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M*A*S*H as filler

T

toby

Guest
I have noticed that WNYW seems to use M*A*S*H as filler.
Do any other Fox stations do this?<P ID="signature">______________
WCBS = We're Crazy Buffoons and Schmucks
<a href=http://chuck.spotteddogs.org/tv/>Spotted Dog TV Talk - for all your non-news TV Talk</a></P>
 
> I have noticed that WNYW seems to use M*A*S*H as filler.
> Do any other Fox stations do this?
>

FOX owned WTVT in Tampa plugs in M*A*S*H when ever they can.

Beats an infomercial.....
 
> Beats an infomercial.....

That it does.
Wasn't M*A*S*H at one time a very popular syndicated show, now it doesn't seem to be a normally scheduled program on broadcast stations like WNYW, just something to plug holes.
<P ID="signature">______________
WCBS = We're Crazy Buffoons and Schmucks
<a href=http://chuck.spotteddogs.org/tv/>Spotted Dog TV Talk - for all your non-news TV Talk</a></P>
 
> Wasn't M*A*S*H at one time a very popular syndicated show,
> now it doesn't seem to be a normally scheduled program on
> broadcast stations like WNYW, just something to plug holes.
>
The aforementioned WTVT does regularly show M*A*S*H weeknights at 11PM, following the 10PM news, ans Saturdays at 7PM between the 6PM news and "King of the Hill". And until "A Current Affair" started up earlier this year, M*A*S*H was on weeknights at 7PM as well, also betweeen news and "King".
 
KTVI in St. Louis often uses M*A*S*H as filler as well.

> I have noticed that WNYW seems to use M*A*S*H as filler.
> Do any other Fox stations do this?
>
 
> I have noticed that WNYW seems to use M*A*S*H as filler.
> Do any other Fox stations do this?
>
FOX-10 (KSAZ) Phoenix has M*A*S*H on the following times:
SUN: 4pm, 4:30pm, 11pm, 11:30pm
MON: None
TUE: 12mid, 12:30am
WED: 12mid, 12:30am
THU: 12mid, 12:30am
FRI: 12mid, 12:30am
SAT: 12mid, 12:30am, 4pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm
 
UPN 59 in New Haven used to show M*A*S*H as filler. Like if whatever MLB game they were carrying was in rain-delay or cancelled due to rain. Sometimes they'd pop it on at 8AM on a Saturday Morning in the middle of the 6AM-12PM Infomercial Block. This would be despite Infomercial Being listed on their website, (which uses TitanTV.COM for its listings), on the TV Guide Channel, on TV Guide.COm, and every other online TV Listing. Sister station WTNH (ABC) tempoarily aired the show after some ABC overnight show got cancelled. UPN59 and WTNH are both owned by LIN-TV.
 
You guys are lucky to have a station that still actually shows syndicated reruns to fill schedule holes. Most stations in this neck of the woods would
throw on an infomercial and run off what little audience they still have. Info-
mercials are about the $$$. It makes no difference if anyone actually watches.

Years from now, when all TV and radio comes through a wire or satellite reciever, historians will point out how infomercials played a major role in destroying the once-mighty broadcast TV industry,

KL


<a href="http://home.nc.rr.com/gttyson/lastradio.html">The Last Radio Station<a>
 
> > I have noticed that WNYW seems to use M*A*S*H as filler.
> > Do any other Fox stations do this?
> >
>
> FOX owned WTVT in Tampa plugs in M*A*S*H when ever they can.

As does Fox O&O WFLD in Chicago....and yes, it does beat the living you-know-what out of an infomercial. On the other hand, the non-O&O Fox stations I've observed in Rockford and Toledo would rather run infomercials as filler than programming.
 
> You guys are lucky to have a station that still actually
> shows syndicated reruns to fill schedule holes. Most
> stations in this neck of the woods would
> throw on an infomercial and run off what little audience
> they still have. Info-
> mercials are about the $$$. It makes no difference if
> anyone actually watches.
>
> Years from now, when all TV and radio comes through a
> wire or satellite reciever, historians will point out how
> infomercials played a major role in destroying the
> once-mighty broadcast TV industry,
>
> KL
>
>
> The Last Radio Station
>
>
Tell me about it! The local Fox affiliate here in Binghamton, NY runs TONS of informercials on weekends- today alone they had 14 hours of them, along with 90 minutes of "pay-for-pray"- that left us with 8 1/2 hours of actual programs, 90 minutes of which was Fox News...

I mean, 2 or 3 or 4 hours of informercials are one thing, but 14 hours in one day? Yeeeeeeeesh.

Low Tide
 
In Memphis WHBQ Fox 13 is a Fox O&O station that uses MASH as filler on weekends, along with Sanford and Son. They still run some infomercials at times though.

WREG CBS 3 will run reruns of Cheers and Perry Mason on weekends as filler. They also run fewer infomercials.

