Programmers probe the perfect schedule.

TV scheduling has become an art as well as a science - one which is increasingly studied and interpreted. Prix Italia, the RAI-sponsored TV festival, is for the second year, focusing on TV scheduling at its main forum September 13-24 in Bologna, Italy. Paolo Battistuzzi, Prix Italia's secretary general, explained the reason for the forum: "Without a schedule that maintains quality over time, TV stations cannot build an image or a loyal audience. The strategic problems begin when one has to develop a good programming mix without affecting audience share.

Indeed, a good schedule has never saved the day for a mediocre program, but a good show can be adversely affected by its schedule. Bad scheduling can prevent it from finding its natural audience. It is important to define programming objectives, considering factors such as originality, competitiveness and schedule mix."

International networks each have their own definition of "the perfect schedule." At Argentina's Artear (Channel 13), Hugo Di Guglielmo stated that his ideal schedule would be fairly similar to the one his network has now, stressing "wide audience appeal" in most time slots. Di Guglielmo's slate, which begins at noon and ends at 2 a.m., starts out with a re-run comedy show, like The Three Stooges or a cartoon appealing to both adults and children. In the afternoons from 1 to 3 p.m., he chose a magazine program that would appeal to women as well as a wider audience. From 3 to 5 or 6 p.m., Di Guglielmo stressed targeting a female audience, as they are the principal viewers at this time; a novella or a talk show were his choices for that time slot. A top-quality newscast comes at 8 p.m.; "entire family" programming such as sitcoms at 9 p.m.; and adult fare such as a drama, an MOW, or a sporting event follows at 10 p.m. To dose the transmission, Di Guglielmo airs a brief news synopsis followed by a film for those who keep late hours.

Arthur Weinthal of Canada's CTV has strong concepts behind his notion of what makes "the perfect TV schedule." According to Weinthal, programming is a dynamic task in which networks must constantly respond to the world surrounding them. "It is both an art and a science," Weinthal said. "You have to have a company brand image. You have to plan out what you want and yet be able to change it on short notice."

Perhaps the key element in Weinthal's strategy is to "stay in touch. Network programming as opposed to cable programming is really a mirror of what's going on." Weinthal cited sports, world news and other events as happenings that could change the network schedule on short notice. He stated that he occasionally has to change the schedule within days of such an event. "A cable service, on the other hand, can print their schedules four or five months in advance. There's nothing going on in the world to change it.

"In Canada where we are part of the North American Broadcast System, many of our programs originate in the U.S. A change in U.S. programming can affect our schedule here in Canada. It's an added burden the Europeans don't have to contend with."

As for designing the "perfect schedule," Weinthal said it's an ongoing task. "That's what you do all day long is put together the ideal schedule. To be an effective network you have to be an event-driven service." In describing "event-driven" programming, Weinthal pointed out sporting events, children's specials, awards shows, movies and live programs as "events" that can be the focus of a network during a given week. "Networks can do events better than anyone in the marketplace," Weinthal added.

Additionally, Weinthal said that having the top shows in the marketplace and the most-watched news service are also important in building "the perfect schedule."

Rather than having an "events-driven" programming philosophy, Francisco Ramos of Spain's Antena 3 stressed schedule consistency. "[Program scheduling] is far more complicated and sophisticated than people think it is. Yet it's the part of the TV job that is the most stimulating of all." Ramos said that he takes a very hard look at ratings and research to determine how shows are faring, stating, "It's one of the few jobs where you are tested every morning and get your grades the next morning. Especially in Spain, the results of a schedule are not defined, whereas in America everything is laid out in advance," Ramos added.

Ramos emphasized that having a consistent schedule builds audience loyalty. So much so that even if he sees a very successful show that might benefit from a move, he would hesitate to change the schedule to favor one show. "Even then you have to stick to a known day and time period, or you might hurt the other shows" he said. Ramos was particularly adamant about his commitment to opening primetime viewing each day with a sitcom, "I don't like to move my top shows around," he stressed, referring to many of the Spanish sitcoms which are nationally produced.

Obviously, Ramos is not especially "events-driven" in his programming. Yet in the case of a huge "event" such as the recent mini-series Scarlett, Ramos did open up two nights of primetime. "Whenever we have something as big as Scarlett, I do [move shows around,]" Ramos said. "But not that often."

An interesting aspect of Antena 3's programming profile is the fact that the network is a relative newcomer to Spanish TV, whereas viewers have been watching the state-run network "all of their lives," Ramos maintained. He stated that in order to compete with the larger network, which covers one hundred per cent of Spain compared to Antena 3's 80 per cent, he must be "far more aggressive in order to compensate for that difference." Ramos described Spain's competing networks as a "battle in progress," stressing that he hopes to be tied, even with his younger news program, by the end of the year. "Although we've been very successful m getting general viewers it has taken us a long time to beat [the state-run network] in the news area," Ramos allowed.

As for staying in touch with audiences, Ramos said he gets daily feedback with the ratings. He goes over research thoroughly to see which audiences "are staying with us and which are going away." As for new shows, Ramos said he attempts to be patient while new shows catch on: "I try my best to give them as much time as possible. It depends on whether a show is building consistently." In the case of a show that is building or staying the same, Ramos said he doesn't take the show off, but if in the first couple of weeks a show loses audience share, it might get the axe.

Alan Howden of the BBC said that the perfect schedule for the BBC would be determined by different criteria than commercial networks. "The public TV schedule should please the audience and get good reviews - make everybody feel good." Achieving that involves scheduling a mix of popular events, programs for minority tastes, and significant cultural events, Howden said. He added that the BBC is known for its documentaries on current events and wildlife. Additionally, its schedule includes some event-driven programming such as the Olympics, Wimbledon, Cricket (which is important in England, Howden stressed,) and "a certain amount of football. But BSkyB controls the football rights."

Obviously, public television is not beholden to advertisers and does not have to answer to a profit motive. BBC does answer to its viewing audience, however, because they pay for the service through licensing fees. Pleasing that audience has made the BBC ever more aware of the 'science' part of programming. Howden stressed, "It has become more of a science than it used to be. We pay more attention to research." Howden stated that focus groups are used to gauge audience response. However, unlike the networks, the BBC is "not too anxious to get an immediate response. We stick with a program long enough for it to become a hit," Howden added.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of public television scheduling is the role of popular opinion. "The BBC (historically) felt that its role was not to respond to public tastes but rather to lead public taste," Howden concluded.