Broadcast program

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The radio program , or program for short, describes the entirety of the radio and television programs broadcast by a single radio station or all stations receivable in a region during a certain period of time. A distinction is usually made between programs for radio and television . The process of program planning is briefly described by the English term programming.

General

The colloquial term program was legally defined in media law and thus a legal term . According to this, radio or television programs are understood to mean “a sequence of content arranged in time according to a broadcast schedule” (Section 2 (2) No. 1 of the Interstate Broadcasting Treaty; RStV). The broadcast, on the other hand, is “a content-related, closed, time-limited part of a radio program” (Section 1 (2) No. 2 RStV). The program therefore consists of individual programs broadcast one after the other.

Radio or television programs are the systematic and chronological arrangement of individual programs of a station for the next few days, weeks and months. They are made up of a large number of different program contents such as information , education , entertainment and advertising . While the variety of topics is usually very high in the full program and "information, education, advice and entertainment form an essential part of the overall program" (Section 2 (2) No. 3 RStV), in the special-interest program it is divided into one or two topics in the program and / or restricted to certain target groups . Since a program is produced anew every day, it is always a prototype.

history

The first radio stations, which extended their broadcasting time to over an hour, saw the need to plan and present the various programs in the form of a program, similar to a table of contents in books. The first systematically arranged radio programs were used on May 20, 1920 by the Canadian broadcaster CFCF in Montreal, followed by WWJ Detroit on August 20, 1920. On August 27, 1920, Radio Argentina started broadcasting programs that followed a program schedule. However, these were still exceptions, because before 1923 there were mostly no formal program schemes. Only one-off programs were broadcast, because series did not appear until September 1922. Systematic programming began in 1926 with the establishment of the NBC Advisory Council . As the number of radio stations and the variety of programs increased, the radio stations registered wandering movements of the listeners ( audience flow ) and began to adjust to these wanderings when planning their programs. They realized that there was audience flow even during a broadcast , mostly triggered by radio advertising .

That is why in September 1945 the rating agency CF Cooper began to measure the radio stations ' listener movements (“flow”) from one station to the other and to continuously refine the methods to a rating by August 1946 . In January 1950, Hooper and Nielsen Media Research split the market, with Hooper continuing to focus on local radio stations and becoming the market leader. Hooper called the radio listeners and asked them which station they were listening to, which program they were watching there and who was the sponsor of it. The public only became aware of the fact that broadcasting was producing a program through program information or program magazines. On December 11, 1946, Hörzu was the first German program guide to appear.

Germany

In Germany, the Interstate Broadcasting Treaty deals in great detail with programming issues . Programs are understood as offers according to § 11a RStV. Radio programs have to respect human dignity “as well as the moral, religious and ideological convictions of others” (Section 41 (1) RStV).

The German public service broadcasting has the duty within the scope of its program mandate according to § 11 Abs. 2 and 3 RStV, "in the interest of freedom of information and democracy, to secure a diverse, comprehensive and balanced media offer." the guarantee of an independent basic supply with information, education, culture and entertainment. According to § 11 Abs. 1 RStV, the public broadcasting through the "production and distribution of radio and television programs as a medium and factor in the process of free individual and public opinion formation to work. ”The Federal Constitutional Court has also commented on the so-called universal service. Basic care does not mean a minimum supply, nor is it limited to the informative and educational part of the program; Rather, it is a supply of programs that correspond to the classic broadcast contract. The basic service comprises three elements, namely the supply of the entire population with radio programs, the organization of a full program and the guarantee of diversity of opinion within the program. A predominant advertising financing of the public broadcasting endangered the basic supply and is therefore unconstitutional. At least in public broadcasting, programs cannot therefore be designed completely autonomously, but must be compiled in accordance with these legal and constitutional requirements. This means that there is limited freedom of programming for public broadcasters. Private broadcasters are not subject to these strict requirements and only have to offer a minimum of content balance, objectivity and mutual respect. The program must ensure diversity of opinion and plurality in private broadcasters (§ 25 RStV), a program advisory board has to advise the organs of a broadcaster (§ 32 RStV).

