Producing a TV Show...

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DVX100Shooter

Veteran
I am working on a concept for 2 TV shows to be aired locally on the local cable channels, public access channel.

How do TV shows make money? Is it all through selling advertisements? My plan is to put together a pilot or just bits and pieces of the show to show potential clients to see if they would want to advertise their business or products during our show. Is there a better way of doing this?

I want to hire some producers and writers and stuff but I want to be able to pay them too so that is why I asked how does a show make money.

If anyone on here has produced a show on a local cable channel, please give me your tips, suggestions, what to look out for type of stuff.


thanks
 
It must be very interesting experience for everyone here, so please share your knowledges with us.
 
Shows on public access don't make money :)

Check with the station -- you may be able to get local business to sponsor your show, but only to offset production costs. You can't use a public access facility to fill your own pocket.
 
1. Check rates & specs for buying different time slots.
2. Produce demo or trailer
3. Get sponsors & advertisers.
4. Produce show
5. Repeat 3-4.
 
Public access? Good luck with making money on that, most public-access shows that I've seen are vanity projects, paid for by the host just so they can brag that they have a TV show.

Public access channels may or may not allow advertising too -- I'd wager that many won't, so there's no chance to make a profit from a public-access show. You'd instead be looking at buying a half-hour or hour time slot from the cable network, and airing your show in that.

If you target a specific market (like new homes, or realtors, etc) then the business model is pretty easy. For a new-home show, you'd approach local builders and offer them a video tour + airtime package, etc. For realtors, divide it up into sellable timeslots, and go nag realtors into buying your package. $500 per minute, for example, and they get to show two houses, etc. The houses are incidental, of course -- the realtors wouldn't really be selling the houses on the show, instead they're selling themselves, so keep that in mind. Hook up with the largest real estate company in your town, tell them you'll put their name on the show, charge 'em a small fee to be the "title sponsor", and then have them push the notion onto their agents. You'll still have to do most of the work in securing agents, but at least you'd have the backing of a major name which would make it a lot easier.

For "talk show" type shows, they actually charge the guests to appear. Something like $500 or $1000 for a two-minute interview.

No station is going to pay you for your programming; it works the other way -- you pay them for the airtime. TV stations are in the business of selling airtime. The very best you can hope to do would be a barter situation, where they give you free airtime in exchange for them keeping the commercial slots (they sell commercials that air within your show). But that isn't going to happen until you've got a big following, so in the early days it's up to you to take the risk. Your job as a TV producer isn't just to produce the show, it's also to produce enough sponsors that the budget's taken care of. That's why you'll see on a show like "Three Wishes" on NBC, they always push AmeriQuest or Home Depot or some other major brand, because that brand will have donated services and usually cash as well for the publicity that comes from the show. Three Wishes is a brilliant example of how to put a show like that together.
 
Barry has clearly explained how this works. When i first got interested in Video I got myself a cable access show. Its a great way to try out your skills and make mistakes. however as Barry said its unlikely that you will make any money from it.

Most cabel access chanels are ther as part of the cable companies agreement with the city. They are to provide the local citizens a voice. As such many of them look at it as a loss leader. they typically understaff and under equip the studio. They also will typically not allow paid advertising and not allow you to profit from the show, so you cant have a talk show where you charge the guy to tout his company.

The best bet is to as barry said and buy the time. Its actually quite affordable. My local company charges about 350 per half hour on a 52 week schedule. it doubles if its only an occasional purchase. even so if you can get the $500 per minute that barry mentions that cost can easy be paid for. Dont forget though that you cant really charge 500 per minute for 28.5 minutes . I guess there may be a format that allows that but you will generally need some sort of structure to tie in the various paid segnments. This eat up time. However if the production costs are your own time and effort then your overheard is lower and you really can make some money.
 
Thanks guys. I do think you can have commercials in your public access shows at least here locally. I have seen it done. I would be shooting and editing all my stuff on my own. I have access to a studio where I could build a set and shoot an "on the set" type look if need be as well. They have all that down at the Public Access studio but like you all said, the equipment is old and the studio looks like something from the 80's! There is one local guy that has been buying up a boat load of airtime and has been airing all sorts of USED CAR shows. Now he has expanded to other type shows but no one has come up with my idea yet that is why I need to jump on this as soon as I can.

In terms of making money. I wasn't expecting to make any big money. If I could, get business to advertise and buy air time, I would take a percentage of that money and pay any help that I had to hire to put on the show.

Like someone said, I would design a pilot or trailer first to show the prospects and hopefully sell them on the idea. I am also trying to get a well known local radio personality to host the show as well. So with that person and a good concept, the show could have the potential to turn into something decent. Like I always say..."You gotta crawl before you walk!"

My next step is to contact the public access and PBS stations to find out about if I am allowed to have advertising in my show. Another alternative could be to buy airtime on a WB or other independent station during the overnight hours. I had a friend that produced a show on a major TV station down in Virginia. The show was shot and produced locally there in VA and he was lucky to get Budweiser and Heinekken to sponsor the show. Needless to say along with his many connections, he provided a good pilot and business plan to them.

So I here what you all are saying....I am going to go for it even if I have to start off small.
 
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