Author Topic: Question about double-runs ... (Read 3097 times)

SteveR · « **on:** September 01, 2009, 05:57:37 PM »

How are they scheduled, exactly? I mean they only shoot a season's worth of episodes (~200? 250?) so, at some point, the episodes that were in, say, Slot 1, start winding up in Slot 2 ... no?

And, how does that work with a show with continuing champions like Feud? I guess you can intermix the runs at any point when you have an episode with two new families.

Always was a little curious as to how that worked.

BrandonFG · « **Reply #1 on:** September 01, 2009, 06:25:21 PM »

[quote name=\'SteveR\' post=\'224684\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 05:57 PM\']How are they scheduled, exactly? I mean they only shoot a season's worth of episodes (~200? 250?) so, at some point, the episodes that were in, say, Slot 1, start winding up in Slot 2 ... no?[/quote]
Of all the double run shows, about the only two I really paid any attention to were Crosswords and Millionaire. Program Partners apparently offered 225 episodes of Crosswords, including stuff never shown during season one. The show aired from 2-3 pm in this area, and I can remember seeing the 2:00 episodes run at 2:30 within two weeks.

In the case of Millionaire, the primary eps. are current season, with the secondary eps. coming from the prior year.

MizzouRah! · « **Reply #2 on:** September 01, 2009, 07:17:04 PM »

[quote name=\'SteveR\' post=\'224684\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 04:57 PM\']How are they scheduled, exactly? I mean they only shoot a season's worth of episodes (~200? 250?) so, at some point, the episodes that were in, say, Slot 1, start winding up in Slot 2 ... no?

And, how does that work with a show with continuing champions like Feud? I guess you can intermix the runs at any point when you have an episode with two new families.

Always was a little curious as to how that worked.[/quote]I'm glad someone asked this, because it's similar to a thread I wanted to start. To me it kills continuity to the avg. viewer of shows w/ returning champions. Mr. & Mrs. Johnson sit down to watch Family Feud at 9 and family 'A' beats 'B'. They play fast money and we hear..."They'll be back next time". 3 minutes later you get family 'C' vs family 'D' and ma goes, "I wonder what happened to those other people". Obviously this isn't as bad if a station schedules individual morning and afternoon airings instead of back to back. So each package is it's own, but like fostergray82 said, package #1 slowly morphs into package 2.
And this brings me to my question about double runs...Does anyone else think this has a negative effect on long term success of shows(FF as one major exception)? Are extra eps shot for double run shows? If the standard 26 week/130 eps are taped, this means major rerun abuse in double run cities. We're in a single run city for both FF & DoND and it seems like we've just about gone through one full round of repeats. That would mean each ep. gets 4 plays in double runs.

catnap1972 · « **Reply #3 on:** September 03, 2009, 06:57:19 AM »

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'224686\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 06:25 PM\']Of all the double run shows, about the only two I really paid any attention to were Crosswords and Millionaire. Program Partners apparently offered 225 episodes of Crosswords, including stuff never shown during season one. The show aired from 2-3 pm in this area, and I can remember seeing the 2:00 episodes run at 2:30 within two weeks.[/quote]

Crosswords was all over the map in production order when they were in the original run...you might have see one of the "middle" eps during first run, while the second run might've been one of the very early shows. Probably confused the hell out of (what few) viewers (they had) when the rules and format kept changing.

gameshowcrazy · « **Reply #4 on:** September 03, 2009, 09:36:34 AM »

I always felt double runs killed shows, continuity is important with or without returning champions. The only type of show double runs is good for is sit-coms.

When Temptation had double runs in my area, it was weird how they did it: Week #1 would air at the top of the hour, then Week #2 would be in the 2nd half--so if you only watched the first show every day, you would see a whole season straight through.

I also felt watching Million Dollar Password was like watching a double run show. Game shows just don't work very well in the 2-a-day format.

One of these days, syndicators will wise up and sell a block of two game shows, 1/2 hour each so they get paired up and there won't be any double runs. A classic updated for today along with a new show would be the best move. Game shows have very short life spans (except for the rare Millionaire, Jeopardy, etc.--yeah, everyone on THIS board can name many success stories, but the % of those overall is low). Two years for any game show is truely a good run. With pairing up a classic and a new show, the one that does worse can always be replaced and the audience will every season get their comfort food and something new.

tvmitch · « **Reply #5 on:** September 03, 2009, 11:29:36 AM »

From the "selling ads" standpoint, local stations enjoy the double runs, because they can sell ad time that rotates in the whole hour. Also, they can average the ratings over that hour, so if the first show gets a 1.2, and the second show a 0.8, hey, the hour averages a 1, which evens things out and makes nice pretty round numbers.

If there were two different shows in that same hour sold as a package, Joe Advertiser might say, "I only want my ads to run in Show A, because I think I'll sell more widgets to the people who watch that show." This causes extra work for a show that gets a fraction of the ratings of other shows...it's not worth the effort and time at a certain point.

All about the Benjamins.

clemon79 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 03, 2009, 11:44:25 AM »

[quote name=\'gameshowcrazy\' post=\'224803\' date=\'Sep 3 2009, 06:36 AM\']Game shows just don't work very well in the 2-a-day format.[/quote]
The $25,000 Pyramid would like a word with you.

gameshowcrazy · « **Reply #7 on:** September 03, 2009, 04:11:22 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'224808\' date=\'Sep 3 2009, 11:44 AM\'][quote name=\'gameshowcrazy\' post=\'224803\' date=\'Sep 3 2009, 06:36 AM\']Game shows just don't work very well in the 2-a-day format.[/quote]
The $25,000 Pyramid would like a word with you.

[/quote]

So in all of gameshowdom, you found a grand total of one example?

When was that double run, and I wasn't talking one on network, and another in syndication as a PM ediiton?

CarShark · « **Reply #8 on:** September 03, 2009, 04:36:50 PM »

[quote name=\'gameshowcrazy\' post=\'224803\' date=\'Sep 3 2009, 09:36 AM\']One of these days, syndicators will wise up and sell a block of two game shows, 1/2 hour each so they get paired up and there won't be any double runs. A classic updated for today along with a new show would be the best move.[/quote]Was that what they were trying to do with The Joker's Wild and Combination Lock?

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'224808\' date=\'Sep 3 2009, 11:44 AM\'][quote name=\'gameshowcrazy\' post=\'224803\' date=\'Sep 3 2009, 06:36 AM\']Game shows just don't work very well in the 2-a-day format.[/quote]
The $25,000 Pyramid would like a word with you.

[/quote]That was the first thing I thought of, too. The only other shows I can think of that used that 2-games-a-day format are Treasure Hunt and Double Talk. TH did well in it's first-run, but that was once-weekly, so that doesn't exactly fit. Granted, when it was daily, it only lasted a year, but I don't really see how the format could be blamed for that. DT, though, might have worked better with a different scoring system.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #9 on:** September 03, 2009, 11:18:53 PM »

[quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224826\' date=\'Sep 3 2009, 04:36 PM\']The only other shows I can think of that used that 2-games-a-day format are Treasure Hunt and Double Talk.[/quote]
To Tell the Truth would like to have a word with you...

SteveR · « **Reply #10 on:** September 03, 2009, 11:22:02 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'224870\' date=\'Sep 3 2009, 11:18 PM\'][quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224826\' date=\'Sep 3 2009, 04:36 PM\']The only other shows I can think of that used that 2-games-a-day format are Treasure Hunt and Double Talk.[/quote]
To Tell the Truth would like to have a word with you...
[/quote]
They'll be carrying the mantle for What's My Line?, I've Got a Secret, The Name's the Same, You Bet Your Life, etc., etc., etc.

Don Howard · « **Reply #11 on:** September 04, 2009, 10:10:43 AM »

[quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224826\' date=\'Sep 3 2009, 04:36 PM\']Double Talk, though, might have worked better with a different scoring system.[/quote]
.....time period, network and host.
[quote name=\'gameshowcrazy\' post=\'224823\' date=\'Sep 3 2009, 04:11 PM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'224808\' date=\'Sep 3 2009, 11:44 AM\'][quote name=\'gameshowcrazy\' post=\'224803\' date=\'Sep 3 2009, 06:36 AM\']Game shows just don't work very well in the 2-a-day format.[/quote]
The $25,000 Pyramid would like a word with you.

[/quote]
So in all of gameshowdom, you found a grand total of one example?
[/quote]
And good morning to you!
I have two others. Family Feud (Dawson and Combs) and Wheel Of Fortune.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #12 on:** September 04, 2009, 01:03:57 PM »

[quote name=\'SteveR\' post=\'224871\' date=\'Sep 3 2009, 11:22 PM\']They'll be carrying the mantle for What's My Line?, I've Got a Secret, The Name's the Same, You Bet Your Life, etc., etc., etc.[/quote]
I was taking him literally about the "2-a-day" thing. Most of the other panel shows played more or less untimed rounds and got at least three games in per show, and sometimes four or even five. TTTT originally did three games per show, but for most of its modern history, including the entire seventies run, it was strictly two a day.

SteveR · « **Reply #13 on:** September 04, 2009, 11:39:56 PM »

*palm to forehead* -- i was reading it as two 'games' in one show presentation.

But yeah ... I get it now. There's a whole other list .....