WMC NBC 5 will slap an infomercial in any period they have to fill time with, never any kind of rerun. They're probably one of the worst.

One of the most irritating things concerning infomercials I saw on Memphis TV happened on WPTY ABC 24 in June when the NBA playoffs were still going on and a Sunday game ran into overtime. Right afterward they ran the infomercial that was scheduled to come on at 4:30, and it ran over past 5:00. After that they joined a rerun of Seinfeld in progress. They'd apprently rather anger viewers who wanted to see Seinfeld rather than anger the people who bought time for their infomercial! :-(


> You guys are lucky to have a station that still actually
> shows syndicated reruns to fill schedule holes. Most
> stations in this neck of the woods would
> throw on an infomercial and run off what little audience
> they still have. Info-
> mercials are about the $$$. It makes no difference if
> anyone actually watches.
>
> Years from now, when all TV and radio comes through a
> wire or satellite reciever, historians will point out how
> infomercials played a major role in destroying the
> once-mighty broadcast TV industry,
>
> KL
>
>
> The Last Radio Station
>
<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by ccmfan on 08/01/05 04:09 AM.</FONT></P>
 
> Wasn't M*A*S*H at one time a very popular syndicated show,
> now it doesn't seem to be a normally scheduled program on
> broadcast stations like WNYW, just something to plug holes.

Indeed it was. From the time it went into syndication in the fall of 1979 until well into the eighties, it was consistently the top-rated "off-network" program in syndication. In many markets, the station that had M*A*S*H would handily win the time slot and beat everything else running. It seemed to do especially well in Central/Mountain time zone markets where a network affiliate would run it at 10:30 (after the late news) in lieu of the network late night schedule.

Of course, the competitive environment then was somewhat different than what we have today -- but at its peak, the ratings that M*A*S*H earned in syndicated reruns make the biggest hits of today (Friends, Raymond, etc) look anemic by comparison. TV/Radio Age would publish an annual listing of syndication ratings during the early eighties. From those lists, here is how M*A*S*H did over a three year period:

November 1981: ranked 1st, with 13.9 rating/30 share
(for comparison, "Family Feud" was second with a 13.2 rating/24 share)
November 1982: ranked 1st, with 3.5 rating/29 share
("Family Feud" is still second, with a 12.4 rating/22 share)
November 1983: falls to 3rd, with a 11.2 ratings/24 share
(behind "Family Feud" and "Wheel of Fortune", which had 12.3 rating/22 share and 12.1 rating/23 share respectively)<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Tom Desmond on 08/01/05 04:33 AM.</FONT></P>
 
M*A*S*H -- What a bummer.

> > Beats an infomercial.....
>
> That it does.
> Wasn't M*A*S*H at one time a very popular syndicated show,
> now it doesn't seem to be a normally scheduled program on
> broadcast stations like WNYW, just something to plug holes.

M*A*S*H is the crown jewel of all FOX produced television shows. Critics and fans loved M*A*S*H and it was on for a long time. And was always at the top or near the top during it's first run and syndication.

FOX should be proud of it and it seems like they are by airing it whenever they need a trusty favorite to plug in.

BUT......in the last few years when I stumble upon it, it bums me out. Still funny and the writing holds up. I just get bummed out with the O.R. scenes and the rest of the melodrama. And the political messages are so heavy handed.

Don't get me wrong, I love M*A*S*H. It is a wonderful and important part of our TV history. But due to the fact that we are involved in a real war and that we seek out less subtle comedy to entertain us now, I cannot watch it.
 
Save the 14 hour infomercial blocks for your local "I" network affiliates. *Evil grin*
 
> One of the most irritating things concerning infomercials I
> saw on Memphis TV happened on WPTY ABC 24 in June when the
> NBA playoffs were still going on and a Sunday game ran into
> overtime. Right afterward they ran the infomercial that was
> scheduled to come on at 4:30, and it ran over past 5:00.
> After that they joined a rerun of Seinfeld in progress.
> They'd apprently rather anger viewers who wanted to see
> Seinfeld rather than anger the people who bought time for
> their infomercial! :-(

Reminds me of what WNEM ch.5 in Saginaw did last year -- golf (I think) ran late, and they had a Billy Graham special (a paid program like all the rest) scheduled at 7PM. after golf (or whatever) ended, they did their newscast in full, followed by Billy Graham. A "Price Is Right" special was to follow on CBS at 8PM, but was joined in progress after Billy Graham, which ran the full hour. They got a lot of complaints, but there was nothing they could do, as they were obligated to run Billy Graham, and they couldn't delay Price.

Of course, WNEM also occasionally pre-empts weekday first-runs of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy (not the weekend reruns) with infomercials. Kind of says alot about the station and the management of its owner, Meredith.
 
