NBC Considers Cutting Back Programming Hours in Prime Time

[JeeperOne]

As I just wrote on another board, I think this makes perfect sense. In the Central and Mountain
time zones, people are more likely to watch the news at 10 than at 6; on the two coasts many
people are not home at 6 and, if not conditioned to watching the Fox station, might be inclined
to tune to the NBC station at 10. Some Fox stations have gotten incredible ratings and shares;
WBRC Birmingham, with a 9 PM (CT) newscast, gets around a 60 share. I don't think the affiliates
will cotton to moving Fallon to 11:05, however.

I've always said that if I owned a network I would follow the CBC's lead and do my national
news at 10, but I don't see ABC, CBS, or NBC ever doing that. Nor do I see starting primetime
at 7/6; you're cutting into local news in the Central and Mountain time zones and, in many
cases, in the Eastern and Pacific as well.

Would anyone care to comment on this thought: network television is going the way
of network radio?

It's BECAUSE OF the ratings Fox stations (And even the few CW, MyNetwork TV, Ion affiliates & Independent stations) get that I don't see viewers tuners tuning away to go the NBC station for a 10:00 PM ET/PT newscast. Likewise, I don't see NBC affiliates time shifting network programming to accomondate an 8:00 PM/PT newscast either for the same reason (Although Fox stations don't have a newscast at that hour)

But what I DO see is the deterioration of programming on network TV OTA overall (One needn't look any further soap operas & game shows as an idea as to how far things have progressed) in favor of streaming services (Be they be run by the network (As Peacock is) or their parent company (As Disney+ & Paramount+ are)

That's IN ADDITION TO the free streaming services like Pluto TV & The Roku Channel

But getting back to the subject at hand, I see this backfiring on NBC should they decide to go through with it

 

[seatownmedia]

Agree and disagree. I think local news would work at ten for Pacific and Eastern. Those who stay up either don’t have to report for work early, or are not working. Additionally, news content generally works better at an earlier hour. Perhaps a central time schedule would work better for all time zones, as in 10 pm ends prime time. Local news would gain and not much would be lost by the networks. Also would allow earlier late night programming. Yes syndicated programming would have to move, but overall, Win win.

 

[TheBigA]

I see this backfiring on NBC should they decide to go through with it

It's a six of one, half a dozen of the other, because the money NBC loses by giving up the 10 PM hour is money its owned stations make by running more local spots. NBC can instead spend its programming money on Peacock. They've already started to consolidate their cable channels. As others have said, we'll see if ABC & CBS follow, because they're all in the exact same boat.

 

[gr8oldies]

Agree and disagree. I think local news would work at ten for Pacific and Eastern. Those who stay up either don’t have to report for work early, or are not working. Additionally, news content generally works better at an earlier hour. Perhaps a central time schedule would work better for all time zones, as in 10 pm ends prime time. Local news would gain and not much would be lost by the networks. Also would allow earlier late night programming. Yes syndicated programming would have to move, but overall, Win win.

Since most ET/PT markets have a 10pm news option, things might get reconfigured but there would probably continue to be both 10pm and 11pm news options.

 

[seatownmedia]

Yes, correct. They could add additional coverage. But handing over the 10 pm to locals would be a game changer. I think this has a good chance of happening. NBC, ABC, CBS news at 10, not likely. But local news at this hour is perhaps the future.

 

[crainbebo]

There was a station in Alabama (I think WAKA-8) that used to air the NEW Jeopardy! episode at 9:30 AM on weekdays. They have since moved J! to 4:30. That was about as early as it got for Jeopardy, and I believe the syndicator sends out the satellite feed to stations around 9:30A ET. Of course it's a winner no matter what. Jeopardy! gets a wide audience and Wheel often does well with the 55+ audience and senior citizens. How many times has a contestant told Pat "I grew up watching Wheel with my grandma"? I doubt many 80-year-olds watch Family Feud nowadays.

On the contrary, will this mean several 10/9c shows moving to Peacock? The new 'Password,' New Amsterdam, the Law & Order flavor of the season, etc.?

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

I thought that this rumored plan would have NBC-TV prime time run from 8-10 P.M. ET/PT, 7-9 P.M. CT/MT (except for football weekends in the fall) with, in more likelihood, late-night programming being moved up an half-hour (Jimmy Fallon weeknights at 11 P.M. ET/PT and 10 P.M. CT/MT, Seth Meyers weeknights at 12 Midnight ET/PT and 11 P.M. CT/MT, and "Saturday Night Live" Saturdays at 11 P.M. ET/10 P.M. CT, and should "SNL" continue to be live across the "lower 48", 9 P.M. MT and 8 P.M. PT).

 

[Mike Sheridan]

We saw that with Netflix a few months back, announcing they lost about 1 million subscribers.

Netflix loses subscribers, but stops the bleeding

Netflix reported Tuesday that it lost 970,000 subscribers in the second quarter of 2022 — a number far lower than its own forecasts, which had projected that the streaming giant would lose two million subscribers.

www.cnn.com

They didn't lose me, because I never subscribed in the first place!

We're also seeing it with subscription radio. The excitement to spend money has slowed down.

