Deck 8: Programs and Programming Basics

Question 1

The strategy of __________ is used to choose programs that appeal to the subsets of the mass audience most likely to buy the advertisers' products.

A)parsimony principle
B)shared use
C)syndication
D)targeting
E)bartering

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The term "psychographics" is used to describe the ________ of certain audiences.

A)achievement quotient
B)lifestyle and interests
C)physiological attributes
D)socioeconomic status
E)age and gender

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Radio station dayparts include

A)drivetime.
B)prime time.
C)access time.
D)late fringe time.
E)early fringe time.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In which daypart is stripping not a common practice for broadcast television networks?

A)Early fringe
B)Daytime
C)Late night
D)Prime time
E)Access time

Question 5

The movement of viewers or listeners from one program to another is called

A)audience flow.
B)audience scheduling.
C)bridging.
D)grazing.
E)flipping.

Question 6

When a television network places four situation comedies into a two-hour time period, this is a good example of __________ programming.

A)access
B)bridge
C)counter
D)strip
E)block

Question 7

When a local independent station schedules situation comedies opposite an hour of network and local news programs, this is a good example of __________ programming.

A)continuity
B)bridge
C)counter
D)hammock
E)access

Question 8

The programming strategy of repetition is used most effectively by

A)cable networks.
B)commercial networks.
C)radio stations.
D)independent television stations.
E)affiliated television stations.

Question 9

This scheduling strategy holds that successful programs may be scheduled anywhere because serious- minded fans will follow it.

A)LOP
B)Clustering
C)Appointment television
D)Viewer inertia
E)Grazing

Question 10

Which of the following terms best describes the way most syndicated, half-hour, off-network programs are scheduled by local television stations?

A)Access
B)Hammock
C)Stripped
D)Block
E)Stunting

Question 11

The license fees charged to commercial networks by producers for the right to air a program

A)cover the full costs of production.
B)cover all costs except the producer's fee.
C)cover all costs except for program promotion.
D)cover all costs except for the stars' salaries.
E)rarely cover the full cost of production.

Question 12

Which type of programs do local stations like to air as off-network syndicated programs because they lend themselves to strip scheduling and effective promotion?

A)Dramatic series
B)Game shows
C)Situation comedies
D)Made-for-TV movies
E)Miniseries

Question 13

An off-network syndicated program is one that has been

A)rejected by the network's regular affiliate but broadcast by another station in the same market.
B)rejected by the network but acceptable for syndication.
C)provided by an affiliate for playback at a later time.
D)developed first by a local station and then moved to prime-time network status.
E)once broadcast by a network and now offered to individual stations on a syndicated basis.

Question 14

Upon obtaining this provision, a station gets the sole right to show a product within the buyer's own broadcast market for the term of the deal.

A)Exclusive broadcast rights
B)First-run syndication rights
C)Prime-time access rights
D)Fin/syn rights
E)Off-network rights

Question 15

At one time, these rules severely limited network freedom to participate in production and ownership of prime-time programs or in their domestic syndication.

A)Syndex rules
B)First-run syndication rules
C)Prime-time access rules
D)Fin/syn rules
E)Off-network rules

Question 16

Game shows and magazine-news shows that air during access time, such as Jeopardy!, Hard Copy, and Entertainment Tonight, are examples of

A)first-run syndication.
B)off-network syndication.
C)original licensing.
D)fin-syn syndication.
E)on-network syndication.

Question 17

Radio stations may purchase ready-made syndicated country music selections from a(n)

A)feature syndicator.
B)format syndicator.
C)network.
D)off-network syndicator.
E)on-network syndicator.

Question 18

Programs produced specifically for the syndication market are called

A)theatricals.
B)local offers.
C)first-run programs.
D)infotainment programs.
E)affiliate offers.

Question 19

Most syndicated feature radio programs

A)are produced especially for different radio formats.
B)are off-network reruns.
C)can have multiple plays on a station over a two-year time period.
D)are produced for specific stations to provide local appeal.
E)provide sports programming only.

Question 20

The term __________ refers either to the organization of a single program (CBS Evening News) or to the organization of an entire service (CNN as all news).

A)format
B)formula
C)genre
D)series
E)schema

Question 21

The major television networks rely primarily on __________ for news footage.

A)international sources
B)their own staffs
C)other networks
D)amateur reporters
E)local stations

Question 22

Most broadcast television network sports broadcasts are produced by

A)the networks themselves.
B)production companies that specialize in televising sports.
C)a shared production pool made up of the four major commercial networks.
D)ESPN.
E)PrimeSports.

Question 23

MTV's success includes all of the following except

A)changing the way people listen to music.
B)the resurgence in variety programs.
C)paying for exclusive windows for some videos.
D)other TV programs adopting the MTV "look."
E)rescuing the record industry from the early 1980's sales slump.

Question 24

When a new television series is created and stars characters who played secondary roles on a successful television series, the shows is commonly referred to as a

A)clone.
B)spin-off.
C)stunt.
D)telenovela.
E)follow-up.

Question 25

Originally intended to promote record sales, __________ are a TV genre in their own right.

A)variety programs
B)music videos
C)home shopping networks
D)talk shows
E)interactive game shows

Question 26

Music networks such as Westwood One

A)have been replaced by radio network talk shows.
B)offer local and regional news to their affiliates.
C)produce programs for specific stations for an extra fee.
D)offer programs in an "all or none" package, in a practice resembling block booking.
E)offer numerous music formats for specialized audiences.

