“Ratings for an event like the Olympics aren't necessarily drawn from the usual prime-time television audience. For us to suddenly program differently for those two weeks would be a mistake for our network.”
“With several shows like 'American Idol' and '24,' we have a commitment to the viewer to run them every week. We think it would be a disservice to the fans of those shows to put them on hiatus just because the Olympics are on.”
“'Idol' has performed better than we expected against the Olympics, but we never took the Olympics into consideration. 'Idol' has momentum all by itself.”
“Yes, that's true. It's all part of the ongoing evolution in TV programming – how to work with these facts, and events like the World Series and college (football) bowl games, and still maximize the appeal of our schedule.”
“Summertime, in recent years, has become a testing ground for reality shows – 'Survivor,' (CBS) 'Fear Factor' (NBC) and 'Dancing With the Stars' (ABC) all premiered in the summer.”
