The FCC mandates that there must be X minutes of programming per hour or half
hour program, depending on venue. There is one minimum for syndication and
cable, and a slightly higher minimum for network shows.
This is what enables syndicators and cable operations to cut down episodes in
order to cram in more comercials.
B5 ran at the syndication/cable minimum number of minutes as mandated by the
FCC, which can be found in their regs. It cannot be cut further unless the
minimums change or have changed.
jms
(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com
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synthetic worlds, ltd., permission
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SFX Magazine)