Programming

One of the most important goals of program planning is audience and audience retention. The pre-produced articles are presented to the program planning department by the responsible editors in a uniform manner worldwide , which takes the final decisions on the broadcasting of the articles in accordance with the program scheme. The offer of the public broadcasters is also market-oriented and clearly follows the commercial programming strategies of the private ones. The long-term strategic program planning has the goal of defining the position of the broadcaster among viewers as a brand, while the short-term operational planning has to market the existing program as widely as possible. Fixed broadcasting slots ( TV series ) are first taken into account when planning the program. The program planning takes into account the effects of higher audience loyalty (audience flow) through serialization, i.e. the trend towards increased planning of television series.

Program structure

The program structure is a system that "can be recognized in the placement of different programs or program forms within a temporal continuum." It creates the internal structure of a program according to the type, length and sequence of the program elements and is intended to give the listener / viewer a regular return facilitate orientation. Particular attention is paid to the recognition value of individual programs. Since the introduction of private broadcasting in Germany (January 1984), program structures have increased significantly in importance.

Program scheme

The program scheme is part of the program planning and defines the total transmission time of a station, the temporal segmentation of the transmission time for individual program types and a rough specification of the content of the transmission slots. It is a temporal and organizational composition that forms the basis of the transmission requirement plan, which specifies the assignment of transmission times to the individual program areas. It serves to differentiate it from the competition and is intended to make the program identifiable as a brand. It is constant in the medium term, as the same or similar program content is broadcast in the same time segments. The program schedule is adapted to the viewing habits during the day.

For scheduling of radio programs, so-called hour watches or clocks used program, representing recurring program components in a dial-like graphics.

Program strategies

Program strategies serve to gain new listeners / viewers and / or to avoid wandering through targeted placement of certain programs. For this purpose, certain transmission slots are always filled with the same programs, such as series , by stripping . In particular, the news broadcasts regularly start at the same time in each broadcaster, and current developments usually cannot change that. With the program block (blocking), similar programs or related types of programs are broadcast one after the other in order to prevent wandering. If viewers are to be lured away from the competition, counter or contrast programming is used. It is the reaction to the program of one or more competing channels at a certain slot by broadcasting an attractive alternative program.

Variable program planning

The program to be broadcast is largely planned months in advance by the individual broadcasters . The program makers (functional designation: program directors and editors-in-chief ) follow the program schedule specified for their broadcaster , in which programs have their fixed broadcasting time (broadcasting time). The individual programs with their daily changing content are then inserted into this program scheme by the editorial staff . Short-term changes for reasons of currency are possible. Nevertheless, they are only installed carefully and sporadically, as the timing of the program gets mixed up, which may result in a loss of income for television advertising that is not broadcast or broadcast late . Live broadcasts are therefore considered very carefully because their schedule can be uncertain and subsequent broadcasts can be delayed or even canceled. For a long time Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff ( One will win ), who was followed by Thomas Gottschalk ( Wetten, dass ..? ), Topped the record for live television broadcasts . The program planning also takes into account the scheduling of important events of public interest (sporting events, cultural and political events, anniversaries, royal weddings).

Program conference

The program conference is the operational organ of program planning. The task of the ARD's "Standing Program Conference", which usually meets monthly, is to work out the joint program (Section 6 Clause 1 of the ARD State Treaty). For this purpose, the proposals of individual broadcasters submitted by the coordinators of the television program conference are approved by the program conference. The compulsory shares of the individual television companies must be observed (No. 3, Paragraph 3, television contract).

Designation of the transmission slots and transmission times

The broadcasting slots are fairly similar internationally and are mainly based on the advertising-relevant target group . There are the following names for the different transmission slots:

At the time, when only the public broadcasters determined the program in Germany , the broadcasting councils set broadcasting times up to the evening program in order - as it was said - to spare the workers and employees and to give them enough sleep . The television program therefore ended until 1984 mostly at midnight with the activation of the test image as an indicator of the end of broadcast ; from April 1985 (ZDF) or May 1985 (ARD) the program ended with the playing of the national anthem (until 1993). On weekends it was broadcast until around 1:30 a.m. After the private broadcasters were established , the public broadcasters adapted and gradually extended their broadcast times until 24 hours were reached.

