Date: 02-21-2008
TV networks are shuffling back from a three-month break due to the writers’ strike and scrambling desperately to plan their program schedules for the coming months. Each network has its specific challenges and advantages. Fox, which had a relative edge during the strike with American Idol up and running, has ordered fresh episodes of the dramas House and Bones as well as the comedies Back To You and Til Death. Meanwhile, CBS’s schedule is said to be far less susceptible to post-strike viewer confusion than ABC’s, where concerns are forcing the network to delay the return of three promising new serials — Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, and Dirty Sexy Money — until the fall. NBC, on the other hand, announced that it will take an innovative year-round approach towards the television season, potentially giving marketers more opportunities to advertise.
