The MG hour on GSN...

[aaron sica]

I hear on the GSN boards, the 3pm showing was MG'73. What was 3:30?

[Vgmastr]

At 3:30, they're continuing the run of MG '76 that was previously in the 7:00 slot.

[aaron sica]

[quote name=\'Vgmastr\' date=\'Sep 27 2004, 03:56 PM\'] At 3:30, they're continuing the run of MG '76 that was previously in the 7:00 slot. [/quote]
 Thanks!

How retro is that....The show actually aired at 3:30pm (EST) on CBS in '76...

[Winkfan]

At 3:30, they're continuing the run of MG '76 that was previously in the 7:00 slot.

How retro is that....The show actually aired at 3:30pm (EST) on CBS in '76...

Not to mention that where I'm situated, MG is airing at 3:30pm PST, where it used to be when 'the network formerly known as Game Show Network' ran Dawson's Feud, Combs' Feud, $100k Pyramid, and MG '7X all in a row.

BTW, Cox Cable in Santa Barbara started GSN's 'dual feed' last Thursday. Good thing I caught it before I could start digitally recording my usual faves.

Cordially,
Tammy Warner--the 'Meredith MacRae of the Big Board!'

[FeudDude]

I'm going to take a guess that the late-night airings will be MG79 and PM.

[aaron sica]

[quote name=\'FeudDude\' date=\'Sep 27 2004, 07:00 PM\'] I'm going to take a guess that the late-night airings will be MG79 and PM. [/quote]
 I'll call you a little more than half-right.

MG PM was the 2:00 a.m. showing - the 2:30 a.m. showing was MG (syndie) from the beginning, which of course was 1979. So, it *was* MG79, just not......MG79.

[melman1]

The "Match Game Overnight" hour was MGPM #1 (which by my entirely unofficial count, has aired FOUR times in the last year), followed by the first episode of "Syndie" MG (1979-80).  (So the final 11 weeks of CBS MG79 will go unaired.)  They might as well use that 2 AM hour for "real" B&WO programming... indeed, why not everything after midnight?

I'm really unimpressed by this new schedule (as I was by the schedule that it replaced).  90 minutes of "Three's A Crowd" and 2 hours of that miserable "Street Smarts" each day?  Last night "featured" 3 hours of "Weakest Link" in a 4-hour window, in prime time.  I really can't see their thinking here, not that I ever could.

[aaron sica]

While I agree with you on the variety aspect (i.e. 90 minutes of three's a crowd, 3 hours of WL), I am so glad to see the fact that (thanks to the dual feeds now), shows aren't repeating episodes as much. I fully espected the 2-3am hour to be a complete repeat of 3-4pm and it wasn't.

Oh, how I hated the days when GSN's daytime schedule aired from 8am-12pm, with a carbon copy from 12pm-4pm. Watch 4 hours in the morning, and you've shot yourself in the foot for the afternoon.

[CaseyAbell]

Fourteen of the nineteen showings of All New 3's a Crud go away in a couple weeks. A double run of Street Smarts takes over the 1:00 AM Eastern slot, after WBSM debuts at 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM. All New 3's a Crock is cut back to only five eps a week. That's five too many, but it's an improvement.

The double run of Weakest Link at 9:00 and 10:00 PM Monday only lasts until the horseracing show debuts on Monday, January 10. Although there's been no announcement, my guess is the pool show will also debut that Monday or shortly afterwards.

[melman1]

The schedule is changing again?  Oh, brother.

The 6-9 PM blocks in the 10/11 schedule make no sense.  Double showings of 60-minute shows (Weakest Link, Blackjack, Dog Eat Dog, Dodgeball), some days at 9 and 10, other days at 10 and 11.   Some days will have four Ben Stein shows, others will have two.  Perhaps the least understandable schedule they've done recently.

Really was hoping to see Dog Eat Dog (and the endless promotion of it) go away.

[CaseyAbell]

I'm a fan of Blackjack and Dodgeball, so I don't mind the double runs at all. In fact, the only show in prime time that's not a particular favorite of mine is Weakest Link, and that quizzer is at least bearable.

