The dumbest piece of scheduling I've ever seen

[editthis]

Just texted my nine year old niece, she had no clue. She's watching her pre-teen shows on Nick and Disney. No peanuts.

 

[Mediafrog+]

There has been a revamp of the ownership (Peanuts Worldwide LLC) and licensing deals for the Peanuts franchise over the past two years. Apparently the Schulz estate/family realizes that fresh marketing and content is needed. For instance, there will be a new feature length movie coming out in 2015, produced by BluSky studios, which is part of the 20th Century Fox empire. Info on that here: http://blueskystudios.com/studio-blog/entry/official-peanuts-press-release/

Although the core product (the comic strip) will forever remain in repeats (as Charles Schulz did not want others taking over his work) it appears that new content is on the way on other platforms to keep the franchise relevant and profitable. That might be the gateway to reaching those younger demographics.

 

[justpassingthough]

I'm 31 and I never watched the Peanuts cartoons regularly, but I know of them for a general pop culture standpoint. Also I grew up in Southern California and they had their characters licensed to Knotts Berry Farm, who had Camp Snoopy, but thats the extent of my knowledge of the Peanuts.

 

[editthis]

It's much needed MediaFrog and a great idea.

 

[ding12]

"Nashville" dropped from 9 million viewers its first week to 6.8
million its second; that much of a drop is not good.

The first week "Nashville" aired, ABC scheduled two new episodes of "Modern Family", with one at 9:30p. That was an obvious booster which made sense to expose the show, but such high ratings couldn't be expected the following week forward. As long as it stays relatively strong and the writing is good until the end of the year, perhaps it should be given the former "Desperate Houwewives" Sunday 9p slot over "Revenge" in January.

 

[EricStein]

Some more odd scheduling: CBS normally uses a Tuesday night after Thanksgiving to air two specials on the same night - "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show." Usually, there's something scheduled between the two specials (such as "NCIS") because putting the two specials back-to-back would be one train wreck (and would get the Parents Television Council's panties in a bunch, no pun intended).

 

[mgsports]

But at least TGI Friday's is coming back on ABC.

 

[ixnay]

I'm 31 and I never watched the Peanuts cartoons regularly, but I know of them for a general pop culture standpoint. Also I grew up in Southern California and they had their characters licensed to Knotts Berry Farm, who had Camp Snoopy, but thats the extent of my knowledge of the Peanuts.

There's a Camp Snoopy at Dorney Park in Allentown, PA also. And there was one inside the Mall of America (in Sparky's native Minnesota) until a fee dispute led to that Camp Snoopy's closing (replaced by a Nickelodeon park [SpongeBob replaces Snoopy!]).

In 2003 I was a temporary pill-packager at a pharmaceutical plant in Delaware, and one day Charlie Brown, Linus, and his sister (well, people inside their costumes; don't remember if the beagle showed up) appeared to promote the upcoming company picnic that Saturday at Dorney Park, which was being rented out to the company that day for its exclusive use (I didn't go).

That my stepmother remembered my interest in Peanuts while growing up manifested itself last Thanksgiving when she sent me a Peanuts Turkey Day card that played "Linus and Lucy" when opened.

I highly recommend reading Schulz and Peanuts by David Michaelis, which, among other things, explains the "origin" of
some of the installments of Peanuts.

ixnay

 

[Nate Wesley]

But yesterday I saw a scheduling move by the same network that left me
reeling, because the show is practically all kid-appeal. ABC is showing "It's
The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" Wednesday at 8/7. Now just how many
kids does ABC think will be home at that time instead of out trick-or-treating,
especially in the Central and Mountain time zones? Why not tonight or tomorrow
night? If ABC is staring at fourth place (and it has produced what are possibly the
two biggest disappointments among the season's new shows: "Nashville" and "666
Park Avenue"), it's a few moves like this that will put them there.

I was in a Walmart earlier tonight with display that used the Charlie Brown/Great Pumpkin theme, and it only then dawned on me that I hadn't seen any promotions for the classic special. I'd watched too many ABC show to miss promos for it--they haven't been running them, it seems.

My best guess as to what might be ABC's excuse for its odd Great Pumpkin scheduling? The four presidential debates, with live coverage collectively taking at least eight hours of October's network primetime (assuming a prompt 9pm/8 CT start, leading into 11/10pm late news).

 

[MCarney]

Up to now I've always thought the dumbest piece of scheduling in the
history of television was ABC's placing of the live-action sitcom "Harrigan
And Son" between two animated shows, "Matty's Funday Funnies" and
"The Flintstones," on Friday nights in the 1960-61 season; "Harrigan," about
father-and-son lawyers, had absolutely no kid appeal (and yes, I know and
remember that ABC was aiming "The Flintstones" at adults in those days but
that didn't keep the kids away, even before Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm).

