There are geniuses among us and many of them work at GE Global Research in Niskayuna, NY. Just a few miles from where Charles Steinmetz helped GE harness the power of electricity and change the world, today’s best brains are pioneering new technology that will carry us into the future. At least that’s what I thought until I read this:
Global Research also supports General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal division, which operates TV networks including NBC, Bravo and USA.The folks in Niskayuna have been helping schedule TV shows by developing software systems for the network executives who decide the lineup of shows.
Whoa! This is a little like bragging you designed the O-rings on the space shuttle Challenger.
I don’t have a PhD but I’ve seen enough rating books to know that the whole NBC schedule thing is nothing to write home about lately. My advice? Stick to the lasers, fuel cells, hover cars, and whatever else you mess around with up there. What NBC needs is some good shows —not scientific scheduling.
Clearly the software has a bug in it; after all, someone was able to enter the phrase “CHEVY CHASE VEHICLE” into the primetime lineup without getting the blue screen of death.
NBC needs all the help they can get.
Frankly, I didn’t think they were going for ratings anymore. I thought their model was just make really inexpensive shows and be happy with the revenue they generate.
Nothing’s more liberating than not going for ratings.
> I don’t have a PhD but I’ve seen enough
> rating books to know that the whole NBC
> schedule thing is nothing to write home
> about lately
and by that you mean that NBC has currently 2 of the top 3 rating spots with “America’s Got Talent” on Wed and Tues. ..
No, by that I mean that overall for the past several years NBC’s primetime performance has been atrocious —but thanks for asking.
30 Rock? The Office?
I love both shows.
But as I said, overall the prime ratings have been poor. You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks the network is performing well —and I have a stack of Nielsen rating books on my desk that that agree.
Since I hate digging through rating books, some light reading:
Fox Wins 5th Straight Season
New Low For NBC Ratings
And today another sign that things are going great at the network:
Silverman Leaves NBC