My TV mini-rant

[sabotai]

Enough with the friggin repeats! Why can't a channel just take the new episodes and play them in a row? I'm watching House right now....another repeats. They show 2 new episodes, repeat a few, then 1 or 2 more new ones, then some more repeats...1 new one, a few more weeks of repeats.

Seriously, enough already. Just give us all of the new episodes damn it. I really hope FX doesn't do the same with The Shield when the new season starts next week....

[Mustang]

And yet.. the TV execs will sit around and wonder why a show failed...

[JonInMiddleGA]

Enough with the friggin repeats! Why can't a channel just take the new episodes and play them in a row? I'm watching House right now....another repeats. They show 2 new episodes, repeat a few, then 1 or 2 more new ones, then some more repeats...1 new one, a few more weeks of repeats.

from www.nielsenmedia.com
What are the sweep periods?
Sweeps are designated months during the year when Nielsen Media Research measures all local markets. We survey the majority of our 210 local television markets in November, February, May and July (Local People Meter markets, however, are measured 365 days a year). These months are known as “sweep” months, and the data are used by local stations and cable systems to set local advertising rates and to make program decisions. The term “sweep” originated in the 1950s, when Nielsen Media Research mailed and processed diaries to sample households, starting with the East Coast and “sweeping” across the nation.


Basically, the idea is to give you just enough non-repeats outside of sweeps to ensure that you'll be around when those ratings periods take place.

[henry296]

Another point. The typical TV season is 40 weeks and most shows tape about 22 episodes. Therefore you get 18 weeks of repeats during those non-sweeps periods

[Easy Mac]

To add on, the thinking is most people aren't really in a TV mode around December. They're out shopping, hanging with friends, there's a lot of college football on. No need throwing away a couple of episodes of shows.

New episodes start next week for most shows (i think earl and the office are new Thursday however, and scrubs was new tonight, but NBC has to squeeze shows in before the olympics).

[stevew]

It would be one thing if they used Reality shows to fill in the 18 weeks of non new TV programming, but unfortunately the reality shows pass for New TV Programming and regular shows. At least Fox will run a show 24 straight weeks, and in the past had higher episodes per season for shows like Melrose place and 90210.

I'd prefer some system where shows start with a 8-10 episode mini season, which end with a cliffhanger during the November sweeps. And then end with another 12-14 episode "Mini-season" that runs from February to May(with about 3 weeks off in between).