1
The Television
Production
Industry
Objectives
• Identify the various areas within the
television production industry and recall
the unique characteristics of each.
• Explain the roles of networks and
affiliates in the process of scheduling
programming.
• Summarize how the cost of an ad is
determined.
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Growth of Television Technology
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April 9, 1927–First television transmission
1946–First color television demonstrated
1948–Cable television introduced
1976–First home video recorder available
1995–Over one billion television sets
worldwide
• June 12, 2009–U.S. analog broadcasts
cease; all digital broadcasting begins in U.S.
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Broadcast Jobs Outlook
• Conversion to digital broadcasting
• Many analog jobs disappear
• Many new digital jobs are created
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Broadcast vs. Non-broadcast
Production Job Outlook
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Areas of Television Production
• Broadcast
• Commercial Broadcast Television
• Programming free to consumer
• Programming availability area limited only by
strength of broadcast signal
• For-profit business; revenue generated by sale
of advertising time
• Ad/spot
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Areas of Television Production (Cont.)
• Subscriber Television
• Fee based
• Signal carried via:
• Satellite
• Cable
• Both satellite and cable
• Fiber optic lines
• Requires additional equipment
• Local government determines coverage area
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Areas of Television Production (Cont.)
• Educational Television
• Usually nonprofit
• Transmission can be anything from broadcast to
individual DVDs
• Usually funded by grants
• Support or replay classes
• Inform public about any topic
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Areas of Television Production
(Cont.)
• Industrial Television
or Corporate
Television
• Communicate
information to
specific audience
• Training
• Meetings
• Promotional
information
• Post programming
on Internet for 24/7
access worldwide
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Areas of Television Production (Cont.)
• Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)
• Sent to extremely small, user-defined private
area
• Surveillance television
• Home Video
• Usually for archival momentos
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Discussion
What are some examples of productions
categorized as “non-broadcast productions”?
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Video Production Companies
• Large-scale Video Production Companies
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Large budget
Large staff
Multi-camera
Shot on location or studio
Productions usually sold to networks
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Video Production Companies (Cont.)
• Small-scale Video Production Companies
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Limited staff
Limited equipment
Limited budget
Produce videos of private or small events
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Broadcast Networks and Affiliates
• Network
• Affiliates belong to network
• Network provides some programming to
affiliates
• News
• Prime time dramas, comedies, reality shows
• Sports
• Special events
• Networks do not provide 24/7 programming
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Broadcast Networks and Affiliates
(Cont.)
• Affiliate
• Aligns with a network
• Must purchase or create programming for hours
not covered by network
• Syndicated programming
• Local origination programming
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Syndication
• “Leasing” program or bundle of programs
to a station
• Programs with 3-year network run
minimum
• Specified number of episodes
• Specified number of times episodes can run
• Specified number of years in lease
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Types of Syndicated Programming
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Dramas
Comedies
Talk shows
Game shows
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Cooking shows
Animated shows
Children’s shows
Movies
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Contracting for
Syndicated Programming
• Factors to consider:
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Time and day program will run
Demographics for that time and day
Size of audience for that time and day
Competing stations for same time and day
Budget
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Local Origination
• Programming created in specific area
• Designed to be shown to audience in that
same area
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Local
Local
Local
Local
news
sports
events
special programming
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Discussion
Why are demographics a major factor in
deciding which syndicated programs
stations will lease?
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Financing Programming Decisions
• Ads bring money into station
• Ratings determine advertising rates
• Money must cover:
• Station overhead
• E.g., salaries, facilities, equipment
• Cost of production
• Production costs
• Syndication costs
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
What Are Ratings?
• Indicates size of viewing audience
• Potential viewers who may see advertisers spot
• Higher audience potential allows station to
raise advertising rate
• Television program’s rating is not indication
of quality
• Ratings indicate size of audience watching, not if
program is good
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Discussion
If there was a program on the air that you
found objectionable or offensive, what
could you do about it?
