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My day as a TV test screener

Those who know me well know that I am an avid TV-watcher with a long and detailed knowledge of popular culture.
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News-Optimist reporter and avid TV viewer John Cairns holds the package of unused discount coupons he received after participating in a test screening at the Television City Research Center in Las Vegas.

Those who know me well know that I am an avid TV-watcher with a long and detailed knowledge of popular culture.

So it really should surprise nobody that I took part in an interesting television-related activity during my winter getaway vacation in Las Vegas earlier this month.

No, it wasn't a trip to the souvenir store to buy yet more "CSI" merchandise already in abundance in Vegas.

Instead, it was a trip to the Television City exhibit at the MGM Grand, where I was one of several people who took part in a test screening group previewing an upcoming CBS television show at the Television City Research Center.

Basically I was a guinea pig for CBS as they assessed how viewers reacted to a show that had the potential to make it to their prime-time lineup.

I didn't know before going to Vegas that I was going to take part in this. The only reason I did was because someone handed me a "Television City" brochure in the MGM Grand on my way in.

The best part of this for me was the fact it was free of charge to participate. That's important, since the live shows and even many of the restaurants in Las Vegas cost an arm and a leg.

CBS gets a good cross-section of opinion from people from across North America because of all the out-of-towners who come to Las Vegas.

Folks at Television City weren't repelled at all by the fact that I was from Canada. It likely adds value for them to have non-Americans take part in the process, because they can gauge whether a show has sale potential internationally. Worldwide sales mean big bucks. Besides, most American prime time TV shows wind up sold to Canada, anyway.

Some of you may scoff at the notion of spending a Vegas vacation sitting in some room watching a TV show and then filling out a questionnaire about it. "Harrumph! If I wanted to watch television, I could have sat at home!" you'd say.

You also don't know what you are getting when you sign on for one of these things. They don't tell you in advance what the show is going to be or whether it is a comedy, drama, procedural or reality show. The show you could end up watching might be total junk for all you know, or it could be quality stuff.

Test screenings are an important part of the process putting a show on the air. As someone interested in TV, I was interested in finding out more about the process.

The reality is the TV business is really dog eat dog. It's common knowledge the vast majority of television shows that premiere as part of the fall prime time schedule don't ever see a second season.

In fact, some of them tank so badly with audiences that they are yanked off the air after only a few weeks. CBS pulled a show from the schedule after just two episodes aired. It's a tough business.

These viewer surveys and focus groups are a way the networks determine what shows appear on the air and what characters and actors appear on it as well. If the public responds negatively to a certain character or actor, the producers will then go ahead and make changes to the script or characters. Or they will sack the actors or writers and find someone else the audience will like better.

On the other hand, those filling out the survey could come back and say the entire show completely sucks, at which point the network simply puts everyone out of their misery and it's all over for the show before it even begins.

The potential series previewed at these test screenings are usually ones that are on the bubble. They aren't the big established hits like CSI or NCIS, but rather the shows that might need some tweaking before they hit the air.

The potential new show our particular group watched was an effort called Friend Me. It was a sitcom about two guys from the Midwest who had just moved to Los Angeles for a new life. The show had significant social-media overtones to it.

To my eyes, it seemed a similar style of show as other popular comedies on CBS such as Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother and the Big Bang Theory.

After returning from Las Vegas I did a quick Google search on the show. It turns out CBS actually ordered this show and was ready to put it on the fall schedule, but decided to push it back. Now the show is being touted as a possible mid-season replacement.

I also learned this series has bigger and more tragic problems to contend with behind the scenes. In October, one of its co-creators suddenly died, shortly after he left the series.

It's obvious to me why this show was aired in a test screening of Las Vegas visitors instead of in front of a national viewing audience. CBS has a classic dilemma on their hands: what do they do with the show.

I was there to help.

At the test screening I watched the show and laughed a few times. I guess the show was better than I expected, which isn't saying much since I expected complete junk to begin with.

I did the survey and gave my own two cents on what I'd seen. We were asked the standard survey-type questions about whether we liked the characters, the story and so on, and then were asked to rate a bunch of other shows on the air in comparison to this show we just watched.

That gave me my big opportunity to give some low grades to those terrible and stupid reality shows currently on the air.

Seriously, I'm sick and tired of some of the crap on TV! Hopefully CBS will make good use of some of my opinions and spare the viewing public any further reality television punishment, but I doubt it. Too many people watch this rubbish, it seems. Besides, it's cheap to produce.

The whole experience lasted less than an hour. On our way out we all got a bunch of discount coupons we could use at various establishments around the Las Vegas strip. That was pretty cool.

Anyway, if you think you have better taste in TV shows than most people want to give your two cents, you should really consider going to Television City and taking part in one of those TV show screenings. I really recommend it if you are interested in television and want something to do in Las Vegas that doesn't cost you an arm and a leg.

So that was my big contribution to society during my time in Las Vegas - watching TV.

Come to think of it, I spent most of my time in Las Vegas watching TV of one sort or another. I sat in the sports books much of the time and watched all the basketball action from across the USA on the numerous TV screens.

Also, in a number of the casinos, I noticed they had TVs going to show sporting events right inside the gaming floor, and there were TVs going full blast in all the bars and the like as well. You couldn't get away from TVs if you tried.

When I got back to my hotel room at the Excalibur, I turned on the AMC channel one night. Guess what classic movie they were showing? It was Casino, starring Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone.

Seriously, you had to laugh. You couldn't escape TV in Las Vegas, and you couldn't escape Las Vegas on TV.