Half the commercials?

[cmjb13]

CBS2 NY is promoting the hell out of the fact that there are now half the commercials on their newscast which means more program time.

I'm wondering why this was done. I guess they offset the lost commercial time by charging a higher rate for their existing ones.

Too bad it couldn't be done for Price.

[melman1]

Half as many but twice as long?  Wouldn't surprise me...

[Jimmy Owen]

Generally, first quarter is a slow time for advertising and what is sold is discounted (except for the Super Bowl)  Expect commercials to return on April 1.

[goongas]

CBS2 NY is promoting the hell out of the fact that there are now half the commercials on their newscast which means more program time.

I'm wondering why this was done. I guess they offset the lost commercial time by charging a higher rate for their existing ones.

Too bad it couldn't be done for Price.

This is only being done on their morning newscasts to get more ratings.  The advertisers will be charged a higher rate.  I forget where I read the story, perhaps from broadcastingcable.com, but the link may have been replaced already.

[calliaume]

[quote name=\'goongas\' date=\'Jan 25 2004, 08:17 PM\']

CBS2 NY is promoting the hell out of the fact that there are now half the commercials on their newscast which means more program time.

I'm wondering why this was done. I guess they offset the lost commercial time by charging a higher rate for their existing ones.

Too bad it couldn't be done for Price.

This is only being done on their morning newscasts to get more ratings.  The advertisers will be charged a higher rate.  I forget where I read the story, perhaps from broadcastingcable.com, but the link may have been replaced already. [/quote]
 WCBS's news broadcasts are fairly low-rated anyway.

I read somewhere the number of minutes of advertising during a three-hour prime time block has nearly doubled since the 1960s.  Nice to see it going the other way for a bit.

[Ian Wallis]

I read somewhere the number of minutes of advertising during a three-hour prime time block has nearly doubled since the 1960s. Nice to see it going the other way for a bit.

It has.  Most primetime shows in the '60s ran 25 or 26 minutes.  Now, you're lucky to get 22.  That's why so much editing has to take place when stations air reruns of '60s sitcoms.

If "What's My Line" was on today, it could mean one less guest!

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Jan 26 2004, 09:52 AM\']


It has.  Most primetime shows in the '60s ran 25 or 26 minutes.  Now, you're lucky to get 22.  That's why so much editing has to take place when stations air reruns of '60s sitcoms.

If "What's My Line" was on today, it could mean one less guest! [/quote]
 If GSN reads this, it might mean you gave them an idea on how further to screw up the showing of B&W Overnight.

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'calliaume\' date=\'Jan 25 2004, 10:39 PM\'] I read somewhere the number of minutes of advertising during a three-hour prime time block has nearly doubled since the 1960s.  Nice to see it going the other way for a bit. [/quote]
 A recent TV Guide article noted that prime time shows were 25 minutes as recent as the 80s.  But advertisers said the price for ad time was too high, so networks increased the ad time to make up for lower prices.  An unnamed executive said, "We're giving people less show--and then we wonder why our ratings keep going south."

[trainman]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Jan 26 2004, 06:52 AM\'] Most primetime shows in the '60s ran 25 or 26 minutes.  Now, you're lucky to get 22.  That's why so much editing has to take place when stations air reruns of '60s sitcoms. [/quote]
I know these '80s numbers off-hand from closed-captioning these shows in recent years:  "Hill Street Blues" episodes ran 50 or 51 minutes, and "Dynasty" episodes ran 48 minutes.  These days, one-hour shows tend to run between 41 and 44 minutes.  (ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," for example, ran about 42 minutes...one minute less on GSN.)