為何美劇總在秋季首映

There are practical reasons for networks to release new programming in the fall, but you might be surprised to find out one of the main reasons has nothing to do with any promotional considerations, planning, or even television itself; it was about giving the radio industry a chance to get out of New York City during the summer.

出于某些實(shí)際原因，一些節(jié)目、電視劇總在秋季回歸，但你會(huì)意外地發(fā)現(xiàn)這幾乎與任何宣傳計(jì)劃都無(wú)關(guān)，甚至與電視劇本身的內(nèi)容也無(wú)關(guān)。這僅是為了給夏季的廣播業(yè)一個(gè)“沖出”紐約的機(jī)會(huì)。

CBS and NBC originally began as radio networks, and back in the 1920s and 1930s before television, their headquarters in New York City produced most national radio programming. But as New Yorkers know, there are few things more unbearable than a New York City heat wave, and before the invention of air conditioning, beating the heat meant getting out of the city. It only made sense to shut down radio production and give people a chance to escape to Cape Cod bungalows and Catskill retreats to wait out the long hot summer.

CBS和NBC最初是作為廣播公司發(fā)家的。早在20世紀(jì)20年代和30年代電視節(jié)目流行之前，他們就在位于紐約的總部涵蓋了國(guó)家大部分的廣播節(jié)目。但每一個(gè)紐約人都知道，沒(méi)有誰(shuí)能捱得過(guò)紐約夏季的熱浪。在空調(diào)發(fā)明之前，唯一能躲過(guò)此劫的辦法就是離開(kāi)紐約。這時(shí)候叫停廣播業(yè)，給人們一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)去科德角或者卡茨基爾避暑的機(jī)會(huì)，也說(shuō)得過(guò)去。

But then television came along. Back in the late '40s and early '50s, television was just beginning to really take off. TV had clearly been on the rise before World War II, but once war broke out, the government shut down commercial broadcasts and television equipment production. Hardly anyone was working in television during the war, but the post-war economic boom of the late '40s that followed made TV sets affordable for middle-class families, and the demand for new programming was at an all-time high.

但是電視出現(xiàn)了。早在40年代末和50年代初，電視業(yè)就開(kāi)始真正騰飛了。在第二次世界大戰(zhàn)前，它開(kāi)始興起，但是戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)爆發(fā)，政府就停止了商業(yè)廣播和電視設(shè)備的生產(chǎn)。在戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)期間，幾乎沒(méi)有人從事與電視相關(guān)的工作，但40年代末——即戰(zhàn)后的經(jīng)濟(jì)繁榮期，中產(chǎn)階級(jí)家庭都買(mǎi)得起電視機(jī)了，新節(jié)目的需求量達(dá)到歷史最高水平。

Broadcast networks knew they had a gold mine on their hands if they could satisfy that demand, but television was a new medium and it wasn't clear what people wanted to see. The easiest thing to do was to produce new shows by offering TV contracts to existing radio celebrities, and many early hits like "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet"and "The Red Skelton Show" were developed by giving radio stars their own television programs. Everyone making the switch from radio to TV made sure their schedules allowed them to spend the summer months elsewhere, and networks continued taking breaks after May and premiering new shows in September when everyone was back from vacation.

廣播界心知肚明，一旦能滿(mǎn)足這種增長(zhǎng)的需求，他們就能賺的盆滿(mǎn)缽滿(mǎn)。但在當(dāng)時(shí)，電視機(jī)是作為一種新媒體的身份出現(xiàn)的，它能否為大眾所接受是未知的。最簡(jiǎn)單的方式就是和廣播名人簽署合同，讓他們出新節(jié)目;還有一些早期很紅的如《奧茲和哈里特的冒險(xiǎn)》和《雷德·斯克爾頓秀》，都是一些廣播明星主持的節(jié)目。為了能在夏日避暑，每個(gè)人的注意力從廣播轉(zhuǎn)向了電視。而廣播業(yè)也可以在五月到九月這段時(shí)間輪休，等到人們度假結(jié)束，新的節(jié)目也就出來(lái)了。

When television production moved to California, the tradition of starting new blocks of shows in the fall continued, and as it turns out, the system worked well for the industry—and for viewers. It still does to this day. Fewer people tend to watch TV during the summer since they are vacationing or spending more time watching summer movies. So releasing new shows in the fall ensures the networks free buzz around the annual season premieres and guarantees viewers know when to tune in to their favorite shows' new seasons.

當(dāng)電視業(yè)重心從紐約轉(zhuǎn)移到加州時(shí)，秋季回歸的這一傳統(tǒng)也被保留了下來(lái)，而事實(shí)也證明，此套不成文的規(guī)定，對(duì)業(yè)界和觀眾都很受用?，F(xiàn)在，也仍是這樣。夏季很少有人還看電視，因?yàn)樗麄兇蠖歼x擇出去旅游了。所以，在秋季發(fā)布新劇，既讓電視業(yè)能緩一緩，觀眾也準(zhǔn)確地知道了何時(shí)該收看、收聽(tīng)他們最?lèi)?ài)的節(jié)目了。

But it's also about advertising dollars. Networks sell advertising cyclically. The upcoming TV season's schedule is revealed when the previous season ends so advertisers can buy slots months in advance—a system that began in the 1960s. Many think this way of selling ads is obsolete and should be replaced. Who knows, maybe fall premieres will become obsolete one day, as well. Many networks are already experimenting with releasing new shows in the spring and even in the summer.

但這么做也與利益相關(guān)，因?yàn)檫@樣廣播網(wǎng)就可以周期地賺廣告費(fèi)了。前一季一結(jié)束，節(jié)目更新時(shí)間一確定，廣告商就有機(jī)可乘了——利用這段間隔期插播廣告。此現(xiàn)象也是從60年代開(kāi)始的。很多人認(rèn)為這種銷(xiāo)售方式已經(jīng)過(guò)時(shí)了，理應(yīng)被取代。但是誰(shuí)也說(shuō)不準(zhǔn)，或許有一天“秋季首映/回歸”也會(huì)被取代呢。畢竟現(xiàn)在，已經(jīng)有廣播公嘗試在冬季甚至是夏季更新節(jié)目了。

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