Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Asia Pacific
World
Search
Search:
Leno decision shows retreat from 10 p.m. dramas
By DAVID BAUDER,AP Television Writer AP - 2 hours 7 minutes ago
NEW YORK - NBC's decision to give Jay Leno a show each weeknight leaves CBS and ABC the only major broadcasters still in the business of making scripted dramas for the last hour of prime-time.
Viewing habits are changing, and the well-turned adult drama is one more genre that broadcasters no longer have uniquely to themselves.
Let's pause here for a moment of silence and remember the fall of 1994, when the three networks aired "ER," "Chicago Hope," "Law & Order," "Homicide: Life on the Street," "NYPD Blue" and "Northern Exposure" at 10 p.m., 9 central time.
So far this season, not one program that airs in that hour is among the 10 most popular prime-time shows, according to Nielsen Media Research. "CSI: Miami," at No. 11, comes closest.
Meanwhile, six of Nielsen's top 10 shows air at 9 p.m. EST/PST, among them "Grey's Anatomy," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Desperate Housewives" and "The Mentalist."
Is 9 the new 10?
Networks have frequently used the 9 p.m. hour to air popular shows in the hope that viewers will stick around to try something new at 10. It hasn't worked much lately, but a textbook example was ABC using "Desperate Housewives" to introduce "Grey's Anatomy" a few years back.
Struggling networks are now contending with an unanticipated problem for their 10 p.m. shows _ the digital video recorder. Instead of trying something new at 10, more people are simply watching something they've taped earlier.
"The 10 o'clock hour is still a very good hour for the networks," said David Poltrack, CBS' chief researcher. "It's just that some of the people are watching the 9 o'clock shows."
One thing Leno might have going for him is that people may be less likely to tape live, topical comedy to possibly watch later than they would a scripted drama, said Tim Brooks, author of "The Complete Directory to Prime-time Network and Cable TV Shows."
CBS remains bullish about the later hour, where it has "Without a Trace," "Numb3rs" and the two "CSI" spinoffs on the schedule this year.
"I know you've heard (for) a couple of days that the model is broken," said CBS Corp. chief executive Leslie Moonves at a media conference last week. "I'm here to tell you _ the model ain't broken. The model works ... You can still make a lot of money in network television; we are making a lot of money in network television. We like 10 o'clock shows."
ABC has had less success in the time slot this season; only "Brothers & Sisters" is making some noise. Fox, the CW and My Network TV leave that hour to their local affiliates.
Over the past 15 years, average viewership at 10 p.m. on ABC, CBS and NBC has dropped by 44 percent, according to Nielsen. But it's not particular to that hour; viewership for all of prime time is down 43 percent.
Trouble for some people is opportunity for others. Many cable networks consider 10 p.m. their prime-time, since it's a good hour for younger viewers, and Fox and the CW aren't competing. Of the year's 10 most popular original dramas on cable networks, seven air at that hour _ not even including series like "Mad Men" or "Californication."
Only in the past few years have networks like TNT, USA, FX and AMC begun making original dramas.
Viewers have more choice now, not less, said Michael Wright, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies. Young viewers don't distinguish between broadcast and cable, he said.
"We are keenly aware that there are still people who are discovering original dramas on cable," Wright said. "There's still a big upside for us."
___
On the Net:
http://www.cbs.com
http://www.nbc.com
http://www.abc.com
___
EDITOR'S NOTE _ David Bauder can be reached at dbauder"at"ap.org
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Recommend this article
Average (0 votes)
Sign in to recommend this article »
Most Recommended Stories »
Related Articles: Entertainment & Lifestyle
NEA study: Theaters vulnerable during recessionAP - 1 hour 22 minutes ago
Tricks of the trade: the illusion of the costumeAFP - 1 hour 34 minutes ago
Leno decision shows retreat from 10 p.m. dramasAP - 2 hours 7 minutes ago
AP critics pick top films of 2008AP - 2 hours 7 minutes ago
No-show Queen of Soul pipes up at benefit concertAP - Monday, December 15
Most Popular – Entertainment
Viewed
Actress Jennifer Aniston appears naked in GQ magazine
Queen Elizabeth II reins in extravagance as credit crunch grips
Fortis bank, saved from collapse, again on shaky ground
Russia crowned Miss World 2008 in African event
White House: no action on auto bailout while Bush in Iraq
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular