TV programming: too many repeats?

I spend a great deal of time examining both television and radio output. At times, I wonder just who the television broadcasters think they're serving.

Quite often, shows will be put on a repeat cycle, repeating the same shows or seasons of shows several times in a row. And this is proportedly cheaper than producing new material. Also, studios are getting used less and less for programme production outside of live programming, news and sport.

Most drama are shot film-style using as many locations as is required. Comedy is also increasingly being shot on location with the laughter added in a preview theatre showing.

The thing is, if you look around the world, there isn't really a lack of production going on. There are thousands of new episodes of programmes produced around the world airing everyday, And it seems a shame that most of it doesn't get aired outside the market or country it was produced in.

Of course, there is the argument of relevance, such as NY1's Inside City Hall, which is very relevant in New York City but have absolutely no relevance in Madrid, Spain.

But there is so much material out there that would be relevant even in other countries. And yet, we never get to see it.

CNNI Weekends: Needs Improvement

CNN International is quite frankly one of the better news channels out there.  But it is a commercial operation and thusly, needs to make a profit. 

But it has to be said that when CNNI airs on Freeview at the weekend, the only live programmes are 2 editions of World Report at 7pm UK 7 11pm UK, and World Sport at 10.30pm UK.  That’s just 1.5 hours of live programming out of 5 hours.  There’s really not enough live news, especially when you consider that France 24 has 10 minute news bulletins every 30 minutes, all the time, even weekends.

Perhaps the best way for CNN to maximise the programming is to share with CNN Domestic.  Far from ideal, but perhaps a better solution than the over-reliance on taped programming that seems to be the case now.