A Guide to America in Primetime
1: Paying the Piper
Every autumn sees a new crop of shows on the three American networks. The chances are they will be clones of last year's successes which are probably the better clones from the year before. If the programmes seem mass-produced it may be because programmers think in terms of 'jolts per minute' and can test their pilots on sample audiences wired to sweat detectors....
In the first of two programmes Russell Davies talks to writers and producers and to audience researchers and ad men in Hollywood and New York, about their multi-billion dollar TV business.
Producer JULIE SIMMONS BBC Manchester
0 FEATURE: page 3