Having spent two decades in broadcast syndication producing, hosting and distributing popular programming brands including Urban Latino and Raw Travel, Robert Rose has one of the best perspectives on the recent evolution of weekend syndicated programming.
And according to Rose, the New York-based one-man band behind AIM Tell-a-Vision Group, the day part has devolved with too many shows that are "not curated, slapped together, [represent the] lowest common denominator, and sometimes even worse, are insulting to viewers."
In the form of a short YouTube video message, Rose has crafted an earnest plea to broadcast station managers to filter out shows he believes are "too whack for the weekends."
Rose identifies four types of culprits:
> "Sports blooper shows that are in actuality a large percentage of scantily clad women doing non-sports but jiggly activities." Rose isn't explicitly calling out Mighty Oak Entertainment syndicator Mark O'Brien and his 16-year-old Whacked Out Sports series ... but we can infer what we will here. Rose said the weekend is full of family viewing, but he's not sure this type of programming is appropriate for any broadcast day part.
> Lifestyle and entertainment shows based almost entirely on EPK material. "The content may be cheap, but it's not compelling and its extraordinarily lazy," said Rose, noting that such programming can squander high lead-in and lead-out audiences generated by live weekend sports broadcasts.
> Shows jammed with two many commercials. Rose cites "one media mogul producer" (Byron Allen perhaps?) as providing only around 18.5 minutes of content per half hour. "We need to get back to the industry standard commercial load if we are to remain relevant," Rose said.
> Dated shows. Rose cited one recent sports interview show featuring just-retired Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady gushing about how much he loves playing for the New England Patriots, a team he last suited up for back in January 2019. Even more perilous to station managers, these dated programs often have outdated copyrights, Rose added.
For his part, Rose tries to coax is plea as humbly as possible, noting that while it's a "privilege" to produce television, doing so is also a "grind."
"Do we hit the bullseye every time ourselves? Maybe not ever. But it's the pursuit that keeps us going," Rose said.
"We're broadcast TV, not some obscure OTT network throwing crap against the wall to see what sticks, or some dying cable network that keeps showing the same shows over and over and over to save a buck," he added. "We have a limited number of hours, and a unique connection to our viewers that others just don't have."
