Broadcast goes broad

Who knew the only jobs in the world were cops, investigators, lawyers or doctors?

Flip on the television during prime time, and there’s a good chance you’ll find a broadcast network airing some procedural drama featuring those professions.

Whether it’s old standards like any of the “CSI” or “Law and Order” programs, or newbies with energetic twists such as “The Mentalist” or “Lie to Me,” hour-long dramas with close-ended story threads are everywhere. And so far, the pilot development for next year has shown that networks are trying to create more of these shows.

It’s still hard to determine why these types of shows are so popular – “CSI” and “Law and Order” have been television powerhouses for years, and “The Mentalist” is the season’s only break-out hit. But it’s easy to see why there will be more of them in the next few years: money.

The television industry, especially broadcast networks, still gets most of its revenue from advertising dollars and having the most buzz. However, critical acclaim can only get a television show so far, especially when it seems all the shows that garner these labels end up with horrendous ratings or are canceled.

And whether or not the Nielsen rating system is flawed, because it does not look like there will be changes anytime soon, the broadcast networks have one of two choices to keep advertisers interested: go broader or more specific. Currently, there is a network trying each strategy, and I think the results point us in the direction television is headed.

CBS is, and has been for as long as anyone can remember, going broad. Though the Eyeball network has long been associated with older audiences that don’t matter, it is the only major network to keep its ratings up for the 2008-09 season.

In fact, as the other networks have seen their shows’ ratings decrease by a wide margin, most CBS shows have increased their figures. As sad as it is, CBS has done this by creating show after show that appeals to viewers who simply want to enjoy a few hours after work. They do not want to have to have seen every previous episode or need a CliffsNotes-like recap.

On the other hand, the CW has put their hopes on a narrowly-targeted strategy, going after girls and women ages 12 to 34. Although the CW has had little success since its inception a few years ago, this has been its best year in terms of attracting the right viewers. But even the CW has a number of similar programs just like CBS; they just all happen to appeal to teen girls.

Not only is it not that big of a surprise that broadcast networks are going broader, it is not that big of a deal. Obviously, it would be great if every show on one of the big networks was as deep as “Lost,” but not everyone – in fact, almost no one – wants that out of television.

If networks don’t go broad now, they’ll go bankrupt, both financially and creatively.