4th Hour of Today will probably cancel a soap

[genius]

Media Daily News(http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=52884) is reporting:

NBC IS CONSIDERING THE POSSIBILITY of a fourth hour of "The Today Show," due, in part, to NBC stations' continued failure to find syndicated programming that secures decent ratings.


An NBC spokeswoman confirmed what has been rumored for some time--that NBC is strongly considering a third spinoff of the venerable morning show. A decision is expected early next year. (SNIP)

In that regard, Carroll says NBC will have another decision to make--whether to continue with its hour-long afternoon soap opera "Passions." Odds are that if NBC adds a fourth hour of "The Today Show," it will sacrifice "Passions."

"The net will be trading 10 in the morning for two in the afternoon," says Carroll. In addition, Carroll says, look for NBC to possibly move "Martha" to 11 a.m. from its current 10 a.m. time slot.

Well I for one would not miss the cesspool of a soap opera, plus it only gets a 1.5 in the ratings. So if Passions is axed, that only leaves Days of our Lives, which has shown enough improvement in the last year to still remain in the high graces of NBC. This won't be the first NBC becomes trigger happy with daytime.

As for the Today expanding to four hours to compete better... :

 

[network]

Perhaps the "continued failure" of NBC's affliates to secure syndicated programming that produces decent ratings says alot about what's available -- and not necessarily a reflection on the affliates themselves.

 

[MarcB]

Except for People's Court, NBC 30 WVIT, the NBC O&O in Hartford has only NBC product on their station for syndication. Here's what's on during non network times:

956AM-11AM NBC 30 News at 10AM
11AM-12PM Martha Stewart - NBC Product
12PM-1PM I-Village Live - Horrible NBC Product that replaced the equally horrible NBC Product Megan Mullaly
3PM-4PM People's Court - Only non NBC Product
4PM-5PM Ellen - NBC Product
5PM-6PM NBC 30 News Live at 5
6PM NBC 30 News at 6
7PM-8PM Extra/Access Hollywood - The NBC Entertianment Power-Hour (as the commercial for them referrs to it)

 

[KML0224]

What the network wants the network gets, right?

 

[jal41]

Except for People's Court, NBC 30 WVIT, the NBC O&O in Hartford has only NBC product on their station for syndication. Here's what's on during non network times:

956AM-11AM NBC 30 News at 10AM
11AM-12PM Martha Stewart - NBC Product
12PM-1PM I-Village Live - Horrible NBC Product that replaced the equally horrible NBC Product Megan Mullaly
3PM-4PM People's Court - Only non NBC Product
4PM-5PM Ellen - NBC Product
5PM-6PM NBC 30 News Live at 5
6PM NBC 30 News at 6
7PM-8PM Extra/Access Hollywood - The NBC Entertianment Power-Hour (as the commercial for them referrs to it)

WVIT is an NBC O&O. Extra and Ellen are both produced and distributed by Telepictures/Warner Bros, not NBC. (Although Ellen is taped on the NBC lot).

Why add a 4th hour if Matt and Meredith don't even host the third hour. They are out the door at 9AM.

 

[rch66]

Because, the 3rd hour has been successful.

Originally the Rosie O'Donnell show was Warner Bros. answer to a variety show. She left, Caroline Rhea replaced her, but she was more interim, until Warner Bros. could find someone else.

Instead of slotting Caroline, the ABC owned stations chose to pick up Wayne Brady which was from their parent company, Buena Vista. Then replaced by Tony Danza. Since both weren't successful, and since Disney couldn't find anyone better, they threw in the towel on finding a replacement. They picked Rachael Ray, which isn't their product. However, Rachael is only picked up on the east coast ABC owned stations, [New York, Philadelphia, Raleigh, and maybe some others], though in the other time zones, the CBS owned stations typically have her.

The NBC owned stations instead picked up, Ellen, remember who replaced Rosie/Caroline. Though an emmy winner, Ellen's show hasn't very successful in ratings. What gets the ok for renewal now, would have been cancelled three or four years ago. Daytime ratings on the whole are a lot weaker.

NBC came out with Megan Mullally which is also a variety. I think NBC got the idea that if 'Megan Mullally' ratings could be atleast equal to Ellen's ratings, they could dump Ellen in favor of their own product, so they could save money. It didn't work, though.