 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
Block programming (also known as astrand in British broadcasting) is thearrangement of programs on radio or television so that those of a particular genre, theme, or target audience are united.
Block programming involves scheduling a series of related shows which are likely to attract and hold a given audience for a long period of time.[1] Notable examples of overt block programming have includedNBC's Thursday-evening "Must See TV" lineup (built around its popular sitcomFriends, and dramaER),[2] andCartoon Network'sCartoon Cartoon Fridays (which primarily aired premieres of the network'soriginal series).[3][4]Reruns oncable television are often assembled into similar blocks to fill several hours of generally little-watched daytime periods. A particularly long program block, especially one that does not air on a regular schedule, is known as amarathon.
Block programming in radio also refers to programming content that appeals to various demographics in time blocks, usually corresponding to the top or bottom of the hour or the quarter-hour periods. For example, various musical genres might be featured, such as a country music hour, a three-hour afternoon block of jazz, or a four-hour Saturday night '70s disco show.
Generally speaking, block programming is anathema to modern competitive commercial radio, which traditionally uses uniform formats, other than a handful of speciality shows in off-peak hours such as weekends (for instance, the infamousbeaver hours in Canadian radio). The general rationale for not using block programming is that listeners expect a certain type of music when they tune into a radio station and breaking from that format will turn those listeners away from the station; likewise, a station that airs its programming in hodgepodge blocks will have difficulty building listener loyalty, as listeners' music will only be on for a few hours of the day. This argument for homogenized radio was also a driving force behind the effective death offreeform radio in the late 20th century. The case oftalk radio is indicative of the decline of block programming: prior to the 1980s, it was not uncommon to mix various blocks of talk programming together on one station, but this has declined dramatically in the late 1990s and beyond. A listener to aconservative talk radio station will have little interest in aprogressive talk radio,sports radio orhot talk block, which reaches a different demographic; stations that have attempted the block strategy have historically been unsuccessful. Block programming of this nature is alive and well on outlets likepublic radio (such asNPR, theBBC, orCBC) and in multicultural radio serving broad ethnic and cultural audiences, although even in this realm the idea of block programming is declining due to competition for donations.
Some programming blocks have become so popular that they have been transformed to full-fledged 24-hour channels. Current channels which started as program blocks includeDisney Jr. (which is still a program block onDisney Channel); theNick Jr. Channel (based on theNick Jr. block that still airs onNickelodeon);[5]Boomerang (which was once a program block onCartoon Network);PBS Kids (which is still aprogram block onPBS) andMeTV Toons (which was once a programming block onMeTV).[6] In addition,TV Land airs older shows that were once aired on sister channel Nickelodeon'sNick at Nite program block.Adult Swim is also a Cartoon Network programming block.
However, since the 2010s, new programming blocks have become rare due to airing programming in a regular format or with little or no brand reference within the programming block.[7]
