Stripping (television)
Encyclopedia
In broadcast programming, stripping is the practice of running a television series at the same time daily (or at least on Mondays to Fridays), so that it appears as a strip straight across the weekly schedule. It is commonly restricted to describing the airing of television shows that were weekly in their first run: The West Wing could be stripped but not Jeopardy!
, as Jeopardy was originally intended to be run daily. However, it can also refer to shows in prime time that run daily, such as with the failed The Jay Leno Show
in 2009 and 2010.
For much of the 1960s and into the early 1990s, stripping for syndication was one of, if not the primary profit component of the studio production model in American television. A show became far more profitable if it succeeded in getting three full U.S. seasons (about 75 episode
s) or more, as then it was possible to strip it for fifteen weeks (15×5=75) before needing to repeat episodes. Once a series attained five seasons (which would push the show over the 100 episodes
threshold), it would be a full six months before it would repeat. For Star Trek
, in particular, this was relevant. Only due to an unprecedented letter-writing campaign was the show renewed for its third season, and it did not begin to attain wider popularity until appearing in syndication for a number of years. If it had failed to obtain a third season it would not have been syndicated, and its subsequent popularity and influence would likely not have occurred. Many other shows with lukewarm response in their initial runs became widely appreciated cult favorites as a result of syndication, or helped keep cultural memes associated with them far more widely known than if the shows had only been viewable during their initial timeframe.
Michael Grade
was responsible for introducing stripped and stranded schedules to BBC
television in his role as controller of BBC1: from 18 February 1985 onward the schedule has consisted entirely of half-hour or one-hour programmes starting on the hour, or half hour (the BBC channels do not carry spot advertising). For example, Grade's new schedule provided at 19:00 the Wogan
chat show thrice weekly and two helpings of EastEnders
and fixed the national news at 18:00 and 21:00, regional news at 18:30. Before this date, programmes would start at almost any time and programs could have different times on consecutive weeks or even days, for example:
17:40 60 Minutes (17:52 regional news, 18:15 national magazine)
18:40 Harty
19:05 Cliff!
20:05 Cockles
21:00 News
21:25 Whicker’s World
22:30 Sportsnight.
Compare with a 2007 schedule for the same channel:
18:00 BBC News and Weather
18:30 Regional News Program
19:00 Watchdog
19:30 EastEnders
20:00 Holby City
21:00 Judge John Deed
22:00 BBC News
22:35 Comedy Drama
Stripping has also become an even more common practice on many British
channels since the introduction of multi-channel cable
and satellite
in the 1990s.
In many other countries, even new episodes of various series are aired every weekday. For example, if such a station gets the most recent season of a U.S.
TV series, the episodes will air in this way for two or three weeks, after which they are replaced by another show in the same timeslot.
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...
, as Jeopardy was originally intended to be run daily. However, it can also refer to shows in prime time that run daily, such as with the failed The Jay Leno Show
The Jay Leno Show
The Jay Leno Show is an American comedy show created by and starring Jay Leno, that aired from September 14, 2009 to February 9, 2010 on NBC following the May 29, 2009 conclusion of Leno's first tenure as host of The Tonight Show...
in 2009 and 2010.
For much of the 1960s and into the early 1990s, stripping for syndication was one of, if not the primary profit component of the studio production model in American television. A show became far more profitable if it succeeded in getting three full U.S. seasons (about 75 episode
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
s) or more, as then it was possible to strip it for fifteen weeks (15×5=75) before needing to repeat episodes. Once a series attained five seasons (which would push the show over the 100 episodes
100 episodes
In the U.S. television industry, 100 episodes is the traditional threshold at which point a television series becomes viable for syndication. 100 episodes are advantageous for stripped syndication because such shows can be sold for higher per-episode pricing; it also allows for 20 weeks of...
threshold), it would be a full six months before it would repeat. For Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
, in particular, this was relevant. Only due to an unprecedented letter-writing campaign was the show renewed for its third season, and it did not begin to attain wider popularity until appearing in syndication for a number of years. If it had failed to obtain a third season it would not have been syndicated, and its subsequent popularity and influence would likely not have occurred. Many other shows with lukewarm response in their initial runs became widely appreciated cult favorites as a result of syndication, or helped keep cultural memes associated with them far more widely known than if the shows had only been viewable during their initial timeframe.
Michael Grade
Michael Grade
Michael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth CBE is a British broadcast executive and businessman. He was BBC chairman from 2004 to 2006 and executive chairman of ITV plc from 2007 to 2009.-Early life:...
was responsible for introducing stripped and stranded schedules to BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television in his role as controller of BBC1: from 18 February 1985 onward the schedule has consisted entirely of half-hour or one-hour programmes starting on the hour, or half hour (the BBC channels do not carry spot advertising). For example, Grade's new schedule provided at 19:00 the Wogan
Wogan
Wogan was a chat show on British television, hosted by Terry Wogan. It followed the format of a series broadcast in 1980 entitled What's On Wogan?, which failed to gather viewers. The Wogan show was initially broadcast on Tuesday evenings on BBC1 in 1981 and from 1982 to 1984, it moved into the...
chat show thrice weekly and two helpings of EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
and fixed the national news at 18:00 and 21:00, regional news at 18:30. Before this date, programmes would start at almost any time and programs could have different times on consecutive weeks or even days, for example:
17:40 60 Minutes (17:52 regional news, 18:15 national magazine)
18:40 Harty
19:05 Cliff!
20:05 Cockles
21:00 News
21:25 Whicker’s World
22:30 Sportsnight.
Compare with a 2007 schedule for the same channel:
18:00 BBC News and Weather
18:30 Regional News Program
19:00 Watchdog
19:30 EastEnders
20:00 Holby City
21:00 Judge John Deed
22:00 BBC News
22:35 Comedy Drama
Stripping has also become an even more common practice on many British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
channels since the introduction of multi-channel cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
and satellite
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
in the 1990s.
In many other countries, even new episodes of various series are aired every weekday. For example, if such a station gets the most recent season of a U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
TV series, the episodes will air in this way for two or three weeks, after which they are replaced by another show in the same timeslot.