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The question is, could CBS successfully launch new scripted dramas that are not the modern day equivalent of Murder She Wrote and attract a big audience.
The answer seems to be no.
You'd have to hope it would do at least as well as it did later in the summer run (~8 million). Also BB is down huge in the demo from (I belive) the summer finale that did ~8 million and a 3.2 in the demo. It has lost a lot of 18-49 viewers since the Tuesday, Sept 4 airing.
I was thinking that, if CBS REALLY wanted to promote to a younger audience, we'd see promos on Comedy Central, MTV, VH1 and the other Viacom networks. Even though CBS and Viacom split, Sumner Redstone still head honcho for both.
I'm convinced that CBS is playing the "high tide raises all boats" programming card trying for as many eyeballs as possible, regardless of age.
If they want to reprogram the audience's thinking, then they might have to take a short-term hit in the ratings until the youth demo gets used to finding certain shows on CBS. But if they keep trying out new shows and then dump them right away because of lower ratings, they will never be able to change. And young viewers will only grow to hate CBS even more because they tend to not like having shows they like getting yanked off the schedule. They took Moonlight off the schedule so they could put on a show for my grandma to watch. Way to go, CBS.
Also, insiders at CBS say they do focus on the 25-54 demo in their ad pitches, but these days, most of CBS' viewers(well over 50% typically) are outside of that demo.
Unfortunately short of what you could buy from Tivo data wise, the Nielsen DVR data is still the best freely available stuff. Consider that Tivo now represent less than 20% of the overall DVR market with Comcast, Time Warner, Dish, DirectTV etc. having the other 80%. While they can certainly collect data from the set top boxes, that data isn't available (at least to us).
Dexter is all over the 'net. This is great exposure for the show.
I not feeling the mythology of the new Jericho season two.
"Waynesville, MO: What is up with NBC? It is amazing how much they have fallen from the glory days of Cosby Show/Cheers/Friends/early-ER. They seem to put junk on the air. I saw that there was American Gladiators and Knight Rider on last night. It this the 90's still. (There are some exceptions - 30 Rock, FNL, Scrubs, Office) Even the CW tries harder than this. Which network's higher-ups would you say are doing a good job?
Robert Bianco: Really, Waynesville - I have to thank you. If you hadn't mentioned "Knight Rider," which NBC aired without making available for review, I was going to have to find some way to work it in. I don't know when I've seen a more amateurish, inept heap of cynical junk on a major network. I'd call it a two-hour commercial, but that's an insult to commercials - most of which are better acted and constructed than this clunker. As for those two, poor actors stuck in the car for most of the movie: You can buy lox and bagels with more chemistry and more expressions. As for the question: CBS is widely regarded as the best-run network, with ABC and Fox vying for second. ABC is better at drama than comedy, and some of the decision-making, or makers, lean toward the erratic. Fox benefits and suffers from its beyond-control reality division. As for NBC - it's not just the worst managed network at the moment. It may have the worst management I've ever seen in all my years on the job."
We know what's going on RIGHT NOW. FOX is winning, and with American Idol, that lead is only going to widen. Despite my "attacks" on CBS, I'd agree it is a better run network than ABC or NBC (much better even). But, for me it's not just about doing better than your peers, it's also about making as much money as possible.
From my read, CBS is not focused on maximimizing viewers (or dollars). If that's because they are already making a ton of money anyway and they don't care, that's heinous.
This franchise is the worst thing that could ever happen to TV. It's the biggest load of crap there is.
What happened?
I'm not sure it's strike related or a fluke. Nostalgia, good theme song, talking cars. It seemed to gain strength every half hour and had very good 18-49 demo performance.
P.S. I think bell-bottoms were a late 60s and early 70s phenomenon. I was straight leg all the way in the 80s.
"I think someone better look at the numbers again. The crux of this piece is that CBS can't get the 18-49 numbers. They then go on to compare Dexter to Jericho trashing Jericho being out performed by Dexter. But WAIT A MINUTE! Can we rewind the tape?
Total VIewers: Dexter 8.1 million out of 30 miilion viewers (27% of viewers), Jericho 7.3 million out of 22.78 million viewers (31% of viewers).
18-49 Demographic: Dexter 2.3/ 6 share; Jericho 2.5/ 7 share.
Dexter 3rd in time slot out of 3 shows in total viewers (.5 million out of 2nd, 4.78 million out of 1st) and in 18-49 share; Jericho 3rd in time slot out of 3 shows in total viewers (.8 million out of 2nd, 1.19 million out of 1st) and tied for 1st in 18-49 share.
Somebody get a clue!"
Weren't these your numbers from this week?
I'm a little confussed,
Ana
It's a mele out there for programmers. Anything goes until next season. They're just throwin half-cooked spaghetti against the fridge right now.
If I'm wrong, I'll buy you a donut. But only 1, and only 1 person. I'm not rich!
Jericho performed better than Dexter, but relative performance was pretty close (and they both got their butts kicked by Knight Rider either way!), though I'd grant there was a smaller total audience watching the broadcast nets when Jericho ran.
if Dexter goes back to only being on Showtime (as will surely be the case for the "first run" of Season 3 of Dexter), who cares? But Jericho is on a trajectory to go off the air. I care!
Maybe CBS should think about putting Jericho on Showtime. I wonder how many new subscribers Showtime would have to get to keep it alive? 500,000?
The difference between total and 18/49 was the biggest spread I can remember.