Overall, the 10/11 schedule suits me fine. There are only six shows that I really don't like at all - H2, Star Search, Card Sharks, All New 3's a Crapper, Friend or Foe, and Spy TV. Together they get a little over 10% of the programming hours. So just about any time the informercials aren't on, GSN will be showing something I like or can at least halfway enjoy.

One tweak I would make is a double run of Street Smarts at 7:00 PM instead of WL. But the Wicked Witch apparently gets better numbers than the Smarts, and I can catch the goofs-on-the-street on the weekends.

As for the schedule not making sense...Blackjack, Dodgeball and the Dog have all been winners in the ratings, especially among the younger demos where GSN has usually crudded out. The improved numbers have helped GSN to what looks to be its first full year of profitability.

The network has rebounded smartly from the nasty Nielsens it endured for much of 2003. Total prime time viewers for third quarter 2004 climbed 37% over the dismal levels of the comparable period in 2003, with a nice assist from the aforementioned trio.

One number my wife won't like is the 15% decline for Animal Planet. She loves those li'l critters.

[Jimmy Owen]

The only question now is, will the younger demographics stay with the second cycle of what are now "old" shows, the Blackjacks and Dodgeballs, which are so last quarter.  The horse racing may be a good fit, women love horses and men love to bet on them, but you do see a lot of old guys with stubby cigars at the track, so I'm iffy on that one.  Has GSN given any thought on aquiring some blockbuster movie packages for prime?

[CaseyAbell]

Truth to tell, GSN was up something like 36% in September over last year. And in September the network had nothing but reruns of Dodgeball and Blackjack. (Variety didn't give the monthly number for September. I'm backing into the September increase from the 28% July increase, the 47% August increase, and the 37% increase for third quarter overall.)

In fact, the network offered no first-run material at all in prime time in September, and still showed a very pleasant increase over last year's menu (mostly Boden originals).

So the new series of Blackjack and Dodgeball in October should do at least decent numbers. Although he won't directly impact the prime time numbers, Mr. Stein could also draw some new viewers to the channel, who might hang around to sample some of the prime time shows.

And getting rid of the repeat reality-series losers should only benefit GSN's viewer numbers. I liked Celeb Mole, but it and the other multi-episode reality repeats didn't help the ratings.

One caveat: the year-to-year comps start getting tougher for GSN from now on. The ratings started to rebound in October, 2003 with the arrival of Millionaire. So going forward, I doubt that we'll see the gaudy year-over-year increases that the network enjoyed in the second and third quarters of 2004.

OTOH, the network is gradually pushing up its household availability, now reported at 57 million. So its total viewer numbers will benefit from the simple fact that more households than ever can watch GSN.

The network catches a lot of grief on this board, from the Prof, and on its own board (!) But with the ratings and financials GSN is currently producing, I doubt that Cronin and the other execs care very much about the criticism.

[melman1]

Do we need yet another analysis of GSN's financials?  Just wanted to point out that the evening schedule is inconsistent and therefore hard to remember (is tonight's "double block" from 9-11 or 10-Midnight?), and I question the sanity of putting two episodes of a 60-minute show back-to-back.  (I don't care for back-to-back episodes of a 30-minute show, either.)

[CaseyAbell]

I've posted one (1) analysis of GSN's financials on this board. Don't worry, another one isn't coming until Liberty publishes its next 10-Q. And even then I might be too lazy to bother.

If I make the effort, I'll label the post clearly so the finance-phobic can avoid it.

Halfway seriously, I understand that some people don't like stats of any kind. So I try to keep them to a minimum and to surround them with the easiest explanations I can write.

It's just my background in math and statistics that makes me use numbers to illustrate a point. I do everything I can to go light on the figures, but sometimes I have to get a little stat-involved to support my case.

As for the sanity of double runs, I don't mind the current back-to-back episodes of Street Smarts, and I've always liked the Feud double-dips (admittedly with Dawson and Combs alternating).

Maybe the 10/11 schedule goes a little heavy on them with MG, Feud, Love Connection, Card Sharks, Blackjack, Dodgeball, Lingo, Street Smarts, Weakest Link, Newlywed Game, WBSM, the Dog, even Spy TV all getting double-downs (sorry). But it looks like the network is trying to keep viewers around for a while...which incidentally has always been a GSN strength, especially among older viewers.