The TV networks curse the day DVRs and DVDs were invented, and hold them directly responsible for their problems. That so many TV addicts have flocked to recording-made-simple gadgets or DVDs, however, is merely a symptom, but not the actual cause of conventional TV's decline. Clearly, there is something that keeps pushing more and more people away and straight to broadband downloads, DVDs, TiVos or video-on-demand and cable channels.
In the golden age of television, networks would produce about 39 weeks of original episodes, instead of today's 22. Back then, viewers actually got their money's worth, because they were not forced to sit through too many reruns, and, more importantly, their shows were not constantly shuffled around the schedule the way they are today.
In fact, not too long ago, television was "by appointment". People knew where and when to find their favorite shows, and they would all "meet" in front of their TVs, collectively, and then discuss whatever show they were watching around the water cooler the next day. Dallas was such "by-appointment television" (Fridays at 10pm). If Dallas were still on the air today, though, viewers would have a hard time finding it on the dial: one week, it would be on at 10pm on a Friday, then be shifted to, say, 8pm, only to end up on Tuesdays at 9pm for several weeks. This would be followed by an unexpected hiatus of three, maybe four, weeks, and then the show would reappear in its brand new timeslot of Mondays at 10pm.
This, essentially, is what is being done to almost all shows on all networks today. Viewers start watching a new show, but then "lose" it, because the network keeps playing peek-a-boo with them.
Also, during the golden years of television, network executives had a lot more patience. Even if a show did not quite perform as well as had been expected, they stuck it out and, if things really got too bad, canceled it at the end of the season. Today, however, a new show can be axed as early as a few minutes after its debut broadcast. Before long, viewers will tune in to a new show and, following the first commercial break, see a screen that says, "Unfortunately, viewer response during the first segment of this show has been unsatisfactory, which is why we have had to cancel it effective immediately. We will now fill the remaining 23 minutes of this broadcast with the national anthem on a loop."
Article comments
1 - Baronius
Good article. You're right that the networks' season is shorter, but also the individual shows are shorter. We viewers used to sit still, or go get a sandwich, during a 1-minute commercial break. Give us 4-minute breaks, and we'll pay money for devices that fast forward past them.
Network impatience is a problem, like you said. It has a secondary effect that networks don't think about. If the viewers hear that a show has no "buzz" or low ratings, they won't bother watching it, because they know it's going off the air soon. That kills shows with long story arcs. Network support for weak starters like Veronica Mars is rare. Instead you get shows like Kidnapped being cancelled quickly. It makes the viewer less likely to even bother with a first-season show.
2 - Ruvy
You wrote a good piece, Werner, but the boys in TV land don't want to know.
From the looks of things, they don't give a damn anymore. Considering the load of junk they have called "entertainment" over the last two decades, it's no surprise that viewers are voting with their fingers, being willing to pay a one time fee for the luxury of not having to sit through reruns and commercials.
Dig it. My kids get to watch Smallville once weekly - and we don't even own a TV!! And I never even buy the episodes!!