Prime Time Access Rule
Encyclopedia
The Prime Time Access Rule (PTAR) was instituted by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) in 1970 to restrict the amount of network broadcast programming that a local television station
, Owned-and-operated station
(O&O) by or affiliate
d with a television network
may air during "prime time
". It was repealed in 1996.
The PTAR was instated because of the concern that the three major television network
s—ABC
, CBS
, and NBC
—dominated the television program
production market, controlled much of the video fare presented to the public, and inhibited the development of competing program sources. The FCC believed that instilling PTAR would ultimately increase the level of competition in program production
, reduce the networks’ control over their affiliates’ programming decisions, and thereby increase the diversity of programs available to the public. To assure that independent companies would have access, the FCC, at the same time, instituted the Financial Interest and Syndication Rules (commonly known as "fin-syn,") which prohibited networks from owning syndication arms. Existing syndication arms of the networks were forced to be spun off as new companies independent of network management.
The most recent policy of the PTAR was that stations in the top-50 prime time television markets cannot air more than three hours of network programming during the four-hour “prime time” block. Stations had to find original programming to fill during the “prime time” fraction. However, the rule exempted certain types of programming, including the following: runovers of live sports events, special news, documentary and children’s programming, and certain sports and network programming of a special nature. To comply with PTAR, most local television stations presented at least one syndicated game show
between 7 and 8 PM; ironically, these were usually simply additional episodes of existing network game shows (occasionally with a different host), distributed by companies that prior to 1971 had been subsidiaries of the networks (such as former CBS property Viacom and former ABC property Worldvision Enterprises), effectively circumventing the purpose of the rule. Other programming that was often seen in these time slots were revivals of Hee Haw
and The Lawrence Welk Show
(both shows had been canceled by their respective networks, CBS and ABC, in the spring of 1971, before PTAR took effect).
The loss of the extra hour forced networks to eliminate a significant amount of its programming schedule; this led to an exacerbation of an already-existing trend in television programming known as the "rural purge
," where programming that targeted less affluent, rural or older viewers was eliminated.
, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!
, still air in the "access hour" and have earned audiences equal to or greater than network shows. In 2010, Fox was allowed to present World Series
games that started around 7:30 PM ET, so as to prevent games from running into the 11 PM ET hour.
Smaller networks such as PAX TV began programming full 24-hour schedules after the ruling.
in the slot consistently since 1990 while CBS has aired 60 Minutes
in the slot since 1975. NBC has mostly aired Dateline NBC
in the slot since 1992, though since regaining NFL broadcasting rights
in 2006, during football
season the network airs Football Night in America
in the slot as a pre-game show
to NBC Sunday Night Football
.
The slot has been used by the networks to air runover programming from NFL
games, since the NFL broadcasting contracts require the games to air in its entirety. (This happened as a result of the Heidi Game
in 1968.) While CBS will "shift" its Sunday evening schedule to start after its NFL coverage
is over, Fox
will completely pre-empt
its lineup until the last game it owns the rights to
has finished, upon which it will go to its prime-time lineup "already in progress."
Since 2005, Fox has aired The OT presented by Lowe's, a post-game show
, in the slot as "filler" time between its NFL coverage and The Simpsons
, with its length depending on how late the final game ends, since NFL games with a 4:15 PM (EST
) start time almost always end by 8 PM, even if the game goes into overtime
. Before that, the 7 PM hour at Fox was seen similar to that of the Friday night death slot
on all of the networks, as several shows near the end of their runs such as Malcolm in the Middle
, Family Guy
, and Futurama
(though Family Guy later returned to Fox and Futurama would be revived on Comedy Central
) would be scheduled to air but ultimately pre-empted by Fox's NFL coverage. This tradition has continued during the off-season, with the most recent examples of shows burned off
on Sundays at 7/7:30 being 'Til Death
and Sons of Tucson
during the spring and summer of 2010.
