Commercials

[Train]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I want to know if you also have the commerical breaks at these lengths in the order as set below.  This include 15 second coming attractions.

Come on Down
IUFB & PG 1
Commercials: 1:30
IUFB & PG 2
Commercials: 2:00
IUFB & PG 3
Commercials: 1:45
SS
Commercials: 1:45
IUFB & PG 4

Second half

Local news + Commercials: 1:30
IUFB & PG 5
Commercials: 2:30
IUFB & PG 6
Commercials: 2:00
SS 2
Commercials: 2:45
SHOWCASE

[Ccook]

That's pretty much the standard nationwide. Some commercials are national; some spots are allocated to local affiliates. The halfway break is local as well, and the set-up is usually commercials followed by a promo for the noon news. (When WAGA/ch. 5 was our CBS affiliate, their commercials and news promo would run at a length that they'd rejoin Price during a prize description. Thankfully, WGCL/ch. 46 doesn't commit that sin.)

[rodroddyfan]

When the show is on today, if I think of it, I will time the commercials with my cell phone and see if the time is right.

[NickintheATL]

You left out the break after the showcase before the ARP's are revealed.

[Superballer]

I suppose the national commercials are already on the tape when the affiliates receive them, and the local staffs add their own commercials to it before or during the broadcast.

[Axl]

Here's how CBS times it (the lengths are a little weird because they include the silent buffers on either side of the break):

Network promo - :05
Segment 1
Network break 1 - 2:33
Segment 2
Network break 2 (w/ promo) - 2:09
Segment 3
Network break 3 - 2:04
Segment 4
Network break 4 - 1:54*
Segment 5
Station break 1 (w/ news tease and ID) - 1:19
Network promo - :05
Segment 6
Network break 5 - 2:34
Segment 7
Network break 6 - 2:04
Segment 8
Network break 7 - 2:44
Segment 9
Network break 8 - 2:04
Segment 10 (w/ split-screen credits)
Station break 2 (w/ news tease and ID) - 1:19


*Today's show (4-2-07) had its fourth break listed at 2:14.  Presumably this was to accommodate the extra promo soliciting fan videos.

[PriceFanArmadillo]

Isn't that where they had the special plug asking for farewell videos for Bob's final week/primetime special (as well as a promo for Bob's appearance on How I Met Your Mother)?

[D11]

Superballer wrote:
I suppose the national commercials are already on the tape when the affiliates receive them, and the local staffs add their own commercials to it before or during the broadcast.

They don't send out tapes to affiliates anymore. It's all sent out live via satellite, and the affiliates simply opt out of the feed to show their local spots at the appropriate times.

[Axl]

D11 wrote:

They don't send out tapes to affiliates anymore. It's all sent out live via satellite, and the affiliates simply opt out of the feed to show their local spots at the appropriate times.

For what it's worth, the networks never sent tapes out to affiliates for programs intended for air.  Before the days of satellites, networks transmitted their feeds directly to local stations using coaxial cable links they leased from the phone company.  In fact, they continued to do so until around 1985.

[ILoveBonusGame]

Axl wrote:

For what it's worth, the networks never sent tapes out to affiliates for programs intended for air. Before the days of satellites, networks transmitted their feeds directly to local stations using coaxial cable links they leased from the phone company. In fact, they continued to do so until around 1985.

If the networks employed this practice, why couldn't syndicators do the same? For example, this was the reason why Match Game (1979-1982) had both contestants hang around for 2 games, because of the tape "bicycling" practice that was employed for syndication.

[Axl]

ILoveBonusGame wrote:

If the networks employed this practice, why couldn't syndicators do the same?

Leasing all that coax was tremendously expensive for the networks and somewhat cumbersome for local stations.  It doesn't make any sense at all financially unless you're going to be using them for regular LIVE programming, which the networks did provide.  But once you have the infrastructure in place, it's less expensive to use those cable feeds (which they were already paying for) to send taped programming rather than going through yet another enormous expense (dubbing tapes and shipping them).  It also assured that the whole country got the same episode of a series on the same day, something that's nearly impossible to do by "bicycling."