Chapter 263 - Chapter 4: The Program Approach of BT Television_3

Rick was talking about the "Prime Time Access Rule," which was a regulation established by the United States Federal Communications Commission in 1970 to limit the power of the three major television networks. This rule dictated that, during the prime time hours of 7:30 - 8:00 PM and 10:30 - 11:00 PM West Coast time (with the hours being one hour earlier on the East Coast), all American television stations affiliated with a network were prohibited from broadcasting programs from their parent company. They had to fill the time with either self-produced content or independently purchased programs, even if it meant interrupting an exciting prime-time drama produced by their parent company that wasn't over yet; the show would have to switch to a self-produced program and only continue the drama after the prime time period had ended.