IT'S ALL IN THE TIMING: TV TIMING

By Debbie Mitchell

It is no surprise the day after the Academy Awards that most television shows are featuring their roundup of hits and misses on the Oscar red carpet last night.  It's good television... celebrities, fashion, winners and losers, a programming formula that you can count on year in and year out.

If you are a fashion expert or blogger the last eight award weeks was your time to shine on any number of shows. But to get booked on a program it takes persistence, contacts and a carefully crafted pitch.  February is the first month of television sweeps period (when rating numbers are monitored) and those segments are usually planned weeks in advance.  Start early and pitch your segment idea no later than the beginning of the year.  Periodically check in with the show producer  to make sure they keep you mind when it is time to confirm a guest.  A once a week check in is good.  Most shows have a stable of experts or signed contributors they use regularly so getting a spot to be featured on a segment is going to be a challenge, but it is not impossible. 

I spoke to fitness expert John Basedow this weekend who said he was actually called by a show during the holiday season. They found him.  Well, holiday season is prime time for the always popular  weight loss or healthy food segments along with the "new year and new you" series that usually  jump start the new year.

There is a routine to television programming and it's important to pay attention to the seasons, news and entertainment cycles in order to pitch effectively and be considered as a guest.  Your television stock rises when your news and entertainment cycle is near.  As we discussed above award season and fashion week  keep fashion editors and style experts are in demand at the start of the year.  For Valentine's Day, love is in the air and dating and relationship stories are timely.  Spring break means kids are out of school so parents need tips on what to do when the kids are at home.

Keep a calendar on hand to figure out how your expertise can be used on a show. Create a pitch weeks or months in advance and find a nugget of information that makes the segment unique. Always try to give the audience news they can use, good take away information.  Most people are not sitting down to watch television they are doing something else while they listen to television.  Here is a calendar breakdown of celebrations and events where producers  may need story ideas and experts during the coming year. 

January

New Year Health /Fitness

Fashion Week

Super Bowl

Academy Awards

Spring Break

National Eye Care Month

National Volunteer Blood Donor Month   

National Book Month

February
Black History Month
Valentine's Day
American Heart Month
National Dental Month
Chocolate Lover's Month March
National Nutrition Month
National Women's History Month
Save Your Vision Week - 1st week in March
Planning for kids summer camp April Tax Season
Cancer Control Month
Alcohol Awareness Month May Mother's Day
Memorial Day (unofficial start of the summer)

June Father's Day
Summer Begins

July- August

Summer vacation

September- October

Labor Day

Grandparent's Day

Step family Day

November-December

Thanksgiving

Christmas

New Years

Pay attention to the dates above and plan your pitches accordingly.  And even if you get booked and are ready to appear there is always a chance that your story can get bumped (postponed/canceled) if a bigger story happens in the news.  Remember it is all about the timing.

TV/Social Media Producer Debbie Mitchell is an emmy nominated producer who is a member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA).  If you are a personality interested in television placement or connecting with brands follow Debbie Mitchell @TVProducerDeb or email Ready4Airtv@gmail.com .