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Television Syndication

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Television syndication



 
 
In broadcasting
Broadcasting

Broadcasting is distribution of Sound and/or video Signalling s which transmit programs to an audience. The audience may be the general public or a relatively large sub-audience, such as children or young adults....
, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows to multiple individual stations, without going through a broadcast network
Broadcast network

A broadcast network is an organization, such as a corporation or other Voluntary association, that provides live television or recorded content, such as film, newscasts, sports, and Public affairs programming Television program for Broadcasting over a group of radio or television stations....
. It is common in countries where television is scheduled by networks with local affiliates, particularly in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. In the rest of the world, however, most countries have centralized networks without local affiliates and syndication is less common, although shows can also be syndicated internationally.


When syndicating a show, the production company, or a distribution company or "syndicator", usually attempts to sell the show to one station in each media market
Media market

A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television station and radio broadcasting offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content....
 or area, in the country and around the world.






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In broadcasting
Broadcasting

Broadcasting is distribution of Sound and/or video Signalling s which transmit programs to an audience. The audience may be the general public or a relatively large sub-audience, such as children or young adults....
, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows to multiple individual stations, without going through a broadcast network
Broadcast network

A broadcast network is an organization, such as a corporation or other Voluntary association, that provides live television or recorded content, such as film, newscasts, sports, and Public affairs programming Television program for Broadcasting over a group of radio or television stations....
. It is common in countries where television is scheduled by networks with local affiliates, particularly in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. In the rest of the world, however, most countries have centralized networks without local affiliates and syndication is less common, although shows can also be syndicated internationally.

Types of syndication

  • First-run syndication refers to programming that is broadcast for the first time as a syndicated show (not any one particular network), or at least first so offered in a given country (programs originally created and broadcast outside of the United States, first presented on a network in their country of origin, have often been syndicated in the U.S. and in some other countries);
  • Off-network syndication involves the sale of a program that was originally run on network television: a rerun
    Rerun

    A rerun or repeat is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television Broadcasting. The invention of the rerun is generally credited to Desi Arnaz....
    ;
  • Public-broadcasting syndication has arisen in the U.S. as a parallel service to stations in the PBS
    Public Broadcasting Service

    The Public Broadcasting Service is an United States non-profit public broadcasting television service with 354 member TV stations in the United States....
     service and the handful of independent public stations.


When syndicating a show, the production company, or a distribution company or "syndicator", usually attempts to sell the show to one station in each media market
Media market

A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television station and radio broadcasting offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content....
 or area, in the country and around the world. If successful, this can be lucrative; but the syndicator may only be able to sell the show in a small percentage of the markets.

Syndication differs from selling the show to a television network
Television network

A television network is a distribution wiktionary:Network for television content whereby a central operation provides television program for many television stations....
; once a network picks up a show, it is usually guaranteed to run on most or all the network's affiliates, on the same day of the week and at the same time (in a given timezone, in countries where this is a concern). Some production companies create their shows and sell them to networks at a loss, at least at first, hoping that the series will succeed and that eventual off-network syndication will turn a profit for the show.

A syndicated program is sold to stations for "cash" (rights are purchased by the stations to insert
Local insertion

In broadcasting, local insertion is the act or capability of a broadcast television station, radio station, or cable TV system to insert or replace part of a broadcast network feed with content unique to the local station or system....
 some or all of the ads at their level); given to stations for access to airtime (wherein the syndicators get the ad revenue); or the combination of both. The trade of program for airtime is called "barter
Barter

Barter is a type of trade in which product or Service are directly exchanged for other goods and/or services, without the use of Money. It can be bilateral or multilateral, and usually exists parallel to monetary systems in most developed countries, though to a very limited extent....
."

While market penetration can vary widely and revenues can be unreliable, the producers often enjoy more content-freedom in the absence of network standards and practice officials; frequently, some innovative ideas are explored by first-run syndicated programming, which the networks are leery of giving airtime to. Meanwhile, top-rated syndicated shows in the United States usually have a domestic market reach of 98%.

Very often, series that are aired in syndication are cut. For example a standard American sitcom runs 22 minutes, but in syndication it may be cut back to 20 minutes to make room for more commercials.

Syndication can take the form of either weekly or daily syndication. The game shows, some "tabloid" and entertainment news shows, and stripped talk shows are broadcast daily or week-daily, while most other first-run syndicated shows are broadcast weekly.

First-run syndication in the U.S.

As with radio in the U.S., television networks, particularly in their early years, did not offer a full-day's-worth of programming for their affiliates, even in the evening or "prime time" hours. Some stations were not affiliated with any network. Both groups sought to supplement their locally produced programming and whatever network feeds there were with content that could be flexibly scheduled. The development of videotape
Videotape

Videotape is a means of recording images and sound onto magnetic tape as opposed to film stock.In most cases, a helical scan video head rotates against the moving tape to record the data in two dimensions, because video signals have a very high bandwidth, and static heads would require extremely high tape speeds....
 and, much later, enhanced satellite
Satellite

In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an Physical body which has been placed into orbit by human endeavor. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
 downlink access furthered these options. While most past first-run syndicated shows were shown only in syndication, some canceled network shows continued to be produced for first-run syndication or were revived for syndication several years after their original cancellation.

Ziv Television Programs, Inc., after establishing itself as a major radio syndicator, was the first major first-run television syndicator, creating several long-lived series in the 1950s and selling them directly to regional sponsors, who in turn sold the shows to local stations. Among the most famous and widely watched Ziv offerings were Sea Hunt
Sea Hunt

Sea Hunt was an United States television adventure series from syndicator Ziv TV that ran from 1958 to 1961 and was popular in Television syndication for decades afterwards....
 and Highway Patrol
Highway Patrol (TV series)

Highway Patrol is a Television syndication Action Police procedural that aired from 1955-1959. The series was syndicated by Ziv Television Programs....
. Some first-run syndicated series were picked up by networks in the 1950s and early '60s, notably The Adventures of Superman and Mr. Ed. The networks started syndicating their reruns in the late 1950s, and first-run syndication shrank sharply, for a decade (CBS
CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
's first syndication arm, Viacom
Viacom

Viacom , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an United States media conglomerate with various worldwide interests in cable television and satellite television networks , and movie production and distribution ....
, would eventually be split off from the company and eventually come back to purchase CBS, having already purchased Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production company and distribution company, located on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California....
 and its interests, and created UPN
UPN

United Paramount Network was a television network that broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States and that was in production for over eleven years....
). Some stalwart series continued, notably Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days

Death Valley Days is a long-running United States old-time radio and television Anthology series about true stories of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley area....
; other ambitious projects were also to flourish, however briefly, such as The Play of the Week (1959–1961), produced by David Susskind (of the syndicated talk show Open End and also producer of such network fare as NYPD).

However, FCC
Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission is an Independent agencies of the United States government, created, directed, and empowered by United States Congress statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President of the United States....
 rulings in the late 1960s curtailed the U.S. networks' ability to schedule programming in what has become known as the "early fringe", notably the 7-8pm (ET/PT) hour of "prime time", with the stated hope that this might encourage more local programming of social and cultural relevance to communities (off-network syndie repeats were also banned); some projects of this sort came to fruition, though usually relatively commercial and slick ones such as the Group W Evening Magazine/PM Magazine
PM Magazine

PM/Evening Magazine was a television series with a news and entertainment format. It was syndicated to stations throughout the United States....
 franchise, and such pre-existing national projects as the brief commercial-television run of William F. Buckley, Jr.
William F. Buckley, Jr.

