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sydncated shows: how do stations pick what shows to air

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danderson4411

Guest
how do stations pick syndicated shows to air is it done by a bidding or is it done by picking the the best timeslot? like how did wlos get "Wheel of Fortune" from wyff or how wyff get "Tic Tac Dough" in 1990? or how did wlos get "American Gladiators" in 1989? just asking
 
It's combination of things. Nowadays, almost everything is done at the group level: NBC buys Ellen for its O&Os, Tribune buys Celebrity Name Game for the stations it owns, etc. There are exceptions, especially when station groups each own stations in a given market. Beyond that, particularly with older shows, stations negotiate for shows directly with the syndication company that owns the rights. They probably pay more for exclusive rights.

I can't tell you the specifics on the Wheel of Fortune switch in 1985 (Jeopardy apparently moved at the same time), but chances are, the company that owned WLOS was willing to pay more than Pulitzer, who owned WYFF.

When stations get bought and sold, generally they keep the same syndicated shows 'til the end of the contract, but everything is negotiable.
 
funny thing is daytime wheel was on wyff and nighttime wheel was on wlos
 
i would associate certain daytime shows with certain stations:
Guiding Light and As the World Turns and price is right on 7
SOTC and Wheel and AW and DOOL on 4
AMC OLTL and GH on 13
 
wyff having america with sarha purcell but in early 86 it was replaced by the soap opera "Santa Barbara? i guess the former didn't do too well against GH and GL?
 
Do some stations make deals for some syndicated shows to keep other stations in the area from getting them? Probably 10 years ago WMC in Memphis had Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and King of Queens reruns when they first came out, but stuck them in the extreme early morning, and I figured they did that to keep other stations from getting them and putting them on at a better time. At least it beat infomercials in the middle of the night. :rolleyes:
 
i only remember "Sale" on 4 and that was daytime but tpir was on twice a day on 7 in the morning with barker and nighttime with kennedy?
 
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I'm just extremely disappointed Memphis did not get syndicated reruns of Mike and Molly this past fall. I look around and see pretty much all other cities got it. Makes no sense why WATN/WLMT or WHBQ couldn't have gotten it. Instead we have more useless talk shows and paid programming. Even Jackson, TN got it on WBBJ. This is just no fair that Memphis doesn't have it.
 
Memphis isn't the only one. Jackson, Miss. passed on it this year and Modern Family last year. But we got all the useless court and talk shows though.
 
i remeber both wspa and wlos having star search with ed machahon both in a late night slot?
 
Now that corporations can own more than one TV station in a market, things have changed a bit. There seem to be less shows running more often. When Seinfeld was hot, one duopoly (KTVU, KICU) in the SF Bay Area was running the show on both stations - one (a Fox afiiliate) in early evening and late night, and the other (independent) in prime-time. IIRC, the show was running 4 times a day for awhile.

In larger markets, the buying power of the station used to have significance. Back in the 80s, I recall the single owner of then independent KOFY (James Gabbert) complaining that the big buck corporate stations could afford the major off network reruns, while he could only afford second tier programs. Of course, he ended up selling KOFY for a massive profit, so nobody ever cried for old Jim Gabbert.
 
i know that price is right with dennis james was on 4 so was hollywood squres with peter marshall
 
i wonder where ''$100,000 Name That Tune" with Jim Lange was on in my area WSPA if so then Jim Lange might have been one of the first hosts i saw
 
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