Re: FW: Shoptalk

[Shawn Mamros <mamros@MIT.EDU>]

>> I noticed that WBZ TV-4 had the Time-Life infomercial on
>> as well. It was very strange to see this programming on at
>> that hour, on a major station.
>> 
>How does this crap help sagging audience? I tuned out for a cable
>channel.

Ah, but the amount of audience a station has has only a second-order
effect on the bottom line.  Infomercials are guaranteed income at a
fixed rate, regardless of how many people watch.  As long as the
infomercial brings in more money than regular programming would, then
it's a net gain for the station, *even if no one is watching*.

Of course, that sort of thinking backfires if the adjacent shows that
do require an audience to attract advertisers - including the news -
receive less viewers as a result of the infomercials being there.

Whatever... It's not as if the syndicated fare that the infomercials
would be replacing is exactly riveting programming.  Thank goodness
that Channel 5 still has Chronicle - long may Hearst-Argyle's bean-
counters continue to overlook it...  (Not that I'm doubting that
Chronicle gets good ratings, but I wonder what its relative cost is
vs. what it costs to get tape or a satellite feed from elsewhere...
And actually, I've seen old Chronicles on cable in other markets -
forget which channel, though - so Channel 5 is doubtless generating
income from it that way, too...)

- -Shawn Mamros
E-mail to: mamros@mit.edu

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