Due to the fact that I no longer receive Hallmark Channel or ION, I wasn’t aware of this until a few days ago when Shawn contacted me, but both cable channel Hallmark Channel and broadcast network ION have stopped airing repeats of M*A*S*H. Sitcoms Online reported on September 17th that ION would replace the 4-5PM airings of M*A*S*H with extra airings of Reba beginning Monday, October 5th.

I e-mailed ION and received the following reply:

There has been a schedule change and the program “M*A*S*H” is no longer part of our lineup. This program’s run on the network has ended. Thank you for contacting ION Media Networks.

As for Hallmark Channel, Sitcoms Online reported on September 21st that the weekday block of M*A*S*H (from 5-8PM) would be replaced by I Love Lucy, also beginning Monday, October 5th. Well, today is October 5th and M*A*S*H is gone from both Hallmark Channel and ION. It still airs on TV Land from 5-6AM on Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri, 9PM to 12AM on Wednesdays and 8-11PM on Saturdays (at least that’s the schedule for the next two weeks).

I sent Hallmark Channel an e-mail as well but have not received a reply. It is possible M*A*S*H will return in the future. And there’s always the complete series on DVD.

MAGNA, a “global media forecasting and investment strategy unit” of Mediabrands (itself a “media holding company” and part of Interpublic Group) has released a report detailing the state of comedies on television today. Written by Steve Sternberg and titled, appropriately enough, “Comedies on Television,” the report notes that while the number of comedies currently on the broadcast networks in the United States is low that doesn’t mean viewers aren’t watching comedies. They’re just watching older ones.

Included in the report is the following:

What are the most popular comedies on television today?

Would you believe, the top 15 are Family Guy, George Lopez, Two and a Half Men, Home Improvement, Fresh Prince, Everybody Loves Raymond, Seinfeld, Family Matters, That ‘70s Show, King of Queens, Friends, Frasier, Andy Griffith, Roseanne and M*A*S*H? Of these, only two, Family Guy and Two and a Half Men, will be on a broadcast network this fall.

Helping M*A*S*H is its exposure: it currently airs on two cable channels (TV Land and The Hallmark Channel), a broadcast network (ION) and in broadcast syndication in local markets. Nevertheless, I was very surprised to see the series among the most popular comedies of 2009. The report doesn’t specify how the list was compiled but I would assume Nielsen ratings were compiled for every comedy on the air — likely the aggregate of all airings — and they were simply ranked in order of viewers or household rating.

With M*A*S*H being shown so often, even if every individual episode is only watched by a relatively small number of viewers, the total number of people watching the show is pretty high. Thanks to TVbytheNumbers for linking to the report; the actual report can be viewed here.

I haven’t updated M*A*S*H on TV since September of 2008. People used to e-mail with the days and times M*A*S*H was shown in their locations but it’s been a while since I got one of those e-mails. I checked the websites for many of the stations I have listed and I didn’t find M*A*S*H being aired anywhere.

It’s possible that ION now holds the exclusive broadcast rights to M*A*S*H*, meaning local stations can no longer air it. Or, with the show out on DVD and airing on two cable channels in addition to ION, maybe local stations simply don’t see it as a worthy investment. I know it has been years since it was shown in my area. But is it currently being shown on any local stations, anywhere in the country? Let me know.

I only have anecdotal evidence to support this — and not all that much of it — but I’m of the opinion that during the past decade M*A*S*H has picked up a lot of younger fans. Of course, the success of the series on television (cable channels FX, TV Land and The Hallmark Channel and broadcast network ION) and DVD can just as easily be attributed to people who’ve been fans of the series since the 1970s or 1980s. But it seems to me — and again, this is based on nothing more than my observations — that M*A*S*H has a fan base that similar sitcoms simply don’t. And that, in my opinion, reflects a fan base that is expanding rather than dwindling as those who watched M*A*S*H when it originally aired have aged.

Of the 63 people who have submitted entries to My First M*A*S*H, a total of 40 were born after M*A*S*H went off the air in 1983. That’s 63%. And 22 of them, or 35%, were born in the 1990s. Several gave 1995 as the year they were born. That would make them thirteen or fourteen, depending on when they sent me the entry. How do thirteen-year-old’s get interested in M*A*S*H?

Judging from the entries themselves, some had family members who watched the show and introduced them to it while others stumbled upon it all by themselves while watching TV Land or The Hallmark Channel. It helps that M*A*S*H has been shown so often on cable. The more M*A*S*H is on the air the more opportunities there are for younger viewers to find it. The same can’t be said for a lot of sitcoms; for example, you don’t see The Mary Tyler Moore Show or Maude or Three’s Company on television nearly as often as M*A*S*H.

It would be very interesting to see the demographic breakdowns for airings of M*A*S*H on TV Land, The Hallmark Channel and ION. Are younger viewers well represented or are the bulk of those watching baby boomers?

M*A*S*H will start airing on the ION television network next week, beginning Monday, September 8th. Two episodes will be shown back-to-back from 4-5PM ET, Monday through Friday, and from 6-7PM ET Saturday and Sunday. Check the ION website to see if you get ION in your area. I have updated M*A*S*H On TV to reflect this change.

ION Media Networks has announced that M*A*S*H will join its ION Television’s prime time schedule this coming fall. ION Television is a broadcast network in the United States that currently airs an assortment of sitcoms including Alice, The Drew Carey Show and Who’s the Boss?, along with movies and paid programming. In March, Baywatch will be added to its schedule. From a press release available here:

“A timeless staple like ‘M*A*S*H’ is a great win for our schedule, as we migrate our network to mainstream audience appeal in the 2008/2009 season,” said Brandon Burgess, Chairman and CEO, ION Media Networks. “We anticipate further announcements in coming months, including some shows that people may not expect from us, as we look to give ION Television a more light-hearted and open-minded programming sensibility that will invite new audiences.”

M*A*S*H is currently seen in the United States on cable channels TV Land and The Hallmark Channel; it is also shown in syndication on individual broadcast television stations. No word on whether those stations will lose the right to air M*A*S*H due to ION Television’s agreement, or when M*A*S*H will premiere, aside from a general Fall 2008 start date.