Measurable broadcast value eliminated experimentation from television scheduling

Evidence

Much of the broadcast schedule was simply too valuable to be left to chance. Experimenting with a few stations and high ideals might have their place when sponsorships were the norm, when nothing could be accurately measured, and all was a matter of feel, but now, by the late 1950s, every moment of what was called prime time had both fixed costs and a revenue potential to be met or brutally aspired to. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 491

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Television’s high fixed costs forced instant ratings success or cancellation — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 490; Audience measurement ceded programming control to ratings rather than taste or decency — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 494

Broader Connections

• Audience measurement ceded programming control to ratings rather than taste or decency #corroborates (0.95) — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 494