Question 27

The primary reason soap operas and game shows are a staple of daytime television is because they

A)are inexpensive to produce.
B)attract a large, demographically varied audience.
C)allow for flexible scheduling.
D)can be shown as reruns.
E)can be syndicated for later replay on cable.

Question 28

More radio stations play __________ music than any other type of music except rock.

A)adult contemporary
B)beautiful
C)country
D)contemporary hit
E)hip-hop

Question 29

This most popular informational format occurs mostly on commercial AM stations.

A)All-sports
B)Talk radio
C)Educational radio
D)Community radio
E)Religious

Question 30

Many local television stations, notably those in the major markets, have extended the length of their evening newscasts because

A)news has become a popular and profitable commodity.
B)there is more news to report.
C)FCC regulations require longer newscasts.
D)newscasts are less expensive to produce than other kinds of programs.
E)they want to counter news programs offered on cable systems.

Question 31

A 24-hour major television news service is provided by

A)Lifetime.
B)ESPN.
C)PBS.
D)WTBS.
E)CNN

Question 32

Network television programmers value sports programs primarily because

A)they target the hard-to-reach middle-class male audience.
B)they fill the need for weekend programming.
C)of their low cost.
D)of their ability to entice lucrative advertising.
E)the programs are predictable.

Question 33

In 1996 the FCC directed broadcasters to meet children's television programming needs by carrying a minimum of __________ hours of children's programs weekly between 7 a.m.and 10 p.m.

A)two
B)three
C)four
D)Five
E)six

Question 34

Which of the following is not an issue regarding children's television?

A)Sex and violence on television.
B)Shortage of age-specific programs.
C)Lack of suitable role models.
D)Cable channels specifically aimed at children.
E)Exploitation of children by advertisers.

Question 35

Producers often use the Internet for all of the following except to

A)supplement content provided through other channels.
B)create new content for consumers.
C)"repurpose" existing programming.
D)provide video programming comparable to VHF television.
E)provide audio programming comparable to AM radio.

Question 36

The most cost-efficient way of advertising television programs is

A)local newspaper ads.
B)on-air promotional spots.
C)radio advertising.
D)television program guides.
E)magazine ads.

Question 37

Station announcements that promote an entire series are referred to as

A)specific.
B)episodic.
C)voice-overs.
D)teasers.
E)generic.

Question 38

The phrase "vast wasteland" comes from an address by __________ to the National Association of Broadcasters in 1961.

A)Freida Hennock
B)Mark Fowler
C)John
D)Newton Minow
E)Jesse Jackson

Question 39

The term most often used to describe the appeal of the majority of commercial programs is __________ taste.

A)bad
B)critical
C)high
D)popular
E)diverse

Question 40

In the final analysis, the television industry is in the business of selling people to advertisers.

Question 41

Radio has further refined the process of targeting by segmentation, or defining extremely narrow subsets of the potential radio audience.

Question 42

In 1996 no top-rated morning or afternoon drive-time broadcasts were on AM stations in the nation's ten largest markets.

Question 43

Use of "seamless," commercial-free transitions from one show to another is called stripping.

Question 44

Remote control devices and video recorders have made tracking audience flow more difficult.

Question 45

If a network decides to air a new program during the middle of the season and to schedule the program between two strong programs, it is using the bridging scheduling strategy.

Question 46

Radio programmers use the concept of a radio station format clock in scheduling.

Question 47

Network exposure for programs makes them highly salable and profitable in domestic syndication markets.

Question 48

When cable systems, television stations, and networks carry syndicated programs, they can do so indefinitely because they usually purchase all rights to the shows.

Question 49

Magazine and tabloid-news shows that air during access time, such as "Entertainment Tonight," are examples of off-network syndication.

Question 50

Soap opera fans usually do not mind disruption in their daytime programs for coverage of special events.

Question 51

In television, access time is the hour just after a network's prime-time schedule.

Question 52

Programs can be classified according to several systems, including content, format, and genre.

Question 53

Infotainment programs take on an aura of information but aim primarily at providing entertainment.

Question 54

In the future, more in-house production and distribution of entertainment programs will exist.

Question 55

At the local level, television stations must rely solely on their network affiliate for national and international news stories.

Question 56

Radio networks often pay compensation to major-market affiliates, but radio syndicators usually charge for their programs.

Question 57

The addressable cable technology that threatens over-the-air delivery of sporting events is PPV.

Question 58

ESPN devotes the major portion of its programs to children.

Question 59

Networks usually produce mega-sports events such as the World Series and the Super Bowl.

Question 60

The interactive capacity of the Internet allows broadcast and cable producers to better target the products they offer on their broadcast and cable channels.

Question 61

Pay-cable networks schedule elaborately produced billboards of upcoming programs as filler between the end of one show and the start of the next.

Question 62

Contrast network prime-time programming with programs found in daytime, early morning, late night, and weekend time slots.

Question 63

Describe the various classifications in programming: local, network, syndicated, format, and genre.

Question 64

Describe these scheduling strategies: counterprogramming, block programming, stripping, leading-in, leading-out, hot switching, hammocking, bridging, repetition, and stunting.

Question 65

What is the difference between the concepts of LOP and appointment television?

Question 66

Describe the radio programming process.

Question 67

How do exclusive broadcast rights affect what viewers receive on television?

Question 68

Describe the roles networks and local stations play in today's radio programming mix.

Question 69

Discuss current issues surrounding one of the following program types: news, sports, or children's programs.

Question 70

Outline the six-category, age-based rating system for programs.

Question 71

Is television a "vast wasteland"? Defend your answer.