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Are broadcast networks becoming obsolete 10-20 yrs from now?

landtuna said:
Bear in mind I am talking only about KSAZ in Phoenix.

Wendy Williams (currently with guest hosts) - was Black host
Orlando Jones - Black host
Nick Cannon - Black host
Dish Nation - mixed bag but the one time I watched it it had a predominately Black cast
25 Words or Less - mixed bag
Judge Judy - yes, the hostess is White but the dominate defendants are Black
TMZ - Mixed cast but covering mostly non-white Hollywood types

So, 7 shows of their daily programming (mostly daytime) are either Black oriented or mixed. The remainder are either news, game shows or paid programming. I don't count those for obvious reasons.

And I want to point out that I have no quarrel with their programming because the only non-sports show I watch is their Morning Show. I was just trying to point out that their target demo is not the largest, or next largest one in Phoenix. The Phoenix demographic breakdown looks like this: 2020 census:

White 42%
Black 7%
Hispanic/Latino 43%
(all numbers rounded, not all ethnic groups illustrated)

It still seems like an anomaly. If I were running the ship I would think mixed White/Hispanic offerings would cover much more of the market.
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I'm still struggling here, Tuna---are you suggesting only Black people would watch Black people on television? Or that only White or Hispanic people would watch shows hosted by talent of their ethnicity?
 
landtuna said:
Bear in mind I am talking only about KSAZ in Phoenix.

Wendy Williams (currently with guest hosts) - was Black host
Orlando Jones - Black host
Nick Cannon - Black host
Dish Nation - mixed bag but the one time I watched it it had a predominately Black cast
25 Words or Less - mixed bag
Judge Judy - yes, the hostess is White but the dominate defendants are Black
TMZ - Mixed cast but covering mostly non-white Hollywood types

So, 7 shows of their daily programming (mostly daytime) are either Black oriented or mixed. The remainder are either news, game shows or paid programming. I don't count those for obvious reasons.

And I want to point out that I have no quarrel with their programming because the only non-sports show I watch is their Morning Show. I was just trying to point out that their target demo is not the largest, or next largest one in Phoenix. The Phoenix demographic breakdown looks like this: 2020 census:

White 42%
Black 7%
Hispanic/Latino 43%
(all numbers rounded, not all ethnic groups illustrated)

It still seems like an anomaly. If I were running the ship I would think mixed White/Hispanic offerings would cover much more of the market.
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Uhhhhh......dude? You think no white people watched Oprah? Even Soul Train?
 
michael hagerty said:
ABC owns eight stations, CBS owns 29, FOX owns 29 and NBC owns 12. That's a total of 78.

If the big four "traditional" networks do move to a model where they're largely a news or sports service for affiliated broadcast stations, I expect they'll exit the owned stations business.
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I get what you mean by Comcast owning 12 stations with NBC affiliations. However in reality Comcast also owns 25 Telemundo affiliates. This include some big ones like KVEA Los Angeles, KSTS San Jose and WNJU New York on this list. This is a case where the larger market Telemundo affiliates share offices with the Main NBC Owned station for news.

Then again we are entering a new era when most entertainment shows will appear on an app than traditional cable and OTA for the current median demos.
 

Here is the current CEO of Amazon's statements on their commitments on streaming. Some of this is on their roles in the MGM Deal.

Amazon CEO and president Andy Jassy voiced his and the tech giant’s commitment to the entertainment business and streaming on Amazon Prime Video by saying that they are in it “for the long haul.”

Vox Media’s Kara Swisher asked Jassy at Wednesday’s Code Conference in Los Angeles just how serious Amazon was about their streaming ambitions, relaying an anecdote from “Transparent” creator Joey Soloway that Soloway thought they were more into selling “toilet paper” than they were making TV shows and movies. Jassy tried to put that idea to rest on Wednesday when Swisher asked just how serious is Amazon?

“Serious. We’re in it for the long haul. We’re really excited about it, we’re really committed to it,” Jassy said. “We’re also very committed and focused on building the best selection of streaming items that people can consume.”
Click to expand...
 
michael hagerty said:
I'm still struggling here, Tuna---are you suggesting only Black people would watch Black people on television? Or that only White or Hispanic people would watch shows hosted by talent of their ethnicity?
Click to expand...
Not at all. I'm just suggesting that bigger target demos represent a bigger potential viewer pool.
 
Y2kTheNewOldies said:


I get what you mean by Comcast owning 12 stations with NBC affiliations. However in reality Comcast also owns 25 Telemundo affiliates. This include some big ones like KVEA Los Angeles, KSTS San Jose and WNJU New York on this list. This is a case where the larger market Telemundo affiliates share offices with the Main NBC Owned station for news.