Program design criteria

At ARD , the program managers of all state broadcasters determine the common television program in program conferences and coordinate with each other that all state channels are represented with contributions according to their quota. The regional programs between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and the third programs are planned autonomously by the respective national broadcasters. The television program planned well in advance in this way is then binding for all broadcasters. In particular, Bayerischer Rundfunk did not take part in some community programs . Since January 8, 1973, the first episodes of the children's program Sesame Street have not been shown due to an allegedly false representation of social conditions in Bavaria. On November 8, 1977, Bayerischer Rundfunk dropped out of the joint ARD program when it became known that in the drama Die Konsequenz, which was broadcast at 9:15 p.m., two men were supposed to kiss and - as all viewers in the Federal Republic except the Bavarian ones see then could - did this too.

For private broadcasters , the main criterion for designing the program is the audience rating . Since these channels are financed exclusively through advertising and the advertising minutes can be sold more expensive the higher the audience rating, programs with high audience interest are broadcast in a targeted manner. The interest is determined statistically through opinion polls and using recording devices in consumer households selected by demoscopy . If interest falls, programs that are actually designed for a longer period may end prematurely.

Program guides

In special program magazines, the program is presented to readers in graphic and text form for a quick overview and selection. The names of some of the older program magazines still bear witness to their origins from the time of the radio programs ( Bild + Funk , Funk Uhr , Hörzu and TV hearing and seeing ), which were then similarly listed as the programs on the screen today. Depending on the frequency of publication, these media contain the program for one or more weeks; Bi-weekly television magazines are currently particularly common. Usually not only the type and time of the broadcast are announced, but also the background and things worth knowing; often there is also an editorial evaluation of the films broadcast.

Most broadcasters also offer their programs on teletext . There is also software that makes the television programs available on the home PC and updates them via the Internet . The electronic program guide (EPG) receives its update information with the digital television signal DVB or the digital radio signal DAB and is often built directly into newer technology.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jürgen Heinrich, Medienökonomie Volume 2: Radio and Television , 2010, p. 40.
  2. ^ A b Louis M. Benjamin, The NBC Advisory And Council Radio Programming , 2009, p. 2 f.
  3. ^ Advertising News and Notes , in: New York Times, September 17, 1945, p. 24.
  4. ↑ Diaries Report Ear Source , Billboard Magazine, Aug. 17, 1946, p. 8.
  5. ↑ Warren Sack, Future News: Constructing the Audience, Constructing the News ( Memento of the original from May 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , June 1994, p. 6 (PDF; 184 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / danm.ucsc.edu
  6. ↑ BVerfG, judgment of October 6, 1992, BVerfGE 87, 181, 198
  7. ↑ BVerfGE 73, 118, 157 f.
  8. ↑ BVerfGE 83, 238, 311.
  9. ↑ Bernd Eckart u. a., Practical Guide to Media, IT and Copyright Law , 2007, p. 67.
  10. ↑ BVerfGE 83, 238, 316
  11. ↑ Jürgen Heinrich, Medienökonomie Volume 2: Radio and Television , 2010, p. 504.
  12. ↑ Knut Hickethier, From the well-composed middle to the quarter hour grid. The first program structures and schemes in German television , in: Rundfunk und Fernsehen 32nd Vol. (1984) Heft 4, pp. 441–462, here: p. 442.
  13. ↑ Maria Barth-Renz, Planning and Control Systems for Public Broadcasters , 1992, p. 125.
  14. ↑ Kati Förster, Strategies for Successful TV Brands , 2011, p. 17.
  15. ↑ Insa Sjurts, Gabler Lexikon Medienwirtschaft , p. 494.
  16. ^ TV program from Tuesday, November 8, 1977