Managing Media Content: Business Strategies and Practices - An Application Study on Content and Scheduling Formation
variables, which calculate or describe the content of the programme, and more particularly according to the genres of on-air promos and structure variables – a term that refers to the concept of structural diversity – which calculates the tactics used to promote and present the programme to viewers. Such tactics are, for example, the broadcasting frequency of the on-air promotions or the broadcasting time segments chosen by the channel. In another study, which is an extension of the above study, Eastman (2001) uses also the concept of “promotional variables”, referring to the methodological variables that assess the tactics of programming promotion. Through these promotional variables, the mode of television programming diversification may be shown, even through its self-promotion schemes. Eastman, uses variables such as “construction”, which indicates the number of programmes promoted in the spot (whether single or multiple), or the variable of “frequency”, which indicates how often a programme is promoted. In another study, Eastman, Newton, Riggs and NealLunsford (1997) examine partial scheduling tactics such as audience variations according to season, a subject analysed extensively by several studies. The season as a criterion for the selection of a scheduling tactic can affect not only the form, but also the topology and chronology of the content. The nature of scheduling as regards the season is treated in Chapter 9, the conclusion of this research. Thinking along the same lines, related to the differentiation of television, Pilavios91, as far as Greek Television is concerned, points out that the private channels Mega, Alpha and ANT1 do not differ from each other as regards their programming; according to Pilavios, STAR Channel, on the other hand, broadcasts children’s programmes, family series and movies, and most of the channel’s newscasts feature 91
Nikos Pilavios, personal correspondence, 2008.
Research Institute of Applied Communication
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