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Broadcast programming, or scheduling, is the practice of organizing television or radio programs in a daily, weekly, or season-long schedule. Modern broadcasters regularly change the scheduling of their programs to build an audience for a new show, retain that audience, or compete with other broadcasters' programs.

Television scheduling strategies are employed to give programs the best possible chance of attracting and retaining an audience. They are used to deliver programs to audiences when they are most likely to want to watch them and deliver audiences to advertisers in the composition that makes their advertising most likely to be effective (Ellis 2000 p.136).

At a micro level, scheduling is the minute planning of the transmission; what to broadcast and when, ensuring that every second of airtime is covered.

Contents 1 Scheduling strategies 1.1 Dayparting 1.2 Theming 1.3 Stripping 1.4 Stacking 1.5 Counterprogramming 1.6 Bridging 1.7 Tentpoling 1.8 Hammocking 1.9 Crossprogramming 2 See also 3 References

Main article: Dayparting

In broadcasting, dayparting is the practice of dividing the day into several parts, during each of which a different type of radio programming or television programming appropriate for that time is aired. Programs are most often geared toward a particular demographic, and what the target audience typically engages in at that time.

Having a special theme-night.

Running a syndicated television series every day of the week. It is commonly restricted to describing the airing of shows which were weekly in their first run; The West Wing could be stripped, but not Jeopardy!, as daily is the schedule for which it is intended.

Stacking is a technique used to develop audience flow by grouping together programs with similar appeals to "sweep" the viewer along from one program to the next (Vane and Gross, 1994, p.175).

Counterprogramming is used when a time period is filled with a program whose appeal is different from the opponent program because it is a different genre or appeals to a different demographic.

Bridging is being used when a station tries to prevent the audience from changing channels during a junction point - the main evening breaks where all channels stop programs and shift gear (Ellis, 2000). This is achieved in a number of ways including: having a program already underway and something compelling happening at a junction point, running a program late so that people ‘hang around’ and miss the start of other programs, or advertising the next program during the credits of the previous.

Main article: Tent pole programming

In tent pole programming the programmers bank on a well-known series having so much audience appeal that they can place two unknown series on either side, and it is the strength of the central program that will bring the others along to victory.

Main article: hammocking

A technique used by broadcasters whereby an unpopular program is scheduled between two popular ones in the hope that viewers will watch it. Public-service broadcasters use this as a way of promoting serious but valuable content.

Cross-programming involves the interconnection of two shows. This is achieved by dragging a storyline over two episodes of two different programs.

• Broadcast automation
• Radio Computing Services - automated scheduling for radio stations
• Category:Television schedules
• Electronic Media

• Eastman, S. T., and Ferguson, D. A. (2006). Media programming: Strategies and Practices (7th ed.), Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
• Ellis, J. (2000) Seeing Things: Television in the Age of Uncertainty, London: I.B. Tauris.
• Vane, E.T., and Gross, L.S. (1994) Programming for TV, radio and cable, Boston: Focal Press.