• by August 22, 2005

CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC -- Every so often, Carat's Rob Frydlewicz produces an unusual map of the United States. It's not one that you're likely to haggle over at Hagstrom, or even rant about at Rand McNally. Though it is geographically representative of the U.S. by even the best cartographic standards, it is the subject of Frydlewicz's map that makes its latitudes and longitudes so interesting. Instead of representing geographic, or even demographic points of interest, Frydlewicz maps the locations of prime-time network TV shows. Not where the programs are actually filmed, but where they are set. Interestingly, there doesn't seem to be a profound difference between the two. Both are dominated by a handful of big media markets.

In the geocentric world of Madison & Vine, only a handful of neighborhoods appear to really matter, whether it's the fabricated world Frydlewicz documents in Carat's annual prime-time network TV map of the United States, or the real world of content creation. Both look a little bit like artist Saul Steinberg's overly-alluded-to cover of The New Yorker magazine, which depicts a world dominated by New York, in the foreground and virtually everything else except for Chicago and California dwindling off into the background. Only the TV world's map is reversed. California, actually just a small southern area of the state, looms large, while most other locals don't even get on the map.

That was evident Monday when the Los Angeles Entertainment Industry Development Corp, released results of an annual analysis of the city's film production. The conclusion: While feature film production has grown more diffused with the proliferation of the independent film industry, TV production continues to be concentrated in Hollywood.

The study, which analyzed 10-years worth of data, comparing location permits processed by the city for both film and TV shoots, found that TV shows filmed on the streets of Los Angeles actually increased steadily during each of the past three years. Not surprisingly, the increase in TV film production in the city correlates directly to the proliferation of new TV programming outlets, LAEIDC President Steve MacDonald tells the Riff, noting, "The increase in original programming by cable networks in recent years, combined with a shift away from reruns by the broadcast networks, has resulted in expanded TV production." Why it has expanded on the streets of L.A., MacDonald could not say for fear of jinxing what has become a profound economic stimulus to the L.A. economy.

With production costs estimated at $2 million per episode, for one-hour dramas, $1.25 million per episode for half-hour scripted comedies, and $700,000 per episode for reality programs, the impact of just one series can have a tremendous impact on the city's economy. "A single one-hour broadcast series that produces a full 22-episode season translates into $44 million in direct production-related activity for the local economy," says MacDonald.

Well, that's great for Los Angeles, but what about the rest of the media world? According to MacDonald's stats, only 26 percent of the 58 one-hour scripted series and only 11 percent of half-hour scripted series on the networks new fall schedules were shot outside L.A.

But the data also includes an important reality check: reality TV. Only 23 percent of reality TV series were shot in Los Angeles. Now that seems more realistic.