I did for quite awhile when I saw some interesting content. When the content seemed to me to get stale and the price went up again I bailed.

I haven't watched anything on NBC in a long time. So I wouldn't notice an absence of NBC from 10pm. I think we are seeing a trend the premium content going to streaming while over the air gets the crumbs. I will never understand the public's appetite for cheap reality shows. One day I fear that will be all that's left on Network TV.

I do over the air and a couple subscriptions. I'm rediscovering some classic movies and shows on over the air sub channels.

 

[kfbkfb]

a text to speech computer…really?

In my case, I don't literally watch local TV news, the few times I have it on my TV, I mostly listen to the audio and only check out the picture is there's something dramatic (maybe a car chase etc.), so text (from the local TV station news web site) to speech software (using a voice of one of the local news team, for example) for updates about what has happened locally from 6:30P to 9P seems reasonable and workable.


Kirk Bayne

 

[Mikey Radio]

I doubt many 80-year-olds watch Family Feud nowadays.

And if they do, it's available on Game Show Network - Sometimes with Steve Harvey, at other times with various former hosts and it's often shown in hours-long marathons. I know this because when visiting my folks, it's often all they watch. It's at those times in life that I'm especially thankful for my smartphone as a little 'Feud goes a long way IMO.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Are they running 2 episodes?

Some markets do the double run daily. Used to be the second episode was one year old, but this year that changed to in-season episodes from several months prior. Many don’t have the double run, and some split it up to different times of day…or night as the case may be.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

In my case, I don't literally watch local TV news, the few times I have it on my TV, I mostly listen to the audio and only check out the picture is there's something dramatic (maybe a car chase etc.), so text (from the local TV station news web site) to speech software (using a voice of one of the local news team, for example) for updates about what has happened locally from 6:30P to 9P seems reasonable and workable.


Kirk Bayne

That doesn’t make it a workable option. Your ways of consuming the programming aren’t translatable to others.

 

[CTListener]

I will never understand the public's appetite for cheap reality shows.

That's because you are -- in your own wonderful words -- "out of the money demo ... all the way out." Generational changes in popular tastes almost always leave the preceding generation baffled and disgusted.

 

[landtuna]

That's because you are -- in your own wonderful words -- "out of the money demo ... all the way out." Generational changes in popular tastes almost always leave the preceding generation baffled and disgusted.

There are no true 'reality' shows. 'Cops' used to be one genuine but nothing like it on the networks now.

 

[tsherck]

Would 7 PM newscast still be valuable? If 10 PM news casts were to become normal again

 

[gr8oldies]

Would 7 PM newscast still be valuable? If 10 PM news casts were to become normal again

10pm newscasts have been normal for awhile, on the Fox and/or CW affiliates, fed by a co-owned (or not) network affiliate

 

[blackgold]

It's BECAUSE OF the ratings Fox stations (And even the few CW, MyNetwork TV, Ion affiliates & Independent stations) get that I don't see viewers tuners tuning away to go the NBC station for a 10:00 PM ET/PT newscast. Likewise, I don't see NBC affiliates time shifting network programming to accomondate an 8:00 PM/PT newscast either for the same reason (Although Fox stations don't have a newscast at that hour)

But what I DO see is the deterioration of programming on network TV OTA overall (One needn't look any further soap operas & game shows as an idea as to how far things have progressed) in favor of streaming services (Be they be run by the network (As Peacock is) or their parent company (As Disney+ & Paramount+ are)

That's IN ADDITION TO the free streaming services like Pluto TV & The Roku Channel

But getting back to the subject at hand, I see this backfiring on NBC should they decide to go through with it

Don't forget TubiTV from Fox.

 

[davideduardo]

10pm newscasts have been normal for awhile, on the Fox and/or CW affiliates, fed by a co-owned (or not) network affiliate

In our market, the owner of the CBS, ABC and Fox affiliates blankets news across the three network affiliate channels from 5 PM to 8 PM and then from 10 PM to 11:30 and again at 1:30 AM to 2:30 AM. One set of anchors, street reporters, producers, etc but a full blanket of late afternoon to early prime and then again from 10 PM on.

Sold out with a waiting list plus the rights fees. And the quality of the newscasts is excellent.

 

[Cool_guy81]

On WBBJ in Jackson, TN it airs at 11 AM, which I think is the earliest they're allowed to run it.

I remember back in the 80's KCCI 8 use to air Jeopardy at 9:30am replacing the CBS Daytime game show at the time. The show eventually moved to the afternoon when they started airing Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Comcast looks to cut up to $1 billion from its TV network budgets

Bankers, analysts and executives have been speculating about what Comcast will do to boost its media business.

adage.com

Here is more this time on how Comcast is planning it's budget at their networks.

Comcast Corp. is looking to cut as much as $1 billion from the budget of the TV networks in its entertainment division, NBCUniversal, money it can use to boost other parts of the business, according to people familiar with the company’s plans.



NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell has asked his top deputies to find savings at its legacy cable and broadcast TV networks, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been finalized. Executives have explored many ways of cutting costs—including layoffs, trimming budgets for the development of new programs and changing the mix of programs on TV to produce more low-cost shows.