The dumbest piece of scheduling I can find is from ABC Daytime from November 1957 to September 1961. It was a half hour of American Bandstand, followed by Do You Trust Your Wife?/Who Do You Trust? and then back to American Bandstand for an hour. I know they were both live shows at the time so moving one would be somewhat problematic, but for 4 years?

As for Charlie Brown, I didn't see any promos either. I'm not surprised it's not being pushed - as others have said it's available on DVD and most kids don't have the foggiest notion who Charlie Brown or any of the other Peanuts characters are outside of the Met Life commercials. I know my nieces and nephew could not care less about it.

 

[Mario500]

As for Charlie Brown, I didn't see any promos either. I'm not surprised it's not being pushed - as others have said it's available on DVD and most kids don't have the foggiest notion who Charlie Brown or any of the other Peanuts characters are outside of the Met Life commercials. I know my nieces and nephew could not care less about it.

I don't believe in the idea that most children don't know the Peanuts characters outside of Met Life commercials. The newspaper cartoon "Peanuts" is still available in syndication, several of the animated cartoons are available on DVDs, ABC has broadcast several of the animated cartoons on an annual basis, two of the four theatrical movies have been broadcast on an annual basis by the ABC Family Channel, and many older people still have memories of the Peanuts characters they can share with younger people.

As for the scheduling of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" for this calendar year, I did not find it dumb. Its broadcast time may have been inconvenient for some folks with Halloween activities, but to other folks, including folks without video cassette recorders, digital video disc recorders, and/or digital video recorders, they may have been satisfied with its broadcast time.

 

[crainbebo]

It's so sad that this quality family entertainment is being taken out for Spongebob, iCarly and Disney's Shake it Up on end. I just cannot believe these kids don't even know about Charlie Brown, and they are close to their double-digits ages. Surely by now the parents should've mentioned at least Charlie and Snoopy to their kids right? Oh no, we need to talk about the latest iCarly or "Here Comes Honey Reality Crap" episode...

-crainbebo

 

[Mario500]

^What did you mean by "taken out" and who are "these kids" you mentioned?

 

[PTBoardOp94]

It's so sad that this quality family entertainment is being taken out for Spongebob, iCarly and Disney's Shake it Up on end. I just cannot believe these kids don't even know about Charlie Brown, and they are close to their double-digits ages. Surely by now the parents should've mentioned at least Charlie and Snoopy to their kids right? Oh no, we need to talk about the latest iCarly or "Here Comes Honey Reality Crap" episode...

Keep in mind: kids in their "double-digit ages" have never seen anything new featuring Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Charles Schulz died 12 years ago. Anyone who really remembers seeing new "Peanuts" strips would be eligible to vote next week.

Many kids who are now in "double-digit ages" have never seen a "Peanuts" comic strip at all. A great many newspapers dropped Peanuts when Schulz retired/died, or soon afterwards. Many more print repeats on Sunday only.

Also, ask a few of the parents you know who the main characters are in Spongebob, iCarly, or Honey Boo Boo. I bet three quarters won't be able to name any because parents and children won't talk about TV shows in that great of detail unless they actually watch the shows together.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Keep in mind: kids in their "double-digit ages" have never seen anything new featuring Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Charles Schulz died 12 years ago. Anyone who really remembers seeing new "Peanuts" strips would be eligible to vote next week.

There have been some new television specials since Schulz died (based on existing material from the comic strips) but yes, fresh content has been minimal, and younger demographics don't read comics in the newspaper, or even see a newspaper on any regular basis. I first got hooked on Peanuts in the early 1960's when I started reading the comics in the papers, but kids don't do that these days.

Adding to my earlier comments: There may be a parallel in the sale of LucasFilm and the Star Wars franchise to Disney. Disney will keep Star Wars fresh and relevant with new material into the foreseeable future, while keeping existing content alive. The new deal with a Peanuts movie in 2015 might be the beginning of a similar revamp and refresh for Peanuts, which would bring new generations to Charlie Brown and company, as well as stemming any revenue falloff as the Schulz comic strip fades into the past.

 

[editthis]

Very true but we're still years out from that happening and Peanuts isn't even a blip on the radar to today's youth. What's a newspaper?

 

[anotherguyTN]

I'll admit my daughter may love Peanuts because we do watch shows together, and I got her hooked on Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry as well as Peanuts. But then I also watch Spongebob and Phineas and Ferb with her as well.

 

[cd637299]

Well I think it was Schulz's choice to let "Peanuts" RIP. Almost every other comic strip has/had someone to take the reins after a cartoonist's death or retirement. Someone coulda continued the strip, but apparently Schulz felt that it wouldn't be the same, IMO.

cd

 

[nomadcowatbk]

Semi-OT: Bill Keane's son has been recycling Family Circus strips for years

 

[azumanga]

Not quite program scheduling, but commercial scheduling -- last night during the History channel's "Cajun Pawn Stars", an ad for Intuit's portable credit card processing service appeared, followed immediately by one for a similar but different service, Square.