William Frank Buckley Jr. was an United States Conservatism in the United States author and political commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally Print syndication newspaper columnist....
's interview/debate series Firing Line
Firing Line

Firing Line was an American Public affairs programming show founded and hosted by Conservatism William F. Buckley, Jr.. Its 1,504 episodes over 33 years made Firing Line the longest-running public affairs show in television history with a single host....
. The more obvious result was a rash of Canadian-produced syndicated dramatic series, such as the Gilligan's Island knock-off Dusty's Trail and the Colgate-sponsored Dr. Simon Locke; game shows, often evening editions of network afternoon series, flourished, and a few odd items such as Wild Kingdom
Wild Kingdom

Wild Kingdom, sometimes known as Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, is an United States television show that features wildlife and nature....
, cancelled by NBC in 1971, had a continuing life as syndicated programming tailor-made for the early fringe.

The 1970s and 1980s

Into the 1970s, first-run syndication continued to be an odd mix: cheaply produced, but not always poor-quality, "filler" programming. These included the dance-music show Soul Train
Soul Train

Soul Train was a syndicated, music-related television program. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by rhythm and blues, soul music, and Hip hop music artists, although jazz musicians and gospel music singers have also appeared....
, and 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation , also known as 20th Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, or simply Fox, is one of the six Worldwide major film studios....
's That's Hollywood, a television variation on the popular That's Entertainment!
That's Entertainment!

That's Entertainment! is a 1974 compilation film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to celebrate its 50th anniversary. It was followed by two sequels and a related film called That's Dancing!....
 theatrically released collections of film clips from the MGM library.

There were also many imported programs distributed this way. These include the documentary series Wild, Wild World of Animals (repackaged by Time Life
Time Warner

Time Warner Inc. is the world's third largest media and entertainment Conglomerate by market capitalization , headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City....
 with narration by William Conrad
William Conrad

William Conrad was an American film director and television director and an actor and narrator in radio, film, and television known for his baritone voice, as well as his sizable girth....
) and Thames Television
Thames Television

Thames Television was a Broadcast license of the United Kingdom ITV television network, covering Greater London and parts of Home counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
's sober and necessarily grim The World at War. The Starlost
The Starlost

The Starlost was a Canada-produced science fiction television series devised by writer Harlan Ellison and broadcast in 1973 on CTV Television Network in Canada and Broadcast syndication to local stations in the United States....
 (1973) was a Canadian series, apparently modified from the vision of science fiction writers Harlan Ellison
Harlan Ellison

Harlan Jay Ellison is a prolific United States writer of short stories, novellas, teleplays, essays, and criticism. His literary and television work has received many awards....
 and Ben Bova
Ben Bova

Benjamin William Bova is an American science fiction author and editor....
. UFO
UFO (TV series)

UFO is a British television science fiction series created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson and produced by the Anderson's and Lew Grade's Century 21 Productions for Grade's ITC Entertainment company....
 (1970) and Space: 1999
Space: 1999

Space: 1999 is a United Kingdom Science fiction on television series. In the series, nuclear waste from Earth is stored on the moon. The waste explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, which knocks the moon out of its orbit and sends it and the 311 inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha hurtling uncontrollably into outer space....
 (1975) came from British producer Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson

Gerry Anderson Member of the Order of the British Empire, born , is a United Kingdom producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
 and his partner Lew Grade
Lew Grade

Lew Grade, Baron Grade , born Lev Winogradsky, was an influential showbusiness impresario and television company executive in the United Kingdom....
, previously best-known for their Supermarionation
Supermarionation

Supermarionation is a Puppeteer technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds ....
 (puppet/animation) series, like Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds (TV series)

Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s television show devised by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation"....
. The most successful syndicated show in the US in the 1970s was probably The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show

The Muppet Show is a television program featuring a cast of The Muppets, which was produced by Jim Henson and his team from Sesame Street....
, also from Lew Grade.

Game shows thrived in syndication in the decade. Five-day-a-week versions of What's My Line?
What's My Line?

What's My Line? is a weekly panel game show which was produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. When first sold to CBS, the proposed title was Occupation Unknown....
 and To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth

To Tell the Truth is an United States television game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions that has been aired intermittently in various forms since 1956 in television, hosted by various television personalities....
 premiered in the late '60s and found loyal audiences until 1975 and 1978, respectively. Several daytime network games began producing once-a-week night-time versions for the early-evening hours, usually with bigger prizes and often featuring different hosts (emcees were limited to appearing on one network and one syndicated game simultaneously) and modified titles (Match Game
Match Game

Match Game was an United States television game show featuring contestants attempting to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions....
 PM
, The $100,000 Name That Tune
Name That Tune

Name That Tune was a television game show that put two contestants against each other to test their knowledge of songs.Premiering in the United States in the early 1950s, the show was created and produced by Harry Salter and his wife, Roberta Semple Salter....
 or The $25,000 Pyramid
Pyramid (game show)

Pyramid is the collective name of a series of American television game shows where contestants tried to guess a series of words or phrases, based on descriptions that were given to them by their teammates....
, for example). Of these shows, Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal

Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world....
 and The Hollywood Squares were the first to jump to twice-a-week syndicated versions around 1973. The night-time version of Family Feud
Family Feud

Family Feud is a U.S. television game show that pits two families against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey-type question posed to 100 people....
 (1977) quickly jumped from once-weekly to twice, and finally to five-days-a-week, and its massive popularity, along with that of new five-a-day entries like Jack Barry's The Joker's Wild
The Joker's Wild

The Joker's Wild was an United States television game show that aired at different times during the 1970s through the 1990s, It billed itself as the game "where knowledge is king and lady luck is queen," and was notable for being the first successful game show produced by Barry-Enright Productions after their role in the quiz show scanda...
 (1977) and Tic Tac Dough (1978) and Chuck Barris's increasingly-raunchy remakes of his '60s hits The Dating Game
The Dating Game

The Dating Game is an American Broadcasting Company television show that first aired on December 20, 1965 and was the first of many shows created and packaged by Chuck Barris from the 1960s in television through the 1980s in television....
 and The Newlywed Game
The Newlywed Game

The Newlywed Game is an United States television game show that pits newly-married couples against each other in a series of revealing question rounds to determine how well the spouses know each other....
, brought an end (with rare exceptions) to the era of once-a-week games. Also popular in first-run syndication and daytime was The Gong Show
The Gong Show

The Gong Show was a parody of television variety shows. It broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976 through July 21, 1978, and in television syndication in the U.S....
, hosted by Barris throughout most of its run.

