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at schedule changes
What networks do with existing shows says loads
By Ed Robertson
Much of the attention among media buyers for the coming fall season has been to once-over the new shows, but no less critical come September will be the existing shows that are moved about as part of the networks' larger strategies.
Among those trading places will be “JAG,” “Law & Order: SVU” and “The Practice.”
Time slot changes often provide insight into a network’s thinking. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the more prominent programming changes in store for the fall, as well as the strategy behind them.
By and large, networks usually move shows around the schedule for one of three reasons:
(1) To save a promising or struggling show.
NBC was particularly known for doing this back in the ‘80s and early ‘90s. The classic example is “Hill Street Blues,” which barely registered a pulse its first season (1980-81), when it aired on Saturday nights. Then-NBC president Brandon Tartikoff saw promise in the show and moved it to Thursdays beginning in 1981.
This move not only saved “Hill Street,” it stabilized the network, making it possible for “Cosby,” “Cheers” and the era of Must See TV Thursdays that NBC has enjoyed for nearly 20 years.
To no one's surprise, this is also NBC’s strategy behind moving “Boomtown” from Sundays to Fridays, where it will take over the 10 p.m. time slot previously manned by “SVU.”
Despite great critical acclaim, “Boomtown” never quite found an audience on Sunday nights. With “Dateline” as its lead-in, the hope is that “Boomtown” will fare better on Fridays.
Likewise, ABC has returned “The Practice” to its old Sunday 10 p.m. slot after its disastrous stint on Mondays earlier this spring.
Interestingly enough, the network has also slashed the show’s budget since announcing the change, forcing executive producer David E. Kelley to jettison six cast members. Collectively, these two moves would seem to undercut any effort to salvage the show.
(2) To shore up a weak night.
This is what CBS is doing by relocating “King of Queens” to Wednesdays and “JAG” to Fridays, where each will hold down the critical 9 p.m. slot.
The hope is that these shows will provide strength on the two nights where CBS has consistently struggled for years. NBC is effectively doing the same thing by moving “SVU” from Fridays to Tuesdays.
Using a strong show to inject life on a weak night makes sense from a programming standpoint, but it also poses a huge risk. If the move doesn't work, you might damage the strong show while remaining weak on the weak night, leaving you with two holes in the schedule instead of one.
In some circles, this is known as “pulling a Mork”—a reference to the fall of 1979, when a cocky ABC decided to challenge CBS on Sunday nights by pitting “Mork & Mindy” against “All in the Family.”
On paper it seemed like a smart move. “Mork & Mindy” was a huge smash for ABC in 1978, dominating Thursday nights, while “All in the Family” was a show in transition. Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers had long since left the series, and Jean Stapleton was on her way out. With “Family” (now called “Archie Bunker’s Place”) apparently teetering, ABC smelled an opportunity to take over Sunday nights.
Except that Archie Bunker pounded Mork in the ratings, driving him back to Thursdays. Though “Mork & Mindy” would hang on for another two years, the show was never the same after that.
Fast-forward to this fall. “King of Queens” will compete against a vulnerable “West Wing,” while “SVU” takes on an aging “NYPD Blue.” Historically speaking, both races will certainly be worth watching.
3) To exploit a weakness in a competitor's schedule.
Counter-programming is the strategy behind the Friday night schedules for both CBS and Fox.
Fridays used to be ABC’s domain on the strength of its family-oriented block of comedies, which it will return after a recent absence this season. Both CBS and Fox hope to challenge the TGIF lineup by offering alternatives. “JAG” will anchor a night of dramas on CBS, while Fox counters with the brassy humor of “Wanda at Large” and the edginess of “Boston Public.”
Or that's how it all looks now. We could see changes before the season starts in September. But as the schedules stand now, they promise some interesting face-offs, on which the networks have a lot riding.
June 16, 2003© 2003 Media Life
-Ed
Robertson is a writer from the San Francisco Bay Area who covers
television.
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