• by Michael Shields , August 10, 2004

The message from the major broadcast networks this summer, particularly Fox, was that the era of year-round programming has arrived. Well, it has--and with quite a thud. Network ratings are down, again, and many of the new shows launched this summer, like Fox's "North Shore" and "The Casino," simply tanked.

While the networks endure their traditional summer swoon, syndication has shown considerable resiliency, benefiting from some serious luck. According to a new report issued by the Syndicated Network Television Association, seven of the top 25 programs in July were syndicated--second only to 13 from CBS, and more than ABC and NBC combined.

Syndication as a whole also appears to be holding up better during the summer months, as its programs declined just 4 percent; network programs declined a whopping 36 percent in July.

Some credit has to go to a particular game show contestant.

"A certain amount of this success has been driven by a man named Ken Jennings," offered Mitch Burg, SNTA president. Of course, Jennings is the now-legendary "Jeopardy" champion who won a record 38 straight games before the show's season wrapped on July 22.

Jennings' run drove record ratings for the venerable game show, including increases of as much as 50 percent--and surpassed 15 million viewers during his final week before hiatus. The show's performance lifted ratings for "Wheel of Fortune"--which is often paired with the trivia-based show--in the process.

According to the SNTA report, "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune" were ranked two and five, respectively, in July (only "CSI" was rated higher than "Jeopardy").

For the networks, summer typically means that more viewers are doing things outside. "People's viewing habits change with the weather," said Burg. "With {new] network shows, you are asking people to change their behavior."

Because syndicated shows air multiple times during the day, "we can aggregate viewers from lots of different places," Burg explained. "There are more places to catch people."

Besides "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy," other syndicated shows in the top 25 in July were "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Judge Judy," "Seinfeld," "Oprah," and "Friends." Interestingly, off-networks sitcoms held up remarkably well as the networks struggle with this genre.

When it comes to sitcoms, people appear to prefer older reruns, at least in the summer. In several cases, these off-networks sitcoms are delivering higher ratings than network repeats of the same shows. For example, during the week of July 12, a CBS repeat of "Everybody Loves Raymond" drew a 6.8 household rating, while syndicated repeats of the show drew an average rating of 6.9.

As for whether TV buyers choose to adjust their buying habits in the summer months, it may depend on whether "there are opportunistic funds available," said Shari Ann Brill, vice president and director of programming services at Carat.

The fact that students are out of school may also affect the viewing of certain genres. "Shows that appeal to teens and college students may get a spike," she said.

But Brill was hesitant to make any declarations about syndication versus network TV. "You can't make any sweeping statements," she said. "It's similar to cable. There are signature shows, and there are shows that don't do nearly as well. There is just a huge palette of choices out there. Viewers are searching and so are buyers."

Top 25 TV Shows In July (*Denotes Syndication)

Program                Rating  
CSI                       9.7  
*Jeopardy                 9.0  
CSI: Miami                8.6  
Without a Trace           8.5

*Wheel of Fortune         8.3  
Law & Order               7.5  
60 Minutes                7.4  
Two & A Half Men          7.3  
Cold Case                 7.2  
Law & Order: SVU
7.1  
Everybody Loves Raymond   7.1  
*Everybody Loves Raymond  6.6    
Amazing Race: 5           6.5  
*Seinfeld                 6.5  
60 Minutes II             6.4  
*Judge Judy
6.3  
48 Hours Mystery          6.2  
*Friends                  6.0  
Navy NCIS                 6.0  
Big Brother: 5 (Tuesday)  6.0  
NBC Nightly News          6.0  
*Oprah Winfrey
Show       5.9  
ABC World News Tonight    5.9  
Big Brother: 5 (Thursday) 5.9  
Law & Order (Wednesday)   5.8  
Simple Life 2             5.8  

Source: Syndicated Network Television Association analysis of data from Nielsen Media Research. *Gross average audience ratings.