Drive-By Programming Niche Marketing to the Channel Surfer on TNT, MTV, and CNN

This article explores a fairly recent trend in cable programming: “drive-by programming.” In response to the proliferation of channels and the potential for channel surfing that has accompanied the narrowcasting of contemporary cable television, some networks have regularly employed a programming scheme that directly targets the roving viewer. Looking at MTV, TNT, and CNN, this article examines the ways in which this new programming scheme has impacted both programming choices and program content, including MTV’s movement to reality television and the repetitive story-telling practices of both TNT and CNN. These case studies demonstrate the consequences of drive-by programming for the contemporary media environment, illustrating the particularly detrimental effects of CNN’s drive-by practices on the kinds of news stories the network tells.