Week 6 Lecture: Television in America

Defining Features of TV universal medium, now in 99% of all U.S. homes dominant source of news and entertainment on 7 hours a day in each household most viewers watch 4 hours daily Expensive to make: one-hour drama, $1.5 million per show

All Family Members Tune In (Time Spent Per Day In Hours) Source: Nielsen Media Research, NTI Annual Averages

Advertisers Spend More Money on Television Source: Universal McCann Television Surpassed Newspapers in 1994, and the Lead Has Widened Ever Since 2002 (In Millions) TelevisionNewspapersDirect MailRadioYellow PagesMagazines

Advertisers Spend More Money on Local Broadcast Television than Network, Cable and Syndication Source: Universal McCann*Includes PAX, UPN & WB Television Components 2002 (In Millions) Station TV Network TV Cable TV Syndication TV*

Total TV Advertising Spending Total UK Ad Spend 2003: £3.7 Billion = $6.6 Billion Total US Ad Spend 2002: $58.4 Billion BBC License Fee Income: £2.4 Billion =$4.2 Billion

Impact on Media Books: General decline, go for more popular/superstar authors and subjects Newspapers: fewer papers, more graphics, less text, less hard news Magazines: demassify (specialize) Music: Success depends on videos/movies Movies: Become more specialized, lucrative Radio: demassify (specialize)

Networks  1. Older broadcast networks NBC, CBS, ABC.

Networks  1. Older broadcast networks NBC NBC CBS CBS ABC ABC  2. Newer networks: Fox (1985) Fox (1985) WB WB UPN (1995) UPN (1995) Pax (1998) Pax (1998) Merge into CW (2006) Becomes Ion Television (2007)

Television Ratings and Shares Rating = ratio of station viewers to all people in the market Share = ratio of viewers viewing station relative to number of people in market actually watching TV at same time Example: 500,000 people in market. 200,000 watching TV. 100,000 watching station KBLA ratings = 100,000/500,000 or 20% rating share = 100,000/200,000 or a 50% share

Getting Programs on the Air LOCAL: The biggest expenses, revenue, staff, and production efforts all go into news. Local stations usually produce only local news, interviews, and sports shows National: On the network level, efforts go into prime time shows (8-11 p.m., EST). New ideas start with a “pilot” show; if well received, more shows are ordered. In a year a network produces about 25 pilots.

History: 1950s In 1952 FCC reserves 12 VHF and 70 UHF channels for TV use. In 1952 FCC reserves 12 VHF and 70 UHF channels for TV use. Early TV uses radio as model. Early TV uses radio as model. Video tape solves program “storage” problems. Video tape solves program “storage” problems. Color broadcasting begins in the late 1950s. Color broadcasting begins in the late 1950s. Live TV shows, experimental programming, and high- quality drama create television’s “golden years.” Live TV shows, experimental programming, and high- quality drama create television’s “golden years.”

History: 1960s TVs in 95 percent of U.S. homes Network news expands from 15 to 30 minutes; most people begin relying on TV as their major news source. TV journalism gets high marks (coverage of JFK, King, and RFK assassinations, Civil Rights movement, Apollo space program, etc.). PBS born with the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.

History: History: 1970s Surgeon General’s study finds modest link between heavy TV viewing and violence among some children. Citizen action groups form to involve themselves with TV content and FCC policies. FCC adopts Prime Time Access Rule, mandates no network programming between 7:30-8 pm (E.S.T.). Cable TV surfaces as serious competitor.

History: History: 1980s - Present Three new networks (Fox, UPN, and WBN) increase audience and ad share erosion of original broadcast networks. Cable expands to 68% of U.S. homes; special-interest channels, PPV, and premium movie channels now combine to make cable TV a full-fledged competitor to original networks.

Advent of VCRs VCRs in 90% of U.S. homes by 2000; effects are: Cassette rentals become multibillion dollar industry. VCRs encourage trend toward timeshifting. Advertisers worry about 3 new phenomena: zapping commercials, zipping through commercials, grazing through channels with a remote control.

