Every year the networks promise to do a better job convincing viewers to stick around in the summer.
And almost every year, they pretty much fail.
That was certainly the case this summer, a season which saw every network except CBS lose audience from last year in both overall viewers and key demos.
Even a flood of first-run programming, both scripted and unscripted, couldn't stop the erosion.
The good news is, summer isn't all about ratings for broadcasters. All those repeats of "CSI" and "Grey's Anatomy" are on for a reason: They're basically free programming for the networks, and advertisers like being in familiar fare (even if the ratings aren't great).
That doesn't mean the networks are happy about how they did during the last three months.
Talk to execs privately and they'll admit they can't keep shrugging their shoulders as summer numbers get worse each year-- particularly with cable continuing to use the season to launch new tentpoles (think USA's "Royal Pains" and Lifetime's "Drop Dead Diva").
So as suits start quietly start plotting yet another new summer strategy, here are five things they might be able to learn from the beach season just past:
Don't give up on scripted series during the summer.
This, despite tons of evidence that suggests viewers just don't seem interested in watching first-run dramas or comedies on broadcast TV between June and September.
The nets put on what might have been a record number of scripted shows this summer: "The Philanthropist," "Defying Gravity," "Mental," "Merlin" and more. Without exception, they all flopped.
This year, the networks thought they had found a solution: Throwing on series produced by or in conjunction with international broadcasters, such as "Merlin" and "Gravity." They cost a fraction of what a traditional drama goes for, which meant the networks didn't need blockbuster numbers to make the economics work.
Viewers smelled the cheap, however. In many cases, repeats of established hits did far better than the newcomers.
So why keep trying?
Because giving up means ceding one-fourth of the year to cable, which has had no problem launching numerous scripted successes in the summer. Except for a few reality shows, the entire pop culture buzz machine virtually ignores broadcast TV in the summer.
Network insiders insist they're not going to give up on scripted shows in the summer. A change in strategy may be in the works, however.
"Scripted fare can succeed on a broadcast network in the summer," argues Preston Beckman, scheduling guru for Fox Broadcasting. "But we have to position it not as summer fare, but as an extension of our season.
He suggests starting a show in April or May and letting in run into July, or possibly launching a fall series in early August, as Fox did with "The O.C." Another option: Extending a mid-season show like 'Human Target' into the summer.
Beckman's counterpart at NBC, Mitch Metcalf, agrees timing could be key when it comes to summer series.
