Recruiter's Glossary

Examples: Pilot Season • Option Agreement • Talent Contract

Prime Time

Term from Entertainment industry explained for recruiters

Prime Time refers to the most valuable and watched television broadcast hours, typically between 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM (7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Central Time) in North America. This is when TV networks air their most popular shows and charge the highest rates for advertising. When someone mentions Prime Time experience in their resume, they're usually referring to work on shows, advertising, or productions that aired during these peak viewing hours, which is considered prestigious in the entertainment industry.

Examples in Resumes

Produced three seasons of Prime Time drama series for major network

Managed Prime-Time advertising campaigns reaching 10M+ viewers

Directed lighting for Prime Time news broadcasts

Coordinated Prime-Time program scheduling across multiple channels

Typical job title: "Prime Time Production Professionals"

Also try searching for:

TV Producer Broadcast Producer Television Director Program Director Production Manager Programming Coordinator Broadcast Manager Content Scheduler

Where to Find Prime Time Production Professionals

Industry Organizations

Job Boards

Professional Networks

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How do you handle last-minute scheduling changes during prime time broadcast?

Expected Answer: A senior professional should explain crisis management procedures, backup programming options, communication protocols with advertisers, and strategies to minimize viewer disruption while maintaining advertising commitments.

Q: What factors do you consider when developing a prime time programming strategy?

Expected Answer: Should discuss audience demographics, competitive analysis, advertising revenue potential, production costs, seasonal viewing patterns, and cross-platform promotion opportunities.

Mid Level Questions

Q: How do you manage multiple prime time production timelines simultaneously?

Expected Answer: Should explain project management techniques, resource allocation, coordination between different departments, and maintaining quality standards across multiple productions.

Q: What's your approach to maintaining production quality while staying within budget?

Expected Answer: Should discuss budgeting strategies, resource optimization, negotiation with vendors, and creative problem-solving without compromising production value.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What are the key differences between prime time and daytime television production?

Expected Answer: Should demonstrate understanding of production values, budget differences, audience expectations, and advertising considerations between different broadcast times.

Q: How do you assist in preparing a show for prime time broadcast?

Expected Answer: Should explain basic production assistant duties, understanding of technical requirements, coordination with different departments, and attention to detail in scheduling.