Broadcasting and Programming Steiner's model of programming preferences and broadcasting choices attempts to show how stations arrive at conclusions about what programming to show. This model assumes that broadcasters will pursue the largest possible audience. Based on the information provided about this hypothetical situation, we can predict what each of the four stations will show in this market. There are three distinct audience preferences. The first group of 1200 viewers has a first programming preference for sitcoms and a second choice for soaps. The second group has 900 viewers and would choose the cops first and then the soaps. The third group, 500 viewers, prefers soaps first and then sitcoms. This model says that the audience will watch the first choice first and then the second, but only if the first choice is not available. Let's say the Federal Communications Commission licenses Station A in its market. Looking at viewers' preferences, station A would start broadcasting soaps. With soap operas, it would capture a market of 2600 viewers. All viewers would watch soaps because it is their first choice or it is second choice but first choice is not available. The FCC then offers a license to station B. After examining the audience size, the B stations also begin broadcasting soaps. By programming for this audience, the soap market is shared with station A and both have 1300 viewers. Station B does not choose another schedule because no other choice can offer more than 1300 viewers. When the FCC offers a license to the C station, things will definitely change in this market. Station C sees the largest available audience as the sitcom market with 1200 viewers. But when station C takes those 1200 viewers from the soap audience that considers sitcoms as first choice, stations A and B will both drop to 700 viewers. make a decision. Both can find bigger markets elsewhere. One station, and it doesn't matter which one, will switch to crime shows. For this hypothesis, station B would choose police officers for 900 spectators. Station A, which still broadcasts soap operas, now has only 500 viewers. He doesn't like it, so he starts showing sitcoms. Audience 3, with 500 viewers, now watches sitcoms because there are no soaps around. Stations A and C both broadcast sitcoms and divide audiences of 1,700 by 850 each. Now that viewers are confused about which station is broadcasting what, the FCC offers a fourth license to Station D..