On TV channels are there target demos, or does that depend on the individual show(s)? For example, I'm not sure every "Cheers" fan watches sickly sweet movies.
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Just why does Hallmark start 24/7 Christmas in mid October?
- Thread starter tall_guy1
- Start date
This is a cable channel, which is different from a TV station. A TV station is sold locally, and this is all national. The channel is supposed to be more focused on a specific target, which is why I said this channel mainly aims at women. Same with Lifetime. But beyond that, it's also a bit older. Over 50% of the audience is over 40. 35% over 50. Which may be where the off-net re-runs come in.
I fixed the original. But the off network reruns don't seem as "female" as the movies do.
Depends. On broadcast, it's largely show-driven. The audience for ABC's "Judge Harvey" is not the same as the audience for "Gray's Anatomy".
On cable, the networks are targeted tighter.
I'd wager Hallmark's ideal viewer is a white religious woman in her 40s or 50s, probably with children.
You can probably imagine how that is different than the target for History Channel or Nickelodeon or Univision.
You're thinking about this too hard. These off network sitcoms are essentially throwaway filler. TV viewing is basically non-existent from midnight to 6am, which is why it is the domain of reruns, infomercials, and B-movies on just about every network.
They are not trying to diversify the audience by running Frasier and Glden Girls between 11pm and 5am. They were able to buy the rights cheaply, and think the shows suit their audience's taste. The audience might even enjoy a sitcom if the baby is fussy at 1:30 am, without the risk of a 2 hour movie hooking them into the plot.
A demographic of individuals to which I happily do not belong. However, Lifetime is simply ... an exception. Their reputation for over the top schmaltz has summoned everyone from the likes of SNL to The Simpsons to the service of mocking it ... and I reserve the right to throw an occasionally rotten tomato of my own at it for catharsis.
Since there's such interest in Hallmark - the son of one of the founders, Donald J. Hall, Sr., a major figure in Kansas City, passed away on Sunday. Don Hall, Sr. was retired by the time the Hallmark Channel came about but was still very much in charge in Hallmark's earlier ventures in media via the Crown Media subsidiary.
Remembering the Life of Donald J. Hall - Hallmark Corporate
Kansas City, Mo. (October 15, 2024) – Kansas City civic leader and philanthropist Donald J. Hall passed away October 13, 2024, at home surrounded by his loving family. He was 96. Born July 9, 1928 in Kansas City, Missouri, Don was the son of Hallmark founder J.C. Hall and his wife, Elizabeth. He...
corporate.hallmark.com
You can watch some of them on Youtube whenever you want.
If they're religious, then why do the movies not seem to mention Jesus?
I heard "My Favorite Things" by Tony Bennett on Serenade Radio already and while that makes me think of Christmas, that's just because radio plays it then.
I like these movies too, and with Spectrum having upgraded me for free (so far) I just may get to watch some.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
There is a difference between knowing your target audience and beating everyone else to death with religion on a secular channel, that's why.
Hallmark has always had religious overtones to a significant percentage of their greeting cards ... but they don't carry that over to the entire line.
Exactly. Not only are there people of other faiths who might be interested in Hallmark movies, but once you start depicting religion you also get into all the divides within Christianity.
For example: If they depict a minister, can the minister be a woman? Can the minister be married? Should the minister be addressed as "Father" or "Reverend" or "Bishop" or something else?
It's simpler to imply the characters are "good Christian people" so to speak, without explicitly depicting their specific variety of faith.
What about In-N-Out? Their fast food cups, trays, and wrappers have featured biblical verses for over three decades.
Businesses are of course free to express a religious point of view if they like. Many businesses do.
I'm sure you'd agree that printing the chapter and verse of a bible verse on the bottom of a drink cup is a very minimal method to express that point of view.
The Bess Eaton donut shop chain in Connecticut and Rhode Island used to do that decades ago. The chain wound up selling off its locations due, in part, to financial improprieties by its ownership. Now that's karma.
Just spitballing, but because maybe people are multidimensional. We’ll set aside “religious” is not a direct synonym for “Christian.” People who are religious enjoy other things.
My mother was a regular church-goer. She enjoyed Hallmark movies. She also faithfully followed The Young and the Restless. And watched Desperate Housewives and Dallas back in the day. My father was likewise a regular church goer and sang frequently as a soloist in their church. Along with watching the soaps with my mom, he was a fan of plenty of those crime/detective shows of the 70s and 80s and an avid Jeopardy viewer.
Most of those films are romantic comedies or straight-out love stories played out before a backdrop of secular Christmas -- trees, mistletoe, snow, crowded department stores, etc. Inserting Jesus into them would ruin the movies' tone and, most likely, chase off a significant number of viewers.
Hallmark was not a particularly religious place. They were always very careful about not alienating potential customers. Yes, there were lines of cards that did have religious overtones, but in a more cultural kind of way. The Mahogany line, targeted to Black customers, is a good example. There's a significant religious presence in Black culture, but I've never found it to be judgmental or hectoring. It's much different than the White fundamentalist approach, which is judgmental, overly prone to telling people what to do with their lives, and alienating. Hallmark never went for that kind of thing. Instead they appealed to the graceful side of Christianity and other religious beliefs, consistent with the culture of their customers.
No doubt that view of the world is reflected in the channel's programming. Of course, Christmas as we know it is a whole melange of influences, which probably frustrates some people, but that's their problem, not Hallmark's.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Yes, and that is backed up by the chain's open disdain for the LGBTQ community, which is why I do not patronize them even though they have a location only about one mile from my residence.
Having said that, let's not go there. I'm also still ticked off about their being anti-vaxxers (see above linked article).
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