History of Television and Radio
Worksheet 3
Name:
When completing Worksheet 2, some of you described “trade publications” as a third type of publication besides academic and popular. Trades are written for workers in
a particular industry, and entertainment trades are useful sources for information about the economic structure and labor and production practices of the television
industry. Entertainment trades like Variety, Deadline, and Broadcasting and Cable often use industry-specific vocabulary and jargon. (If you are interested in a funny
introduction to so-called “Variety speak,” watch this Animaniacs video.)
This assignment is meant to introduce you to trade magazines and to contemporary issues related to the TV industry. Read the attached articles and answer 8 of the
following questions. (That means you may skip one.) Be as specific as possible. The first few questions generally refer to the Holloway article, and the last few are
about the Andreeva piece. Then, complete the additional questions listed at the bottom of the page. These are part of the grade and will give you some easy additional
points.
Nellie Andreeva, “Network Ownership & In-Season Stacking Rights Rule 2016 Upfronts: In-Depth Look.” Deadline, May 19, 2016.
Daniel Holloway. “TV’s New Normal: How Shorter Runs, Fewer Episodes Are Revitalizing Primetime.” Variety, May 17, 2016.
Which type of show is typically more successful in broadcast (local station) or cable channel syndication: serialized shows like Mad Men or a “case of the week”
procedurals like Law & Order? Why?
Ten years ago, were there more or fewer reruns on broadcast network schedules? Why?
What’s the minimum number of seasons necessary for a show to be licensed to a Streaming Video On Demand (SVOD) service like Netflix or Amazon Prime? How is this
different from the broadcast syndication norm?
Why are networks particularly eager to own the programs they air, even more so than they were ten or 15 years ago?
What are “stacking rights”? Do stacking rights increase or decrease the appeal of a show to SVOD services like Netflix?
Are international distribution license fees (fees paid for the right to distribute programs in other countries) increasing or decreasing? If a show is co-produced by a
network and an outside studio, which will most likely benefit the most from these fees, the network or the studio?
Why would outside studios like Sony agree to co-ownership deals with networks, like CBS and NBC, on its new programs?
Of the four major broadcast networks (NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX), which will be the most vertically integrated for the next season?
Why didn’t NBC pursue an ownership stake in This Is Us, which is produced by FOX?
Additional questions:
What was your favorite screening in this class? What was your least favorite?
Is there a topic that you wish we spent more time discussing?