Wait Till Your Father Gets Home
Wait Till Your Father Gets Home

Wait till Your Father Gets Home is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired in first-run Broadcast syndication in the United States from 1972 in television to 1974 in television....
 (1973) was a Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. , was an American List of animation studios that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century....
 cartoon series attempting to ape the All in the Family
All in the Family

All in the Family is an United States situation comedy that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971 to April 8, 1979....
-style sitcoms; Skippy the Bush Kangaroo (1969) was an Australian children's series in the manner of Flipper or Gentle Ben (a decade later, the decidedly not-for-children Australian Prisoner: Cell Block H would have a brief US syndicated run); and a Canadian sketch-comedy series began appearing on U.S. television stations in 1977—Second City Television
Second City Television

Second City Television was a Canada television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984....
 would eventually find a home, for two seasons, on NBC, as SCTV Network 90 (and on cable station Cinemax
Cinemax

Max is a collection of Pay TV that provide film, special features, erotica, and other services to consumers. Max is operated by HBO, Inc. ....
 later).

The Universal
Universal Studios

Universal Studios , a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the six Worldwide major American film studios. Its production studios are located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California....
 / Paramount
Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production company and distribution company, located on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California....
-produced package of original programming, Operation Prime Time, began appearing on ad hoc quasi-networks of (almost by necessity) non-network stations in the U.S. in 1978, with a mini-series adaptation of John Jakes
John Jakes

John William Jakes is a writer of fiction. Jakes first sold stories to pulp magazines while still in college in the early 1950s. He published several stories and novels over the next 20 years, many of them fantasy fiction, science fiction and westerns and other sorts of historical fiction, while working in the advertising industry....
's The Bastard.

From the latter '60s into the late '70s, Westinghouse also found considerable success with The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show

The Mike Douglas Show was an United States daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that ran from 1961 to 1982....
, a variety/talk show hosted by a singer with an easygoing interview style, which played in afternoons in most markets; similar programs soon followed featuring Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin

Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an United States television host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway theatre....
, who had been the host of CBS
CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
's most sustained late-night answer to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a late-night Talk/Chat show hosted by Johnny Carson under the The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992....
 previously, and another network veteran, Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore

Dinah Shore was an United States singer, actress, and Celebrity. She was most popular during the Big Band era of the 1940s and 1950s.After failing singing auditions for the bands of Benny Goodman and both Jimmy Dorsey and his brother Tommy Dorsey, Shore struck out on her own to become the first singer of her era to achieve huge solo succe...
. Also notable was the growing success of audience-participation talk shows, particularly that of the innovator of the format, Phil Donahue
Phil Donahue

Phillip John "Phil" Donahue is an Emmy award winning American media personality and writer, best known as the creator and star of The Phil Donahue Show, also known as Donahue, the first tabloid talk show....
.

First-run syndication in the 1970s also made it possible for some shows no longer wanted by network television to remain on the air. In 1971, ABC cancelled The Lawrence Welk Show
Lawrence Welk

Lawrence Welk was a musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, hosting The Lawrence Welk Show from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known to his large number of radio, television, and live-performance fans as "champagne music." He is a 1961 inductee of North Dakota's Roughrider Award....
, which went on to produce new episodes in syndication for another 11 years, and currently continues to much success in weekend reruns (with new segments featuring Welk cast members inserted within the episodes) distributed to PBS stations by the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority
Oklahoma Educational Television Authority

OETA , is a statewide network of PBS stations covering the entire state of Oklahoma.The network is primarily broadcast from facilities located on North Kelley Avenue in Oklahoma City , and operates a satellite studio in Tulsa....
. Also in 1971, CBS dropped Lassie
Lassie (1954 TV series)

Lassie is an United States television series that follows the adventures of a female rough collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal....
 and Hee Haw
Hee Haw

Hee Haw was a television variety show, initially co-hosted by musicians Buck Owens and Roy Clark and featuring country music and humor with fictional, rural "Kornfield Kounty" as a backdrop....
, the latter show's run ending as part of the network's cancellation of all of its rural
Rural

Rural areas are large and isolated areas of a country, often with low populations. Today, 75 percent of the United States' inhabitants live in suburban and urban areas, but cities occupy only 2 percent of the country....
-oriented shows (see The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies

The Beverly Hillbillies is an United States television series about a hillbilly family transplanted to Beverly Hills, California after finding oil on their land....
 and Green Acres
Green Acres

Green Acres is an United States television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a farm in the country....
). Lassie entered first-run syndication for two years, while Hee Haw continued to produce new episodes until 1992.

Throughout the mid to late 1980s, sitcoms continued to enter first-run syndication after being cancelled by the networks, the most successful of which were Mama's Family
Mama's Family

Mama's Family is an American television Situation comedy that premiered on NBC on January 22, 1983. It ended its run on that network in May 1984 when it was cancelled, but NBC would continue to air reruns until September 1985....
 and Charles In Charge
Charles in Charge

Charles in Charge is an American situation comedy television series which stars Scott Baio as Charles, a 19-year-old Rutgers University student working as a live-in babysitter in New Jersey....
. Other sitcoms during this time to enter first-run syndication after network cancellation included Silver Spoons
Silver Spoons

Silver Spoons is an United States sitcom that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982 to May 11, 1986 and in first-run syndication from September 15, 1986 to March 4, 1987....
, Punky Brewster
Punky Brewster

Punky Brewster is an United States sitcom about a girl named Punky Brewster being raised by her foster parent Henry Warnimont . The show ran on NBC from September 16, 1984 to September 7, 1986 and again in first-run Television syndication from September 26, 1986 to May 27, 1988....
, Webster
Webster (TV series)

Webster is an United States situation comedy that premiered on American Broadcasting Company on September 16, 1983, and ran on that network until September 11, 1987, but continued in first-run Television syndication until 1989....
, It's a Living, Too Close for Comfort
Too Close for Comfort (TV series)

Too Close for Comfort is an United States television sitcom which ran on the American Broadcasting Company network and in Broadcast syndication from 1980 to 1986....
 and What's Happening!!
What's Happening!!

What's Happening!! is an American television Situation comedy that aired on American Broadcasting Company from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979....
 (retitled as What's Happening Now!!
What's Happening Now!!

What's Happening Now!! is an United States sitcom which ran in Television syndication from 1985 in television to 1988 in television. It was the sequel to the sitcom What's Happening!!, which ran from 1976 in television to 1979 in television....
). Many of these sitcoms produced new shows in syndication mainly to have enough episodes for a profitable run in rerun syndication. Other sitcoms, such as Small Wonder
Small Wonder

Small Wonder is an American science fiction television sitcom in first-run syndication from 1985 in television to 1989 in television. The show chronicles the family of a robotics engineer who, after he secretly creates a robot modeled after a real human girl, try to pass it off as their daughter....
, enjoyed success in syndication throughout the entire run.

