said by Msradell:If they had more decent programming their advertising revenue would increase!
Yea, but that is limited. People simply have too many options for distractions. In 1981-82 all kinds of shows that were not brilliant used to get far bigger audiences than almost any show today.
Three's Company , Alice , The Dukes of Hazzard , Too Close for Comfort , One Day at a Time , Archie Bunker's Place , Falcon Crest , The Love Boat , and Dynasty are examples.
There were just a limited number of cable networks, and VCR rentals were time consuming. Video games were limited, and only professors had access to the internet.
ABC broadcast gets $4.30 per TV household per month in revenue. If they can get a $1.00 for cable retransmission rights, that is far more than they can ever hope by increasing viewership and advertising revenue.