Metadata databases let stations re-brand syndicated shows for new audiences

Evidence

After three months of promotion that anticipated its September launch, “local viewers had seen a wide range of promos that emphasized the warm-but-wacky relationships among the show’s lead characters and popular supporting players.” More than just choosing appropriately humorous clips for promotional purposes, the CMS gives local affiliates the power to craft a whole new identity for their syndicated programs. — Andrew deWaard, Derivative Media, 391

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to deWaard’s broader claim in Part Two that financial structure shapes artistic form; this is a concrete mechanism for how a syndicator’s target demographic reshapes which aspects of a show get foregrounded.