Now that we are in October, I would like to provide you with an update on a few programming concerns. Over the last month, many of you wrote or called in to voice your dismay. While of course we are never happy to have any of our viewers displeased with what we are doing, a certain amount of this is unavoidable. It’s true. You can’t please everyone.
Some of you reported difficulty in finding your local listings updated. As the newspapers have had to alter their business model, they are going to great lengths to cut expenses. What television listings they still carry are being trimmed with each passing year. One of the ways they cut costs is by using listing services.
These large organizations supply newspapers broadcast schedules for every channel – and every format – imaginable. You might be finding this information in The Denver Post, The Rocky Mountain News, or even the on-screen viewer’s guide streamed into your house by your cable or satellite provider. We supply these services with the schedule. They get the word out.
Over the last month, it became apparent that some of the listings organizations had “pre-entered” our schedule into the system, not incorporating our substantial programming changes. Many of our shows had not changed time slots in years, so this caught them doubly off guard. We apologize for the confusion, but some of this is not our doing.
At this point almost everything should be updated. Oh, and lay off the nice folks over at The Denver Post. It’s not their mistake either. But if they want to pass along the word to stop tossing the papers on my neighbor’s roof…I’m sure she would really appreciate it.
Most of our shows are still on the air, just in new digs. Please know that these modifications to our schedule were not done without reason or haphazardly. We analyzed viewership levels and the media landscape, documented our viewer responses, and spoke with many of you before reworking anything.
A great deal of research and planning has been taking place around here since last May. This is an ongoing effort. I am very aware of the inconvenience inherent with any change, but we must prepare for the digital future. Watching the horizon, while acting in the present is our programming mantra.
Our new reliance on programming blocks is one of the ways we are shifting our focus for the digital age. February 2009 – the deadline nationwide for transition to digital television – will have everyone rethinking media, a process that is already well underway at KBDI.
The restructuring of our public affairs programming away from Friday nights is another part of our digital plan. We are clearing the way on Friday and Saturday nights to bring to a sampler of some of the insightful documentaries featured on our current digital stream of The Documentary Channel.
In our early morning hours and again at noon, you may have noticed a selection of news programming from around the world. These offerings are selected from our MHz Worldview service to bring original voices to our viewers from every corner of the planet.
Both of these channels are currently available to those of you able to watch digital television. New this month: with our reconfigured A-Z page, you will start to be able to get a better picture of our digital offerings.
One of the hardest things we have undertaken from a programming point of view concerns our programming offerings for children. We really had to crunch the numbers on this one. Looking at ratings – and the media climate – we found that our 5:00pm kids shows just didn’t cut it.
We wish to provide media not offered elsewhere in the community, and these great PBS kids are readily available at that time slot somewhere else on the dial [Does anyone even have “dials” anymore?].
What was missing was interesting, intelligent television for adults and families that cuts across age barriers. Try out Chefs A’Field: Kids on the Farm [Wednesdays at 4:00pm] for a look at what age-barrier free programming for parents and kids together can look like. Taken as a whole, our Home & Garden and Cooking blocks provide some of the best weekday afternoon programming to be found anywhere. [Sorry Dr. Phil]
Two final thoughts on the change in programming for our youngest viewers:
- While we have reduced the hours of our kids lineup on weekday mornings: from 7:00-11:30 to our current 7:30-11:00, our Saturday mornings have actually increased.
- The most important factor is that our hours of new programming for children have also increased. Our former schedule had relied heavily on repetition of episodes. While repetition isn’t necessarily bad, especially for children and learning, here are the numbers:
- OLD SCHEDULE: The equivalent of 51 half-hour shows + 27 half-hours of repeats per week
- NEW SCHEDULE: Actually increased to 54 half-hour shows with 0 repeats per week
Hopefully this clarifies a few of the changes that have taken place. As always, we enjoy hearing from our viewers with any comments or concerns. Positive or negative…your constructive feedback is a tremendous asset as we continue to evaluate or programming and scheduling on KBDI.
