Channel 8 Aiming to Please With Nighttime Lineup
- Publication: The Wichita Eagle
- Date: 1986-08-01
- Author: Bob Curtright
- Page: 11C
- Language: English
"If there were two 7 p.m. (time slots) every day, everything would be wonderful," said Jim Lewis, vice president and chief programmer at KPTS, Ch. 8.
The problem is trying to please two apparently divergent groups of viewers for the Wichita/Hutchinson public TV station: one that likes "Nightly Business News" and "MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour" early in the evening and one that wants entertainment programs earlier in the evening.
"The groups don't overlap," Lewis noted. "One doesn't give a hoot about the other."
Lewis dabbled with an experimental schedule for two weeks that shoved "Nightly Business Report" from its usual 6:30 p.m. slot to 10:30 p.m. to accommodate an earlier prime-time entertainment lineup. At Lewis' request, viewers let him know what they thought.
About 700 people spoke up, but that's only a drop in the bucket for the 85,000 viewers the Nielsen ratings service says watched Channel 8 in May, the most recent statistics.
"I don't feel confident making a major scheduling change based on just those responses," Lewis said. "I want to get more in-depth responses to see what would be the most convenient for the most viewers.
"The only thing for sure is that followers of business news hated the late version of the show," Lewis said ruefully.
The earlier prime-time schedule ended last week, and Channel 8 is now back on what Lewis calls its "old schedule." That means a double dose of "Doctor Who" (which had been dropped during the experiment) at 5:30 and 6 p.m., "Nightly Business Report" at 6:30 and "MacNeil/Lehrer" at 7. That schedule will continue for five more weeks.
Starting Sept. 1, however, will be another experimental schedule. But one that represents sort of a compromise, Lewis said. "Doctor Who" will go to one episode per day at 5 p.m., followed by "Nightly Business Report" at 5:30 and "MacNeil/ Lehrer NewsHour" at 6.
That will allow an earlier prime time while squeezing in the news and business programs. That modified schedule will run for four weeks. By October, when the new PBS schedule begins, Lewis hopes to decide on a final schedule.
"It's inconvenient now; I realize that," Lewis said. "But we are trying to find a schedule that will be good for a long time. Our main thing is to be as democratic as possible to serve as many viewers as possible. And that isn't easy."
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- APA 6th ed.: Curtright, Bob (1986-08-01). Channel 8 Aiming to Please With Nighttime Lineup. The Wichita Eagle p. 11C.
- MLA 7th ed.: Curtright, Bob. "Channel 8 Aiming to Please With Nighttime Lineup." The Wichita Eagle [add city] 1986-08-01, 11C. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Curtright, Bob. "Channel 8 Aiming to Please With Nighttime Lineup." The Wichita Eagle, edition, sec., 1986-08-01
- Turabian: Curtright, Bob. "Channel 8 Aiming to Please With Nighttime Lineup." The Wichita Eagle, 1986-08-01, section, 11C edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Channel 8 Aiming to Please With Nighttime Lineup | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Channel_8_Aiming_to_Please_With_Nighttime_Lineup | work=The Wichita Eagle | pages=11C | date=1986-08-01 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=21 August 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Channel 8 Aiming to Please With Nighttime Lineup | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Channel_8_Aiming_to_Please_With_Nighttime_Lineup | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=21 August 2025}}</ref>
