Identify the audience, and learn if they are watching

I had heard that TV3 were launching and I was interested in getting into terrestrial television, so I thought it would be the ideal opportunity. When I applied for scheduling manager I was working for NBC and CNBC Europe, doing programme planning for both. Satellites are generally niche stations focusing on one particular genre; CNBC for example is a business channel. Terrestrial stations tend to have a broader range of programmes, which is more interesting for me - it's right across-the-board programming rather than one particular target audience.

A number of factors would influence my decisions at TV3. First, I would make decisions based on whether a programme was suitable for the station. The demographic of the target audience for TV3 is 15 to 44, so we would looked at programming in terms of attracting that broad viewership. There are other considerations, such as what is available and how much something costs.

When you have the programmes and you are scheduling them, you have to think about who might be watching at any given time. Early morning would be quite newsy and fast. The daytime viewing audience would generally be women and pre-school children and there would be certain generic programming for that audience. I suppose you could say that at that time of the day people might have their television on in the background while they are doing chores and so on. But we make decisions based on the idea that people are actually watching!

You make decisions in relation to who you assume will be watching. We have Starsky and Hutch on at 1 p.m. on Saturday because that's when younger teenagers would be watching, for example, and it is a programme they enjoy.

The early evening is more entertainment-based and, as the evening wears on, there is more and more adult-oriented material. There is a 9 p.m. "watershed" that we respect. Before that we would avoid material which could be considered offensive for an under-18 audience. This isn't a written guideline, but it is universally accepted that you wait until after 9 p.m. for programmes which have what is considered adult content.

On a typical day I would get into work around 9 a.m. and check through e-mails. Then perhaps there would be a planning meeting with myself, the director of programming and the acquisition executive. Any big chances I would run past the director of programming.

I check the "overnights" (viewing figures) on a daily basis, and during the day I look at ratings and monitor how well programmes are doing. You may have a scenario where a particular programme is very good, but it isn't doing especially well. Perhaps that's because there is some very strong programming on another station at the same time - so you might move it to another slot.

I get letters, phone calls and e- mails from the public all the time regarding programming. But we'd only make scheduling decisions on the basis of ratings, because that's the true measure.

In the afternoon I might have a promotions meeting. We'd plan trailers, looking at the next three weeks and decide which programmes need strong promotion. A few times a year I go to "programme markets". The biggest is in London - three days of meetings with people who are trying to sell new programmes. I enjoy the planning and programming side of things most. You've to look at scheduling in a competitive way, and it's quite challenging. I like the atmosphere of a television station too. It can be stressful, but that's what makes it an exciting environment.

I do look at television to relax when I go home. I wouldn't necessarily look at the sort of programmes I schedule for TV3 - but I exercise my judgment at work, choosing programmes for the audience. You have to be objective.

In conversation with Jackie Bourke