For more information on the following story, contact Dom Caristi at [email protected] or (765) 285-1493.
REALITY SHOWS MAY BE DOWN, BUT NOT OUT
MUNCIE, Ind. - Television viewers have cooled somewhat to reality programming, but the genre is still popular, says a Ball State University telecommunications professor.
While "Survivor" and "Temptation Island" are still attracting millions each week, the broadcast networks may axe other reality-based shows due to tepid ratings.
"This sort of shake out is expected because the genre has run its course like others types of shows, including westerns and variety shows," said Dom Caristi, a telecommunications professor.
"The reality show genre is very overpopulated right now," he said. "There are some shows that will be eliminated because of that saturation. However, it is way too early to write off reality programming."
CBS's "Survivor: Africa" is still a fan favorite but is down by 8 million viewers from the 29 million it averaged last spring.
On the other networks, ABC has dropped "The Runner" and the WB has canceled "Eliminate Deluxe." NBC's "Lost," Fox's "Love Cruise" and CBS' "Amazing Race" are hovering near extinction due to dwindling ratings.
Caristi attributes lower viewership for "Survivor: Africa" to head-to-head competition against a revitalized "Friends," which has a strong story line.
For the week of Oct. 25, both shows placed in the top 10 in the ratings. "Friends" had a 16.1 while "Survivor" had 12.1. Each rating point is equal to just over 1 million homes.
"'Friends' pretty soundly won, but the reality show was still in the top 10, which isn't bad," Caristi said. "The show's numbers are down from last year when it began as a summer replacement show and last spring, when it had the Super Bowl as a lead-in.
"What makes reality programming attractive to produce is that it is inexpensive and can be done fairly quickly," he said. "The next step is to add celebrities. Some shows have already done that and they have proven successful."
(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Caristi at [email protected] or (765) 285-1493. For more stories, visit the Ball State University News Center at www.bsu.edu/news on the World Wide Web.)
Marc Ransford11-9-01
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