Monday, May 15, 2006

only four months to wait

As an avid TV watcher, this is one of my favorite weeks of the year. Starting this afternoon, the broadcast networks will reveal their fall lineups. We find out which shows have been renewed and which new shows are being added to the schedule. The presentations are known as the "upfronts" because advertisers are being enticed to buy time upfront rather than wait to see which shows get the highest ratings. The presentations take place in New York City and are shown via satellite to network employees in Los Angeles and to affiliate stations across the country. One year while I worked at KLOS, I watched the ABC presentation at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences theatre in North Hollywood. Another year, I watched the Fox presentation at WTNZ, their Knoxville affiliate, during a fierce afternoon thunderstorm.

I especially like the chess game aspect as the networks position their shows against each other to capture the largest audience. Sometimes obvious moves fail and risky moves pay off, like when "Smallville" was scheduled against some heavy hitters on Thursday nights. The morning before each upfront presentation, Bill Carter prints most of the details in The New York Times. First thing tomorrow, I will check USA Today to see a grid of which shows gets which timeslots. From the early reports describing today's NBC upfront, I plan to watch the new series from Tina Fey as well as the new show starring Andy Richter when they debut in the fall.
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2 Comments:

Anonymous lisa said...

andy richter? really? that sounds promising. thank goodness for tivo, i don't know how i'd catch all the good stuff without it.

5/15/2006  
Anonymous Pam Mc said...

I wish I could afford a TiVo.....:D

5/15/2006  

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