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How much freedom do affiliates have to opt out of network programming?

B

BMR

(if any)

Can individual network affiliates drop the network shows and replace them with local content, or are they required to stick with the network schedule?



I hope people don't mind my occasional questions about US TV. If anyone has any questions about UK TV, feel free to ask and I'll try my best.
 
From all the retro TV schedules that have been reprinted in the past, I'd say if your station was not an O & O, you could do what you wanted!! :D
 
Markieo said:
From all the retro TV schedules that have been reprinted in the past, I'd say if your station was not an O & O, you could do what you wanted!! :D
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If any 1960s schedules of Miami TV are listed here, it was freedom city!

cd
 
Markieo said:
I'd say if your station was not an O & O, you could do what you wanted!! :D
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And even if they were, they could pre-empt a network program occasionally for a local special or something -- I knew that WXYZ Detroit, in their days as an O&O, would bump a network show for a locally-produced special. And in 1975, WXYZ bumped the last week of "You Don't Say" to show the last week of CBS's "The Edge of Night" before it moved to ABC, when WJBK bumped the program due to CBS's cancellation.
 
azumanga said:
Markieo said:
I'd say if your station was not an O & O, you could do what you wanted!! :D
Click to expand...

And even if they were, they could pre-empt a network program occasionally for a local special or something -- I knew that WXYZ Detroit, in their days as an O&O, would bump a network show for a locally-produced special. And in 1975, WXYZ bumped the last week of "You Don't Say" to show the last week of CBS's "The Edge of Night" before it moved to ABC, when WJBK bumped the program due to CBS's cancellation.
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That's interesting about Detroit.

In Miami, on Jan. 1, 1989, WTVJ became an NBC O&O. "Super Password", which was not shown here, *still* wasn't, as WTVJ ran news at noon (noon was the time "Super Password" was on). I think I called WTVJ about that...can't remember the response, but I had always thought that O&O's were at the network's mercy....apparently not so.

cd
 
They don't have as much freedom today as they did in years past.
 
Birmingham, Alabama, home to two very strong and independent stations in the 60s (WBRC-6 and WVTM-13).

WBRC only ran two of ABC's seven nights in pattern. It preempted the ABC news for its own world and national news, which was antiquated. It also at times preempted Bewitched in the 1960s.

WVTM was an NBC blend with the best of CBS, too. All the reject stuff went to WBMG-42 (by 1970, they'd be the full-time CBS), such as The Tonight Show and the Heidi Game. At one time, the only national news sent to Birmingham was Huntley-Brinkley if what I remember from reading is correct.
 
I know that this isn't the Classic TV board, but I need to relate this.....

Maybe in Miami the biggest case of long-time pre-emption was the inexplicable bumping of the long-running "American Bandstand" by our ABC affiliate, under 2 ownerships!*

The first owner ran a local show which was practically the same format. Can't recall if the second owner kept the show....I don't think so. Nothing personal against our local show, but why couldn't both be on?

One of our independent stations snatched "AB" for a few months in 1969 or so.

[*Somehow that did not deter Dick Clark from opening a "Bandstand Grill" restaurant here in the 80s. Obviously the show was big.]

cd
 
WSB TV in Atlanta was notorius for doing this and still does today. Usually they produce "Monica Kaufman's Closeups" which was a rip off of Barbara Walters interview shows. And it seems to happen quite often over the last 30 years.

The power of Cox Enterprises at WSB is strong.

Also, WAGA TV used to pre-empt Good Times back in the 70's due to the controversal nature of the show back then.
 
Let me add pre-emptions where sports contests are involved and where a programmer feels their market might find something (Ellen DeGenerous coming out) morally offensive.
 
And pre-emptions to air paid religious programming (Billy Graham got prime time here a lot, and I believe his son still does), or to air syndicated reruns to burn off more local sports ("Matlock" is used for that around here).
 
Raymie said:
Birmingham, Alabama, home to two very strong and independent stations in the 60s (WBRC-6 and WVTM-13).

WBRC only ran two of ABC's seven nights in pattern. It preempted the ABC news for its own world and national news, which was antiquated. It also at times preempted Bewitched in the 1960s.

WVTM was an NBC blend with the best of CBS, too. All the reject stuff went to WBMG-42 (by 1970, they'd be the full-time CBS), such as The Tonight Show and the Heidi Game. At one time, the only national news sent to Birmingham was Huntley-Brinkley if what I remember from reading is correct.
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They used to block national news back then because it exposed the faults of segregation...ironically, that "keep them out" culture still prevails in Central Alabama (not so much in Birmingham proper anymore)...
 
BMR said:
(if any)

Can individual network affiliates drop the network shows and replace them with local content, or are they required to stick with the network schedule?



I hope people don't mind my occasional questions about US TV. If anyone has any questions about UK TV, feel free to ask and I'll try my best.
Click to expand...

While it varies from network to network, it's usually limited. It can be as much as 5 hours per day for local programming or as little as one hour. They might allow as much as 5 minutes per hour in which stations can sell local advertisers or as little as 2 minutes. Some networks will have must-carry shows or blocks of hours while others will not and allow a station to preempt wherever they want. It generally follows that the more desirable the network the more restrictive the affiliation conditions.
 
Answering the original question: These days the amount of programming stations can preempt is spelled out in the network affiliation agreements. And networks sometimes yank back preemptions if there is significant programming they want to see aired across the network.

Network affiliates preempt programming a lot less than they used to. Budget/staffing cuts mean there are fewer resources for producing local content. And "pay for play" programmers can usually get better rates elsewhere due to the number of stations now on the air.

Many of the preemptions in the past were for paid religious programming, but with the proliferation of religious broadcasters OTA and on cable/satellite, there are more avenues for distribution.

And its probably dumb to preempt programming anyway these days. If a viewer finds his regular programming replaced by garbage, that viewer is going to flip to one of a zillion other available choices. And that viewer might never come back.
 
WSOC-TV used to be notorious for shows like "Health Digest" and "Gimme the Mike Charlotte" (a local "American Idol"-type show). This week they're airing a severe weather special. In the slot where the first new "The Middle" in weeks is airing. And possibly "Better with You" too, depending on how long the thing lasts. Now last week, when two "The Middle" episodes were reruns, this would not have been bad.

My first summer with DTV I never even saw WSOC. But WXLV hasn't been as dependable since then. Lately I've had a lot of problems with WMYV and it supposedly has its tower in the same place. WXLV doesn't have a news department so it's great to have when the Charlotte stations are in wall-to-wall severe weather mode. All they can do is crawls.
 
Also back in July 2010 The San Francisco TV stations opted out Network programming for the Bart Shooting Verdict and in September 2010 to air the San Bruno Pipeline explosion live those are the only incidents where I've heard of Local O&O's going into breaking news.
 
May I add, that in olden TV days, a person/corporation could not own more than 1 TV/1 AM/1 FM station per market. This has changed.

In Miami, CBS owns both WFOR 4 & WBFS 33. Often, when 4 has something they feel worthy of pre-empting (e.g., pre-season Dolphins football games), they push the CBS programs to 33 for that night.

cd
 
ai4i said:
Let me add pre-emptions . . . and where a programmer feels their market might find something (Ellen DeGenerous coming out) morally offensive.
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WCFT-WJSU, anyone? They preempted the "puppy" episode in 1997. (Birmingham again...sigh)
 
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