Media Scribbler

In a country where each day seems to bring more “reality” with job losses and stocks plummeting, could TV watchers be looking for a little less reality television? This season’s ratings point toward “yes”.

According to the Los Angeles Times, several network mainstays are performing so badly that their futures are now in doubt. Fox’s “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?,” has lost nearly half its share of the 18-to-49-year-old demographic since last year, and viewership for NBC’s “Deal Or No Deal” has falled nearly 29 percent for its Wednesday show. Even ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” has lost 9 percent of its audience for this year’s lineup, despite the Cloris Leachman controversy that attracted media attention.

On the other hand, some lower performing scripted shows have shown rebirth this year, with NBC’s “30 Rock” up 23 percent over last year, and the CW’s “Gossip Girl” up 20 percent.

So what’s behind the switcharoo? The LAT article blames the trend on aging shows and overexposure.

It’s hard to believe it, but “Survivor” is in its 17th season, and DWTS is in its seventh cycle. There’s also the factor of overexposure, with “Deal” airing several times a week at times. A great example of how that can happen was ABC’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”, which was incredibly successful when it first aired but died quickly when the network aired it four times a week.

But frankly, as people got caught up in the political drama of the Presidential race this fall and now are dealing with the financial crisis, do they possibly have enough reality without reality TV? That’s possibly a bigger factor than networks bargained for.

Also, some cable news shows like MSNBC’s ”The Rachel Maddow Show” have picked up pretty big audiences that may have come from networks. And some of the shows that have gained audiences, like “30 Rock” and “Gossip Girl”, have had more media and blogosphere attention this year than they had last fall.

Reality shows are relatively cheap to make, so those with struggling ratings may stick around longer than they would otherwise. But “Survivor” fans may want to get their fill now before the show gets voted off the island.

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