Dramatic first-run syndicated programs
During the latter 1980s and early 1990s and throughout the remainder of the decade there was a resurgence of dramatic first-run syndicated programs, many of them in the science fiction and fantasy fields, or adventure dramas with fantastic elements. Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is a science fiction television program created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Set in the 24th century, about 70 years after Star Trek: The Original Series, the program features a new crew and a new Starship Enterprise....
 debuted in 1987 and became one of the most-watched syndicated shows throughout its seven-year run. The next syndicated show that debuted in 1988 was War of the Worlds
War of the Worlds (TV series)

War of the Worlds is a television program that ran for two seasons, from 1988 to 1990. The series is an extension of the original 1953 film The War of the Worlds , often incorporating aspects from the film, The War of the Worlds , and The War of the Worlds into its mythology....
. Baywatch
Baywatch

Baywatch is an United States television series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the crowded beaches of Los Angeles County, California....
, which debuted in 1989 on NBC and was cancelled after one season also became one of the most-watched syndicated shows throughout its ten-year-run, garnering a worldwide audience. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television program that premiered in 1993 and ran for seven seasons, ending in 1999. Rooted in Gene Roddenberry?s Star Trek universe, it was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, at the request of Brandon Tartikoff, and produced by CBS Paramount Television....
 was also syndicated. Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is an United States Television program, filmed in New Zealand. It was produced from 1995 to 1999, and was very loosely based on the tales of the classical Greek mythology culture hero Heracles....
 and its spin-off series Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess

Xena: Warrior Princess is an United States television series that aired from September 15, 1995 until June 18, 2001. The series was produced by Renaissance Pictures in association with Universal Studios....
 helped build the audiences for such shows; Babylon 5
Babylon 5

Babylon 5 is an United States science fiction on television created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on the Babylon 5 space station: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict in the late 2250s and early 2260s....
 and Forever Knight
Forever Knight

Forever Knight is a Canada-Germany-United States television series about Nick Knight, an 800-year-old vampire working as a detective in modern day Toronto....
 drew devoted "cult" audiences; Psi Factor and Poltergeist: The Legacy
Poltergeist: The Legacy

Poltergeist: The Legacy is a Canada/United States of America horror fiction television series which ran from 1996 to 1999. The series tells the story of the members of a secret society known as the Legacy, and their efforts to protect humankind from occult dangers....
 attempted to draw on the audience for the FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
 series The X-Files
The X-Files

The X-Files is a Peabody Award, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning American cult following science fiction television series, created by Chris Carter , which first aired in 1993 and ended in 2002....
 (as did, even less probably, the short-lived spinoff Baywatch Nights
Baywatch Nights

Baywatch Nights was a spin-off from the popular television series, Baywatch. Created by Douglas Schwartz, David Hasselhoff, and Gregory J....
). Among the slightly less fantastic series were Relic Hunter
Relic Hunter

Relic Hunter was an Arts and entertainment in the United States/Canadian/France television series, starring Tia Carrere and Christien Anholt....
 and VIP
V.I.P. (TV series)

V.I.P. is an United States Television syndication television series that ran for four seasons from 1998 to 2002.The series stars Pamela Anderson as Vallery Irons, a woman who accidentally saves a celebrity and then is hired by a real bodyguard agency as a famous figurehead while the rest of the agency's professionals work to solve case...
, She Spies
She Spies

She Spies is an action-adventure television show that ran from September 9 2002 until May 17 2004, in two seasons. The show was sold into Television syndication but the first four episodes premiered on the NBC network, whose syndication arm was one of the producers....
 and Once a Thief. In 1997, Earth: Final Conflict
Earth: Final Conflict

Earth: Final Conflict is a Canada science fiction television series based on story ideas created by Gene Roddenberry, and produced under the guidance of his widow, Majel Barrett....
, based on ideas from Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry

Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an United States screenwriter and Television producer. He is arguably best known as the creator of Star Trek, an American sci-fi series known for its immense influence on popular culture....
, premiered in syndication. Three years later, a second Gene Roddenberry series, Andromeda
Andromeda (TV series)

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda was a Canada/United States science fiction television series, based on unused material by the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, developed by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and produced by Roddenberry's widow, Majel Roddenberry....
 also premiered in syndication. In 2008, Disney-ABC Domestic Television and ABC Studios teamed up with Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi

Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, film producer, actor and screenwriter.He is best known for directing the cult classic horror film The Evil Dead and the Blockbuster Spider-Man film series....
 to launch a new first-run syndicated TV series Legend of the Seeker
Legend of the Seeker

Legend of the Seeker is a live-action weekly television series based on The Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind. Distributed in domestic syndication by Disney-ABC Domestic Television, ABC Studios is producing the series, which is in its first foray into broadcast syndication, with Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, Joshua Donen, Ned Nalle...
, based on Terry Goodkind
Terry Goodkind

Terry Goodkind is a contemporary United States writer and author of the best-selling epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth, which according to his publisher Tor Books in an August 2006 press release has more than 10 million copies in print and has been translated into 20 different languages....
's Sword of Truth
Sword of Truth

The Sword of Truth is a series of eleven High fantasy novels written by Terry Goodkind. The books follow the protagonists Richard Rahl, Kahlan Amnell and Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander on their quest to defeat oppressors who seek to control the world and those who wish to unleash evil upon the world of the living....
 novel series.

Shows featuring competition in one form or another, such as Star Search
Star Search

Star Search was a television show that was produced from 1983 to 1995 and hosted by Ed McMahon. A relaunch was produced in 2002 - 2004. The show was originally filmed at the old Earl Carroll Theatre at 6230 Sunset Blvd....
 and American Gladiators
American Gladiators

American Gladiators was an United States game show television program that matched a cast of amateur sportspersons against each other, as well as against the show's own "gladiators", in contests of strength and agility....
, also enjoyed popularity in syndication around this time.

News programming
Also in the 1980s, news programming of various sorts began to be offered widely to stations. Independent Network News
Independent Network News (US)

The Independent Network News was a nationally-television syndication nightly news program, seen from June 1980 until June 1990, and produced by WPIX in New York City, designed mainly for independent stations....
, which was produced at WPIX studios in New York City, was a half-hour weekdaily program that ran for several years on independent stations; CNN
CNN

Cable News Network, almost always referred to by its initialism CNN, is a major US Cable News Network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first station to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television network in the United States....
 would offer a package of its Headline News to broadcast stations later. Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight

Entertainment Tonight is a daily television entertainment news show that is Television syndication by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world....
 began its long and continuing run as a "soft" news daily strip, with a number of imitations following; and "tabloid" television, in the wake of ABC's 20/20
20/20

20/20 is an United States television newsmagazine broadcast on American Broadcasting Company since June 6, 1978. Created by ABC News executive Roone Arledge, the show was designed similarly to CBS's 60 Minutes but focuses more on human interest stories than international and political subjects....
 and, more immediately, FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
's A Current Affair, would become a syndication staple with such series as Extra
Extra (TV series)

Extra is an entertainment television news program covering events and celebrities which debuted on September 5, 1994 in Television syndication....
 and Real TV
Real TV

Real TV is a reality television program that ran in syndication from September 9, 1996 - September 7, 2001. It aired footage of extraordinary events that were not usually covered in mainstream news....
.

