Stations finding ways of filling the gap
(CNN) -- Doug Gealy isn't all that disappointed that NBC's "Friends" and "Frasier" are going off the air.
Why should he be? He's the president and COO of ACME Communications, a television station group that owns eight WB affiliates and one UPN station -- NBC rivals all.
But he is worried about the future of sitcoms and scripted programming, the lifeblood of syndication. With all the attention currently being paid to reality shows, which do poorly in reruns, the broadcast networks are letting scripted shows slide, he says.
"The [major] networks have a tendency ... to pull product before its time," Gealy says. That means that scripted shows that could catch on, if given a chance, seldom reach the 100-episode plateau deemed necessary for a good run in syndication.
Moreover, syndication is where the profits are: local stations -- particularly those not affiliated with the major broadcasters -- need shows for their morning, late afternoon and early evening time slots.
They buy old shows in bulk and can run them endlessly, a money machine for syndicators and studios. Without fresh scripted programming, the whole system falters. (There are only so many game shows and celebrity news shows to go around.)
The ACME stations are already working on filling the morning gap, says Gealy. A new morning show, "The Daily Buzz" is coproduced by the firm and Emmis Communications and runs on more than 120 stations nationwide, including ACME's WB affiliates. It is described in press material as "a low-cost alternative to infomercials and reruns of sitcoms" and by Gealy as " 'Today' meets Letterman meets 'The Daily Show.' "
"There's nothing in syndication in that daypart for us," Gealy says. Local stations may start creating and sharing more of their own programming, he adds, much like the "PM Magazine" days of the late '70s and early '80s.
He suspects the reality show trend will turn around. With rare exceptions -- notably "Survivor" and "American Idol" -- scripted shows attract higher commercial rates, so he figures it's just a matter of time.
"Every time there's a new reality show, the networks have to get advertisers to buy in," he says. But sitcoms and dramas are "their bread and butter."