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) in 1970 to restrict the amount of network broadcast programming that a local television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
, Owned-and-operated station
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
(O&O) by or affiliate
Affiliate
An affiliate is a commercial entity with a relationship with a peer or a larger entity.- Corporate structure :A corporation may be referred to as an affiliate of another when it is related to it but not strictly controlled by it, as with a subsidiary relationship, or when it is desired to avoid...
d with a television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
may air during "prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
". It was repealed in 1996.
Issuance
The first PTAR was issued in 1970 and was implemented at the beginning of the 1971-1972 season (the week of September 13–19, 1971); it was re-examined periodically and has undergone several modifications since its initial issue.The PTAR was instated because of the concern that the three major television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
s—ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
—dominated the television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
production market, controlled much of the video fare presented to the public, and inhibited the development of competing program sources. The FCC believed that instilling PTAR would ultimately increase the level of competition in program production
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
, reduce the networks’ control over their affiliates’ programming decisions, and thereby increase the diversity of programs available to the public. To assure that independent companies would have access, the FCC, at the same time, instituted the Financial Interest and Syndication Rules (commonly known as "fin-syn,") which prohibited networks from owning syndication arms. Existing syndication arms of the networks were forced to be spun off as new companies independent of network management.
Recent
At the time immediately prior to its repeal, the PTAR applied only to network-owned or -affiliated stations in the 50 largest markets. It restricts these stations to airing no more than three hours of network programming during the four-hour prime-time block each evening and establishes the first hour of prime time (7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM Central Standard Time, and so on) as the "access hour."The most recent policy of the PTAR was that stations in the top-50 prime time television markets cannot air more than three hours of network programming during the four-hour “prime time” block. Stations had to find original programming to fill during the “prime time” fraction. However, the rule exempted certain types of programming, including the following: runovers of live sports events, special news, documentary and children’s programming, and certain sports and network programming of a special nature. To comply with PTAR, most local television stations presented at least one syndicated game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
between 7 and 8 PM; ironically, these were usually simply additional episodes of existing network game shows (occasionally with a different host), distributed by companies that prior to 1971 had been subsidiaries of the networks (such as former CBS property Viacom and former ABC property Worldvision Enterprises), effectively circumventing the purpose of the rule. Other programming that was often seen in these time slots were revivals of Hee Haw
Hee Haw
Hee Haw is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with fictional rural Kornfield Kounty as a backdrop. It aired on CBS-TV from 1969–1971 before a 20-year run in local syndication. The show was inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the major difference being...
and The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
(both shows had been canceled by their respective networks, CBS and ABC, in the spring of 1971, before PTAR took effect).
The loss of the extra hour forced networks to eliminate a significant amount of its programming schedule; this led to an exacerbation of an already-existing trend in television programming known as the "rural purge
Rural purge
The "rural purge" of American television networks was a series of cancellations between 1969 and 1972, the majority of which occurred at the end of the 1970-71 television season, of still popular rural-themed shows and shows with demographically-skewed audiences...
," where programming that targeted less affluent, rural or older viewers was eliminated.
Elimination
The PTAR was eliminated effective August 30, 1996, the commission having determined it was "no longer necessary" as a tool to promote independent production or affiliate autonomy. While the major networks have not reclaimed the traditional "access" period in early primetime, this is most likely due to pressure from affiliates to retain control of one of the more profitable parts of their schedules, and not any regulation. Several syndicated shows, such as Entertainment TonightEntertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
, still air in the "access hour" and have earned audiences equal to or greater than network shows. In 2010, Fox was allowed to present World Series
2010 World Series
The 2010 World Series was the 106th occurrence of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff, played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion San Francisco Giants, began on Wednesday, , and ended on Monday, , with the Giants...
games that started around 7:30 PM ET, so as to prevent games from running into the 11 PM ET hour.
Smaller networks such as PAX TV began programming full 24-hour schedules after the ruling.