Another area where network dominance was challenged by syndicated programming in the 1980s was in late-night talk shows; The Arsenio Hall Show
The Arsenio Hall Show

The Arsenio Hall Show was an Emmy Award winning talk show which aired on late night in Television syndication from 1989 to 1994. It starred comedian/actor Arsenio Hall....
 was the only very successful one, but Alan Thicke
Alan Thicke

Alan Thicke is a Canada actor, songwriter, game show host and talk-show emcee. He is best known for his role as Jason Seaver, the patriarch on the American Broadcasting Company television series Growing Pains....
's earlier shortlived Thicke of the Night, Lauren Hutton
Lauren Hutton

Lauren Hutton is an American former supermodel and occasional actress. She is best known for her starring roles in the movies American Gigolo and Once Bitten , and also for her fashion modeling career....
's innovatively-shot Lauren Hutton and..., and Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller

Dennis Miller is an American stand-up comedian, political commentator and sports commentator, and television/radio personality. He is known for his uncanny ability to improvise critical assessments laced with pop culture references....
, Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg is an United Statesn actress, comedian, singer-songwriter and media personality.She is one of only a handful of List of persons who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards....
, David Brenner
David Brenner

David Brenner is an United States standup comedian, actor, author, and filmmaker. On February 3, 2009, on The Howard Stern show, Brenner admitted that he would turn 73 on February 4, 2009, after a career during which he lied about his age since the 1960s....
 and Keenan Ivory Wayans attempted similar programs; Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson

Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Jr. is a retired American professional basketball point guard who played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association ....
's The Magic Hour was seen as a massive flop.

Reality and children's shows
As UPN
UPN

United Paramount Network was a television network that broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States and that was in production for over eleven years....
 and the WB began offering their affiliates ever-more nights of primetime programming, less call has been felt for first-run drama, at least, in the U.S.; much as with the closing of windows that provided opportunity for Ziv in the '50s and various producers in the early '70s. The more expensive dramatic projects are less attractive to syndicators (particularly when they might be sold, with somewhat less risk, to cable channels); "reality" series such as Cheaters
Cheaters

Cheaters is a weekly Broadcast syndication reality television television program that documents people who are suspected of adultery on their partners....
 and Maximum Exposure and several series about dating stunts began to be more common in the early 2000s. Some of the more low-key programs in this category were designed to appeal to children, such as Beakman's World
Beakman's World

Beakman's World is an educational children's television show produced by Embassy Television, Columbia Pictures Television, Universal Press Syndicate Belo Productions, and Columbia TriStar Television....
, Animal Rescue and Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures. They were able to get significant clearance because of stricter FCC
Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission is an Independent agencies of the United States government, created, directed, and empowered by United States Congress statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President of the United States....
 enforcement of rules on children's programming.

Game shows
Several game show
Game show

A game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrity, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems for money and/or prizes....
s are currently syndicated; the most popular by far are Wheel Of Fortune and the late version of Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!

Jeopardy! is a game show featuring trivia in topics such as history, literature, pop culture and science. The show has a decades-long Jeopardy! broadcast history in the United States since its creation by Merv Griffin in the early 1960s....
, premiering in 1983 and 1984 respectively. The shows have been 1-2 or 1-3 in the syndication ratings consistently since at least the late 1980's. In fact, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, Wheel is the most popular syndicated television program not only in the United States, but worldwide as well. Family Feud
Family Feud

Family Feud is a U.S. television game show that pits two families against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey-type question posed to 100 people....
 ended its first syndication run in 1985; a revival was a moderate hit from 1988-1995 and still another revival has been airing since 1999. By far the most successful entry into the market in the 2000s has been the daily version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US game show)

In the United States, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is a television reality television/game show which offers a maximum prize of United States dollar1,000,000 for correctly answering 15 successive multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty....
, premiering in 2002.

New game show concepts (that is, not based on an existing or pre-existing format) are rarely tried and usually unsuccessful in syndication; Street Smarts was somewhat of an exception. A Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares

The Hollywood Squares was an United States television comedy and game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win money and prizes....
 revival also thrived beginning in 1998, running six seasons until its 2004 cancellation. Between 2003 and 2007, no new games debuted in syndication, marking four consecutive seasons where no new game show debuted, a syndication first. The Fall 2007 debuts of Temptation
Temptation (2007 US game show)

Temptation: The New Sale of the Century was a television game show loosely based on both the original Australian and American Sale of the Century plus the current Australian remake, also called Temptation , the show began airing in broadcast syndication starting September 10, 2007, with the last first-run episode airing on June 1...
 and Merv Griffin's Crosswords
Merv Griffin's Crosswords

Merv Griffin's Crosswords is a Television syndication game show based on crosswords. The show was created by its namesake, Merv Griffin. Ty Treadway is the host, and Edd Hall is the announcer....
 helped stop that streak, bringing the daytime tally to six game shows; both ended production after one year, though Crosswords remains in reruns.

More new shows were added for Fall 2008, including a daytime run of Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal (U.S. syndicated game show)

A daytime version of Deal or No Deal, Broadcast syndication by NBC Universal Television Distribution, premiered on September 8, 2008; taping of these episodes started on May 21 of that year....
 and an adaptation
Trivial Pursuit: America Plays

Trivial Pursuit: America Plays is a game show loosely based on the board game Trivial Pursuit. It premiered on September 22, 2008, is hosted by Christopher Knight , and is produced and syndicated by Debmar-Mercury....
 of the popular board game Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit

Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer trivia and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 by Scott Abbott, a sports editor for The Canadian Press, and Chris Haney , a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette ....
. Deal appears to have caught on and may return, Trivial Pursuit has suffered low ratings and likely will not.

Stripped talk shows
The dominant form of first-run syndication in the U.S. for the last three decades has been the "stripped" talk show, such as Donahue
The Phil Donahue Show

The Phil Donahue Show, also known as Donahue, was a tabloid talk show. The show had a 26-year run on national television, preceded by three years of local broadcast in Dayton, Ohio, before ending in 1996 in television....
, Oprah Winfrey
The Oprah Winfrey Show

The Oprah Winfrey Show is a United States Television syndication talk show, hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey, and is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, The Tyra Banks Show
The Tyra Banks Show

The Tyra Banks Show is a Daytime Emmy Award winning American talk show hosted by former supermodel and America's Next Top Model creator Tyra Banks....
, and The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show

The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries....
. In many markets, a stripped show will be seen twice daily, usually with different episodes. Sometimes, station groups with more than one station in a market, or a "duopoly
Duopoly (broadcasting)

In United States terrestrial television and radio industry, duopoly is a term used to describe a single company which owns two or more stations in the same city or community....
", will run one episode of a strip on one of their stations in the morning, and the other available episode on another of their stations that night.

Meanwhile, the popularity of some of the audience-participation talk shows continues to encourage new participants, some of whom, such as Morton Downey, Jr.
Morton Downey, Jr.

Morton Downey, Jr. was an American television talk show host of the 1980s who pioneered the "trash TV" format....
 and Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell

Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American television host, stand-up comedian, actress, singer and author. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT social movements activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family Vacations....
, have brief periods of impressive ratings and influence; others, such as Oprah Winfrey and Maury Povich, have a sustained run. A notable scheduling decision was made by KRON-TV in San Francisco. A 2000 dispute with NBC led to their disaffiliation from that network after 52 years, and since all the other larger networks were already represented in San Francisco, KRON decided to become one of the largest-market independent commercial stations on the VHF
Very high frequency

VHF is the radio frequency range from 30 megahertz to 300 megahertz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency ....
 band in the U.S., and soon tried running Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil (TV series)

'Dr. Phil' is an United States talk show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr....
, a popular new stripped series hosted by Winfrey-associate Phil McGraw, in primetime, with impressive ratings results.

