Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utcsrgv.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!peterr
From: peterr@utcsrgv.UUCP (Peter Rowley)
Newsgroups: net.tv
Subject: Overnight victim of rating system values
Message-ID: <2822@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 27-Nov-83 13:36:29 EST
Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.2822
Posted: Sun Nov 27 13:36:29 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 27-Nov-83 14:27:44 EST
Organization: CSRG, University of Toronto
Lines: 15

If networks and advertisers tried to determine *who* watches a particular
show, and *how closely* they watch it, we might see some higher-quality
material like Overnight stay around.  Certainly such factors are taken into
account by magazine advertisers.  If I wanted to sell a new high-end item,
I'd want to sell to an audience that could (a) afford it and (b) be inter-
ested in it.  I wouldn't want to pitch my wares to 50M people who couldn't
afford it, or who have the set on simply as a background.

My only comment on Overnight itself is that, in balance, I'm quite sorry
to see it go.  Linda Ellerbee's cynicism bothered me a lot at first, but
I learned to tune it out and ended up simply appreciating the rarely-
seen BBC and other other foreign material (including a clip from Soviet
TV of a newscast that covered The Day After, showing scenes of it).

p. rowley, U. Toronto