Telecommunications Act of 1996 An FCC rule creates first TV program rating system. It also creates the “V-chip,” a built-in TV device to help parents regulate program viewing for kids. On the programming front, high audience draw and cheap-to-make shows debut: news magazine series, revived game shows, and “reality TV.”

Broadcast TV Organization FCC licenses stations in individual communities called “markets.” There are 210 TV markets in the U.S. of varying sizes. Seven networks supply programs to affiliates: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN, WBN, and Paxnet. PBS serves the non-commercial TV system. Independents are stations with no network affiliation.

TV Organization by Function Production: programming from three major sources: local origination (news, sports, community affairs) syndicated programming (Oprah, Jeopardy, etc.) network programming (for affiliate stations) Distribution: three major distribution methods broadcast networks cable networks syndication companies Exhibition VHF channels, 2-13 UHF channels, 14-69

Scheduling Tactics  Zeroing in on your audience  Counterprogramming  Hammock Effect  Stacking  Stunting

Ownership By 1998, all but one network was under a corporate flag NBC owner: General Electric ABC owner: Walt Disney Corporation CBS owner: Viacom (Sumner Redstone)Sumner Redstone Fox owner: Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation CW owner: CBS and Warner Bros. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 allows a firm to own unlimited stations, provided their combined reach does not exceed 35 percent of the U.S. population.

CABLE NETWORKS Program sources: original productions CNN, ESPN, C-SPAN movies HBO, Showtime, Cinemax syndicated programs network reruns, game shows Revenue sources: advertising carriage fees fee network charges local system to carry their programming subscription fees

Technology Drives Media Fragmentation

 VCR  Cable Television  Digital Broadcast/Internet  Satellite Transmission  Tivo/DVR  Internet based television (Hulu)

Fragmentation of Primetime Network TV Audience in 1990s NBC UPN ABC CBS FOX WB 18- to 34-year-olds Young Families 35- to 49-year-olds Urban young adults (male) 18- to 34-year-old urban blacks Teens

Fall 2001 Schedule NBC 8:00Friends 9:00Will and Grace 9:30Just Shoot Me 10:00 ER UPN 8:00The Hughleys 8:30One on One 9:00The Parkers 9:30Girlfriends

Fall 2001 Schedule NBC 8:00Friends 9:00Will and Grace 9:30Just Shoot Me 10:00 ER UPN 8:00The Hughleys 8:30One on One 9:00The Parkers 9:30Girlfriends 3 Black Characters across all shows 3 White Characters across all shows

Media Conglomeration: Number of Corporations Dominating Mass Media  Companies  Companies  Companies  Companies  (3 foreign owned)  20068

Largest Media Mergers (dollars)  million  billion when ABC merged with Disney  billion when Time-Warner merged with AOL

Top 20 Network Shows 2003 Top 10 TV Programs - Regularly Scheduled (Rating) 1 AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY FOX AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY FOX DANCING WITH THE STARS ABC DANCING W/STARS RESULTS ABC MENTALIST, THE CBS NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL NBC CSI CBS NCIS CBS MINUTES CBS SURVIVOR: GABON CBS 7.6

2008 Top 10 TV Programs - Single Telecast (Rating) 1 FOX SUPER BOWL XLII FOX 02/03/ FOX SUPER BOWL POST GAME FOX 02/03/ FOX NFC CHAMPIONSHIP FOX 01/20/ SUMMER OLYMPICS TUE PRIME1 NBC 08/12/ FOX NFC PLAYOFF-PST-SUN FOX 01/13/ SUMMER OLYMPICS OPEN CEREM NBC 08/08/ ACADEMY AWARDS ABC 02/24/ SUMMER OLYMPICS SUN PRIME NBC 08/10/ AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF CBS 01/12/ SUMMER OLYMPICS THU PRIME NBC 08/14/

Top 10 Broadcast and Cable Programs, October Rank: