TV Programming Assignment

Jacque Lewis
Radio/TV Programming
12.13.13
WUXP –My Network Narrative
This project really opened my eyes with the way TV programming works. I’m not
completely sure if it could lead to a career move for me since it seems like it could be a stressful
job, but it successfully changed the way I view programming. From looking at My Network’s
original schedule, I could tell they were trying to hit different audiences. Perhaps to help snag
anyone who could be channel flipping as they’re trying to find something to watch. There were
shows I would watch and there were most definitely shows I wouldn’t watch. Though with that
said, it was still pretty difficult to change certain parts of the schedule around since some of the
shows that was already put in place seemed to fit their programmed time slot. Never the less, I
attempted to create a schedule of shows that could or couldn’t work depending on who’s
watching. Let’s jump into each day part and review what all I changed.
Early Mornings (Mon – Friday, 5-9am)
Since My Network’s programming before 7:00PM is stripped, I decided to keep this
same method in place. Though one thing I did change was the two paid programs set to air at
6AM every morning, I opted to change that to purchase off cable syndication rights of Bishop
TD Jakes’ Mind, Body, and Soul. Since this is an early deal, basically taking a page from BET
who has early syndication rights of Scandal currently in place, I’m taking a chance putting this
on air. The fact that there’s not enough episodes to go around and the fact I decided to strip it
will result in more repeat of reruns to air. Either way, the programming decision was made to
keep the audience who’s watching Shepherd’s Chappell, a religious program which comes on at
5AM every day, from tuning away. Keeping a 2 hour religious block will help attract different

Jacque Lewis
12.13.13
brands that cater to mothers, or elderly people. Okay, Mind, Body and Soul isn’t completely
religious, but it will snagged some of the viewers who watch Shepherd’s Chappell.
Morning (Mon – Friday 9am-12)
Now for the Morning Day-Part when everyone’s up. Once again, the court programs
seem to fit like glue, so I decided to move a couple of shows around. Instead of starting 9AM
with America’s Court, I opted to take a chance on another black lead TV show, Judge Karen, for
an hour programming block. After Judge Karen, Paternity Court, which also features a black
Judge, comes on for an hour. Just looking at this, I am taking a chance by placing Judge Karen
before Paternity Court but it’s a risk that might just paid off since a black audience, and perhaps
a white audience as well, should already be watching at 9AM by force of habit. Though, not
completely sure if the shows can stand against Today on NBC or Live with Kelly and Michael on
ABC. After Paternity Court, The People’s Court and its royal fan base takes over the remainder
of the Day-Part.
Noon (Mon – Fri 12-4PM)
Now for the Noon Day-Part, I decided to take out The People’s Court to insert two more
shows into the schedule. America Now, a daily lifestyle television magazine program, and Right
This Minute, a show geared toward young adults that features videos that went viral. These two
shows will throw viewers off at first but I’m relying on two programming strategies to make this
successful. First, there’s the force of habit strategy, I’m hoping loyal viewers of The People’s
Court will tune into these two shows by accident and fall in love with them. Second, I’m
hammocking these shows between Judge Mathis and Judge Judy, which will hopefully cause
viewers to tune in leading out of Judge Mathis and tune in before leading into Judge Judy. It

Jacque Lewis
12.13.13
throws off the blocking of all the court shows My Network currently has programmed but it
could possibly work out.
Early Fringe (Mon- Fri 4-6PM) and Prime Access (Mon – Fri 6-7PM)
The successful People’s Court I took out earlier now serves the 5PM 1 hour timeslot,
replacing Jeopardy and Family Feud and cutting down on the blocking that was originally in
placed since both shows come on again at 6:00 and 6:30. The People’s Court loyal fan base, who
also watched Judge Judy I’m sure should appreciate this change and stay tuned in for Jeopardy
and Family Feud. Another change that I’m sure will throw people off would be America’s Court
and Justice for All being moved from the morning day-part to the Prime Access Day-Part.
Broadcasting at 6PM, these two court rooms will be great for the audience who doesn’t
necessary want to watch the news during this time slot. Not to mention the audience of Family
Feud, which features a block host, will be sure to tune in and watch a black judge in action on
America’s Court, successfully capturing the black demographic.
Prime Time (Mon – Fri 7-10PM)
One thing the managers at My Network love to do is double, it’s almost annoying how
many shows are broadcasted back to back, but if that makes the most money I guess I can’t
blame the programmer for doing what he or she needs to do to keep their job. The Prime Time
schedule as a whole featured a checker boarding programming strategy. A strategy I didn’t even
bother to change. On Mondays, I took out the second broadcast of Law and Order: SVU to
include Boston Legal. This will hopefully keep some of the audience from Law and Order: SVU

Jacque Lewis
12.13.13
from tuning out creating a strong lead-in for the show. Especially since the shows are similar,
well, somewhat similar. The laughs don’t stop at Boston Legal, since The Middle comes on right
after keeping the audience’s channel locked on My Network courtesy of Jacque Lewis.
Tuesdays, I did something similar, except this time, instead of a serious show and then a show
that’s somewhat serious and funny, I took two comedy dramas and blocked them together. The
original schedule already had Bones in place, so I took out the unnecessary second broadcast of
Bones in place and replaced it with Chuck, another Comedy Drama series. Once again, I hope to
keep the same audience in place since both nights features established and strong lead-in
programs. Let’s move to Wednesday Nights where the doubling continues, fans of drama and
court shows must love this network, but I’m digressing. The second broadcast of Law and
Order: Criminal Intent is cut off to make room for The Closer, the second off-cable syndicated
show for the network, following the same pattern I made Monday night of anchoring with a
drama like Law and Order and cooling down with a Drama-Comedy like Boston Legal, though
The Closer is little more serious than Boston Legal. As far as I know, The Closer syndication
rights are spread across 16 Fox Stations, though Nashville, TN doesn’t seem to be on the list, at
least from my research.
Thursdays, we have the doubling of House, I once again, changed this block by adding
Fringe to the lineup and deleting the second broadcast of House. Of course like Monday-
Wednesday, this was done to hopefully keep the audience in place for the shows during the 8-
9PM broadcasts.
Fridays, should now be called “Comedy Night,” I took out the second broadcast of the
comedy drama Monk and added in two episodes of 30 Rock, which is currently syndicated on

Jacque Lewis
12.13.13
cable. Monk leads in, 30 Rock takes the ball from 8-9PM and hand it over to The Middle who
then passed the ball to The Simpson who scores the game winning shot for the night.
Late Fringe (10-10:35pm) Late Night (10:35-2am)
I didn’t do much with the Late Fringe and Late Night Day-Parts, I just rearranged the
schedule to double Seinfeld at 10:30PM and 11:00PM to hopefully help combat the lost audience
due to the late night talk shows that come on during that time period. Andy Griffith is then moved
to 10:00PM and 11:30 PM respectively.
Weekends Early Morning (Sat. 5-9AM) and Morning (Sat 9-12PM)
Since the day-part leads in with Paid Programing, I decided to keep that schedule intact. I
then moved Our World with Black Enterprise from 6:30AM to 7:30AM, with a strong lead-in
created from Comments with Dr. James Haney. I added Black Enterprise’s sister show Black
Business Report after Our World at 8AM. We then end the day part with Hollywood: Teen
Edition, a behind the scenes show that geared toward teenagers.
At 9:00AM, I removed the Paid Programs in place to include omg! Insider, a show about
the latest gossip in entertainment, and the original Made in Hollywood geared toward every age
group.
Weekends Noon (Sat. 12-4PM), Early Fringe (Sat. 4-6PM), Prime Access (Sat. 6-7PM)
Since the original schedule had a family movie in place, I decided to follow the same
pattern inserting Space Jam. An animated-live action family movie about, retired basketball
player, Michael Jordan, helping Bugs Bunny and the gang win an important game.

Jacque Lewis
12.13.13
I didn’t do much with the Early Fringe and Prime Access Day-Parts. I just switched
Titans All Access and Jeopardy to 5PM so a huge audience is watching when the SEC Bowl ends
at 5PM. Entertainment tonight will come on afterwards at 6PM heading towards the Prime-Time
schedule of the night.
Weekends Prime Time (Sat. 7PM -10PM) and Late Night (Sat 10PM-2AM)
I decided to drop the movie broadcasts that’s typically done every Saturday Night to add
shows that originally came on later in the night. I took Burn Notice and put it on at 7:00PM,
hopefully creating a strong lead-in for ROH wrestling. I only did it because I’m a wrestling fan
and only wish the best for any upstart wrestling promotion, if it isn’t successful it can always be
moved back. Prime time ends with a weekend broadcast of Bones which was originally set to
broadcast at 11PM that night. Burn Notice and Bones should keep the audience locked in to
watch ROH Wrestling. The 11PM slot that Bones was in now holds two episodes of American
Dad, a show originally set to broadcast at 2AM Saturday morning. Doing this keeps the audience
who watch the two episodes of The Office at 10PM.
Weekends Early Morning (Sun 5-9AM) and Morning (Sun 9-12PM)
Finally we have Sunday, I once again, removed two of the Paid Programming and
inserted It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in the 5AM timeslot follow by House of Payne at
5:30AM. It’s random, but it’s meant to catch anyone who’s getting up early Sunday morning or
someone who’s still up from the night previously channel flipping for some comedy to watch.

Jacque Lewis
12.13.13
For my morning day part I just did some more rearranging putting Wood Mont Baptist
Church on at 9AM instead of 10:30AM, putting This Old House on right after it and following it
with This Right Side with Armstrong Williams.
Weekends Noon (Sun 12-4PM), Early Fringe (Sun. 4-6PM), Prime Access (Sun. 6-7PM),
Prime Time (7PM-10PM) and Late Night (10PM-2AM)
There was more rearranging on my part done as I moved Entertainment Tonight from
2PM to 4PM. I kept Bloopers and Judge Judy in their respective time slots, I’m sure their
audience will feel grateful for it. For the Primetime timeslot, I took two comedies that was
scheduled early the next morning and place them at the 7PM Lead-in. First Family comes on at
7:00 while Mr. Box Office comes on right after it. I then put ROH Wrestling on at 8:00PM with
Burn Notice following at 9PM. One might asked why I didn’t put Burn Notice on 7:00PM like I
did Saturday, and it’s a great question. My reasoning is so that The First Family can have a
strong audience watching when Judge Judy ends at 7PM.
Sunday Night concludes with a movie, which, in this particular case will be the Amazing
Spiderman, which is about a young college student with Spider-like superpowers who saves the
city from destruction. The goal of the movies will be to bring in an older audience who may not
have to work in the early morning Monday morning.

Jacque Lewis
12.13.13
Conclusion
This took longer than expected, but I got it done, and with that said, this will probably be
the last time I ever program anything. Doing this for a class project is one thing, but doing this
with my job on the line is downright scary. I have a greater respect for anyone who does this for
a living which brings me to the conclusion after the conclusion.
Death of the Program Director?
As someone who’s been a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) guy since about 2006, I often
wonder if anyone thinks about timeslots anymore. The only shows I watch live are Sports
related, and even then I’m watching about 10 minutes behind. I can’t remember the last time I
watched a show at its original time slot. I also remember reading in the Huffington Post that
there are DVRs in more than 50 percent of American Households. So If I find it inconvenient to
watch a show when a programmer asks me to, I wonder who doesn’t. There’s still time, but one
day programmers will be completely useless due to the fact that everyone will be used to
watching their favorite shows on their time.
This assignment not only open my eyes to the world of programming, but it also made
me realize how much I rely on my DVR to do my TV watching. In the process of inputting
programs, I found new shows that interest me. Something that would have never happened just
watching what’s on my recorded list. Something that DVRs will completely killed if companies
aren’t careful is the world of discovery, being stuck watching the same programs over and over
again can force a habit of TV watching that keeps the audience stuck in their routine of programs
that they’re used to watching.

Jacque Lewis
12.13.13
Either way, I can’t see the job of a program director as a needed job in the future (10-15
years). In the near future, the job will continue to attract the best of the best as more networks
open up for business. Though, as more people become addicted to On-Demand Programming,
the more jobs that will be cut, and that’s a progressive, yet scary thought, but fear is a part of
progression, right? We’ll find out soon enough.
The Money
Formula for purchase: $10,000 or $5,000 multiply by 5 multiply by 52wks a year.
Formula for ad rates: Ex. Early Morning: $80 per point (5) $400 multiply by 24 (24 commercials
in a 12 minute period) = $9600.00 multiply by 5 = 48,000 multiply by 52 = 2,496,000
Shows Added: TD Jakes: Mind, Body, and Soul – Off Cable - First Run– Early Morning $10.000
per show – “The hour long, weekly chat fest combines an entertaining mix of celebrity
interviews, impassioned discussion and expert advice while shining a spotlight on ordinary
people with extraordinary stories.” – quoted from imdb.com -2.6 million to purchase.
$80 per point (5) $400 multiply by 24 (24 commercials in a 12 minute period) = $9600.00
multiply by 5 = 48,000 multiply by 52 = 2,496,000 in ad revenue
Judge Karen – First Run - Morning – $10,000 per show – Court Show featuring Karen Mills-
Francis. 2.6 million to purchase
$85 per point (7) $595 multiply by 24 (24 commercials in a 12 minute period) = $14,280.00
multiply by 5 = 71,400 multiply by 52 = 3.712,800 in ad revenue
America Now – First Run - Noon - $10,000 per show – News Magazine Show- 2.6 million to
purchase

