night hours, and hours on the weekends for the local affiliates to fill w/ other programming.
Currently these are the local Affiliate networks that air LEGEND that are NOT a part of the TRIBUNE network of stations:
1. Boston : WCVB-5, Sundays at 12:05 a.m.
2. San Francisco-Oakland: KICU-36, Saturdays at 7 p.m.
3. Atlanta: WATL-36, Sundays at 6 p.m.
4. Detroit: WKBD-50, Saturdays at 8 p.m.
5. Phoenix: KASW-61, Sundays at 9 p.m.
6. Minneapolis-St. Paul: , Saturdays at 6 p.m.
7. Cleveland-Akron (Canton): , Saturdays at 6 p.m.
8. Orlando-Daytona Beach: WKMG-6, Saturdays at 11:35 p.m.
9. Pittsburgh: WPCW-19, Saturdays at 5 p.m.
10. Portland, OR: KRCW-32, Saturdays at 8 p.m.
11. Baltimore: WNUV-54, Sundays at 10 p.m.
12. Indianapolis: WTTV-4, Saturdays at 8 p.m.
Cable Programming
Cable is the second way that people can view TV programming. Cable itself is divided into 2 areas – subscribed and Premium paid subscribed programming.
Cable which was created in the 80’s offers a different business plan to broadcast television. Rather than relying on a network of affiliate stations to air their programming, they cater to cable & satellite providers to offer their channels in their subscription packages. By removing the affiliate stations, cable networks only have to share small costs with the different providers and do not have to share ad revenue with their affiliates.
SUBSCRIBED Cable Channels Your SUBSCRIBED channels are those that are included with your cable or satellite
subscriptions that you pay for on a monthly basis. These channels are ones that you do not have to pay additional upgrade costs on a PER channel basis in order to view them.
Subscribed Cable channels create & purchase their own programming & also have time in their schedules for including syndicated programming.
Standard & Upgrade Cable Channel examples: TNT, FX, SyFy, USA, Chiller, and Sleuth.
Examples of Cable Syndication: TNT and their LONG partnership/history of running “Law and Order” reruns, TNT also airs Supernatural and Charmed. SyFy airs “Ghost Whisperer” reruns on Monday nights.
PREMIUM Cable Channels – your premium cable channels are those that you have to pay extra in order to view them on a month by month basis. Premium channels offer exclusive sporting events (usually boxing or wrestling,) first run TV films, and now original programming.
PREMIUM CHANNELS: HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz
These channels do not run syndicated programming, only original programming such as “True Blood” and “Spartacus.” Premium channels make money when people pay to subscribe to their networks.
LEGEND OF THE SEEKER
Currently LEGEND OF THE SEEKER is most widely broadcast on a network of local affiliate stations that are run by the Tribune.
As of right now, these stations that are airing season 2 of LEGEND, will not be airing season 3:
1. New York: WPIX-11, Saturdays at 8 p.m.
2. Los Angeles: KTLA-5, Saturdays at 6 p.m.
3. Chicago: WGN-9, Saturdays at 4 p.m.
4. Philadelphia: WPHL-17, Sundays at 8 p.m.
5. Dallas-Ft. Worth: KDAF-33, Saturdays at 8 p.m.
6. Washington, DC : WDCW-50, Saturdays at 9 p.m.
7. Houston: KIAH-39, Saturdays at 8 p.m.
8. Tampa-St. Pete (Sarasota): —
9. Seattle-Tacoma: KMYQ-22, Sundays at 8 p.m.
10. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale: WSFL-39, Saturdays at 9 p.m.
11. Denver: KWGN-2, Saturdays at 7 p.m.
12. Sacramento: —
13. St. Louis: KPLR-11, Saturdays at 6 p.m.
14. Indianapolis: WTTV-4, Saturdays at 8 p.m.
The show also airs on WGN America which is a cable channel also run by the Tribune.
How to Keep SEEKER on the air:
We need to find competing networks in the major markets where SEEKER will be pulled from the Tribune affiliates and convince them to pick up the show. This means we need to track down the FOX LA station, Fox in NYC, etc, to see if they would be interested in adding SEEKER as original programming that they could air in their off Broadcast Network hours.
The CW has been great because they don’t air original programming on the weekends. However, we’re losing them in several key markets. Now it is possible that the local Fox stations will be interested in airing the show, but they maybe they couldn’t because the Tribune stations had local rights. This is why we need to track them all down and start spamming them w/ letters and emails.
CABLE – we need a big cable channel to pick up the show for syndication. If we could get SyFy, TNT, or maybe even Chiller to agree to air it, we probably won’t lose much in the way of ratings, and 2.5+ million a week is usually fantastic for ratings on Cable. Since they won’t have to produce the show, it should be easier to convince them to pick up the show rather than say trying to get them to pick up a series that a Broadcast network is pushing aside (examples: Dollhouse, Terminator the Sarah Connor Chronicles. TSCC cost upwards of $3 million an episode to produce – standard cable network shows usually max around $1.5 million.)
Since ABC would be footing most of the production bill – the cable channels would just have to share their ad rates to air it. This is however why it's important for us to buy the DVDS and episodes on iTunes & Amazon Unboxed - that money goes directly back into ABC's pocket to help them to continue to fund producing the show.
Questions?
