In reality TV, 
less may be more

Shorter series make sense, as Fox is proving

By Kevin Downey

    Usually when a network TV series runs only a few weeks, it's a matter of early death through cancellation.
    In the great gong show that is television, the audience boos and the show is yanked from the air.
    But that's changing with the advent of the reality series, where real people, not actors following scripts, are pitted against one another in a contest of will, stamina and ego.
    As the reality concept evolves, the newest iteration is the short-run series, and the best example is Fox's summer hit "Murder in Small Town X," which debuted last week and will run just eight weeks.
    First-generation reality shows such as "Survivor" typically run three months and longer.
    The short-run reality series offers some notable advantages, both for the networks and advertisers, with little downside.
    One obvious advantage is that if the series is a bomb, the effect on the network's schedule is far less damaging.
    "It’s a benefit because with the shorter life, if the show’s going to die, the quicker the better,"says Susan Hanjy, broadcast research manager at GSD&M.
    Shorter story lines are also more appealing to younger viewers.
    "The short runs work for Fox because of the network’s young viewers," says Hanjy. "It’s a fickle audience and they don’t like things that drag. Otherwise, they’re out of there."
    Short-run reality also offers networks far higher profit margins.
    Reality shows are considerably cheaper to produce than scripted series, and the savings are even greater for short-run reality shows.
    "The cost of reality shows ranges from about 50 to 75 percent less than for scripted shows," says Deana Myers, an analyst at Paul Kagan Associates.
    "Depending on the reality series, and how much is involved, you can do it for $500,000 to $800,000. A scripted show can cost $600,000 or more per episode and much more for shows like ‘Friends.’"
    Media buyers come out ahead in several ways.
    Short-run series provide fresh audiences of younger viewers, especially during summer repeats, and buyers pay far less to reach them, since ad rates are typically lower. 
   The lower ad rates reflect a feeling among buyers that reality shows lack the quality of scripted shows and often contain content unsuitable for some advertisers.
    "I don’t think people look at a reality rating the same way they do for a top-tier drama or sitcom," says GSD&M's Hanjy.
    "Because of the production costs, we might see more development of reality. So, there may eventually be parity, but we’re not there yet."
     Despite the perceived disparity in quality, though, a rating is a rating, and then some when the audience is a younger one.
     Fox’s "Murder in Small Town X" follows the success of Fox’s "Temptation Island," which was scheduled for seven weeks but ran for eight, and its follow-up, "Boot Camp."
    "Murder," like its predecessors, is more accurately described as staged reality.
    Ten contestants set about figuring out a fictionalized murder mystery. They get clues about the murderer’s identity from residents of a town, who are portrayed by actors.
   The show premiered last Tuesday and led Fox to a win for the night in the 18-49 demo with a 3.6 rating. Its preliminary rating was about 18 percent higher than its lead-in, "The Simpsons."

July 27, 2001 © 2001 Media Life

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