Then again we are entering a new era when most entertainment shows will appear on an app than traditional cable and OTA for the current median demos.
Click to expand...
We specifically were talking about the “big 4” networks. We’ve already established that we don’t have a clear read on what the Spanish-language nets might do in terms of a move to pure streaming and how soon.
 
michael hagerty said:
Not all do, and some people want either the big screen (because not everyone has 80-inch flatscreens at home) or want the theater experience.

Still, it's a much smaller audience than before, and Iger doesn't expect it to fully rebound even when health concerns subside.
Click to expand...
I live in a market that has about the highest percentage of 55+ of any rated US market. On my street, all of us are over 55, even if it is not a retirement community... and none of us have been to a movie theater in the last thirty-some months.

But nearly everyone got new and larger flatscreens... the ones that didn't already had them. In asking about returning to theaters for some movies, the uniform response is that it's no longer necessary. Interestingly, the biggest negative in regards to theaters is not the health concern but the behaviour of younger attendees who constantly talk, check their texts and do other distracting things.

While that sounds a lot like "get off of my lawn", even prior to the pandemic we had almost totally stopped going to movies for that reason; the experience had been more of an aggravation than a pleasure. And I can make better popcorn at home with my proprietary peppered butter sauce!
 
landtuna said:
Good point. I didn't split out the numbers of Hispanics by dominate language.
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And remember, there are many bilingual or English dominant Hispanics who do not like the same content as non-Hispanic whites.

Example: I know enough Hispanics who were younger adults when Seinfeld was on broadcast TV to consider my sample valid. All the ones in question are "perfect" English speakers... but none of them identified with the characters or humor of the show. Like myself, we watched an episode or two when it became popular and decided that it was not for us.

Oh, and there are a lot of people who like shows with characters that don't look like us in the mirror. Go back to Sanford and Son, which was in the Top 10 rated shows for 5 of its 6 seasons. It averaged around a 27 rating... impossible if only African Americans were viewing it.
 
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DavidEduardo said:
And remember, there are many bilingual or English dominant Hispanics who do not like the same content as non-Hispanic whites.

Example: I know enough Hispanics who were younger adults when Seinfeld was on broadcast TV to consider my sample valid. All the ones in question are "perfect" English speakers... but none of them identified with the characters or humor of the show. Like myself, we watched an episode or two when it became popular and decided that it was not for us.
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Seinfeld was tough to "get" for everyone, and watching reruns today makes it clear how the jokes just don't work out of its time. You aren't stumbling around trying to find your car in a group and covering the same ground when everyone has a phone,
 
gr8oldies said:
Seinfeld was tough to "get" for everyone, and watching reruns today makes it clear how the jokes just don't work out of its time. You aren't stumbling around trying to find your car in a group and covering the same ground when everyone has a phone,
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Seinfeld was tough to get for everyone outside the northeast. And NBC didn't care because Noo Yawk was their main focus in the 1990s. Everybody else was along for the ride.
 
DavidEduardo said:
I live in a market that has about the highest percentage of 55+ of any rated US market. On my street, all of us are over 55, even if it is not a retirement community... and none of us have been to a movie theater in the last thirty-some months.

But nearly everyone got new and larger flatscreens... the ones that didn't already had them. In asking about returning to theaters for some movies, the uniform response is that it's no longer necessary. Interestingly, the biggest negative in regards to theaters is not the health concern but the behaviour of younger attendees who constantly talk, check their texts and do other distracting things.

While that sounds a lot like "get off of my lawn", even prior to the pandemic we had almost totally stopped going to movies for that reason; the experience had been more of an aggravation than a pleasure. And I can make better popcorn at home with my proprietary peppered butter sauce!
Click to expand...
The only theater we've returned to post-covid is more of a "grown up" experience. The seats are overstuffled leather and at the push of a button they recline to nearly flat with a footrest and you receive a freshly laundered blanket in a sealed bag. They offer in-seat dining and are able to do it in such a way that wait staff don't interrupt enjoyment of the movie for anyone, primarily due to the sharply raked incline of the seating area. Each patron receives a bag of fresh popcorn upon arrival and each seat has USB ports for charging devices, a small light so you can read the menu and a tray to swing in front of you to dine. Ticket prices are about the same as any other cinema, and food and drink prices (including cocktails and wines) are on-par with standard restaurants in this city. The only negative comment is that, while the experience is great and the picture quality outstanding, the sound system sucks, the dialog gets buried in the music and also lacks clarity.
 
DavidEduardo said:
Oh, and there are a lot of people who like shows with characters that don't look like us in the mirror. Go back to Sanford and Son, which was in the Top 10 rated shows for 5 of its 6 seasons. It averaged around a 27 rating... impossible if only African Americans were viewing it.
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I SPY. THE COSBY SHOW. THE JEFFERSONS. BENSON. JULIA.

Just off the top of my head.

And yes, I'm an old guy. My references there are pretty dated, but I figure they'll be recognized by most of this group.
 
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