I love TV!

I do love television. I love watching it, I love talking about it, and I love reading recaps of the shows I just watched the night before. It works out well that I am in media so I can pretend that all the tv I watch is necessary research for my job. That excuse worked on my husband for a couple of years until he realized I didn’t spend as much time “researching” other media vehicles at home. But how can I recommend “Housewives of New Jersey” if I haven’t seen all the episodes? It just can’t be done.

With the announcements of the 2009 – 2010 Fall schedules, it is now up to media buyers to start thinking about fourth quarter before the summer even starts. The challenge is to project the popularity of new and returning shows with only snippets to guide us in our estimates. Will Ugly Betty continue to lose her audience on Fridays? How will Scrubs do with a semi-new cast and new focus?

While we use a myriad of research tools at our disposal, past performance does not guarantee future success. . Buyers spend countless hours trying to predict what viewers will enjoy 4 months from now and then wait on pins and needles to see if they were correct. If you have a media department or even know a media person, take some time to pick their brain and get some insight into the process. It is an interesting mix of math and psychology

It’s not always easy, but it is always interesting. See the new fall schedule here– and start making your own predictions.