Daytime game shows over the years

[Vahan_Nisanian]

Not counting commercials, and any plugs or bumpers that only aired in between commercials, does anyone know what was the duration of a standard half-hour daytime game show episode on all three major networks (CBS, ABC and NBC) over the years from 1947-1994?

[Jimmy Owen]

Per the Television Code, 25:45 up until the early '80s when the Seal of Good Practice was thrown out under accusations of collusion. 25 minute shows were 21 minutes.

[Ian Wallis]

Jimmy's probably right, but I have edited commercials out of some GSN reruns of '70s shows (like Match Game for example) and it comes in at around 22 min - but you also have to consider that GSN cuts out ticket plugs and parting gift information, so that's probably where the rest of the time went.

[Vahan_Nisanian]

I timed the 5th episode of the original $10,000 Pyramid, and it clocked in at 22:23. When you remove both mid-show prize plugs, it comes in at just a shade under 22 minutes.

Jimmy, when you said that 25 minute shows were 21 minutes, were you saying that daytime shows have been 21 minutes since the early 80's? Sorry, I didn't quite get you correctly.

[Tim L]

I timed the 5th episode of the original $10,000 Pyramid, and it clocked in at 22:23. When you remove both mid-show prize plugs, it comes in at just a shade under 22 minutes.

Jimmy, when you said that 25 minute shows were 21 minutes, were you saying that daytime shows have been 21 minutes since the early 80's? Sorry, I didn't quite get you correctly.

I think Jimmy was referring to SOME shows from the 60's and early 70's (mostly NBC) That ran 10-10:25 AM, 12:30-12:55 PM, and 4-4:25 PM, with an NBC News Report following at 25 or 55 after the hour..

[Vahan_Nisanian]

So in short, daytime game shows were 25 minutes with commercials (21 minutes being the show its self and the other 4 minutes being commercials)?

[Jimmy Owen]

I timed the 5th episode of the original $10,000 Pyramid, and it clocked in at 22:23. When you remove both mid-show prize plugs, it comes in at just a shade under 22 minutes.

Jimmy, when you said that 25 minute shows were 21 minutes, were you saying that daytime shows have been 21 minutes since the early 80's? Sorry, I didn't quite get you correctly.

I think Jimmy was referring to some shows from the 60's and early 70's (mostly NBC) That ran 10-10:25 AM, 12:30-12:55 PM, and 4-4:25 PM, with an NBC News Report following at 25 or 55 after the hour..

Yes, the shows that were in a 25-minute time slot were 21 minutes. Shows in a thirty minute slot were 25:45. A Google search for the Television Code will make things a little clearer, it was a somewhat malleable document over the years.

[Matt Ottinger]

So in short, daytime game shows were 25 minutes with commercials (21 minutes being the show its self and the other 4 minutes being commercials)?

SOME daytime game shows were only 25 minutes long.  Not very many.  Most filled a full half-hour slot.

[Vahan_Nisanian]

It took me awhile but I think I got it down.

For example: Say When! aired in a 25-minute time slot with 21 minutes devoted to the show itself, followed by the NBC news. But it was even worse when Celebrity Whew! (which preceded the CBS News) aired on CBS as only 18 minutes were actually devoted to the show itself due to increased commercial time over the two periods.

Truth is, I'm only familiar with duration of primetime network programming. Back in the 50s, it was 26 minutes (w/o commercials); 25 minutes in the 60s and at least most of the 70s, 24 minutes in the 80s (sometimes 23 minutes), 23 minutes in the 90s, (sometimes 22 minutes) and so on, and so on.