Author Topic: Interesting (old) ratings info...... (Read 1972 times)

tyshaun1 · « **on:** June 26, 2004, 02:30:45 PM »

Found a little website here:

http://members.aol.com/jason47/88ratings.html

If this ratings info is correct, it may explain why so many game shows were canned in '89. Interesting to note that Pyramid drew even with Card Sharks with its revival, yet CS was spared (again) for Family Feud. And it also explains why Peter T. started to campaign for viewers on PYL during July '85.

Tyshaun

Chelsea Thrasher · « **Reply #1 on:** June 26, 2004, 06:23:54 PM »

Scrabble was, near the end, doing worse than reruns of Perfect Strangers?! Guess Bibi-bobkas trumps Stoppers.

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #2 on:** June 26, 2004, 06:43:20 PM »

[quote name=\'Seth Thrasher\' date=\'Jun 26 2004, 05:23 PM\'] Scrabble was, near the end, doing worse than reruns of Perfect Strangers?! Guess Bibi-bobkas trumps Stoppers. [/quote]
KNBC in Los Angeles showed "Scrabble" during its waning days in the middle of the night, so I'm not sure if that helped. FWIW, ABC O&O's usually aired the network shows in the intended time slots. NBC let things get out of control when it allowed the stations to program the shows out of pattern, around the time "Generations" debuted.

TLEberle · « **Reply #3 on:** June 26, 2004, 10:38:13 PM »

So, wait a minute. Lemme get this straight. Today, the production companies wet themselves at the prospect of a 2 or more rating, but Sale of the Century, which nearly got a 6 was canned?

Huh?

-Travis

tyshaun1 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 26, 2004, 10:46:08 PM »

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Jun 26 2004, 09:38 PM\'] So, wait a minute. Lemme get this straight. Today, the production companies wet themselves at the prospect of a 2 or more rating, but Sale of the Century, which nearly got a 6 was canned?

Huh?

-Travis [/quote]
$ale (as many of the shows by that time were) was pulling about a 3 rating at the time of its cancellation. In those days that was considered awful and led to the massive network game show exodus (5 shows getting the ax)in '89.

Tyshaun

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #5 on:** June 26, 2004, 10:53:28 PM »

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Jun 26 2004, 10:38 PM\'] So, wait a minute. Lemme get this straight. Today, the production companies wet themselves at the prospect of a 2 or more rating, but Sale of the Century, which nearly got a 6 was canned?

Huh?
[/quote]
I'm afraid the answer to that is breathtakingly simple. The emergence of literally hundreds of new cable channels, as well as the continuing fragmentation of the audience to other diversions like video games, DVDs and the internet, means that many more shows are competing for a much smaller audience.

An example from the high end of the scale: The top-rated network primetime show for the 2002-2003 season (the last year I have handy) was the original CSI, which averaged a 16.3 rating. In 1988, a 16.3 rating in primetime would have got you tied for 22nd place with The Hogan Family and The Wonder Years. Go back two more years to 1986, and a 16.3 doesn't even get you in the top thirty.

It's a different world for broadcast stations and ratings these days.