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Stations buying rights to shows just to prevent other stations from getting them?

C

ccmfan

Guest
This thought came from another post I had, but I've discovered that WMC NBC 5 in Memphis has been carrying several syndicated shows in the early morning that would normally be run during the daytime. They include:

1:40 AM Who Wants to be a Millionaire (Had been on WPTY ABC 24 and WLMT UPN 30 in the daytime in recent years)

2:10 Family Feud (Also on 24 and 30 daytime in the past)

2:40 Yes Dear reruns (I think this was always on WMC in the early morning)

3:40 King of Queens reruns (Same here)

I get the impression that the main reason this is happening is because WMC bought these shows to keep other Memphis stations from getting them and putting them on at times when they might compete with WMC's daytime lineup, which is mostly talk and courtroom shows and NBC soaps. The one that bugs me most is Millionare, because I'd really like to see it on at a decent time.

I've also wondered if cable networks like TV Land pull this same sort of tactic because of how they will pick up a show, carry it a few weeks and then they are never seen again.

Do some local stations or cable networks buy up the rights to some shows just to prevent other stations or networks from getting them?
 
> Do some local stations or cable networks buy up the rights
> to some shows just to prevent other stations or networks
> from getting them?

Yes

They could also buy shows and put them in "as needed" duty as well. We have several of those.

-A <P ID="signature">______________

</P>
 
From a business standpoint, this seems like a sound idea. Program your station with what you think will do the best, then buy what you think would give you a run for your money during the same slot.

But does it work?
 
I think that's a great overnight lineup! It's better than the brain melting infomercials, reality shows, and dating shows and shopping the stations in Hartford, Connecticut air overnight. Here's the lineup for the CT Stations affiliated with FOX, UPN, and WB.

FOX 61 WTIC-TV
12AM-1230AM South Park
1230AM-1AM King of Hill
1AM-3AM Infomercials
3AM-330AM Fresh Prince
330AM-4AM Recipe TV
4AM-5AM FOX 61 News @ 10 (Replay)

UPN 9 WCTX/59
12:01AM-12:31AM Blind Date
12:31AM-1:01AM Cheaters
1:01AM-1:31AM EntertainmentStudios.Com
1:31AM-6:00AM Shop-At-Home Network

WB 20 WTXX
130AM-2AM Elimidate
2AM-230AM Sabrina the Teenage Witch
230AM-330AM Fear Factor
330AM-4AM Elimidate
4AM-630AM Infomercials
 
In the past UPN 9 WCTX/59 here in Connecticut had used Cosby, Taxi and Cheers on an "as needed" basis, but ever since this September all 3 are on their schedule 5 days a week.
 
> In the past UPN 9 WCTX/59 here in Connecticut had used
> Cosby, Taxi and Cheers on an "as needed" basis, but ever
> since this September all 3 are on their schedule 5 days a
> week.
>

Yeah.. We have Taxi for "as needed" but since I've started at the station we have run it every Saturday morning @ 4:30am following Conan All Nite. (Though our program director will plug it into other spots if the need arises)

-A<P ID="signature">______________

</P>
 
> From a business standpoint, this seems like a sound idea.
> Program your station with what you think will do the best,
> then buy what you think would give you a run for your money
> during the same slot.
>
> But does it work?
>
Though not exactly the same thing, ABC used this method for ACTORS in the 70s.

ABC bought off Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson and put them into quickly failed sitcoms (Foxx's variety show) rather than have either of them resign at NBC. Jimmy Walker was also offered an option at ABC that never came to naught. Nancy Walker was taken by ABC from Rhoda for a show that they never thought would make it. And there were others.

This was employed even earlier by NBC and CBS for DuMont. Back in that day if anyone on DuMont (the biggest was Jackie Gleason) NBC or CBS would simply buy the actor rather than risk competition.

And of course it goes back to CBS "raiding" NBC for Jack Benny and Burns and Allen among others.
 
> 1:40 AM Who Wants to be a Millionaire (Had been on WPTY ABC
> 24 and WLMT UPN 30 in the daytime in recent years)
>
> 2:10 Family Feud (Also on 24 and 30 daytime in the past)
>
> 2:40 Yes Dear reruns (I think this was always on WMC in the
> early morning)
>
> 3:40 King of Queens reruns (Same here)
>
> I get the impression that the main reason this is happening
> is because WMC bought these shows to keep other Memphis
> stations from getting them and putting them on at times when
> they might compete with WMC's daytime lineup

Would any of those shows on other channels really represent all that much of a threat to WMC? These are all "second tier" shows. It's not like any of these shows are scoring particularly great ratings in syndication -- at best, they're decent performers, but certainly not the kinds of programs that win their time periods.

It could just be that WMC feels that they have enough of a late night audience to justify putting on something other than informercials.

Another possibility is that these shows are running on WMC late at night as a result of a "group buy" on the part of their parent company. <P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Tom Desmond on 11/24/05 05:19 AM.</FONT></P>
 
> This thought came from another post I had, but I've
> discovered that WMC NBC 5 in Memphis has been carrying
> several syndicated shows in the early morning that would
> normally be run during the daytime. They include:
>
> 1:40 AM Who Wants to be a Millionaire (Had been on WPTY ABC
> 24 and WLMT UPN 30 in the daytime in recent years)
>
> 2:10 Family Feud (Also on 24 and 30 daytime in the past)
>
> 2:40 Yes Dear reruns (I think this was always on WMC in the
> early morning)
>
> 3:40 King of Queens reruns (Same here)
>
> I get the impression that the main reason this is happening
> is because WMC bought these shows to keep other Memphis
> stations from getting them and putting them on at times when
> they might compete with WMC's daytime lineup, which is
> mostly talk and courtroom shows and NBC soaps. The one that
> bugs me most is Millionare, because I'd really like to see
> it on at a decent time.
>
> I've also wondered if cable networks like TV Land pull this
> same sort of tactic because of how they will pick up a show,
> carry it a few weeks and then they are never seen again.
>
> Do some local stations or cable networks buy up the rights
> to some shows just to prevent other stations or networks
> from getting them?
>
CTV originally bought Commander-in-Chief only because they didn't want Global to get it.
Then a week before it's series premiere on ABC it was brought into the schedule.<P ID="signature">______________

Canada TV and College Radio</P>
 
I hope this isn't thread drift, but.

Back during the great daytime Talk Show glut of the mid ninities (remember all the second-tier stars having daytime talk--especially the Ricki clones), KTHV (Little Rock) relegated the final 2 seasons of Donahue to 3am local time. I'm sure that it was to keep a competitor (mainly KARK, KATV, or KLRT) from getting it.

While not relegating to a bad slot, KATV when it lost Live with Regis in 1997 to KTHV somehow got the rights to (the very awful) Sally J.R. that KTHV previously aired. To say that the show wasn't compatable with KATV was an understatment. It started not running episodes right during the start of Nov sweeps 1997 to due "content issues". After a month or so of running "replacment" episodes, Sally went to KLRT (Jan 1998) where it remained during the remainder of its syndication.

KATV airs a local mid morning show in that slot and has since 1999.
 
> >
> >
> >
> CTV originally bought Commander-in-Chief only because they
> didn't want Global to get it.
> Then a week before it's series premiere on ABC it was
> brought into the schedule.
>
But don't CTV and Global show most U.S. shows several
days before they're broadcast in the States anyway?
 
> don't CTV and Global show most U.S. shows several
> days before they're broadcast in the States anyway?
>
These days, they're generally bent on putting them on at the same time as the US stations, so they can be "simsubbed" on cable and satellite.
 
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