What is the broadcast calendar?

The broadcast calendar was created in the 1960s and is used primarily in the broadcasting industry, making it easier to plan, purchase, and bill for TV and radio advertising. In the broadcast calendar, each week begins on a Monday and ends the following Sunday. Every broadcast month therefore ends on a Sunday, and begins on a Monday. This divides the annual calendar into twelve months that are made up of either four or five weeks. In the standard Gregorian calendar we’re accustomed to a month that wouldn’t be evenly divisible by 7-day weeks (because weeks as we think of them typically will straddle the transition between two months). In the broadcast calendar every week occupies a single month. This creates months that are exactly 28 days (in a four-week broadcast month) or 35 days (in a five-week broadcast month) long.

Why do agencies, advertisers, and broadcasters use the broadcast calendar? Because it makes activities like planning, scheduling, and billing TV and radio easier. Think of it this way: so much of our lives revolve around the Monday to Sunday week. We all have rhythms that fall into this pattern – work schedules, social plans, and even our media consumption. If you’re a college football fan, you might circle your calendar for every Saturday. In essence, you’re circling the calendar for the 6th day of every broadcast week. If you’re a broadcaster planning out a weekly schedule for TV (or radio) shows, everything is in alignment with a weekly programming cycle that starts on Monday – what shows are in my Monday lineup? What about Tuesday? And this seven-day lineup repeats on a weekly cycle, which aligns more closely with how we live and plan our lives.

While all this may sound complicated, it makes much more sense when you see the broadcast calendar and how evenly it subdivides into months and weeks. Check out the 2024 Broadcast Calendar below.

You can learn more about the broadcast calendar at these helpful links from TVB.org. Shull Media Partners is a full-service advertising agency specializing in broadcast media (and a whole lot more). If you need help with your marketing strategy, contact us by filling out the form below. We’d love to hear from you!