Program Guide

Our Definition

Broadcast programming, or scheduling, is the practice of organizing TV or radio programs in a daily, weekly, or season-long schedule. Modern broadcasters regularly change the scheduling of their programs to build an audience for a new show, keep that audience, or struggle with other broadcasters' programs. TV scheduling secrets are employed to give programs the best likely chance of tempting and keeping an audience. Digitally based broadcast programming mechanisms are known as Electronic program guides. At a micro level, scheduling is the minute planning of the transmission ; what to send out and when, making sure that each 2nd of airtime is covered. In broadcasting, dayparting is the practice of dividing the day into many parts, during every one of which a different kind of radio programming or TV programming acceptable for that time is aired. Programs are most frequently aimed toward a selected demographic, and what the target market generally engages in at that point.

Having special theme days, or theme weeks like "Shark Week". Running a syndicated TV series each day of the week.

It is frequently prohibited to describing the displaying of shows which were weekly in their first run ; The West Wing might be stripped, but not Jeopardy. , as daily is the schedule for which it is meant.


Stacking is a method used to develop audience flow by grouping together programs with similar appeals to "sweep" the spectator along from one program to the subsequent ( Vane and Gross, 1994, p.175 ). Counterprogramming is employed when a period of time is crammed with a program whose appeal is not the same as the opponent program because it's a different idiom or appeals to a different demographic. Bridging is being used when a station makes an attempt to forestall the fans from changing channels in a junction point - the main evening breaks where all channels stop programs and shift gear ( Ellis, two thousand ). This is achieved in some ways including : having a program already in progress and something forcing taking place at a junction point, running a program late so that folk 'hang around' and miss the beginning of other programs, or advertising the subsequent program in the credits of the prior. In tent pole programming the programmers bank on a well known series having so much audience appeal that they can place 2 unknown series on either side, and it's the power of the central program which will bring the others along to victory.

A method used by broadcasters whereby an unpopular program is lined up between 2 preferred ones in the hope that viewers will watch it.


Public-service broadcasters use this as a strategy of promoting heavy but valuable content. Cross-programming involves the interconnection of 2 shows. This is achieved by pulling a storyline over 2 episodes of 2 different programs. In hotswitching the programmers eliminate any kind of commercial break when one program ends and another starts ; this straight away hooks the onlookers into watching the subsequent program without an opportunity to modify the channel between programs.