Written Reality: Rants and Raves: WE DID IT!

WE DID IT!

by Andrea M. Newton
June 7, 2007

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They said we were wasting our time. They said we'd never succeed. They said we were nuts.

They were wrong.

On June 6, 2007, after fans bombarded them for three weeks with emails, letters, postcards, phone calls, and over 40,000 pounds of nuts, CBS announced they are ordering seven more episodes of Jericho for mid-season next year.

I cannot stop grinning.

Lessons to be Learned

There are a lot of lessons to be learned from the fan fight to save Jericho -- lessons for the fans, the networks, the advertisers, the Nielsen company, and anyone who wants to make a difference for a cause he believes in.

For Fans

Fans need to learn not to assume they'll be counted just because they watch a show. Unless you're a Nielsen family, the sad fact is that you aren't counted. This is even more true if you watch using a New Media method like DVR/TiVo, xBox 360, OnDemand, or streaming video -- even on the show's own website. Jericho was one of the most popular shows on CBS InnerTube. But when it came time to set the 2007 fall lineup, all CBS looked at were the Nielsen ratings, because that's what advertisers look at.

But for a show on the bubble, feedback from fans can make a difference. So if you like a show, let the network know by writing them a letter. Let them know what you like about the show, how you watch the show, and even what advertisers you're going to check out because of it.

And don't wait until your favorite show is cancelled to do it. Remember, it's a lot easier to keep a show alive before it's cancelled than it is to get it resurrected after the network has dropped the axe.

For Networks

Networks need to learn that the way people watch TV is changing. As technology advances, more and more people migrate to New Media methods because they allow us to fit entertainment into our overworked, multi-tasking lives. And once the public adopts a new technology, it doesn't go back to an old one.

Don't expect audiences to go back to watching TV in traditional methods. Instead, leverage new technology to grow shows. Find a way to monetize them. Market them to advertisers. Embrace New Media. Because if you miss that first opportunity with new technology, you'll spend years playing catch up while audiences, and eventually advertisers, leave you behind.

For Advertisers

More than anything else, advertisers need to stop treating the Nielsen ratings as gospel. If nothing else, the Jericho fan protest proves that the Nielsen system doesn't accurately gauge a show's audience. In fact, the audience that advertisers most want to reach -- those in the 18-49 year old demographic -- are the very ones least likely to be counted, since they're increasingly using New Media viewing methods.

Instead, advertisers need to look at a wide range of viewer data to determine where they'll get the biggest bang for their advertising bucks. In addition to Nielsen ratings, look at DVR/TiVo statistics, iTunes sales, streaming video numbers, and all the other ways that people watch TV. Insist that New Media providers find a way to give you a statistical breakdown of these figures so you can see the whole picture of who is watching which shows, and how. Odds are you'll find that the best way to reach the audience you want is by advertising in New Media methods in additional to traditional TV.

For Nielsen

The Nielsen company has been taking a beating for years as more and more people question the validity of using a few select households to determine which shows billions of people watch worldwide. After the Jericho protest, Nielsen is sporting a pretty nasty black eye, especially with reports surfacing that, after figuring in New Media viewing methods, Jericho not only had a significantly larger audience that Nielsen ratings first suggested, but actually gained viewers in the 18-49 demographic. And, what's more, Jericho viewers were more inclined to sit through commercials than audiences time-shifting other shows.

Nielsen not only needs to revisit how it measures traditional viewers, but it also needs to find a way to accurately count New Media audiences. Otherwise, Nielsen will become more and more outdated as New Media further outdistances Old Media. If it doesn't find a way to quantify and incorporate New Media audience data, Nielsen may well find itself replaced by someone that does.

For Everyone Else

Edmund Burke said, "All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." And all that is necessary for any effort to fail is for those who believe in it to do nothing.

Jericho's fans believe in the show and fought to save it. We proved that you can fight big business, you can fight city hall, you can make your voice heard and make a difference. Whatever your passion, take this lesson from the Jericho Rangers: Stand up and fight for what you know to be right. Be passionate, be polite, but be persistent. Never give up. You can make a difference.

The Battle is Over, but the War Rages On

For Jericho's fans, the work has just begun. CBS has given us, and Jericho's cast and crew, another seven episodes to prove that the show is as big a hit as we say. But for it to continue, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler said in her message to fans, the Jericho audience must grow. Jericho's fans must get more people watching, on CBS Network TV in addition to New Media methods.

Jericho fans were a step ahead of her. As soon as Michael Ausiello at TVGuide.com reported on the rumor that CBS might be giving Jericho a seven-episode second chance, threads started popping up on Jericho forums about how to get more people watching so the show would be guaranteed a third -- and fourth, and fifth -- season. Less than twenty-four hours after the official CBS announcement, fans are organizing a variety of ways to get more people watching the show, and to make sure that those who do are counted.

In keeping with that, I'll end this article with a question, and a challenge:

Have you watched Jericho yet?

If you haven't, hop on over to CBS InnerTube. Just make sure you have plenty of spare time, because once you watch one episode, you won't want to stop!