> Save the 14 hour infomercial blocks for your local "I"
> network affiliates. *Evil grin*
>
That's what happened this weekend on our Fox station, KTTV in L.A. Last Sunday (and every Sunday since Fox's NASCAR coverage ended), they had a block of their long-standing sitcoms running into the early evenings--I Love Lucy for an hour at 12pm, M*A*S*H for an hour at 1, Married...with Children for an hour at 2, then more M*A*S*H from 3-4, more Bundys from 4-5, then more Lucy from 5-6, with the Simpsons at 6 and King of the Hill at 6:30. Yesterday, however, it was infomericals and other filler from 9:30am until 3pm, then a movie (I forgot the title) until 5pm, then Lucy for an hour until 6.

On another note, I remember back when I was 7 or 8, WISC and WMTV in Madison both ran M*A*S*H, WISC ran it weeknights at 6:30pm before Family Ties debuted in syndication in Fall '87, and then moved it to 10:30pm before CBS Late Night. WMTV, I believe, ran it late afternoons after the soaps. It unusually to me that two stations in the same market ran the same program, especially a show like M*A*S*H.
 
Merideth is a horrible station owner

Meredith is just a horrible station owner. They own the CBS affiliate here in Hartford WFSB/3 and show tons of infomercials on the Weekend if they have no network programming. Occasionally they'll show a movie or a couple reruns of Cops instead. Most Saturday nights they run infomercials at 7PM instead of the Saturday Edition of Entertainment tonight. This is despite ET: Weekend being listed on the TV Guide Channel, on TVGuide.COM and on other TV listings websites. WFSB also doesn't run the Saturday Edition of the Early Show and for some reason reruns the 730PM episode of Entertainment tonight weeknight at 12:35, pre-empting Craig Ferguson by 1/2 hour so it airs 1:05AM-2:05AM. Then they re-run their 11PM news from 2:05AM-2:40AM. Then they run an infomercial 2:40AM-3:10AM. Then they run the CBS Overnight Newscast 3:10AM-4:30AM.

This is the typical Saturday Lineup on WFSB/3.

6AM-9AM EyeWitness News
9AM-12PM NICK JR ON CBS
12PM-230PM Infomercials
230PM-6PM CBS SPORTS

In My Opinion this should be their lineup on Saturdays:
6AM-8AM Eyewitness News
8AM-9AM Nick JR on CBS
9AM-11AM Saturday Early Show
11AM-1PM Nick JR on CBS
1PM-230PM COPS

They also run a sorry excuse for a CBS Affiliate in Springfield, MA. It's WSHM-LP Channel 67, but since it's on cable channel 3, they call it CBS TV 3. WSHM-LP Channel 67 CBS TV 3
 
> > One of the most irritating things concerning infomercials
> I
> > saw on Memphis TV happened on WPTY ABC 24 in June when the
>
> > NBA playoffs were still going on and a Sunday game ran
> into
> > overtime. Right afterward they ran the infomercial that
> was
> > scheduled to come on at 4:30, and it ran over past 5:00.
> > After that they joined a rerun of Seinfeld in progress.
> > They'd apprently rather anger viewers who wanted to see
> > Seinfeld rather than anger the people who bought time for
> > their infomercial! :-(
>
> Reminds me of what WNEM ch.5 in Saginaw did last year --
> golf (I think) ran late, and they had a Billy Graham special
> (a paid program like all the rest) scheduled at 7PM. after
> golf (or whatever) ended, they did their newscast in full,
> followed by Billy Graham. A "Price Is Right" special was to
> follow on CBS at 8PM, but was joined in progress after Billy
> Graham, which ran the full hour. They got a lot of
> complaints, but there was nothing they could do, as they
> were obligated to run Billy Graham, and they couldn't delay
> Price.
>
> Of course, WNEM also occasionally pre-empts weekday
> first-runs of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy (not the weekend
> reruns) with infomercials. Kind of says alot about the
> station and the management of its owner, Meredith.
>

That has to be the worst. I can kind of understand having infomercials (even though I don't like it) on weekends when no regular programming other than when sports are on, but to drop any regular program to put on an infomercial is ridiculous. In the case of shows like Wheel or Jeopardy, it looks like the syndicators could put a stop to that by penalizing stations that drop the shows. I think that there should be an FCC rule that infomercials have to be in a regularly scheduled time slot, and that stations can't pre-empt regularly scheduled programs to run infomercials.
 
Re: Merideth is a horrible station owner

> Most Saturday nights [WFSB] run
> infomercials at 7PM instead of the Saturday Edition of
> Entertainment tonight. This is despite ET: Weekend being
> listed on the TV Guide Channel, on TVGuide.COM and on other
> TV listings websites.

Reminds me of what WFTS ch.28 in Tampa Bay (a Scripps Howard station) did for a few months until recently -- Schedule "Inside Edition" and "The Insider" during the 7PM hour on Saturdays, then show infomercials instead. They've been doing this week in and week out until recently, when WFTS decided to just mention infomercials in the schedule at 7PM instead of "Inside Edition" and "Insider".
 
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