Word: showings
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1990
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Sure, cable, independent stations and VCRs have been eating away at the network audience for much of the past decade. The remote-control device too has made viewers pickier: shows that don't grab their attention are zapped away in an instant. But the networks' woes have accelerated alarmingly this fall. Of the 22 shows introduced by ABC, CBS and NBC, not a single one is a bona fide hit. (The only new show that ranks in the Nielsen Top 30, America's Funniest People, is merely an appendage of an already established hit, America's Funniest Home Videos...
...economic slump is making matters worse. The ad market this fall has plummeted, with commercial time selling for an estimated 30% less than it fetched in the "upfront" buying last spring. As a result, the networks are making schedule changes only reluctantly. Reason: switching a show's time period forces the network to resell the commercial time -- and in the current depressed market, that could mean a substantial money loss, even if the ratings...
...main challenge for the networks, however, is to find ways of wooing back viewers who seem bored by the sameness of network programming. The success of such offbeat shows as The Simpsons and Twin Peaks early this year demonstrated that these viewers will perk up for formula-breaking fare. The result, say many TV producers, has been a rather confused quest for unusual shows. "The question is always, 'Why is this show different?' " says David Gerber, president of MGM/UA Television. "((Network programmers)) are worried that they might get a well-executed show but that it won't be different enough...
...news show managed to make a sad private mystery into something of a game. As a fat cherub wiggled his wings in a corner of the screen, the telltale questions flew. Does he or she come home smelling of perfume or alcohol? Want too much or too little sex? -- whatever that means. Spend more time than usual at work? Finally, have you recently been found to have an STD (sexually transmitted disease...
Many may disagree with that assessment, but Bennett is getting out while his stock is at its highest. Congress has just approved virtually everything that Bennett recommended for fiscal 1991. Opinion polls show that the American public has become strongly intolerant of drug use. "We're on the road to victory," Bush declared last week as he bade farewell to his rumpled drug adviser...