While in earlier times, independent TV stations thrived on syndicated programming (including some venerable and quite profitable stations such as KMSP
KMSP-TV

KMSP-TV, channel 9, is an O&O television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The station serves the Minneapolis-St....
 in the Minneapolis-St. Paul
Minneapolis-St. Paul

Minneapolis-Saint Paul is the most populous List of United States urban areas in the state of Minnesota, United States, and is composed of 186 cities and townships....
 market), with the loosening of FCC regulations and the creation of new additional TV networks (Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
, The CW
The CW Television Network

The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006-07 United States network television schedule....
, MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV

MyNetworkTV is a television network in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation. It is the lowest-rated of the six major US English-language commercial broadcast networks....
 and ION Television), most of these independents have joined one or another of these or smaller (religious or low-budget) networks. In another case, like those of KCAL
KCAL-TV

KCAL-TV channel 9 is an independent station in Los Angeles, California, owned by the CBS Corporation. KCAL-TV shares its studio facilities with KCBS-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City, Los Angeles, California section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson ....
 in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
, KMCI of Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence is the 6th largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Douglas County....
-Kansas City
Kansas City

Kansas City may refer to:* Kansas City Metropolitan Area, metropolitan area surrounding Kansas City, Missouri includes territory in both Missouri and Kansas....
 and WMLW-CA
WMLW-CA

WMLW-CA, channel 41, is a LPTV independent station television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its transmitter is located in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park....
 in Milwaukee, those independent stations are used to compliment their network affiliate sister station (KCBS
KCBS-TV

KCBS-TV is the owned and operated station station of the CBS Television Network located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City, Los Angeles, California section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson ....
, KSHB and WDJT
WDJT-TV

WDJT-TV, channel 58, is a television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Wisconsin. The station is an affiliate of the CBS television network....
, respecitvely) by allowing a duopoly
Duopoly (broadcasting)

In United States terrestrial television and radio industry, duopoly is a term used to describe a single company which owns two or more stations in the same city or community....
 control of more syndicated programming than would be possible on one station (and to spread it throughout the schedule of the two stations, often several times a day), or to air news programming in times unavailable on the larger network station. A duopoly of a network-independent station also allows a network station to move a low rated syndicated program to their sister independent channel to stem revenue losses.

Off-network syndication

It is commonly said in the U.S. industry that "syndication is where the real money is" when producing a TV show. In other words, while the initial run of any particular television series may theoretically lose money for its producing studio, the ensuing syndication will generate enough profit to balance out any losses.

Off-network syndication occurs when a network television show is syndicated in packages containing some or all episodes, and sold to as many television stations/markets as possible. Sitcoms
Situation comedy

A situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms....
 (short for "situation comedies") often do better in syndication than some dramatic shows due to the fact that most sitcoms have few ongoing storylines; a viewer can tune into many half-hour sitcoms without worrying about having missed the last episode. With some dramatic series, missing an episode can throw off the viewer, even if the episode itself is a self-contained story. Moreover, syndicators and stations often will run episodes of some series out-of-order to satisfy other requirements at the expense of viewer satisfaction; this is less costly for sitcoms than other shows with more pronounced serial elements.

Syndication has been known to spur the popularity of a series that only experienced moderate success during its original network run. The most notable example of this is Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek is a science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 to September 2, 1969. Though the original series was titled simply Star Trek, it has acquired the retronym Star Trek: The Original Series to distinguish it from the spinoffs that followed, and from the Star Trek fi...
, which ran for three seasons on NBC from 1966 to 1969, but became a worldwide cult phenomenon after it entered off-network syndication, the success of which ultimately led to the Star Trek film series and the made-for-syndication revival Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is a science fiction television program created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Set in the 24th century, about 70 years after Star Trek: The Original Series, the program features a new crew and a new Starship Enterprise....
 and three other series. Another example is The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch

The Brady Bunch is an United States television situation comedy based around a large stepfamily. The show originally aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on the American Broadcasting Company network and was subsequently television syndication around the world....
.

Cable stations have been known to vie among themselves for off-net syndication. Other series seen on multiple cable channels simultaneously were often being shared by channels which had the same corporate owners.

In recent years, more and more fee plugs have appeared during off-network syndication non-game shows. Some of these fees charged pay for the distribution and editing of these shows for syndication, while others pay for closed captioning and promotional consideration.

In any event, the amount of stations airing syndicated shows depends on which station in a particular market airs a particular show.

Sometimes, how a program is acquired for syndication varies. In the case of shows syndicated by one company, stations loyal to the company generally have first choice on any program it offers. For other shows syndicated by other companies, the syndication rights may be auctioned off to the highest bidder in a particular market.

The rise in popularity of infomercial
Infomercial

Infomercials are long-format television Television advertisement, typically five minutes or longer.. Infomercials are also known as paid programming ....
s in the 1980s and 1990s has resulted in a marked decrease in the number of older off-network syndicated series being aired by American and Canadian broadcasters, many of which now air paid programming such as infomercials during the overnight hours formerly occupied by old series reruns.

Strip/daily syndication

Off-network syndication can take several forms. The most common form is known as strip syndication
Stripping (television)

Stripping is an industry term used to refer to the practice of running a Television syndication series every day of the week. It is commonly restricted to describing the airing of shows which were weekly in their first run; The West Wing could be stripped but not Jeopardy!, as the latter is intended to be run daily....
 or daily syndication, when episodes of a television series are shown daily five times a week. Typically, this means that enough episodes must exist to allow for continual strip syndication to take place over the course of several months, without episodes being shown again. If a small number of episodes exist, the entire run of the series can be shown in a matter of weeks. As explained by David Crane
David Crane (television)

David Crane is an United States writer and producer. He was one of the creators of the TV sitcom Friends, along with his longtime friend Marta Kauffman....
 (creator and executive producer of Friends
Friends

Friends is an American situation comedy created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. The series revolves around a group of friends in the area of Manhattan, New York City, who occasionally live together and share living expenses....
), "A show will go in syndication for sure when it has reached its 5th year or 100th episode. If a Network Show only runs for 2 years or so there is usually no demand for syndication." However, there are exceptions, such as the option is the 65-episode block (common in Children's programming), which allows for a 13-week cycle of daily showings, so there will only be four repeats in a year.

In some cases, more than one episode is shown daily. Half-hour sitcoms are sometimes syndicated in groups of two or four episodes, taking up one or two hours of broadcast time.

If a series is not strip syndicated, it may be aired once a week, instead of five times a week. This allows shows with fewer episodes to last long in syndication, but it also may mean viewers will tire of waiting a week for the next episode of a show they have already seen and stop watching. More often, hourlong dramas in their first several runs in syndication are offered weekly; sitcoms are more likely to get stripped. In recent years there has been something of a trend toward showing two consecutive episodes of a program on Saturday and Sunday nights after prime time
Prime time

Prime time or primetime is the block of television program during the middle of the evening.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period, for example, from 8:00 p.m....
 (generally following the local news). This pattern has been particularly prominent for shows which are still in production but have run long enough to have many episodes.

As with commercial stations, not all the air time nor all the perceived audience are met by the productions offered U.S. public-broadcasting stations by PBS; additionally, there are some independent public stations in the U.S. which take no programming from that (somewhat) decentralized network. As a result, there are several syndicators of programming for the non-profit stations, several of which are descendants of the regional station groups which combined some, not all, of their functions into the creation of PBS in 1969. American Public Television
American Public Television

American Public Television is the largest of the television syndication distributors of programming for Public broadcasting stations in the United States....
 (APT) is the largest of these, nearly matched by NETA
NETA

NETA is an abbreviation that may refer to:*the International Electrical Testing Association NETA serves the electrical testing industry by establishing standards; publishing specifications; accrediting independent, third-party, electrical testing companies; certifying test technicians; and promoting the professional services of its members...
, the National Educational Telecommunications Association; similarly, the recently defunct Continental Program Marketing was another of the syndicator-descendants (of the Northeastern, Southeastern, and Rocky Mountain educational networks, respectively) of the pre-PBS era. Among the other notable organizations in the U.S. are Westlink Satellite Operations (based at Albuquerque's KNME), BBC Worldwide Americas (which often works with other distributors and individual stations, since it has no satellite access of its own in the U.S.), Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle

Deutsche Welle or DW, is Germany International broadcasting. It Broadcastings news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio in 29 languages ....
, Executive Program Services, the Program Resource Group and its member-station WLIW
WLIW

WLIW channel 21 is a noncommercial television station licensed to Garden City, New York which serves as a secondary Public Broadcasting Service member station for the New York City television market....
, Long Island, NY's PBS station, which is (with the arguable exception of KNME) the most prolific contributor of any individual station of syndicated programming, most obviously the BBC World News, Doctor Who
Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British Science fiction on television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien Time travel known as "Doctor " who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box....
 and Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus

Monty Python?s Flying Circus is a BBC sketch comedy programme from the Monty Python comedy team, and the group's initial claim to fame. The show was noted for its surreality, Wiktionary:risqu? or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags, and sketches without punchlines....
 in the U.S.

Radio syndication

Radio syndication generally works the same way as in television, except that radio station
Radio station

This article is about radio broadcasting, for other uses see Radio .Radio broadcasting is an audio broadcasting service, traditionally broadcast through the air as radio waves from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device....
s usually are not organized into strict affiliate-only networks. Radio network
Radio network

A radio network is a network system which distributes radio programming to multiple radio station simultaneously, or slightly delayed, for the purpose of extending total coverage beyond the limits of a single broadcast signal....
s generally are only distributors of programming, and individual stations (though often owned by large conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)

A conglomerate is a company that consists of multiple distinct and often unrelated businesses. Conglomerates are often large and can be formed by merging more than three businesses together....
s) decide which shows to carry from a wide variety of networks and independent providers. As a result, radio networks like Westwood One or Premiere Radio Networks, despite their influence in broadcasting, are not as recognized among the general public as television networks like CBS or ABC. Some examples of widely-syndicated commercial music programs include weekly countdown
Countdown

A countdown is the backward counting to indicate the seconds, days, etc. remaining before an event occurs or a deadline expires. Typical events for which a countdown is used include the launch of a rocket or spacecraft, the explosion of a bomb, the start of a racing, or the New Year....
s like Rick Dees
Rick Dees

Rick Dees is an American comedic performer, entertainer, and radio personality, best known for his #1 internationally syndicated radio show The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown and for the novelty song "Disco Duck." He is a People's Choice Award recipient, a Grammy nominated performing artist, and Broadcast Hall of Fame inductee....
' Weekly Top 40, the American Top 40
American Top 40

American Top 40 is an internationally-radio syndication, independent radio programming created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs....
, the Canadian Hit 30 Countdown
Canadian Hit 30 Countdown

The Canadian Hit 30 Countdown, often abbreviated CH30, is a Canada radio countdown show. It launched on November 6, 2004, on stations owned by Newcap Broadcasting....
, and the nightly program, Delilah
Delilah Rene

Delilah Rene Luke , almost always simply known as Delilah, is an American radio personality, author, and songwriter, best known as the eponymous host of a nationally radio syndication nightly U.S....
, heard on many U.S. stations.

Syndication is particularly popular in talk radio
Talk radio

Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests....
). While syndicated music shows (with the exception of some evening and overnight shows such as Delilah mentioned above) tend to air once a week and mostly recorded, most popular talk radio programs are syndicated daily and live. Also, with a relative dearth in 24-hour talk radio networks, most radio stations are free to assemble their own lineup of talk show hosts
Talk show

A talk show or chat show is a television or radio program where one person or group of people come together to discuss various topics put forth by a talk show talk show host....
 as they so choose. Examples of syndicated talk programs are Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Radio Networks

Premiere Radio Networks is an radio in the United States radio network. It is the largest Broadcast syndication company in the United States of America based on popularity of programming....
' Rush Limbaugh Show
The Rush Limbaugh Show

The Rush Limbaugh Show is an Radio in the United States talk radio hosted by Rush Limbaugh on Premiere Radio Networks. Since its inception on August 1, 1988, The Rush Limbaugh Show has become the List of most-listened-to radio programs in the United States, reviving AM radio and popularizing the conservative political talk format....
, Talk Radio Network's
Talk Radio Network

Talk Radio Network is an radio in the United States radio network.The network, as the name implies, specializes in talk radio programming, with an emphasis on Conservatism in the United States talk on weekdays and variety/general interest talk radio on weekends....
 The Savage Nation
The Savage Nation

The Savage Nation is an Radio in the United States talk radio hosted by American conservatism political pundit Michael Savage on Talk Radio Network....
, and ABC Radio Networks' Imus in the Morning
Imus in the Morning

Imus in the Morning is an radio in the United States talk radio hosted by Don Imus on ABC Radio Networks and simulcast on RFD-TV.The show originated on 66 WNBC-AM in New York City in 1971....
. Talk syndication tends to be more prevalent because voice tracking, a practice used by many music stations to have disc jockeys host multiple supposedly local shows at once, is not feasible with talk radio.

National Public Radio
National Public Radio

National Public Radio is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national Radio syndication to 797 public radio List of NPR stations in the United States....
, Public Radio International
Public Radio International

Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based United States public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing....
, and American Public Media
American Public Media

American Public Media is the second largest Radio producer of public broadcasting programs after National Public Radio. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and operates radio stations in Minnesota, California, and Florida....
 all sell programming to local public radio member stations in the U.S., in contrast to true public radio networks like Canada's CBC, which owns all of its stations. Two independently-produced, non-commercial
Non-commercial

Non-commercial refers to an activity or entity that does not in some sense involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis....
 syndicated programs, heard on hundreds of community radio
Community radio

Community radio is a type of radio service that caters to the interests of a certain area, broadcasting material that is popular to a local audience but is overlooked by more powerful broadcast groups....
 and indie radio stations, are Alternative Radio
Alternative Radio

Alternative Radio is an internationally Radio syndication, one hour, weekly radio program, featuring interviews with progressive thinkers and activists....
 and Pacifica's
Pacifica Radio

Pacifica Radio is the oldest public radio network in the United States. It is a network of over 100 affiliated stations and five independently operated, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations in the United States that is known for its liberal and Progressivism in the United States#Contemporary progressivism political orientation....
 Democracy Now!
Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! is a Broadcast syndication program of news, analysis, and opinion aired by more than 700 radio and television, satellite television and cable TV networks in North America....
.

Some radio programs are also offered on a barter system usually at no charge to the radio station. The system is used for live programming or preproduced programs and include a mixture of ad time sold by the program producer as well as time set aside for the radio station to sell.

