Abstract

In the context of a "natural experiment", this study aims to explore the effect of the change in the programming strategy and the style of the product on newscasts audience size, profile and loyalty. Findings show the significant role of scheduling in changing the size of the audience in terms of total and across all the socio-demographic segments studied. Finally, audience within-program loyalty decrease when more-friendly format elements are used. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the media management theory and the broadcasting industry.