but rather on network-affiliated stations during nonnetwork time slots or on nonaffiliated independent stations. They are associated principally with daytime and secondarily with late-night television and are commonly referred to as part of the "daytime talk" lineup (e.g., Saltzman 63; Waxman D1; Kurtz D1). The flexibility of syndication schedules appears to be an important determinant of viewership ratings, in turn a benchmark for the price at which TV stations are able to market advertising. As Rabinowitz explains with regard to the Jerry Springer Show:
[Detroit's] WDIV-TV, an NBC affiliate, aired the hour-long show at 10 a.m. for six years--where it did very well. But that was nothing compared with the sudden ratings boost that began last January, when WDIV moved the show to 4 p.m. Nielsen demographics subsequently revealed just who the new fans were: namely, teen-agers, ages 12 to 17 (Rabinowitz 13).
More will be said about the demographics of daytime talk. The present point is that the ratings record of the Jerry Springer Show as of 1997-1998 is remarkable n
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