TRAC Scheduling Assistant / December 2010

Another Month, Another Pledge Drive

We’re sure that everyone is becoming old hands at this pledge thing. After all, we do it enough to be subject matter experts. As usual, most stations will start pledging the weekend after Thanksgiving and go for at least nine days. However, plenty of stations will extend the drive to as many as sixteen days – or more. Your assignment, should you choose to accept, will be to craft a schedule that draws on the strengths of PBS titles (new and extant) and the rest of the pledge inventory from the usual suspects, including local assets. You’re not in this alone. Read the TRAC demographic and timeslot materials, talk to your colleagues at the station and around the system. Go forth and schedule!

December 2010 NPS – A Week by Week Walkthrough

Week 1 (12/1 – 12/4) / Title (No Common Carriage Due to Pledging) / Proj. Rating
Wednesday, 12/1 / Breakfast Special (r) / 1.2
To Market to Market to Buy a Fat Pig (r) / 1.2
A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway (r) / 0.8
Thursday, 12/2 / The New This Old House Hour / 0.7
Antiques Roadshow “San Antonio, TX” (r) / 1.0
In Performance at the White “A Broadway Celebration” (r) / 0.6
Friday, 12/3 / Washington Week (shortened) / 0.6
Need to Know / 0.5
Breakfast Special (r) / 0.7
  • The week is rife with repeats as PBS recognizes two things: pledge is about to begin and December HUT levels begin the inevitable slide downward. Rick Sebak specials are always popular, even in umpteenth repeat, so Wednesday is not a bad schedule. The repeat Great Perfs on Thursday is not a bad program to have around heading into pledge – it reminds your members that we still do this sort of television.

Week 2 (12/5–12/11) / Title (No Common Carriage Due to Pledging) / Proj. Rating
Sunday, 12/5 / Nature “The Dragon Chronicles” (r) / 0.9
Independent Lens “Chicago 10” (r) / 0.6
Monday, 12/6 / Antiques Roadshow “San Antonio, TX” (r) / 2.0
The Adirondacks (r) / 1.1
Tuesday, 12/7 / NOVA “Absolute Zero” (r) / 0.8
Frontline / 0.7
Independent Lens “Dirt! The Movie” (r) / 0.7
Wednesday, 12/8 / Great Performances “Peter & the Wolf” (r) / 0.6
L.A. Celebration 2010 / 0.4
Christmas at Belmont (r) / 0.5
Thursday, 12/9 / The New This Old House Hour / 0.7
L.A. Celebration 2010 (r) / 0.4
Great Performances “Peter & the Wolf” (r) / 0.4
Friday, 12/10 / L.A. Celebration 2010 (r) / 0.3
  • Obviously pledge is in full swing at this point. PBS not only delivers a repeat Nature on Sunday, but an oddly placed repeat of Indy Lens “Chicago 10.” For stations not pledging the NPS delivers very early holiday specials for your schedule. It seems to get earlier every year.

Week 3 (12/12–12/18) / Title (Common Carriage in bold) / Proj. Rating
Sunday, 12/12 / Nature “The Desert Lions” (r) / 0.8
Great Performances “Dancer in America…Nutcracker” (r) / 0.6
Monday, 12/13 / Antiques Roadshow “San Antonio, TX” (r) / 2.0
Christmas at Concordia – Journey to Bethlehem / 1.2
A Renaissance Christmas (r) / 0.6
Tuesday, 12/14 / Nova “Hunting the Hidden Dimension” (r) / 0.8
Frontline / 0.6
Independent Lens “45365” / 0.5
Wednesday, 12/15 / Christmas at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Paris: The Luminous Years
Thursday, 12/16 / The This Old House Hour
Antiques Roadshow “San Antonio, TX” (r)
Christmas at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (r)
Friday, 12/17 / Great Performances “Dancer in America…Nutcracker” (r)
  • Common Carriage returns and the holiday bent continues. The new title to hang some hope on is Paris: The Luminous Years. While the doc may be considered esoteric, it’s possible that the allure of the city alone will bring some curious eyeballs.

Week 4 (12/19–12/25) / Title (Common Carriage in bold) / Proj. Rating
Sunday, 12/19 / Nature “Christmas in Yellowstone” (r) / 1.2
Masterpiece Contemporary “Endgame” (r) / 0.8
Monday, 12/20 / Antiques Roadshow “Naughty or Nice” / 2.5
Independent Lens “The Calling” / 0.5
Tuesday, 12/21 / Nova “Artic Dinosaur” (r) / 1.0
Independent Lens “The Calling” / 0.4
Wednesday, 12/22 / Secrets of the Dead “Battle for the Bible” (r) / 1.1
The Buddha (r) / 1.0
Thursday, 12/23 / The This Old House Hour / 0.8
Antiques Roadshow “Naughty or Nice” (r) / 1.1
L.A. Celebration 2010 (r) / 0.4
Friday, 12/24 / Christmas at Concordia – Journey to Bethlehem (r) / 0.5
  • NPS repeats abound until Monday when the NPS delivers another “all-new” Antiques Roadshow compilation episode and the premiere of the two-night Indy Lens series “The Calling.” A handful of religious-focused titles have done well in the past, but it remains to be seen if “The Calling” has the same broad appeal. An encore of The Buddha on Wednesday helps round out our religious theme for the week.

Week 5 (12/26–12/31) / Title (Common Carriage in bold) / Proj. Rating
Sunday, 12/26 / Nature “Cloud’s Legacy: The Wild Stallion…” (r) / 1.4
Masterpiece Contemporary “Framed” / 0.8
William Kentridge: Anything is Possible (r) / 0.5
Monday, 12/27 / Antiques Roadshow “Trash to Treasure” (r) / 2.0
American Masters “Genius Within: …Glenn Gould” / 0.5
Tuesday, 12/28 / NOVA “Secrets Beneath the Ice” / 1.2
Frontline / 0.8
Independent Lens “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill” (r) / 0.8
Wednesday, 12/29 / Tavis Smiley Reports “Gustavo Dudamel” / 0.4
Great Performances “Celebracion: Gustavo…” / 0.4
Thursday, 12/30 / The This Old House Hour / 0.7
Antiques Roadshow “Trash to Treasure” (r) / 1.0
William Kentridge: Anything is Possible (r) / 0.4
Friday, 12/31 / Live from Lincoln Center “New York…Lang Lang” / 1.2
  • The sprinkling of new titles this week are as varied as the timeslots represented. The Masterpiece Contemporary “Framed” finally premiers after being held over from November. In general, the contemporary titles don’t fare well with the usual Masterpiece crowd and “Framed” seems destined to underperform. Consider sliding it to the 3rd hour.American Masters film on “Glenn Gould” could fare well with the arts crowd and may hold on to some of the ARS audience. NOVA ends the month with a new episode that is begging for a split in the 2nd hour for an awesome pairing. The obvious, but weird, pairing of Tavis Smiley and Great Perfs on Wednesday can only lead to a night of low GRPs. But, it’s all Common Carriage and not easily reworked for splits.

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