Sunday nights
One exception, even with the rule in effect, has been Sunday nights, where the networks often programmed in the 7 PM hour instead of the stations themselves. Though this was not allowed in the original version of the rule, a 1975 revision to the rule allowed networks to program the time slot on Sundays, which all of the major networks have done ever since. ABC has programmed America's Funniest Home VideosAmerica's Funniest Home Videos
America's Funniest Home Videos is an American reality television program on ABC in which viewers are able to send in humorous homemade videotapes. The most common videos usually feature slapstick physical comedy arising from incidents, accidents and mishaps...
in the slot consistently since 1990 while CBS has aired 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
in the slot since 1975. NBC has mostly aired Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
in the slot since 1992, though since regaining NFL broadcasting rights
NFL on NBC
NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS...
in 2006, during football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
season the network airs Football Night in America
Football Night in America
Football Night in America is the studio pregame show usually preceding NBC's broadcasts of Sunday night and Wild Card Saturday National Football League games starting in the 2006 National Football League season...
in the slot as a pre-game show
Pre-game show
A pre-game show or pregame show is a TV or radio presentation that occurs immediately before the live broadcast of a major sporting event.Contents may include:http://miniunis.com/pregame* replayed highlights of each teams previous games....
to NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color...
.
The slot has been used by the networks to air runover programming from NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
games, since the NFL broadcasting contracts require the games to air in its entirety. (This happened as a result of the Heidi Game
Heidi Game
The Heidi Game or Heidi Bowl was an American football game played on November 17, 1968. The home team, the Oakland Raiders, defeated the New York Jets, 43–32. The game is remembered for its exciting finish, as Oakland scored two touchdowns in the final minute to overcome a 32–29 New York lead...
in 1968.) While CBS will "shift" its Sunday evening schedule to start after its NFL coverage
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
is over, Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
will completely pre-empt
Preemption
-Legal:*Federal preemption, displacement of U.S. state law by U.S. Federal law*"Preemption" is also sometimes used in the United States to refer to the displacing effect state laws might have on ordinances enacted by municipalities, especially in the context of alcoholic beverage laws, gun laws,...
its lineup until the last game it owns the rights to
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
has finished, upon which it will go to its prime-time lineup "already in progress."
Since 2005, Fox has aired The OT presented by Lowe's, a post-game show
Post-game show
A post-game show or postgame show is a TV or radio presentation that occurs immediately after the live broadcast of a major sporting event.Contents may include:* replays of key moments in the game.* interviews with players, coaches and managers....
, in the slot as "filler" time between its NFL coverage and The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, with its length depending on how late the final game ends, since NFL games with a 4:15 PM (EST
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
) start time almost always end by 8 PM, even if the game goes into overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
. Before that, the 7 PM hour at Fox was seen similar to that of the Friday night death slot
Friday night death slot
The Friday night death slot is a perceived graveyard slot in American television, referring to the concept that a television program in the United States scheduled on Friday evenings is destined for imminent cancellation....
on all of the networks, as several shows near the end of their runs such as Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes...
, Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, and Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
(though Family Guy later returned to Fox and Futurama would be revived on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
) would be scheduled to air but ultimately pre-empted by Fox's NFL coverage. This tradition has continued during the off-season, with the most recent examples of shows burned off
Burning off
Burning off is the low-profile airing of otherwise-abandoned unaired television programs, usually by scheduling in far less important time slots or on less important sister stations...
on Sundays at 7/7:30 being 'Til Death
'Til Death
’Til Death is an American sitcom which aired on the Fox network from September 7, 2006, to June 20, 2010. The series was created by husband-and-wife team Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, who were also the writers and executive-producers...
and Sons of Tucson
Sons of Tucson
Sons of Tucson is a comedy television series starring Tyler Labine, Frank Dolce, Matthew Levy and Benjamin Stockham. It premiered on Fox on March 11, 2010...
during the spring and summer of 2010.
See also
- Schurz Communications, Incorporated v. Federal Communications Commission and United States of America
- Telecommunications Act of 1996Telecommunications Act of 1996The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934. This Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, was a major stepping stone towards the future of telecommunications, since this was the...
, issued at the same time as PTAR was repealed