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How a Program Is Cancelled
• Audience becomes small and, therefore,
ratings go down
• Advertising rates go down
• Network/station can no longer earn enough
money to pay for station overhead and
program costs
• Program is replaced by another program
that earns more revenue
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Career Page
• Competition is expected for many jobs
• Particularly in large metropolitan areas
• Large number of job seekers attracted to this
industry
• Successful applicants:
• College degree in broadcasting, journalism, or
related field
• Relevant work experience, such as college
radio and television stations or professional
internships
*As reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Career Page
• Technology in broadcasting is changing
rapidly
• Workers must continually update skills and be
knowledgeable with computer applications
• Smaller markets and stations are more
willing to hire workers with little job
experience
• Large stations usually only hire people
with more experience
*As reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Review Question
How does subscriber television differ from
commercial broadcast television?
Commercial television–For profit, revenue
from ads, intended to be free to anyone with
antennae within range, limited channels
available.
Subscriber television–Available only in
specific, local-government-defined areas to
consumers who pay subscription fees;
hundreds of channels available; premium
sports or movie packages available for
additional fees. Sometimes known as “cable
TV” or “satellite TV.” Often utilizes fiber
optics, as well.
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Review Question
You own a company that manufactures bird
feeders and want to promote the product on
television. Explain process of getting ad to
air—follow the dollar.
Hire production company to make ad; take
ad to television network or station;
determine best days and times for your ad
to air; contract with a station and pay rate
required to air your ad
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Review Question
Explain the concept of syndication.
After program airs for at least three years, old
episodes can be bundled and made available for
lease to television stations. Stations lease rights to
air programs specified number of times per week for
set number of months. Several different programs
may be bundled together as package of five
comedies or five dramas, for example. Rate the
station pays depends on size of potential audience.
Syndicated programs usually run during broadcast
day, at times when network does not provide
network programming.
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Review Question
If a local station does not air syndicated
programs when network is not providing
programs, what must it do to fill remaining
hours?
Station must create programming itself. This
usually takes the form of local news and/or
sports programming.
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Review Question
Explain relationship between critical acclaim
and program ratings.
There is no relationship. Ratings merely
indicate size of viewing audience for
program. Critical acclaim is positive opinions
of television critics. Critical acclaim often
draws audience members to watch program,
thereby increasing size of audience and
ratings. However, many programs receive
critical acclaim and increased audience
numbers/ratings never materialize.
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Glossary
• ad: A television advertisement for a
product or service. Also commonly called
a spot.
• affiliate: A broadcast station that has
aligned itself with a particular network.
The network provides a certain number
of hours of daily programming. The
affiliate is responsible for providing the
remainder of programming to fill the
daily schedule.
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Glossary
• broadcast: The television signal travels
through the air from one antenna to
another antenna.
• closed circuit television (CCTV):
Television where the signal is sent
through wires and serves only an
extremely small, private predetermined
area.
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Glossary
• commercial broadcast television:
This type of television production facility
is “for-profit.” The television signal is
sent via a transmitter tower through the
air and is free for anyone with an
antenna to receive it.
• educational television: Television that
aims to inform the public about various
topics. This includes television
programming that supports classroom
studies and replays classroom sessions.
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Glossary
• home video: Videotaped records of
family events and activities taken by
someone using a consumer camcorder.
• industrial television: Television that
communicates relevant information to a
specific audience, such as job training
videos. Also commonly called corporate
television.
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Glossary
• large-scale video production
companies: Facilities with sufficient
staff and equipment to produce multicamera, large-budget programming shot
on location or in studios for broadcast
networks or cable networks.
• local origination: Programming made
in a specific geographic area, to be
shown to the public in that same
geographic area.
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Glossary
• network: A corporation that bundles a
collection of programs (sports, news,
and entertainment) and makes the
program bundles available exclusively to
its affiliates. Generally, networks
produce some of their own
programming, but do not produce all of
their own programs.
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Glossary
• small-scale video production
companies: Businesses with limited
staff and equipment resources. They
thrive on producing videos of private
events, commercials for local
businesses, home inventories for
insurance purposes, seminars, legal
depositions, and real estate videos.
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Glossary
• subscriber television: Fee-for-service
programming where customers pay
scheduled fees based on the selected
programming package. The television
signals are transported by satellite
transmission, by underground cables, or
a combination of both.
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Glossary
• surveillance television: A form of
CCTV that is usually, but not always,
used for security purposes. The cameras
used in the system are always
interconnected to a closed circuit
television system.
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.
Glossary
• syndication: The process of making a
specified number of program episodes
available for “lease” to other networks or
individual broadcast stations, after the
current network’s contract for the
program expires.
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Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.