The Emmy's Reloaded...

[film_girl]

Okay -- this is the final version of my Emmy thoughts:

The Good:

JAMES SPADER WON AGAIN!! Sorry, I had to bold that. Given my post a few days ago, I think it is only fitting that I rejoice in Alan Shore's consecutive victory. I still think Boston Legal is going to suck without Tara, but James Spader and William Shatner kick serious ass

Comments

[raistlinbrown]

The funny thing is that this is happening right now a couple miles from my apartment, but it doesn't even start on TV here for another hour.

[film_girl]

Gotta love the FCC and their regulations for how much time network TV gets during primetime.

[angelwind]

Eh, where is this rule?

[film_girl]

It's called the Prime Time Access Rule (PTAL) and it was enacted in 1970 to prevent networks from having a monopoly over what local stations could broadcast in the Top 50 TV markets -- thus limiting network TV to three hours a night (prime time started at 7 PM before 1970), 8 PM - 11 PM. It was technically retired in 1995, but at that point, primetime had pretty much been defined as 8 - 11 (7 PM on Sunday's), so the rule still sort of carries on. The FCC is currently in talks to resume the PTAL again.

[angelwind]

Ahh. See I'm not used to that rule because of the amount of programming network puts on every day. Considering that, it makes that rule kind of pointless.

[film_girl]

Right -- I only know about it because I'm a film major/nerd who likes to suck up in her TV Industries classes by reading obscure FCC doctorine when researching broadcast history.

[angelwind]

Right now I'm only blasted with ABC programming since I work at an affiliate here, but I know NBC is worse with that kind of coverage of hours, even on the weekends.

Of course, back in 1970 there wasn't anything else other than the big three. Now we have 200 channels. And a TV station doesn't have to be an affiliate of anyone if they don't want to.

They may not make a lot of money, but they can find the programming if they look. At least in the smaller markets where I am.

[raistlinbrown]

I think of it as the industry's little gift to the rest of America. Y'all get to see everything before we do because we're the ones putting it out there. Well, I'm not a part of the "we," but that's the de facto logic. We could be miserly about it and air it at our convenience when all of you are asleep, but I suppose starting the after-parties in a timely manner is more important to us.

[simulatedother]

Yeah, it was pretty lame that us LA-dwellers couldn't watch it live even though we could walk outside and pelt the cast of Everybody Love Raymond with stones. Lame lame lame.