History

Before radio networks matured in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, some early radio shows were reproduced on transcription disks and mailed to individual stations. An example of syndication using this method was RadiOzark Enterprises, Inc. based in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri

Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Greene County, Missouri. Springfield is 160 miles SE of Kansas City, MO, and 200 miles SW of St....
, co-owned with KWTO-AM
KWTO

KWTO refers to two radio stations in Springfield, Missouri, United States. On AM broadcasting, KWTO can be found at 560 kHz, where it airs a Talk radio format....
. The Assembly of God, with national headquarters in Springfield, sponsored a half-hour program on the station called Sermons in Song. RadiOzark began transcribing the show for other stations in the 1940s
1940s

The 1940s decade, known as the forties, ran from 1940 to 1949....
, and eventually 200 stations carried the program. The company later produced country music
Country music

Country music is a blend of popular American music forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It has roots in Traditional music, Celtic music, gospel music, and old-time music and evolved rapidly in the 1920s....
 programs starring among others, Smiley Burnette
Smiley Burnette

Lester Alvin Burnette , an United States singer-songwriter who could play as many as 100 different musical instruments, was a successful comedy actor in western film films over three decades....
, George Morgan
George Morgan (singer)

George Thomas Morgan was a mid-20th century country music singer.Morgan was born to Zachariah "Zach" Morgan and Ethel Turner in Waverly, Tennessee, but was raised in Barberton, Ohio....
, Bill Ring and Tennessee Ernie Ford
Tennessee Ernie Ford

Tennessee Ernie Ford an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the Country music, Pop music and Gospel music musical genres....
 (260 15-minute episodes of The Tennessee Ernie Show were distributed), and more than 1,200 U.S. and Canadian stations aired the programs.

Many syndicated radio programs were distributed through the US mail or other delivery service, although the medium changed as technology developed, going from transcription disks to phonograph records, tape recordings
Reel-to-reel audio tape recording

Reel-to-reel, open reel tape recording is the form of Magnetic tape#Audio recording in which the recording medium is held on a reel, rather than being securely contained within a compact audio cassette....
, cassette tapes and eventually CDs. Many smaller weekend programs still use this method to this day, though with the rise of the Internet, many stations have since opted to distribute programs via CD-quality MP3
MP3

MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a digital audio Encoder format using a form of lossy data compression. It is a common audio format for consumer audio storage, as well as a de facto standard encoding for the transfer and playback of music on digital audio players....
s through FTP
File Transfer Protocol

File Transfer Protocol is a network protocol used to transfer data from one computer to another through a network such as the Internet.FTP is a file transfer protocol for exchanging and manipulating files over a Transmission Control Protocol computer network....
 downloads.

It was not until the advent of satellite communications in the 1980s that live syndication became popular (though it could be transmitted through network wires, it was not particularly common). Shortly after satellite networks such as Talknet
NBC Talknet

NBC Talknet was a nighttime Block programming on the NBC radio network from the 1980s to the 1990s. It comprised several advice-oriented Phone in talk radio, the most notable radio personality being Bruce Williams and Sally Jessy Raphael....
, Transtar and SMN
Satellite Music Network

Satellite Music Network was the first satellite delivered Radio network to provide complete live 24-hour a day music programing to radio stations, under several different formats....
 began, the Fairness Doctrine
Fairness Doctrine

The Fairness Doctrine was a policy of the United States Federal Communications Commission that required the holders of broadcast licenses both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was honest, equitable and balanced....
 was repealed, which is credited with helping Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh

Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an United States radio personality and Conservatism in the United States political commentator. His radio syndication talk radio, The Rush Limbaugh Show, airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks....
 become the first national talk radio superstar. As the 1990s went on, Dr. Laura and Howard Stern
Howard Stern

Howard Allan Stern is an American radio presenter and media personality, best known for hosting The Howard Stern Show, currently an uncensored talk radio show that airs on Howard 100 on SIRIUS XM Radio....
 began their national shows, rising to become national icons.

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, syndicated talk radio saw a notably rapid rise in popularity, as networks rushed hosts such as Laura Ingraham
Laura Ingraham

Laura Anne Ingraham is an United States radio personality, author, and political commentator. Her radio syndication talk radio, The Laura Ingraham Show, airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network....
, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity

Sean Patrick Hannity is an American radio personality and television host, author, and Conservatism in the United States political commentator....
 and Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck is an United States radio personality and television host, Conservatism in the United States political commentator, author, and entrepreneur....
 into syndication around this time.

International syndication

Syndication also applies to international markets. Same language countries often syndicate programs to each other- such as programs from the United Kingdom being syndicated to Australia and vice versa. Another example would be programs from the United Kingdom, Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, Brazil
Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
, and Argentina
Argentina

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
 being syndicated to local TV stations in the United States, and programs from the United States being syndicated elsewhere in the world.

One of the best-known internationally syndicated television series has been The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show

The Muppet Show is a television program featuring a cast of The Muppets, which was produced by Jim Henson and his team from Sesame Street....
, which was produced in the United Kingdom and shown on ITV
ITV

ITV is a public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom television network of British television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC....
, and appeared around the world, including the United States, where it aired in syndication, and Canada, where CBC Television
CBC Television

CBC Television is a Canadian English language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. This channel can be also seen on some United States cable systems....
 aired the show. Many soaps, and long running series are also successfully syndicated around the globe.

Colombian
Colombia

Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Brazilian
Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
, Mexican
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 and Venezuelan
Venezuela

Venezuela , officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a country on the northern coast of South America.The country comprises a continental mainland and numerous islands located off the Venezuelan coastline in the Caribbean Sea....
 telenovelas are programmed throughout the Portuguese
Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and Portugal. It is derived from the Latin language spoken by the Romanization Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago....
 and Spanish
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
-speaking world, and in many parts of India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 and Europe
European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European Union member state, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community....
.

American TV Ratings

For the week ending January 26 - February 1, 2009, Wheel of Fortune (CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution

CBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, a merger of CBS Corporation's three television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television, CBS Paramount International Television, and King World Productions including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment....
) drew 12,712,000 viewers. It topped Jeopardy
Jeopardy

Jeopardy may refer to:* Double jeopardy, a legal concept* Jeopardy!, a television game show* Jeopardy , a dramatic BBC-TV series* Jeopardy , a 1953 film starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ralph Meeker...
 (10,270,000) and Two & A Half Men (9,038,000). Friends
Friends

Friends is an American situation comedy created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. The series revolves around a group of friends in the area of Manhattan, New York City, who occasionally live together and share living expenses....
 ranked at number 20 (3,872,000).

See also

  • 100 episodes
    100 episodes

    100 episodes is considered to be the general threshold at which point a television series produced for the United States becomes viable for television syndication....
  • Rerun
    Rerun

    A rerun or repeat is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television Broadcasting. The invention of the rerun is generally credited to Desi Arnaz....
  • Syndication exclusivity
    Syndication exclusivity

    Syndication exclusivity is a federal law in the United States designed to protect a local television station's rights to television syndication television programs by granting exclusive rights to the station for that program in the Media market, usually defined by a station's Nielsen DMA....


Sources

  • - daily news about the TV business