Jacque Lewis
12.13.13
$85 per point (3) $255 multiply by 12 (12 commercials in a 6 minute period) = $3,060 multiply
by 5 = 15,300 multiply by 52 = $795,600 in ad revenue
Right this Minute –First Run - Noon - $10,000 per show – “News you want to share and the best
viral videos, before you see them anywhere else.” – quoted from “rightthisminute.com” - 2.6
million to purchase
$85 per point (3) $255 multiply by 12 (12 commercials in a 6 minute period) = $3,060 multiply
by 5 = 15,300 multiply by 52 = $795,600 in ad revenue
Boston Legal –Off Network - Prime-Time - $5,000 per show – “This Spinoff of The Practice will
focus on Civil Law.” – Quoted from imdb.com - 1.3 million to purchase
$200 per point (15) $3000.00 multiply by 12 (24 commercials in a 12 minute period) = $36,000
multiply by 5 = 180,000 multiply by 52 = $9,360,000 in ad revenue
Chuck – Off- Network - Primetime - $10,000 per show – “When a twenty-something computer
geek inadvertently downloads critical government secrets into his brain, CIA and NSA assign
two agents to protect him and exploit such knowledge, turning his life upside down.” – quoted
from imdb.com - 2.6 million to purchase
The Closer – Off- Cable - Primetime - $10,000 per show – “Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson
runs the Priority Homicide Division of the LAPD with an unorthodox style. Her innate ability to
read people and obtain confessions helps her and her team solve the city's toughest, most
sensitive cases.” – quoted from imdb.com -2.6 million to purchase

Jacque Lewis
12.13.13
Fringe – Off Network - $10,000 Primetime - per show –“A television drama centered around a
female FBI agent who is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist in order to rationalize a
brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.” – Quoted from imdb.com - 2.6 million to purchase
30 Rock – Off Network $10,000 Primetime - per show – “Liz Lemon, head writer of the sketch
comedy show "TGS with Tracy Jordan", must deal with an arrogant new boss and a crazy new
star, all while trying to run a successful TV show without losing her mind.” - 2.6 million to
purchase
Weekends
Formula for Purchase: EX. $10,000 or $5,000 multiply by 52 (52 wks a year) - $520,000
Black Enterprise Business Report: First run – $10,000 – Early Morning – per show – The latest
in news as it pertains to minority owned businesses. $520,000 to purchase
$50 per point (5) multiply by 12 (12 commercials in a 6 minute period) = $3000.00 multiply by
52 = $156,000 in ad revenue

Jacque Lewis
12.13.13
Space Jam - Movie – Price - ?
$50.00 multiply by 5 = $250.00 multiply by 48 = $12,000 (48 commercials in a 24 minute
period) “Michael Jordan agrees to help the Looney Toons play a basketball game vs. alien
slavers to determine their freedom.” – quoted from imdb.com
$12,000 in ad revenue
The Amazing Spiderman – Movie – Price - ?
$75.00 multiply by 7 = $525.00 multiply by 48 = $25,200 (48 commercials in a 24 minute
period) “Peter Parker finds a clue that might help him understand why his parents disappeared
when he was young. His path puts him on a collision course with Dr. Curt Connors, his father's
former partner.” – Quoted from imdb.com - $25,200 in ad revenue
55,313,200 in Total Revenue
All Paid with Cash
From the shows I added, I think I did a good job in determining what show to insert into the
schedule. I will have to keep my eye on Mind, Body, and Soul, Judge Karen, Right this Minute,
and America Now, assuming I did the math right, I’m not breaking even, but of course if the
rating’s higher I have nothing to worry about, but I definitely would have to keep my eye on
those shows and maybe do a Cash and Barter agreement instead. Either way, I would probably

Jacque Lewis
12.13.13
still get fired due to taking one too many risks with my programming, but not bad assuming I
calculated right.

TV Programming Assignment

More Related Content

Recently uploaded

Featured

TV Programming Assignment