To pre-empt, or not to pre-empt

[Ian Wallis]

This probably focuses more on '70s and '80s daytime schedules than it does today, but I've been wondering about exactly when stations make the decisions to pre-empt network shows.  
Let's say you have a marginable game show that is just about to be cancelled and replaced by another game show.  At some point local affiliates must have access to the pilot of the new show to decide whether or not to carry it.  Does/did the network screen it to all stations via closed-curcuit, or did each station get sent a tape of the pilot?  Are the stations that decide not to carry the new show required to let the network know of their intentions?

It's interesting to watch what happens when shows become hits.  The stations that pre-empt probably figure they could do better with a syndicated show they already have rights to, but sometimes stations that originally pre-empted a show will place it on the lineup - frequently in tape delay.  Other times an independent station in the city might pick up the show.  Still, on some other occasions this hit show may never be seen in that area at all, despite the fact the previous (and less successful) show was.

It would be neat to hear some "behind-the-scenes" stories about this.  Anyone have any thoughts on this topic?

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Sep 11 2005, 06:47 PM\']It would be neat to hear some "behind-the-scenes" stories about this.  Anyone have any thoughts on this topic?

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Is it possible that the person in charge of programming just might not like game shows? I know in the mid-80s, the only daytime show WTKR (our CBS affiliate) had was TPiR, and eventually Card Sharks. Maybe they were aware TPiR was a ratings winner, but they could pull better numbers with other programming (they put Hour Magazine in place of $25K Pyramid and PYL).

Of course, with noon shows, a lot of affiliates feel news is more important, which I could understand.

[SteveRep]

I can recall a time when WUSA-9 (or was it WTOP-9? or WDVM-9?) didn't show the full CBS game lineup. We never got Eubanks Card Sharks or Combs Feud. PYL wasn't on for the entire run, either. The only things that were locked in were the TPIR/Pyramid hour and the MG/TattleTales hour.

[Jimmy Owen]

There was a time when the CBS affil in Saginaw (WEYI-TV) did not clear TPIR, opting for "The 700 Club."  They used to have an "Ask the Manager" segment on the midday show where the GM would field programming questions and the GM said he personally did not like TPIR and did not want the station to air it.  Knowing what I know now, I'm sure CBN paid better compensation than CBS, though that was never mentioned by the GM.  Our cable company was kind enough to bring in TPIR from an out-of-market station and put it on one of the local origination channels.

[rugrats1]

Being originally from Bay City, I remember that. The only Price I remembered from the 1970s was the half-hour network and syndicated version -- not having cable (or an outdoor antenna pointed towards Cadillac, Lansing or Detroit), as well as going to school during the day, I didn't see the hour version for the first time until 1979, when our family moved to Florida.

Around 1977, though, I think WEYI showed sitcoms (including "That Girl") during Price's hour.

[BrandonFG]

Brandon's unfinished thoughts on daytime pre-emptions!

I'm finally understanding why daytime programming, esp. games, are a thing of the past...my station has Regis and Kelly, Dr. Phil, and The View from 9-12 am, and the station is #1 all three hours, as well as during the noon news. I have a feeling if ABC were to propose a new game during that block, my station would decline, just for the reason that they know that they have guaranteed numbers with their block.

Then again, we could always sacrifice the 12:30 newscast. The 12:30 half-hour gets beat by Y&R anyways. ;-)

[Jimmy Owen]

For rugrats:  WEYI used to cover TPIR and Gambit/Double Dare/Here's Lucy with a combination of Mike Douglas and 700 Club from early 76 to late 77.  That Girl was generally seen at 1pm.  When Tattletales moved to 10am, WEYI cleared that by moving 700 Club to 9am and covering TPIR with Merv Griffin.  In early 79 Merv was replaced by a combo of Ed Allen and Beverly Hillbillies.  TPIR finally got cleared again in the late fall of 79.

[tyshaun1]

I think it's a case of both affiliate preference and money. Here in Louisville, our NBC affiliate carried virtually every NBC game in the 80's, even pre-empting whatever 10 am sitcom the network aired for the noon show (Just Men, Hot Potato, Super Password, etc.). They also had most of the syndicated game offerings as well (Kennedy TPIR, $1M COAL).

OTOH, our CBS affil. (now ABC) never picked up any games from syndication, and never aired Beat The Clock, Whew!, Child's Play, Tattletales, Body Language, Press Your Luck (save for the last couple of weeks in '85), and cleared Pyramid starting in fall '84, but they did air TPIR, however. They usually aired B/W sitcom reruns in the 10:30 slot, more than likely for monetary reasons, but finally cleared the slot when Card Sharks premiered.

Tyshaun

[DrBear]

While prejudices play some part, let's be honest - a station would put a video camera on a tar pit and show it 24/7 if it could make more money than it does now.

[Jamey Greek]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Sep 11 2005, 09:39 PM\']There was a time when the CBS affil in Saginaw (WEYI-TV) did not clear TPIR, opting for "The 700 Club."  They used to have an "Ask the Manager" segment on the midday show where the GM would field programming questions and the GM said he personally did not like TPIR and did not want the station to air it.  Knowing what I know now, I'm sure CBN paid better compensation than CBS, though that was never mentioned by the GM.  Our cable company was kind enough to bring in TPIR from an out-of-market station and put it on one of the local origination channels.

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Station managers are so F*cking Selfish!

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Jamey Greek\' date=\'Sep 12 2005, 05:06 PM\']Station managers are so F*cking Selfish!
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If it makes you feel better, station managers who put personal biases ahead of programming decisions that attract the largest number of viewers usually aren't station managers for very long.

[Jimmy Owen]

That is correct, that guy left in 79.  However, just today, I sat down to watch that very same station for the season preem of FF that everybody's been talking about.  Some last-minute infomercials filled the slot instead.

[kurtinrod62]

In Pittsburgh, KDKA-TV [CBS] 2 pre-empted Ludden Password [Daytime] from 1961-64 to show movies and later, "The Mike Douglas Show", though the station later showed PW on delay in a morning slot. And from 1966 to 1973, what was then WIIC, now WPXI, [NBC] 11 pre-empted Fleming Jeopardy to show news at Noon.

[uncamark]

Back in the day, the stations' rationale for pre-empting the network could be summarized:  If we can get better ratings and make more money off of a local show or a syndicated show than we can collecting the network compensation fee, we'll run the local or syndicated show.

And don't forget that in the 60s and 70s, there was no such thing as "cash plus"--on cash syndicated shows the stations got all of the commercial time.  Even on barter shows--which weren't that common since barter syndication was considered low-class back then--the barter advertiser only took a minute of inventory, not one-half to 60 percent like they do today.  If they could make more money and pull better numbers from that than the network compensation fee and maybe a minute of ad time within the show, there was no choice.

[mbclev]

In the Cleveland area, we never got to see "Body Language" in its original run because the CBS affiliate at the time put something else on at 4 P.M., Eastern time. (I saw it on family trips out of town, and much later on GSN.)  "Press Your Luck" suffered the same fate here when it moved to the same time slot in 1986.